Olympus releases new compact digital SLR

More and more digital SLR owners have been approaching me lately asking for recommendations for a point-and-shoot camera. They explain that they love their DSLRs, but confess that they often leave their darlings at home because the snappers are too bulky to tote around at all times. On the other side of the fence, I've talked to point-and-shooters who acknowledge an attraction to DSLRs, but balk at losing the ability to compose shots in an LCD and preview changes in photographic settings in it. These murmurings from photographers of both stripes have been heard by Olympus which today introduced a compact DSLR with many of the amenities of a point-and-shoot DSC.

At 13.4 ounces, the new 10MP E-420 is light, and, it's one of the smallest DSLRs in the market at 5.1-by-3.6-by-2.1 inches. By comparison, the Nikon D40 weighs 18.4 ounces and measures 4.9-by-3.7-by-2.5 inches. It has a "live preview" mode so shots can be composed on the camera's large 2.7-inch LCD display; "perfect shot preview," which lets you preview simultaneously what a shot will look like at different settings; and on-screen autofocusing. The unit has some of the high-tech features found in Olympus's point-and-shoot models--face recognition and shadow adjustment--as well as those on its DSLRs, such as its dust reduction system with Supersonic Wave Filter.

The E-420, which will accept CompactFlash and xD media, is scheduled to reach retailers in May. A body-only model will sell for $499.99; a kit with a f3.5/5.6, 14-42mm (28-84mm equivalent) Zuiko digital zoom for $599.99; and a kit with a f2.8, 25mm lens for $699.99.