Note the changed placement of strap lugs, the new button at the bottom left (depth-of field preview?), and the single / continuous AF switch at bottom right (this suggests a more advanced autofocus system).

The remote control socket has been moved a little towards camera's rear, but both sockets retain the pesky (easy to lose!) screw-in caps. Just to the right of the lens is the lens release button, better seen in the next picture. To the top left is the reference white balance button (unchanged); I just hope the function will work as nicely as in the C-5050Z.

The exact role of the sensor on the grip and another, circular one near the camera top remain unclear.

The location of drive mode and metering pattern controls (at top right) remains unchanged. The macro focus button is missing, which suggests continuous autofocus in the whole distance range. There is a new button for autobracketing, previously activated from the LCD menu. Of other changes, the exposure compensation button has been moved to the top of the camera.

The shutter release is similar to that in the E-10/E-20, but is now protected from accidental release with a taller collar. Also, note the smaller size and lower profile of the front control wheel.

Surprise: no pop-up flash! Although these are not really suitable as the main light source, I find them useful in providing fill-in light outdoors.

The top deck has a generously-sized control panel; looks like it may show more information than before. The flash mode, image quality, and white balance buttons remain in old locations, with the panel light button moved slightly to the left. Also, this side is the new home for the exposure compensation control.

The new, external ISO control suggests that Olympus may be more confident in high-gain CCD image quality.

The main dial has only the M, S, A, and P mode positions, but now it uses a central button protecting it from an accidental switch. Image viewing is activated by pressing the green arrow button on the rear side of the camera, and computer connection may kick in when the USB cable is plugged in, like in the newer Olympus cameras.

The controls on the camera's back remain basically unchanged from the E-10/E-20. There is a new [...] button at the far top-right; I suspect it may be for autofocus point selection. There is also a new card compartment lock (there was nothing wrong with the old one). Note the eyepiece shutter and diopter control; the eyepiece itself protrudes out of the body less than before, a good news.

But wait, what happened to the swinging LCD monitor? This one does not look like it is adjustable. On the other hand, in SLRs using mirrors (not semi-transparent prisms), the monitor cannot be used to preview the picture before it is taken, so a tiltable display is not really beneficial.

Note the soft covering at the right thumb grip, where the E-10 and E-20 had just the regular body surface. Small joys of life.

To add my impressions up, looks like Olympus took what was, I believe, the best-handling digital SLR body of the E-10 and E-20, and managed to improve on it with some thoughtful little touches.

If the camera performance matches its ergonomics and (judging from the E-10/E-20 record) build quality, I will have another major investment to make soon.

The lens shown here will be probably bundled with the camera. Its focal length range, 14-54 mm, is equivalent to 28-108 mm on a 35-mm film camera.

The 4/3 sensor size means a four-fold increase in the area as compared to the E-20. If Olympus wanted to use the same pixel density, they could squeeze 20 megapixels into the CCD. This is, of course, highly improbable, but I would consider expectations of 8-11 MP quite reasonable (being more than I actually need). Olympus is tight-lipped about the E-1's pixel count, though.

Back to the lens itself, I believe the focal length range is better than the 35-140mm EFL on previous E-cameras. There is about 2/3 of an F-stop difference in maximum aperture between both ends: F/2.8 versus F/3.5; respectable.

Note the manual distance scale on all lenses shown here. This may suggest a fully manual focus option (mechanical, as opposed to micro-motor driven), a more precise approach, or at least a better fly-by-wire solution, where the focus ring is more than just a two-way switch.

The lens shown here is a 50 mm (100 mm equiv.) macro, allowing a 1:2 image magnification. If I read the Olympus' claim right, this would be equivalent to the 1:1 ratio on a 35-mm film camera (as the digital image undergoes twice the magnification to be viewed as a print or otherwise). In other words, an object 24 mm tall will fill the frame vertically.

The maximum aperture of F/2.0 is one full F-stop brighter than on similar lenses for film-based SLRs.

Now we are getting into some heavy glass. This is a 50-200 mm (100-400 mm equiv.) tele zoom with the maximum aperture of F/2.8, decreasing to F/3.5 at the long end. Hubba hubba. We can see a rotating tripod mount collar, also serving as a carrying handle. (I wonder how much this baby weighs.)

The lens uses some elements of extra-low dispersion glass, but besides this at this time there is no data on the lens construction (groups, elements, special glass), or on the minimum focus distance — for this lens or the other ones.

This is a 300 mm (600 mm equiv.) unit with a maximum aperture of F/2.8, pointed clearly at professional sports and wildlife photographers.

My guess is that the teleconverter shown in the top picture is a 1.5x (or maybe 1.4x) model, judging from the size, and from the fact that this magnification usually offers better image quality at a loss of only one F-stop in effective aperture. When used with this lens, this would mean the equivalent focal length of 900 mm (whoa!) at F/4; now, go and try to match that!

From other accessories, Olympus announced a power supply (probably lithium-polymer), serving also as a vertical grip, with its own shutter release and a control wheel.

When using an E-10 and E-20, I decided against spending my money on this piece of equipment. This is largely a matter of taste.

And, finally, the dedicated flash unit. The guide number and ISO control at the back suggest that this model is supposed to work with other cameras, not just the E-series (this setting is handled by the camera in the dedicated mode). Except for cosmetic differences and for the control panel backlighting this model seems to be similar to the FL-40 from Olympus, although the manufacturer claims it will have enhanced functionality (whatever that means) compared to that model.

I just hope the new camera is compatible with the FL-40 (Olympus says this yet has to be decided upon), as I'm very unwilling to part with another $300 or more for the new unit.