14 DAY TRIAL // Leaked information can be accidental or a shrewd marketing trick aimed at raising the interest in a particular product. In Olympus' case, it seems that the first assumption is valid. A 27-page marketing presentation detailing the company's roadmap for their next professional DSLR, the E-P1, was posted on two dedicated four-thirds web sites. However, Olympus was quick to contact the two sites and the presentation was removed. In spite of this, the important details were extracted from the document and we now know that the successor of the flagship E-1 might be announced in October 2007.
Just like the E-1, the new E-P1 is said to be a professional camera, albeit the lack of a built-in vertical grip puts it in the Nikon D200, Canon 30D league. As expected, Olympus has included the proprietary anti-shake system that allows for slower than recommended shutter times to be used and stabilizes any lens mounted on the body. Other "no-surprise" features include the Live View system, the dust reduction technology and the splash proof design. Regarding the anti-shake system, Olympus promises it will allow shutter speeds 5 stops slower; if this turns out to be true, the E-P1 would have the most effective reduction system on the market, albeit some experts claim that specifically tailored stabilization technologies found in Canon and Nikon lenses are superior to the body-based ones.
The interesting and less expected specs are related to the autofocus module and the continuous speed. According to the leaked information, the E-P1 will have 11 cross-sensor points, a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000 and 5 frames per second. The 11 cross-sensor points are probably the most important improvement since they will allow photographers to use the camera for sports or other tasks that require a blazing fast AF, one of the major complaints of the 2003 released E-1. Other leaked specs include a 10MP Live MOS sensor, a swiveling LCD and wireless flash control in three groups.
The E-P1 looks good on paper and it might give Olympus the much needed boost on the DSLR market. If the company's engineers manage to do something about the small, tunnel-like viewfinder (an implication of the 2x crop proprietary four-thirds sensor) and the camera comes with a good price tag, Olympus might be a serious competitor for the D200, 30D or the much-rumored D300 and 40D. However, the E-P1 does not seem to have what it takes to compete against the 1D Mark III or the D2Xs, so it can't be called a professional camera.
Aside from the E-P1, the presentation also contained information on the four new lenses and a teleconvertor (Zuiko Digital 70-300mm f4.0-5.6 October, Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD November, Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm f2.8-f4.0 SWD October, Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm f2.0 SWD Spring 2008, Teleconverter EC-20 October) announced at PMA 2007.
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