How to select the right Olympus dSLR

By Leonard Goh, CNET Asia
Aug 11, 2009

The E-30 has an Art Filter function which works differently from the usual scene modes you get on point-and-shoots.

Olympus' cameras have seldom followed tradition. In the 1970s, its half-frame compact shooters such as the Olympus Pen EE were all the rage, as these were able to take 72 pictures on a roll of 36 exposure film. However, the company is probably more well-known for its optics which some critics have hailed as the "Leica of the East".

Olympus' first 35mm SLR, the FTL, was introduced to shutterbugs in 1971. However, it was the OM1 unveiled in 1973 that captured the hearts of photographers as it was the smallest and lightest SLR then.

Fast forward to 2003, when the company announced the E-1, the first camera to utilize the Four Thirds Standard. This system has been tested and proven by professionals to be able to handle extreme photographic situations, and is still in use today. Its next iteration, the Micro Four Thirds, is also set to makes waves in the imaging industry this year.

Click here for more information on the Micro Four Thirds Standard and Olympus first camera to utilize this format, the E-P1.

Olympus is the company that made sensor cleaning as simple as flicking the on/off switch on the camera. The Super Sonic Wave (SSW) filter vibrates at high frequencies when the shooter is powered up or shut down, and this shakes the dust off, preventing unsightly spots on pictures. Some of the dSLRs are equipped with a sensor-shift image stabilization system which we think is an advantage because you get IS no matter which lens you use.

Click here to see Olympus' range of compact cameras.