June 22 - 4:35pm EDT   The E-P1 Micro Four Thirds digital camera from Olympus that was officially introduced last week is now available for pre-order at Amazon. As promised, the camera will be available without a lens, priced at $750; as a kit with a 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 lens for $800; or bundled with a 17mm f2.8 fixed-zoom lens for $900. An add-on optical viewfinder that mounts to the hot-shoe, the VF-1, is a standalone option for all variations and carries a price of $100. [full story]

June 16 - 12:00pm EDT   The E-P1 will be supplemented by more distinct Micro Four Thirds models and with more professional features, Olympus product planning manager Akira Watanabe said in the wake of the new camera launch today. He explains to DPReview that the E-P1 is just the first in a larger range and that at least one future model will have an electronic viewfinder, much as Panasonic's Lumix G1 and GH1 have now. More lenses should also come in tow and may include more prime lenses beyond the new 17mm f2.8. [full story]

June 16 - 8:05am EDT   Olympus today finally launched the E-P1, its first camera using the Micro Four Thirds system and the first to adopt a non-SLR profile. Meant to recall the company's PEN cameras, it has a consciously retro but compact design that allows a large DSLR sensor and removable lenses but without the depth needed with a conventional mirror box or large optics. In a unique approach, Olympus doesn't have a dedicated electronic viewfinder beyond the 3-inch LCD but does give the choice of an optical add-on viewfinder. [full story]

June 15 - 9:05am EDT   One day ahead of its scheduled release, Olympus' EP-1 micro four thirds digital camera has been leaked. The camera is equipped with a 13-megapixel, 3 CCD sensor and can capture RAW images. It relies on an SD memory card for storage, and much like Panasonic's Lumix GH1 can shoot seven minutes of 720p video or else 14 minutes of 640x480 resolution video. [full story]

May 20 - 3:50pm EDT   Sony is bringing its TransferJet wireless data transmission technology closer to production by announcing recently it is now accepting licensing applications from interested companies. A Wednesday report has Sony taking "adopter" membership from companies that are interested in incorporating TransferJet into their products. TransferJet, which operates on a 4.5GHz radio frequency, lets users transfer data between portable devices at up to 375Mbps when they are about an inch apart. It is faster than wired USB 2.0 and FireWire connections and is supported by Japan, the US, European Union members and South Korea. [full story]

April 10 - 4:55pm EDT   Lensbaby, makers of unusual optics add-ons for DSLRs, continues to evolve the product, as seen with the recently introduced Composer. We've taken a quick look at the system to see how it works as well as to provide some anecdotes from our experience using it in practice. We've also taken a look at the Optic Swap System that lets you tailor the visual effects of the Composer. [full story]

March 31 - 9:30am EDT   Camera builder Olympus has announced the E-450, its newest entry-level DSLR. The camera is a replacement for the earlier E-420, and sports a 10-megapixel sensor, combined with a TruePic III+ image processor. Light sensitivity ranges only from ISO 100 to 1600, while shooting speed is limited to 3.5fps, supplemented by a buffer capable of holding just eight RAW images; the camera does however benefit from an improved Live View mode, with contrast and phase difference detection autofocus. The mode has also been given face detection and shadow compensation abilities. [full story]

March 4 - 1:35pm EST   Olympus' first digital camera based on Micro Four Thirds technology, originally spotted at Photokina in September, has made another appearance that now includes a likely release date. The company now expects the DSLR, which resembles a vintage rangefinder, to ship sometime during the summer. Olympus is still keeping mum about pricing for its unnamed Micro Four Thirds camera, however. Specs, including megapixel count, are also not yet disclosed. [full story]

February 24 - 7:30am EST   Olympus this morning preceded PMA with a launch for the E-620. The camera replaces the mid-grade E-520 and is not only smaller but also billed as the smallest DSLR with in-camera image stabilization; it also gets the 12.3-megapixel sensor depth and TruePic III+ image engine of the E-30 that let it shoot between ISO 100 (in extended mode) and ISO 3,200, but scales back to 4 frames per second and a 7-point autofocusing system. [full story]

January 28 - 1:40pm EST   Olympus will have not one but two cameras based on the Micro Four Thirds system in the near future, a Russian leak hints. The first, the M-1, would have a relatively compact body but would carry a 3.2-inch LCD and shoot HD video, making it one of the first DSLRs below the Nikon D90 to get the feature. It will also reportedly come with a relatively short-ranged but removable 12-45mm lens. [full story]

November 4 - 7:50am EST   Olympus today tackled the absence of a mid-range digital SLR in the E-system lineup with the E-30, a step between the entry-level E-520 and the more professional E-3. The 12.3-megapixel camera has the faster and more accurate 11-point autofocus performance of the higher-end E-3, an electronic level to ensure straight landscape shots and image stabilization built into the sensor rather than just the lens. Simultaneously, though, it also carries beginner-oriented features such as face detection and live visual effects dubbed Art Filters. [full story]

September 22 - 9:45am EDT   Olympus preceded the Photokina expo today with two prototypes of its future camera technology. The first, unnamed device is the company's first example of a Micro Four Thirds model and uses the smaller, mirrorless design to replicate the look and short, swappable lenses of a vintage rangefinder camera but with the large sensor of a digital SLR. The new design would drop any separate viewfinder altogether in favor of the preview LCD and would have simple navigation and mode dial controls. [full story]

August 25 - 10:50am EDT   Olympus on Monday swept through its camera line with several updates ahead of the Photokina expo. The SP-565UZ ultra-zoom keeps the 20X, 26-520mm equivalent lens range of the 570UZ but is both smaller and lighter than the earlier camera. It makes a few minor sacrifices to reach this goal, including a smaller 2.5-inch preview LCD (down from 2.7); in exchange, the camera gains a microSD adapter to use the normally cellphone-oriented cards to store photos. [full story]

August 19 - 8:00pm EDT   Olympus today quickly followed up on European announcements with two new FE series cameras that will be available for US customers. The FE-360 and FE-370 both have 8 megapixels and face detection. The FE-360 offers 3x optical zoom while the FE-370 has a more powerful 5x lens. Both feature digital image stabilization, with additional optical stabilization on the FE-370. [full story]

August 19 - 2:15pm EDT   Olympus on Tuesday gave a preview of updates to its camera lines ahead of Photokina with European announcements of cameras that should appear in the US. The µ[mju:] 1060 (Stylus 1060 in the US) is unusually long-ranged and boasts a 7X zoom, 37-260mm equivalent lens that helps compose distant landscape shots. Both hardware- and software-based image stabilization keep the resulting 10-megapixel images steady and are backed by a very high-speed mode that shoots at nine frames per second in exchange for lower-resolution three-megapixel shots. [full story]