Olympus is targeting professional photographers and 'advanced enthusiasts' with its E-3 DSLR model, which replaces the four-year-old E-1, the world's first Four Thirds system DSLR. However, the promise of smaller, lighter cameras claimed for the Four Thirds system is not delivered in the E-3, which is one of the heaviest DSLR bodies in the under-$5000 category. (Only Nikon's D200 and D300 weigh more.) But size and weight aren't the only factors influencing camera choice and the E-3 has plenty to recommend it.
For starters, it's very well built, with a robust magnesium-alloy body that is manufacturer using the 'Thixomold' process, which produced lighter and stronger mouldings than die-casting. The E-3's body is splashproof and has dust-resistant sealing, making it usable for outdoor photography in testing conditions. Its shutter mechanism has been tested to 150,000 cycles, putting it into the 'professional' category. Olympus provides no details of the release time lag but, in use, the camera has a similar 'feel' to the EOS 40D, Nikon D300 and Sony A700, which have similar price tags (but not nearly as responsive as Nikon's D3).
The articulating LCD monitor on the new camera isn't the first use of vari-angle displays on a DSLR. (That honour goes to Panasonic's L10, another Four Thirds system manufacturer and the manufacturer of the sensors for the Olympus DSLR range.) With a 180 degree horizontal swing and 360 degree rotation, it adds a new dimension to the live viewing capabilities of the monitor (see below). Olympus claims a 176-degree viewing angle for this screen, which we'd support � but only just! Readability was similar to the monitors on competing DSLRs.
more : photoreview
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