For over three years, the Olympus E-1 has remained the only professional digital SLR camera offered by Olympus. That may soon change, however, with the probable introduction of the Olympus E-2 within the next few months. Despite its age, the E-1 still has a lot to offer the professional on a budget.

The E-1's 5.5-megapixel FFT-CCD sensor had a fairly standard resolution among digital SLRs released about 3 years ago. Today, of course, this resolution falls short of even the most inexpensive entry-level digital SLRs. The 5.5-megapixel resolution, however, does not tell the entire story.

 

The Olympus Evolt E-300 is one of the few digital SLRs you can find for under $500 retail. Though this camera may be relatively inexpensive for a dSLR, it's certainly not cheap. To begin with, the Evolt E-300 is equipped with a 8-megapixel full frame transfer CCD image sensor.

You may also be surprised to learn that the Evolt E-300 has a very effective Olympus-engineered Supersonic Wave Filter dust removal system.

Among entry-level dSLR cameras, the relatively new EVOLT E500 by Olympus seems to provide some of the best value for the money.

The modest 8 megapixel camera, which currently sells for around $700 with a standard 14-45mm lens, has won over a great many amateur photo enthusiasts who are looking to take great pictures on a budget.

The EVOLT E500 is supported by a wide range of Zuiko Digital Lenses, which are also compatible with the similar E300 and E330 models. The lenses are designed according to the new (and somewhat unique) four thirds system, which Olympus claims optimizes the balance between image quality, camera, and lens size.

The camera also comes with plenty of options for those who want to take more control of their photography. The camera has 5 metering modes, 3 color modes (Vivid/Natural/Muted), 9 black and white modes, contrast, sharpness, and tone curve controls, and of course white balance control (3,000K to 7,000K in 12 steps).