Olympus Announces “World’s Smallest DSLR” E-400 for Europe

*September 14, 2006 *– Olympus UK unveiled their newest compact DSLR, a 10-megapixel E-400. With dust-reduction and four thirds compatibility, the E-400 will be available in Europe in November. The camera can be purchased as an expanded kit, which includes the body and two lenses for the retail price of £850 (equivalent to $1605 USD) or as a single lens kit for £700 ($1324).

Called the "world’s smallest and lightest D-SLR" in today’s Olympus press release, the E-400 measures 129.5mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.09in. x 3.58in. x 2.08in.) and weighs 375g (13.17oz.). The 10-megapixel camera has a 2.5-inch Hyper Crystal LCD with 215,000 pixels of resolution and comes equipped with a Supersonic Wave Filter (SSWF) to shake dust from the image sensor.

The Olympus E-400 has a four-thirds mount for cross-manufacturer lens compatibility. In a move towards universality, Olympus joined Panasonic and Sigma in publishing a joint lens catalogue, combining efforts for cross-marketing.

The E-400 has a dual memory card slot for both CompactFlash and xD Picture cards. "To ensure that the versatility and quality of E-System photography is open to as many people as possible," stated the release, the E-400 accommodates up to 25 languages, a feature only Olympus offers, according to the release.

The E-400 includes 31 shooting modes and 20 scene modes, including an Underwater setting to be used jointly with an optical PT-E03 DSLR underwater casing unit. The PT-E03 can withstand up to 40m of underwater submergence, according to the release.

For the expanded camera kit, users will get the E-400 body and two lenses, the Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5 lens and a new compact Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0 lens, at a cost of £850. The £700 kit includes the body and the Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5 lens.

Currently, the Olympus E-400 is only being available in Europe, according to an Olympus UK press representative.