Olympus officially announced their first Micro Four Thirds camera today. The new E-P1 ‘PEN’ camera is an interchangeable lens camera features the controls and flexibility you’ll find in a typical digital SLR, but it’s a lot smaller… it’s even more compact than Panasonic’s GH1 camera. Oh, and as a Micro Four Thirds camera, the E-P1 PEN is strictly live view only – it has neither a mirror box nor a built-in optical viewfinder (Though an [optional] external viewfinder is available, and can be attached via the hotshoe)

Olympus E-P1 PEN
(Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens camera)

• 12.3 megapixel LiveMOS sensor (2X crop factor)
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Dust reduction
• Micro Four Thirds lens mount (compatible with full-size Four Thirds, Olympus OM, Leica M and Leica R lenses using their respective optional adapters)
• New TruePic V processor promises better color, noise reduction and detail processing in photos
• 3 inch LCD
• Live view with contrast detection AF, face detection and Perfect Shot Preview
• Full manual controls with hotshoe and RAW
• Intelligent Auto mode with auto scene selection; Art Filters and multiple exposure features
• 3 FPS burst mode
• 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS movie mode with stereo sound and continuous AF
• Takes SD/SDHC cards – Surprise! No xD-Picture card support!
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in July for $750 (body only), $800 (with new 14-42 mm kit lens) or $900 (with 17 mm pancake lens and viewfinder attachment)

Not surprisingly, Olympus also has two new lenses and an external viewfinder to go along with the new E-P1:

• Olympus Micro Zuiko 17 mm f2.8 pancake lens
• Olympus Micro Zuiko 14-42 mm f3.5-f5.6 retractable lens
• External viewfinder for 17 mm lens (attached via hotshoe)

There were three new digital cameras announced today, seemingly out of nowhere by three camera manufacturers. The star of the day has got to be Casio’s Exilim H10 compact super-zoom camera which features 12 megapixels, a 10X optical zoom lens with sensor-shift image stabilization, large 3 inch LCD, high-speed modes and Casio claims this camera’s battery life is rated at 1000 shots per charge. The other two cameras are from Fujifilm and Samsung respectively. The Fujifilm FinePix Z300 is an ultra-thin camera with a 3 inch touchscreen on the back (think Sony T-series) while Samsung’s WB1000 is a regular compact with 12 megapixels, a 5X lens that starts out at 24 mm, HD movie mode and a pair of unique battery charge/available memory gauges on the top.

Pentax announced their new mid-range K7 digital SLR today. The new Pentax K7 is more compact than the K20D it replaces and has several new features, including a new image sensor and 720p movie mode:

Pentax K7
(Mid-range digital SLR camera)

• 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor (1.5X crop factor)
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Weather sealing
• Dust reduction
• Pentax K lens mount
• Viewfinder with 0.92X magnification, 100% frame coverage
• 11 point AF
• 3 inch super-high resolution LCD
• Live view with contrast detection AF
• Full manual controls with hotshoe, RAW and wireless flash
• Shutter+aperture and sensitivity priority modes
• Distortion and chromatic aberration reduction; built-in HDR and multi-exposure features
• 5.2 FPS burst mode (take up to 40 JPEG or 15 RAW photos)
• 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS movie mode with sound; external microphone port available
• Takes SD/SDHC cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in July for $1300 (body only)

Pentax also announced two new lenses today, both are weather-sealed:

• 18 – 55 mm, f3.5 – f5.6 AL WR; available for $200
• 50 – 200 mm, f4.0 – f5.6 AL WR; available for $250

Sony announced three new digital SLR cameras today – the new Alpha A230, A330 and A380 cameras are incremental upgrades of last year’s models, announced a little over 16 months ago. From what it seems, the changes are mostly cosmetic and user interface changes; the rest of the specifications sheet remains the same. And Sony also claims that they’ve revamped the image processing area of the cameras… so hopefully these guys will produce good image quality once I get my hands on them for review:

Sony Alpha A230
(Entry-level digital SLR camera)

• 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor (1.5X crop factor)
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Dust reduction
• Sony/Minolta Alpha lens mount
• Viewfinder with 0.83X magnification, 95% frame coverage
• 9 point AF
• 2.7 inch fixed LCD
• NO live view
• Full manual controls with hotshoe and RAW
• 2.5 FPS burst mode
• Dual memory card slots for Memory Stick Duo and SD/SDHC cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in July for $550 (18-55 mm kit lens) or $750 (18-55 mm + 55-200 mm dual lens kit)

Sony Alpha A330 & Alpha A380
(Entry-level digital SLR camera)

• Alpha A330: 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor (1.5X crop factor)
  Alpha A380: 14.2 megapixel CCD sensor (1.5X crop factor)
• 2.7 inch LCD that can be tilted to face up/down
• Live view; autofocus via secondary image sensor in the viewfinder area
• Smaller viewfinder: 0.74X magnification, 95% frame coverage
• Alpha A330: Available for $650 (18-55 mm kit lens) or $850 (18-55 mm + 55-200 mm dual lens kit)
  Alpha A380: Available for $850 (18-55 mm kit lens) or $1050 (18-55 mm + 55-200 mm dual lens kit)

In addition, Sony announced four new lenses and a low-end external flash. The new lenses are:

• 18 – 55 mm, f3.5 – f5.6 DT SAM; available for $200
• 55 – 200 mm, f3.5 – f5.6 DT SAM; available for $230
• 50 mm f1.8 DT SAM; available for $150
• 30 mm f2.8 Macro DT SAM

Note that all of them are DT lenses (which Sony says are “APS-C sensor optimized”) and feature something new called SAM (Smooth Autofocus Motor), which is a fancy name for in-lens focus motor drive with silent operation. Sony also comments that these lenses are targeted at “first-time digital SLR users”, thus their low prices.

There’s also a new flash unit, called the HVL-F20AM and priced at $130, which has an adjustable head for bounce flash and a guide number of 20 meters.

Yesterday Nikon announced their latest entry-level digital SLR, and the latest SLR to feature a HD movie mode. It seems to be aimed squarely at the likes of Canon’s EOS 500D/Rebel T1i, Olympus’ E450 and Panasonic’s GH1 cameras. Here’s a quick rundown of its specifications:

Nikon D5000 digital SLR
(Entry-level digital SLR camera)

• 12 megapixel CMOS sensor (1.5X crop factor)
• Dust reduction
• No screw drive; autofocus available with AF-S/AI-S lenses only
• 11 point AF
• 2.7 inch tilt down and rotate LCD
• Live view with contrast detect autofocus and face detection
• Quiet Release (silent) shutter mode
• Full manual controls
• Base ISO range 200 – 3200 (expandable to 100 – 6400)
• Auto Active D-Lighting and many playback editing features
• 4 FPS burst mode
• 720p (1280 x 720 at 24 FPS) movie mode with sound; no continuous autofocus
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in April for $730 (body only) or $850 (18-55 VR kit lens)

Nikon also announced a new AF-S lens, the ultra-wide angle 10 – 24 mm, f3.5 – f4.5 SWM lens. It will go for around $900 in May.

Olympus announced their new E450 digital SLR today which is a very minor upgrade to last year’s E420. The improvements are three Art Filters, a new processor (TruePic III Plus) and a new LCD panel. Everything else remains the same as its predecessor, including its relatively compact (For an SLR) design.

Olympus E450
(Entry-level digital SLR camera)

• 10 megapixel Live MOS sensor (2X crop factor)
• Dust reduction
• TruePic III Plus imaging processor
• 2.7 inch HyperCrystal II LCD
• Live view with contrast detect autofocus and face detection
• Full manual controls with hotshoe and RAW
• Three new Art Filters (Soft focus, pin hole, pop art)
• Wireless flash mode
• 3.5 FPS burst mode
• Takes Compact Flash and xD Picture memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in May; body only, with single kit lens (14-42 mm lens) or dual kit lenses(14-42 mm and 40-150 mm)

Canon announced their new EOS Rebel T1i aka EOS 500D today, which is mainly a 450D with more megapixels, a higher resolution LCD and movie mode (With a few other things like Creative Auto thrown in).

Canon EOS Rebel T1i aka EOS 500D
(Entry-level digital SLR camera)

• 15 megapixel CMOS sensor
• Dust reduction
• DIGIC 4 imaging processor
• Same old 9 point AF (1 center cross-type point)
• 3 inch super-high resolution LCD (same as the 50D and 5D Mark II?)
• Live view with contrast detect autofocus
• Full manual controls and Creative Auto mode (just like the 50D)
• 3.4 FPS burst mode up to 170 JPEG or 9 RAW photos
• 1080p (1920 x 1080 at 20 FPS) movie mode with sound; no continuous autofocus
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in May for $800 (body only) or $900 (18-55 IS kit lens)

Canon also announced an entry-level Speedlite external flash, called the 270EX. This new flash is more powerful than the old 220EX it replaces and has a upward-rotating head that can be tilted up to 90 degrees for bounce flash.