(Credit:
Canon)
Been waiting to pull the trigger on a digital-SLR camera? Wait no more: Dell has the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT--by all accounts a fantastic model--for $382. Considering that this baby sold for upwards of $900 when it debuted a couple years ago, it's pretty much a steal at that price.
Specs include an 8-megapixel sensor, 7-point auto-focus, and loads of fancy photographic features that, quite frankly, I don't pretend to understand. I can tell you that I bought an original Digital Rebel several years back, and I absolutely lurve it. (I won't, however, tell you what I paid for it, because it would kill my cheapskate cred. Sometimes, you just gotta splurge.)
Before you get too crazy with excitement, note the two catches: This deal is for the camera body only, so you'll have to buy a Canon-compatible lens if you want to, you know, take pictures. Second, the product page says the Rebel XT usually ships in 3-5 weeks, so it might be tricky to get this in time for under-the-tree duty.
Update: The product page now says 1-2 weeks, so it might just make it into Santa's bag after all.
Update #2: My mistake. The ship time is indeed 3-5 weeks. The links got messed up; they've been corrected. Apologies!
Olympus highlights the E-3's splash-proof design.
(Credit: Olympus America)Olympus shipped its first interchangeable-lens dSLR, the pro-level E-1, in the fall of 2003. Four years is a long time to wait for a new model, especially given the rapid pace of technological change in the dSLR category and a cast of photographic characters hungry for the latest and greatest to help boost their earnings potential. Consumers buying their first (and perhaps even second) dSLRs will follow where great technology leads, but pros must commit to a camera system that includes lenses and flashes. Once they've moved on, it takes more than just a snappy shutter and flashy LCD to lure them back.
That's a big burden to place on the shoulders of the new E-3.
It helps that the camera isn't a hardcore pro model; at $1,700 (body only) it's priced and suited for entry-level professionals and wannabes. But it will compete directly with the Nikon D300, which has an obvious growth path and huge accessory system behind it.
How do the E-3's specs stack up? First, here's an overview:
| Alpha DSLR-A700 | Olympus E-3 | Nikon D300 | |
| Sensor | 12.2-megapixel CMOS 23.5 x 15.6mm |
10.1-megapixel Live MOS 17.3 x 13.0 mm |
12.3-megapixel CMOS 22.2 x 14.8mm |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 100 - ISO 6400 | ISO 100 - ISO 3200 | ISO 200 - ISO 6400 |
| Focal-length multiplier | 1.5x | 2.0x | 1.5x |
| Continuous shooting | 5 fps 8 (Extra fine) or unlimited (Fine) JPEG |
5 fps unlimited JPEG |
6 fps 100 JPEG |
| Mechanical image stabilization | Yes | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 95% coverage 0.90x magnification 25mm eye point interchangeable matte focusing screen 2 optional focusing screens |
100% coverage 1.15x magnification 20mm eye point changeable to grid matte at service center |
100% coverage 0.94x magnification 19.5mm eye point fixed matte focusing screen with optional gridlines |
| Autofocus | 11-pt AF two cross-type sensors in center (one f/2.8) |
11-pt AF all cross-type (aperture info unavailable) |
all cross-type to f/5.6 |
| Live View | No | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless flash controller | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LCD size | 3 inches/307,200 pixels | 2.5 inches/230,000 pixels | 3 inches/307,200 pixels |
| Shutter durability | 100,000 cycles | 150,000 cycles | 100,000 cycles |
| Price (body only) | $1,499 | $1,699 | $1,799.95 |
Olympus E-3 back
(Credit: Olympus America)So, it uses the same 10-megapixel Live MOS sensor as the Panasonic DMC-L10. Personally, I crop a lot and tend to print at 13x19, so that resolution disappoints me a bit. The full 11 cross-type AF sensors, with slightly offset focusing points, sounds like it should provide a fast focusing system when shooting both horizontally and vertically, but only testing will tell. That goes triple for Olympus' claim that the image stabilization system can deliver up to 5 stops latitude, which the company says is more applicable to long, heavy lenses.
The rest looks pretty encouraging, however. It offers a few things the D300 doesn't: a splash-proof (and dust-proof) design; built-in, independent x/y sensor-shift stabilization; huge viewfinder; and a flip-out display, which (to me) improves the usefulness of Live View mode from "so what?" to "Whoa, yeah!" In addition to a standard 2 percent spot meter, the E-3 also offers high-key and low-key spot meter options, which will meter at something other than 18 percent gray to boost highlights or shadows. And you'll be able to set the matrix metering system to evaluate its 44 points worth of data in a spiral or loop scheme. It all sounds nice and whizzy, but just how useful these really are remains to be seen.
For all you strobers, the E-3 also includes an impressive-sounding flash system. It includes a built-in wireless flash controller that can support three flash groups of four channels each. Maximum X-sync speed is 1/250 second and there's a super FP (focal plane) mode which enables sync speed up to 1/8,000 sec.
New Olympus Four Thirds lenses
(Credit: Olympus America)
Without lens announcements trailing it like a caboose, a new dSLR camera announcement just wouldn't be the same. Four with the Zuiko Digital ED brand follow the E-3:
- f2.8-4.0 12mm-60mm SWD (Supersonic Wave Drive)
24mm-120mm-equivalent; $999.99; available November 2007 - f2.8-3.5 50mm-200mm SWD
100mm-400mm-equivalent; $1,199.99; available December 2007 - f2.0 14-35mm SWD
28mm-70mm-equivalent; $2,299.99; available Q1 2008 - 2x Teleconverter EC-20
$479.99; available December 2007
Olympus hasn't indicated whether or not it's planning to sell a kit version of the E-3. If so, it certainly won't include any of these rather pricey optics.
I don't know for certain, but I doubt there are hordes of E-1 owners who've tenaciously spurned all dSLR suitors while waiting for Olympus to release a new pro model. Then again, for those who invested in the Four Thirds lenses, the E-3 is likely a momentous release. Once we've got one in for evaluation, we'll let you know if it was worth the wait--or too little, too late.
On Sale Now: $1,199.95 - $1,699.95
View the latest prices for Olympus E-3 (body only)
Canon EOS 40D
(Credit: Canon USA)Whether you're in the market for a professional high-resolution heavyweight or a feather light ultracompact, Canon's got you covered with one of the 8 new models on its Fall lineup.
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