It's been a long time coming. Olympus showed its first pro-grade DSLR - the Olympus E-1 - way back in June 2003. The five megapixel camera was packed with innovations, like weather sealing and the supersonic sensor cleaner. Soon after launch it picked up a strong following, both among travel professionals and advanced amateurs. It's still got an enthusiastic following today.
Trouble is, if a week is a long time in politics, four and a half years is an eternity in digital photography. Many of those semi-pro and pro users who bought into the E-1 concept left it again a couple of years later, because of unmet demands for higher resolution, better high ISO performance, image stabilisation and improved autofocus. The E-3 meets all those demands... but so does the E-510 at half the price. And now, so do many rivals.
Olympus has been innovative with its latest products, adding useful features like Live View to the DSLR mix, but these innovations were first seen on earlier models. Yes, this brings an articulated LCD screen and supposedly the world's fastest autofocus to the party, but those who judge cameras by their sensor will point to a 10 megapixel live-MOS Four-Thirds chip. It may be functionally different to the one in the E-410 and E-510, but the subtlety of distinction may be lost on many.
The existence of those two cameras means a change in direction for the pro offering. Where the E-1 was highly prized by travel photographers because of its small size and innovative layout, the E-3 looks to be slightly larger than the likes of the Canon 40D. The upside is the E-3 gets wireless flash, but this might be a first for Olympus, it's been on rival cameras for years.
Olympus has an ace up its sleeve - handling. Many people who use Olympus cameras prize them for their easy to understand control surfaces. It's likely that the camera will be an ergonomic dream and the E-3 magnesium alloy skeleton will help it feel as rugged as its predecessor and arguably lead its class in butchness. Or something. However, where the E-1 had a field almost to itself, the E-3 enters an already heaving market.
So, is the E-3 too little, too late for Olympus? We hope not. We want this to be the product that splits the pro and semi-pro market wide-open, giving picture libraries something more than just Canon and Nikon cameras on their 'approved' list. We want this to be Olympus winning back a chunk of the wedding photography market, the fashion market and the travel market once more. We want this because a three-horse race is always going to be more exciting than a two-horse race.
We also really, really want to get our hands on one of these beauties, soon.
