3
all working in tandem to provide users sharper, more accurate
images. Olympus has now taken this a step further by provid-
ing digital camera-specific lens assemblies, which direct light
in a straight line across the CCD sensor and improves the
over-all image quality.
Olympus also led the third plateau of adoption with the intro-
duction of 1.3 mega-pixel resolution in a consumer digital cam-
era. This resolution ceiling would later become the industry
benchmark for representing “photo-quality”. Photo-quality im-
ages are simply the equivalent in image quality to a consumer film camera when output to a 4” x 6” print on photo-grade paper.
But resolution alone cannot provide photo-quality images. It is the resolution provided by the CCD sensor in tandem to the
camera’s internal opto-electronics and entire optical path.
The upper ceiling of digital camera resolution has increased incrementally over the past three years from 1.3 MP to 2.1 MP, from
2.1 MP to 2.5 MP and has shown an average of 45% growth over the past five years. Olympus has pushed this resolution ceiling
for the second year in a row from 2.5 MP as seen in the C-2500L to 4.0 MP as seen in the CAMEDIA E-10 Zoom SLR.
New Era of Purchasing
We are entering into a new era of adoption where many consumers are now purchasing entry level digital cameras instead of
film cameras while other more sophisticated users are considering the purchase of their second or third digital camera.
Resolution and other advanced features are enhancing digital cameras well beyond film camera capabilities and digital
cameras are getting much easier to use. As a result, digital camera vendors are expected to provide an entire spectrum of
products to meet the needs of users, from entry-level novices to professionals. Currently, Olympus is one of the few digital
camera vendors that provide a full line of digital cameras for every type of user.
The Cost-to-Benefit Decision
Pro-sumers, entry-level pros and professionals shooting weddings, events and portraits in the past have had a difficult cost-
to-benefit decision to make regarding their purchase of a SLR digital camera instead of a film camera SLR. Often the features
of a particular digital camera met their needs but the cost of a pro-quality digital camera presented a barrier to their purchase.
Olympus has finally solved this problem by providing a camera with the greatest features/lowest cost of any pro-level SLR
digital camera currently on the market. From this point forward, there is absolutely no barrier to adoption for entry-level pros and
professional digital photographers. Many of these photographers that have been augmenting their equipment arsenal with a
digital camera as a novelty item can now provide an all-digital service for weddings, portraits and events and provide quality that
is in many cases superior to film.
Light from Digital¤
Camera Lens
CCD
Light from Film¤
Camera Lens
CCD
