Olympus, Nikon shoot for lower-end SLRs

Also this week, Nikon introduced a new US$250 55-200mm zoom lens with its version of image stabilization, called vibration reduction. The lens offers a three-stop helping hand, Nikon said--in other words, a person who could hold a camera steady for an exposure lasting a 60th of a second can manage about an eighth of a second with vibration reduction.

	Nikon's D40X.

The new SLRs are entering a hot and increasingly crowded sector of the digital camera market. While growth has tapered off for mainstream point-and-shoot cameras, the bulkier SLR models are accelerating. Dropping technology costs have moved some models into the reach of consumers willing to spend a few hundred dollars to get SLRs' snappy response, higher image quality and interchangeable lenses.

"We're bullish on the market," Lee said. About 1.7 million digital SLR cameras were shipped in 2006, he said, and added, "We expect it to continue to grow at a high percentage rate from this year to next year."

The Olympus models have a feature called Live View that lets photographers compose shots by using the 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD, a technology that's universal on point-and-shoot cameras but rare in SLRs. They also have a dust reduction system that vibrates the sensor to remove pesky specks that plague SLR image sensors.

Olympus also announced plans for a successor to its top-end E-1 SLR. The as-yet unnamed model, with a rugged design for professionals and a Live View display, will be on view at the show and will go on sale later this year. In addition, Olympus announced four new lenses that will ship this year: A 12-60mm zoom, a 50-200mm zoom, a 14-35mm zoom and a 70-300mm zoom.

Olympus' E-410 will be available in May, and the E-510 in June, the company said. Nikon's D40X will be available in April, all in the US.

Because digital SLR image sensors are usually smaller than a frame of 35mm film, lenses take on different optical properties on most digital SLRs. A lens on a Nikon digital SLR will show the same field of view as a lens with 1.5 times the focal length of a film SLR, making an 18-55mm lens operate somewhat like a 27-83mm lens on a film SLR.

Digital SLRs are now spreading well beyond the professional market where they first caught on. But they bring new complications--even for those with experience from the days of film SLRs.

Olympus and Panasonic digital SLRs, which have interchangeable lenses, have a field of view twice as narrow as a 35mm film SLR with the same lens, making the 14-42mm lens operate somewhat like a 28-84mm lens on a film SLR. Canon's entry-level models have a field of view 1.6 times narrower, the new 1D Mark III for photojournalists has a field of view 1.3 times narrower, and high-end models use a full-frame sensor that's the same size as a 35mm film frame.