The move from film to digital is happening, albeit more slowly in the SLR (single lens reflex) arena. SLRs are traditionally the space of professionals and enthusiasts; therefore it makes sense for most manufacturers to keep their existing customer base by allowing these users to purchase a digital body to go with their current lenses. Hence, you'll find plenty of "digital" SLRs currently out, which make use of the heavier, larger, and--theoretically--more expensive film lenses. This is where the E-1 differentiates itself from the pack. It is designed to be used solely with digital lenses that attach through the open standard for lens mounts called the Four Thirds System. Olympus and Kodak created this system for the next generation of digital SLR cameras.

A True dSLR?
One of the inherent advantages of going digital stems from the fact that lenses can be made more compact, lighter and, in principle, cheaper. This is because the sensor size is usually smaller than a 35mm frame (which to all professionals is still the most important thing they're concerned about) causing the imaging area to be more compressed. Because the lenses are more compact, it's also easier to produce fast lenses, and Olympus' current Zuiko line achieves that, even demonstrating a tidy-sized F2.8 600mm (35mm equivalent) lens.

Still, legacy issues hold this dSLR back from its calling. Although the lenses are made for, and work with, dSLRs only, they still have to be labeled in terms of 35mm ratings. Here, users will find themselves fiddling with FLMs (Focal Length Multipliers) to obtain the 35mm equivalent focal lengths. Admittedly, in the case of the E-1, it's a number (x2) that's much easier to contend with than its competitors from Canon (x1.6) and Nikon (x1.5).

The high FLM factor is a double-edged sword, though. This means lighter, much smaller lenses for telephoto users. But it also means that, for now, there is no available wide-angle version. To obtain a 22mm lens (35mm equivalent) for the E-1, you'll require a 11mm lens which has yet to be released from Olympus. On top of that, there has not been a fisheye lens (which is hugely popular for dramatic landscape or portrait shots) announced for the E-1.

More Confusion
Olympus uses a 5-megapixel (effective) Full Frame Transfer (FFT) CCD sensor from Kodak. The words "Full Frame" do not mean a sensor the size of a full 35mm frame (1:1). Hence, the existence of an FLM. That aside, this sensor isn't something totally new. Most professional-level cameras tend to use FFT CCDs as well. When compared to normal Interline Transfer sensors, FFT sensors have a larger photoactive area per photodiode, resulting in improved image quality through better sensitivity, less noise, and increased dynamic range. According to Olympus, the sensor used also allows for finer reading of off-axis light strikes--the angle at which light is "bent" from the edges of the rear-most lens.

Pitched at the professional market yet offering "just" 5 megapixels, this camera tries to dispel the myth that ultra-high resolution delineates quality. While resolution has long been the cardinal benchmark for image quality, there are other contributing factors, such as the lens, interpolation method and the sensor itself.

We've known for quite some time that a 3-megapixel image will produce reasonably good quality 8R-size prints. Coincidentally, this is the size most professional photographers submit their work in, too. The E-1 produces photos with a 4:3 aspect ratio, compared to the 3:2 ratios of its 6.3-megapixel competitors. Therefore, Olympus reasons that users of those cameras will need to crop out approximately 1 megapixel to fit their images in--effectively losing any advantage.

In Use
We tested the E-1 with three lenses, which include the bundled Zuiko Digital 14-54mm F2.8 to F3.5 lens, as well as the Zuiko Digital ED (Extra-low Dispersion) 50mm F2.0 Macro and 50-200mm F2.8-F3.5 telephoto lenses. These cover a pretty extensive focal range of 28-400mm (35mm equivalent). In our tests, we found the camera's AF (Auto Focus) performance to be dependent on the type of lens used. The AF worked fastest with the 14-54mm variant but had some problems "locking" for the macro lens, and occasionally the larger telephoto lens suffered as well. Admittedly, for macro shots, most photographers prefer manual focus anyway.

The E-1 features a 3-point AF system that may seem little to some, considering most of its more affordable competitors have offerings of up to 7-points. Even so, we didn't find this to limit or cause any annoyance. The three focusing points are superimposed on the viewfinder. However, we did miss the LEDs used to indicate "locked" points found on other dSLRs.

Throughout our tests, we did not have to change the white balance settings unless we wanted to alter the mood of our photos. The E-1 arrives with a hybrid white balance sensor which worked pretty well, producing accurate colors on a large percentage of shots. On the off chance that it didn't, the bundled Olympus Viewer software will allow users to modify the color temperature easily if they work with RAW files.

The continuous shooting mode of the E-1 allows for 12 frames at a rate of 3fps. While this isn't the fastest frame rate on the block--the recently announced Nikon D2H features an impressive 8fps--it should satisfy most photographers who require fast frame rates for sports photography.

Even though the E-1 has ISO settings all the way to 3,200, we found the unit to exhibit a comparatively high amount of noise after the ISO 800 setting. At ISO 800, the images were noticeably noisier than, say, the 6.3-megapixel sensor from Canon's EOS 10D.

Grievances, Comments And Verdict
The Olympus E-1 is proof of how dSLRs can be made smaller and lighter than their film counterparts. While there are advantages and disadvantages to having such a large FLM as mentioned earlier, it also brings to light another issue. Why are the lenses still so expensive? The Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F2.8 lens will function as a 600mm F2.8 for its lifetime, but does that mean it should cost as much as a 600mm (35mm equivalent) lens? Or should it be priced as a 300mm F2.8 lens--which is what it physically is? Should the consumers have to pay for the advantage of the smaller form factor and weight? This has inadvertently created a dilemma that will see the market segment itself into two camps.

For the professionals, one of the main factors is the choice of lenses. Until Olympus and its affiliates (Kodak and Fujifilm) produce more lenses, the E-1 might prove to be a hard sell for this market. I should add that it's possible to have an extensive continuous focal range of 28-400mm (35mm equivalent) with just two quality lenses for Olympus' E-1 system, something that is not achievable with dSLRs from Canon or Nikon.

In all, we liked how the E-1 handled. It is easy to adapt to, and commonly used shooting functions are easily accessible--even though the buttons are littered all over the top of the camera. With the exception of a built-in Speedlite, this unit is equipped to take on just about any photography job. The lenses we've tested allowed our exposures to exhibit great clarity with good details, even in the highlights. (See illustrations.)

Picture taken with Zuiko Digital ED 50mm F2.0 lens. Image is cropped. F/14; 1/160 second; ISO 400; 0EV; Manual.	Snapshot taken with Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 lens. Image is resized. F/4; 1/400 second; ISO 400; -0.3EV; Program.