The new Olympus E-3 is the flagship of its Digital SLR line and provides the high-precision performance demanded by professional and enthusiastic photographers. It combines speed and weatherproof durability for capturing exceptional images in any situation. Olympus pioneered Full Time Live View and Dust Reduction technologies for digital SLR cameras, leading where others have followed. Now, the new E-3 enhances those technical innovations and raises the performance bar with the fastest autofocus in the world. Body-Integrated Mechanical Image Stabilization to stabilize every lens, a 10-megapixel Live MOS image sensor to capture beautiful images, and a magnesium alloy body for dust-proof and splash-proof durability join the impressive innovations developed for the E-3.
Evolt E-3 DSLR Highlights SPEED. The worlds fastest Auto Focus system when combined with Zuiko Digital Specific SWD 12-60mm lens.
The E-3s AF system works in the blink of an eye to ensure you never miss a shot. When combined with the Zuiko Digital SWD ED 12-60mm lens, the E-3s AF technology works at speeds unmatched by any other camera in the world. An 11-point full twin-cross AF sensor system produces tack sharp images. Dual sensing arrays on horizontal and vertical axes are arranged in a unique half pitch shifted pattern for ultimate precision. Critical auto focus functions are faster: processing speed, object capturing, and tracking performance. A dedicated data processing engine and a new AF algorithm rapidly handle sensor information. New pixel multiplication technologies gives the E-3 an AF luminescence range of -2 to 19 EV for better low light shooting
Enhanced SWD Technology The ultra-fast auto focus speed of the E-3 is partly due to the sophisticated Supersonic WaveDrive motors in our new Zuiko Digital lenses. Combined with an ultra-compact encoder for detecting rotational movement with 5 µm precision, these lenses work smoothly, quietly and instantaneously.
Shutter speeds that truly let you capture it all Imagine what you could shoot with a shutter speed of 1/8000 of a second and an X-sync speed of 1/250 second. Freeze action while photographing a cheetah in motion. Or clearly capture a 96mph fastball as it connects with a bat. You can shoot at maximum aperture even in bright sunlight and take full advantage of the unmatched imaging power of Zuiko Digital lenses. A simplified mirror design gives the E-3 the fastest response time of any Olympus E-series camera.
Blazing shot-to-shot response Shoot in high-speed succession. The sequential 5 frames-per-second shooting comes from the rapid reading speed of the Live MOS Sensor coupled with a newly-developed TruePic III image processor and the re-designed mirror.
IMAGE QUALITY. Capture it all spectacularly.
The E-3 delivers sharp shots in low light or with a telephoto lens, even without a tripod. A sophisticated image stabilization system compensates for camera shake by shifting the image sensor an equivalent of 5 shutter speed steps -- all possible thanks to a gyro sensor that detects even the slightest hand tremble. An in-body image stabilization system gives you the freedom to use any Four Thirds lens. They are significantly smaller and lighter than other lenses because they dont need an image stabilization component in the optics.
10.1 megapixels of amazing clarity Capture high-resolution images with rich tones and natural, true-to-life color. The E-3s 10.1-megapixel, high-speed Live MOS sensor features excellent dynamic range, accurate color fidelity, and a new, advanced circuit to eliminate noise. The sensors low power usage saves battery life.
True color thanks to TruePic III The Live MOS sensor is complemented by the TruePic III Image Processor. It produces crystal-clear photos using all the pixel information from each image to provide accurate, natural color, true-to-life flesh tones and precise tonal expression. TruePic III lowers the noise in images shot with ramped-up ISO settings resulting in blur-free photos in low light.
Great photos start with precision-crafted glass You need high-quality lenses to achieve superior image quality. Zuiko Digital lenses are designed to work exclusively with digital cameras today and ready to work seamlessly with future high-performance image sensors. This large, award-winning family of lenses is perfectly matched to the E-3s image sensor so every pixel is properly exposed. The results? Photos with bright colors and incredible edge-to-edge sharpness that cant compare to shots taken with traditional film lenses.
VIEWING. Shoot from unique angles for more creative control with Live View.
Olympus is the undisputed leader in Live View LCD technology. It lets you see your subject on a large, bright screen in real time. The E-3 features an articulating, 2.5-inch Live View LCD screen that can be rotated up and down and from side to side. It covers all viewing angles so high and low angle shots are easy to compose and shoot. The LCD shows 100 percent field-of-view for accuracy. The Live View screen can also be used for AF shooting.
Make adjustments quickly Instantly check the effects of white balance adjustment and exposure compensation in real time on the Live View LCD before shooting. Youll be able to monitor image quality more closely and exert greater creative control.
Magnify it The E-3s Live View feature lets you magnify your subject right on the LCD by a factor of 5, 7 or 10 times for sharp, pinpoint focus -- a great feature for macro shooting.
Choose your framing assist pattern Three different framing assist patterns -- a grid, golden section or a scale -- can be displayed on the LCD without switching the actual physical focusing screen. You can even see an easy-to-read histogram that checks the exposure condition. A bright viewing idea. A sensor on the LCD swivel detects your surroundings brightness. The screen will brighten or dim for optimum visibility and to reduce glare.
RELIABILITY. All the technology to ensure reliable performance in the most demanding shooting conditions.
The E-3 is equipped with a large optical viewfinder that provides 100 percent accurate viewing and 1.15x magnification for reliable composition--what you see is exactly what youll get. Even fine details are seen with astonishing clarity. The E-3s large, precision-crafted pentaprism is made from high refractive index glass with a highly-reflective silver coating. The eyepiece uses glass lenses. All the lenses are surface coated to maintain brightness. The focusing screen features a Neo Lumi-Micro Mat for bright, easy-to-adjust manual focusing.
Keeping the dust out Spots on photos are now banished forever. The Olympus dust reduction system is an industry first and a proven technology. Every time you turn on the E-3, our Supersonic Wave Filter -- located between the shutter and the image sensor -- silently vibrates an amazing 30,000 times per second. Dust is blasted away. The dust reduction system even removes dust attached by intermolecular force that cant be shaken off or discharged with static electricity. Dust will no longer get between you and a great shot.
One tough, hard body Shoot anywhere, anytime, in any condition. The E-3 body--even the built-in flash and LCD--is splash and dustproof. Constructed from a magnesium-alloy with a homogeneous composition, the E-3 is lightweight yet strong and rugged. The same goes for Zuiko Digital lenses. Youll find splash and dust-proof models that are as tightly sealed as the camera.
New Lenses (sold separately) Launching together with the new Olympus E-3 digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera, Olympus proudly adds three new Zuiko Digital lenses to its line of 100-percent digital-specific optics. These innovative lenses employ Olympus newly-developed Supersonic Wave Drive (SWD) technology inside to provide quiet, ultra-fast autofocus speed, and offer several impressive distinctions, including:
- New Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD, in combination with the E-3, delivers the fastest autofocus speed in the world
- The Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD focuses twice as fast as the previous Zuiko Digital lens with that focal length
- The Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm f2.0 SWD joins the existing Zuiko Digital 35-100mm f2.0 as the brightest fixed aperture lenses in their class.
About Supersonic Wave Drive Technology Olympus-proprietary SWD technology has enabled an ultra-fast, whisper-quiet, high-precision AF system. Two compact, high-powered Supersonic Wave Drive devices power autofocus at an ultra-high speed by exciting unique elliptical oscillations, while an ultra-compact 5.3mm x 4.3mm optical encoder detects and controls the lens drive position using direct rotation detection without reduction gear. This enables it to achieve a level of precision thats accurate to 5 microns (5/1000 mm). When used in combination with the new E-3, which offers improved AF computation and lens-body communication rates, the SWD motors provide the fastest focusing speed of approximately 170 ms (0.17 seconds).
Moreover, a new ultra-compact, high-performance Zuiko Digital EC-20 2x teleconverter doubles the focal lengths of any lens attached from the wide selection of Four Thirds and Olympus E-System lenses, for twice the telephoto power. Now the Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD (100-400mm equivalent), combined with the EC-20, will provide a huge equivalent zoom range of 200-800mm.
I have toyed with the 4/3 digital SLR system several times since it was introduced in 2003, shrugged my shoulders and gone back to Nikon or Canon. Frankly, I had about given up on 4/3, but Olympus dropped the E-3 on us a few weeks ago and showed us it could be all they promised with 4/3 when it was first introduced over 4 years ago. ANY DSLR system is about lenses in the end, and Olympus 4/3 is blessed with superb optics. To get an idea of how really great the new Olympus glass is you need to use some of the top lenses, or read a few of the big photo sites like dpreview, imaging-resource, or DCRP. They have all finally acknowledged in reviews of the E-420/410 and E-520/510 that Olympus has the best quality kit lenses of any camera maker, and that the Olympus claim that lenses designed for digital produce better quality images is proving to be true. www.slrgear.com even went so far as to test most of the current Olympus lens line after being so impressed with the kit lenses on the 510/410. Olympus 4/3 is also by design an all-electronic lens mount - like Canon. Reviewers on the web tend to be so Canon and Nikon biased that they often forget really basic things like this. The 4/3 system has all motor driven lenses, and the lenses were ALL designed for digital photography. I am frankly tired of seeing reviews that talk of Canon as if they are the only company with all motor lenses. There are actually 3 - Canon, 4/3, and Sigma - although some of Sigma's other features are archaic and sales are very low so most just ignore them. Sony/Minolta and Nikon are not similarly blessed with an all-electronic lens mount, and many lenses are still noisily driven by screws on the lens mount in both systems. In fairness, Nikon has been moving rapidly to motor-driven lenses, but Sony seems stuck in their noisy and slower screw-drive AF even though they have used lens motors in a rare few long telephotos. The point here is that the 4/3 mount at least matches the best, and it is better than most. The Olympus issue has never been glass or lens mount , it has really been the options you had (or rather didn't have) in camera bodies to use with this excellent Olympus glass on an all electronic mount. As great as the current E-410 and E-510 really are, they are still saddled with an ancient and not particularly low-light sensitive 3-point autofocus system. Shooting in truly low light was all but impossible and your Olympus searched for focus while Canon, Nikon, and Sony locked on focus. There just wasn't a choice of anything better from Olympus. That is until the E-3. The E-3 takes Olympus AF from Sigma territory to state-of-the-art, and as soon as the new 11-point, all cross sensor, dual-plane AF module makes its way down the food chain, no one will ignore Olympus any more. I hope Olympus can also find a way to move the terrific E-3 feature of AF with manual touch-up down the food chain as well - because the other big Olympus issue is that stupid "Manual focus by wire" feature and Manual Focus select by menu - and it is mostly fixed in the E-3. This time around I bought an E-3 and a 12-60mm - and the tiny little excellent-quality kit lenses for when the 12-60mm weighs too much and I can compromise just a little on quality. I have added other Olympus equipment to my E-3 system quickly, like the unique 70-300mm (140 to 600mm equivalent with 1:1 Macro), the superbly sharp little 35mm f3.5 Macro that does equivalent TWICE life-size macro right out of the box, and the E-3 grip. I am completely and totally impressed with the E-3. All the lenses are designed for 4/3 mount and for best performance on a 4/3 camera - they aren't 35mm film designs. No other camera offers the combination of effective live-view, built-in image stabilization, the best auto sensor cleaning you can buy, an articulating LCD that can fold away for protection (AND a top LCD for basic data), a built-in pop-up flash, effective dust and splash sealing of the camera AND the lenses, a popularly-priced zoom that covers the equivalent of 140mm to 600mm and does Macro up to equivalent life size (70-300mm), MUCH improved noise reduction that goes to ISO 3200, user-programmable Auto ISO that can cover the full ISO range (Canon still stubbornly refuses to fully offer this option), and the best range of available lenses DESIGNED FOR a digital camera system. The E-3 is a bargain for a true PRO grade camera - and it is easily built as well as the Nikon D3 or the top Canons which are $5000 or more. You will get real value for the $1699 you spend on the E-3 body compared to any competing system from any company. However, most will find the E-3 expensive unless they are serious photo hobbyists or Pros, and Olympus needs to move the E-3 refinements down to E-510 price levels as fast as they can. The E-3 is a great piece of creative engineering, an area Olympus is known for. After all they invented auto-sensor cleaning and live view - which is now finding its way to every DSLR. This is the best Olympus camera EVER, and once you have used it you will be hooked.
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