Olympus E-520 dSLR debuts
Cue "The Price is Right" music -- Olympus E-520 dSLR, come on down!
In today's news, Olympus announced their E-520 this morning, the replacement for the E-510.
Notable improvements in the new body include sensor-shift stabilization (including an updated system with a mode that accommodates panning while vertically oriented), a larger continuous-shooting buffer and a deeper grip.
Like the E-420, the E-520 incorporates the same sensor as in the higher-end E-3, and may use the same viewfinder and LCD as well. The new body includes support for face detection -- still a rarity -- wireless flash and tonal-range correcting Shadow Adjustment Technology.
For you comparison-minded consumers out there, a small breakdown from Crave. The comparison is for the body only, but the links send you to the more-popular kit:
| Olympus E-420 (body only) | Olympus E-520 (body only) | Pentax K200D (body only) | |
| Sensor | 10-megapixel Live MOS 17.3 x 13.0 mm | 10-megapixel Live MOS 17.3 x 13.0 mm | 10-megapixel CCD 23.5 x 15.7mm |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 100 - ISO 1600 | ISO 100 - ISO 1600 | ISO 100 - ISO 1600 |
| Focal-length multiplier | 2.0x | 2.0x | 1.5x |
| Fastest continuous shooting | 3.5fps 6 raw/JPEG unknown | 3.5fps 8 raw/JPEG unknown | 2.8fps 4 raw/4 JPEG |
| Mechanical image stabilization | No | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 95 percent coverage 0.92x magnification 14mm eye point | 95 percent coverage 0.92x magnification 14mm eye point | 96 percent coverage 0.85x magnification Eye point n/a |
| Autofocus | 3 points | 11 points contrast detection 3 points phase detection | 11 points |
| Live View | Yes | Yes | No |
| Wireless flash controller | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LCD size | 2.7 inches 176-degree viewing angle | 2.7 inches 176-degree viewing angle | 2.7 inches 160-degree viewing angle |
| Price (body only) | $449.99 | $599.99 | $699 |
Canon's Rebel XSi kit (review here, pricing here at about $900); Nikon's D40X kit (review here, pricing here at about $800); and Sony's Alpha dSLR-A200 kit (review here, pricing here at an average of $600).
...as well as colleague Janice Chen's own impressions at the Digital Cameras blog.
The new Olympus camera is set to ship in July. A body-only version of the E-520 will run you $600, and a kit with an ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (24-to-48mm equivalent) will cost about $700.
Oh, and one more thing: in addition to the new camera, Olympus also announced a new, "affordable" f4.0-5.6 9-to-18mm wide-angle lens (19-to-36mm equivalent) shipping this fall at $599.