As seems to be the case with most new DSLRs these days (regardless of manufacturer), there was quite a bit of buzz behind the E-3. On paper, Olympus' latest big boy was fairly impressive, but we all know it's the real-world results that matter. Thankfully, the kind folks over at PhotographyBLOG grabbed hold of the admittedly hefty shooter and put it through a few paces to see how it stacked up. Design wise, it was deemed a "chunky monkey," and if too many buttons have a tendency to overwhelm you, we'd suggest stopping here and looking elsewhere. Performance wise, however, the E-3 seemed to be a winner. The built-in image stabilization, Supersonic Wave Filter and general speed of operation were all highly praised, and the "true-to-nature" image results were also smiled upon. Overall, we'd say the 4.5 out of 5 star rating pretty much sums it up, but we noticed enough quirks to recommend that you still give the read link a look before buying blind.

Yeah, we've been hearing about this one for quite some time, but just as expected Olympus is making its mid-range E-3 DSLR official. Starting at $1,700, you get:

• 10 megapixel sensor
• 2.5-inch 230k pixel live view display
• "World's fastest autofocus" with 11-point biaxial AF system
• Image stabilization, sonic dust cleaning on sensor, shoots up to ISO 3200
• 3/4 lens mount, takes CF and xD media

We haven't heard when it'll be available, but you can surely expect it in short order.

[Thanks, Zo]

If it feels like we've been here before, you're not losing it. However, it sounds like Olympus' much-anticipated E-1 followup may be (finally) arriving sooner rather than later. DPReview has reportedly "received official word" that Olympus will be launching the E-1's successor -- currently codenamed the EP-1 / E-3, depending on who you ask -- on the 17th of October. Not surprisingly, there's no hard details in regard to the specs, but if this date sticks, we've just over a month to find out for ourselves.

[Thanks, Zo]

Remember the unnamed Olympus DSLR of with multiple monickers? We've seen it as the E-P1 and P-1, but now, after what seems like countless months brand-free glass-encased trade show appearances it looks like Olympus has officially titled launched it's E-1 DSLR successor, the E-3. We don't yet know much about it, but we understand it will have a live view LCD, work on the 3/4ths mount standard, and be available at least somewhere in November. (That in addition to the other stuff we heard, like it having a 10 megapixel sensor, 11 point autofocus, etc.) We'll update with information as it continues to trickle out.

[Thanks, Adam]