eK-gadgets info

Olympus today finally introduced their new professional digital SLR, the E-3. The E-3 is the follow-up to the E-1, which was announced way back in 2001. The E-3 has a lot to offer, though it finds some really tough competition in the Nikon D300. Anyhow, enough rambling, here are all the details:Olympus E-3 Features

• 10.1 effective Megapixel Live MOS sensor (may be the same one as on the Panasonic DMC-L10)
• FourThirds lens mount, with 2X focal length conversion ratio
• Sensor-shift image stabilization; Olympus says it can give you a five stop advantage
• World’s fastest autofocus (according to Olympus — when paired with the new SWD F2.8-4.0, 12 - 60 mm lens) thanks to new dual 11-point biaxial cross-type AF system
• Live view on a flip-out, rotating 2.5″ LCD display (with 230k pixels)
  • 100% field-of-view display
  • User can enlarge center of frame to verify focus
  • Real-time exposure, white balance, and depth-of-field preview
  • Same autofocus in live view as E-510: requires a button press and some mirror flipping
  • LCD has an ambient light detector, so it brightens as needed
• Enormous optical viewfinder with 1.15x magnification and 100% field-of-view display
• Weather-sealed magnesium alloy body; durable shutter lasts for 150,000 cycles; Supersonic Wave Filter removes dust from the sensor
• Can shoot as fast as 5 frames/second for up to 16 RAW or an unlimited number of JPEGs
• Full manual controls and RAW image support (obviously)
• Built-in flash + hot shoe; can control up to three groups of wireless flashes straight out of the box
• Dual memory card slots: xD + CompactFlash Type II (with UMDA support)
• Uses the BLM-1 lithium-ion battery; 610 shots per charge (with live view off)
• Optional HLD-4 battery grip ($199) takes two BLM-1 batteries
• USB 2.0 High Speed support
• Shipping in November for $1699

Along with the E-3 come two new external flashes. Both the FL-36R and FL-50R can be controlled wirelessly from the E-3, and their rotary heads let them rotate in four directions. These two new flashes are priced at $299 and $499, respectively.