The E-1 is a highly evolved version of the E-20 and E-10, except that the E-1's lens can be removed and replaced. At 5.6 inches by 4.1 inches by 3.2 inches and 1.5 pounds, the body is slightly more compact and lighter than Nikon's D100 or Canon's 10D. The Four Thirds-mount lenses, including the exceptional Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 ($500, street) that I used to test the camera, are designed to be smaller than conventional lenses.

The E-1 supports CompactFlash Type I and II and its lithium-ion battery lasts longer than any Olympus camera I've ever used (a good week of moderate use). Both media and battery compartments lock into place. A special sealing makes the E-1 dust and drip proof.

Overall, the E-1 is an extremely easy camera to learn and use. The majority of the E-1's buttons are located atop and near the status display and mode wheel. The primary navigation control is situated directly right of the 1.8-inch color LCD used for image review and setup. The Mode wheel features four exposure setting: program AE, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual.

The specs speak for themselves.

• Shutter: 1/4000-60 second (1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV step); manual mode: bulb (8-minute limit)
• Autofocus: 3-point multiple AF (left, center, right), built-in AF illuminator good up to 20 feet
• Metering: digital ESP, center weighted, and spot metering
• ISO sensitivity: 100-800 plus 1,600 and 3,200 are available
• Exposure compensation: 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV step within a range of +/-5 EV
• White balance: auto, preset (12 settings), one-touch custom
• Recording mode: RAW (12-bit), TIFF (RGB), JPEG with maximum resolution of 2560x1920 and minimum of 640x480
• Drive modes: single-frame, sequential, self-timer, remote
• Sequential shooting: 3 frames per second with a maximum 12 frames
• Auto bracketing: 3 or 5 frames in +/- 1, 1/2, or 1/3 EV step
• No built-in flash but hotshoe
• USB and IEEE1394 connectivity