e-5
Latest
Olympus E-5 DSLR reviewed: solid upgrade for E-3 owners, not much appeal for anyone else
The DSLR market just seems to keep on speeding up, and it looks like Olympus might be lagging back toward the caboose a bit with its latest full-body DSLR, the E-5. It's the successor to the E-3, jumping to 12.3 megapixels and adding 720p recording with full exposure controls, plus a handy swiveling LCD. But, according to reviews, it just doesn't quite compare to something like a much cheaper Nikon D7000. PhotographyBlog liked the improved image quality and the rugged build, but not the ugly rolling shutter effect in video recording and the poor high ISO performance. Similarly DigitalCameraReview says this $1,699 beast "feels like a modest update to the E-3," a sentiment shared by Pocket-Lint as well. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Olympus E-5 DSLR gets official: 12.3MP, 720p movie mode, swiveling LCD
It's September 15th somewhere, right? Er... right! At any rate, it looks as if the leaks we saw earlier this month were 99 percent accurate, with Olympus pulling the trigger this morning on its mid-range E-5 DSLR. Boasting a familiar design, this 12.3 megapixel shooter ups the ante with a 3-inch dual-axis swiveling LCD, a TruePic V+ image processor, full-time Live View system, splash and dustproof magnesium alloy body, 720p movie mode (Motion JPEG) with a 7 minute-per-clip maximum, in-body mechanical image stabilization and an 11-point auto focus system. There's also wireless flash control, support for both CompactFlash and Secure Digital (SDHC / SDXC) cards and an ISO range from 100 to 6400. Unfortunately, this bad boy will set you back an almost unconscionable $1,699.99 for the body alone, which sure seems lofty given all the other options popping up. Something tells us you should wait for Photokina to conclude before pulling the trigger, but even if you managed to get a pre-order in, it won't leave the docks 'til October. %Gallery-102051%
Olympus E-5 leaks point to September 15th launch, familiar design
We've already heard a few rumors about Olympus's supposed E-3 successor, the E-5, and the folks at 4/3 Rumors have now turned up another pair of leaks ahead of the DSLR's expected launch later this month. That includes a teaser that seemingly confirms that the camera will be announced on September 15th (just a day off the earlier rumor), and what appears to be the first image of the camera itself -- or a tiny corner of it, anyway. Those both suggest that the camera will sport a strikingly similar design to the E-3 it's replacing (something backed up by 4/3 Rumors' "trusted sources"), and the camera's specs also seem to be in line with what we've heard before -- including a bump from ten to twelve megapixels, and new 720p/30fps recording mode.
New E-P2 kit and E-5 DSLR rumored, Olympus surprise parties ruined
It's getting harder to keep a secret. Companies toil over surprise parties and then some blabber-mouth spills the beans. In this case the host is Olympus and the one holding the empty can is 43rumors who has word of a series of coming announcements from the company. First, on August 31, Olympus is said to be revealing a new E-P2 kit offering a 17mm lens and an external flash. Also announced will supposedly be a pair of new M.Zuiko lenses: a $900 75 - 300mm (150 - 600mm equivalent) f/4.8 - 6.7 model and a $300 40 - 150mm (80 - 300mm equivalent) f/4.0 - 5.6 model. More interesting, though, is a follow-up announcement said to be coming on September 14, when Olympus will supposedly announce the E-5, a replacement for the E-3 DSLR. This, we're told, will bump the megapixel count up to 12 from 10 and offer 720p30 video recording. Now that all that is out of the bag, the only question is: what will you be bringing to the parties?
