Features:

• 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor
• EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• 7-point wide-area AF system with f/5.6 cross-type centre point
• Up to 3 frames per second
• 2.5” LCD with Live View shooting
• DIGIC III image processor
• Compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards
• Compact and lightweight body
• Digital Photo Professional RAW processing software
• Fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites

It looks like Canon might be shifting their line-up a little to compete more evenly with Nikon.

This camera is lower spec than the 450D, means the next 4xxD series might be more in line with D80/D90 when it comes out and the next 40D/50D will shift up a gear to be more in line with the D300.

That leaves the 1000D series to compete with D40/D60/E-300/A200 etc.

It’s certainly an interesting development.

If they can someone hooked on the Nikon or Canon system by offering a competitive dSLR at only slightly more than a high end prosumer compact or bridge camera….they will make a lot more in the long run selling lenses, accessories, upgrade bodies etc.

It’s a slippery slope once you’ve started and now they’ve realised that they are pouring resources into the very bottom of the market.

This is good for us too in the long run, the more people using low end cameras means cheaper sensors for us and more money for R&D, whatever new tech they develop will go in the high end cams first.

The lens is a 25mm f/2.8 (50mm equivalent) and it’s replacing the which replaces the Olympus EVOLT E-410.

This lightweight 10-megapixel DSLR offers heavyweight technologies, including a bigger, more viewable 2.7-inch LCD and consumer-friendly fast On-Screen Autofocus, Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment Technology and Perfect Shot Preview to get the most out of the Live View experience. Additionally, when it comes to Live View, not all LCDs are created equal. At 2.7-inches, the portable E-420 LCD is large enough for users to compose and review images without squinting. The small camera’s LCD is not just larger, it is part of a camera with technologies intelligent enough to take advantage of the Live View photography experience.

Read the full release here:

Little wonder: Olympus launches E420

Active D-lighting is a good addition for an entry level camera and the image quality is already shown to be great. High ISO performance may be slightly improved.

The new 18-55mm VR kit lens looks pretty nifty too.

I’m looking forward to the D80 replacement we are all still waiting for with CMOS censor, live view and super handling!

Whether Nikon will be as successful with the D60 as with the other models will not depend on the quality, for the quality is excellent. It will depend more on the answer of the competition to this winning concept. Will there be an attack on the price, or will the competition be able to equip their entry-level model with even more features? While working on this review, Canon introduced the EOS 450D and my first impression is that the battle for the most successful entry-level model is an ongoing one.

Read the full review here:

Nikon D60 | Digital Camera Review

It’s a pretty solid camera toting the fastest AF on the market (only with SWD lenses of course) and vivid Olympus colours. The main problem of course with the Olympus system in general is the limitation of the sensor size..This means in reality it can never compete on a noise/detail level with other 1.5x or 1.6x crop sensors and will be nowhere near full frame offerings from any camp.

Also the much touted AF is only fast in bright light, in dim conditions it hunts worse than Canon or Nikon cameras with AF-S or USM lenses.

The noise in dim conditions is also quite bad and visible as low as ISO200, in bright conditions it stands up well to ISO1600.

Features

• A 10.1 effective Megapixel LiveMOS sensor
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Live view on a flip-out, rotating 2.5″ LCD display
• World’s fastest autofocus when paired with the 12 – 60 mm SWD lens pictured above (according to Olympus)
• Shoots at 5 frames/second
• Weather-sealed, very well-built body
• Dust reduction system
• Large optical viewfinder
• Dual memory card slots (xD + CF)

All in all it’s a well specced and well built camera, it might not suite everyone but it certainly does have a following.

All things considered, the Olympus E-3 is a solid midrange digital SLR, in more ways than one. It does almost everything well, with just a few weaknesses, most of which have easy workarounds. If you’re an enthusiast looking for a powerful D-SLR that doesn’t mind if it gets a little bit wet, then I can highly recommend taking a look at the E-3.

Read the full review here:

DCRP Review: Olympus E-3

It’s an interesting strategy – but if it keeps funding the development of groundbreaking cameras like the Nikon D3 – I fully support it.

I was actually expecting the announcement of the D3x (a higher megapixel but slower D3 similar to the Canon EOS 1Ds MKIII) to pop up next, or even the Nikon D80 replacement.

As for the D60, the only real differences are it now includes an anti-dust system that incorporates a self-cleaning sensor unit that shakes off dust, coupled with an airflow system designed to channel dust away from the sensor. The model also adds active d-lighting, a stop-motion recording mode and Expeed branding. The kit will be with the new 18-55mm VR lens, released recently.

Perhaps the same sensor, with a new image processor? Does that mean the D60 will be giving even better noise control, image acuity and punchy colours than the D40x?

It also follows immediately after the upgrade of Canon’s entry level model the Canon EOS 450D!

Read the full release here:

Nikon announces D60

I always prefer compacts to start wider than zoom further, it’d be ideal if they started at 24mm IMHO, with a 20x zoom would be great.

The Olympus SP-570 UZ – main features:

• 20x optical zoom (equivalent to 26-520mm) – from extreme close-ups to stunning scenes
• Avoids blur thanks to Dual Image Stabilisation
• Don’t miss the moment with high-speed 15fps sequence shooting
• Face Detection Technology for perfectly focused and exposed faces plus correct exposure of other image areas
• P/A/S/M exposure modes for creative freedom
• 22 scene modes for the best results in different situations
• 10 Megapixels to make poster-size prints
• See and share images on the 6.9cm/2.7″ LCD
• Great for shots of flowers and detail from as close as 1cm with Super Macro mode

I’ll certainly be looking forwards to the reviews on this one, a very versatile backup and travel camera. The performance of the previous model was a little disappointing. Both in terms of speed and image quality.

It’ll also be interesting to see if Panasonic and Fuji follow again with 20x zooms and 10megapixel upgrades.

Read the full release here:

Olympus SP-570 UZ

I’m not really sure if I like the rather cheesy 10.2 Megapixels on the bottom, but I guess they know more megapixels attracts the entry level users – hence the D40x upgrade too.

I’d guess perhaps an updated Nikon D80 should be heading out within 2008 as well, or maybe something more along the lines of the D50, which can trump the current D40.

Built in-body stabilization really is a plus. It’s priced very competitively too with the price in Malaysia being listed at RM1999, which normally means the street price will be lower (Around RM1800 to compete with D40/x?). It will ship with the 18-70mm kit lens.

The DSLR-A200 model features upgrades influenced by the recently-introduced, enthusiast-class DSLR-A700 camera and replaces the former Sony DSLR-A100 model, which was Sony’s first in the DSLR class.

The new model is designed to be faster, lighter and easier to use. Upgraded features include a wider, 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCDTM screen for easy playback viewing; a more compact body and an easily-accessible mode dial; an easy-to-use function menu (camera function display); improved noise control for higher quality images; an auto focus speed 1.7x faster than the previous model; improved predictive control performance; quieter shutter sound; automatic pop-up flash; and a battery life indicator that displays the percentage of battery life remaining so you know exactly when to recharge.

I guess they are skipping on the new-gen 3″ LCD to keep the price down.

Read the full specs here:

Sony Alpha DSLR-A200

We had some first looks review a while back, Canon EOS 40D First Review from Bob Atkins & Roland Lim, but of course we were all waiting for this!

It seems to be a pretty well rounded camera, getting up to the standard of D200…but with D300 looming – that’s simply not enough! It is considerably cheaper though so perhaps it’s apples and oranges.

When I first started using the EOS 40D a simple description came to mind: that this is a ‘well sorted camera’. It feels well rounded – the result of years of evolutionary improvement, it delivers in almost every area, and it inspires confidence. From a usability point of view the viewfinder feels larger, ergonomics are good, the user interface is clear and easy to learn, there are no in-use performance issues, metering and auto-focus show good consistency and the results speak for themselves; colorful (yet accurate) detailed images with low noise even at high sensitivities.
Detail (D-SLR)

Read the full review here:

Canon EOS 40D Review, Phil Askey

In June 2003 Olympus revealed the E-1, which many people touted as the best Olympus camera. It certainly had the fastest focusing. Now we have the long awaited replacement the 10 megapixel E-3.

A friend managed to get a hands on in Japan at the launch, his intial notes were that the AF was extremely fast and there was no colour or exposure shift at higher ISO.

Noise at high ISO is very monochromatic and detail is retained, much like the results from the latest crop of Olympus dSLRs with a few tweaks.

This new high-speed flagship of the Olympus E-System features the world’s fastest autofocus with 11-point-full twin cross sensoring, high-speed sequential shooting at 5 fps, and high-speed shutter up to 1/8000 second. The optional HLD-4 Power Battery Holder can hold up to two Lithium Ion BLM-1 batteries to extend the performance life, and like the E-3 body, the battery holder is splash-proof and dust-proof.

The E-3 body will be available in November for a street price of $1,699 – so that should put it at about RM6k in Malaysia.

You can read the full press release here:

Olympus E-3 at DPReview

But here it is, the successor to the popular Canon 30D.

Canon today introduces its latest digital SLR for advanced amateurs and semi-professionals: the EOS 40D. With a 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 6.5 frames per second burst performance, a newly developed AF system and 3.0” LCD with Live View mode, the EOS 40D makes significant advances in both performance and versatility.

The camera benefits from the new EOS technology platform introduced earlier this year with the professional EOS?1D Mark III. Canon’s DIGIC III processor delivers responsive operation, improved colour rendering and near-instant start-up time. The EOS Integrated Cleaning System combats sensor dust, while a strong magnesium alloy body with weather resistance ensures lasting durability.

“The EOS 40D represents an important step in the development of EOS for the advanced amateur market. It incorporates many of the technologies pioneered in our latest EOS-1 series cameras,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “For digital photographers, the benefits of upgrading to the EOS 40D are real and significant. For analogue SLR users, there’s never been a more compelling reason to make the switch.”

Key features

• 10.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• 6.5 fps continuous shooting, max. burst 75 JPEGs
• New AF system with 9 cross-type sensors
• DIGIC III processor
• 3.0” LCD with Live View mode
• EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• Clear and bright viewfinder
• Customisable Picture Style processing parameters

It looks like it can compete a bit better with the legendary D200 now, but still the D200s or D300 should be coming out shortly.

They also announced the 1Ds MKIII and some news lenses (18-55mm IS and 55-250mm IS).