8 Megapixel Digital Cameras Views

Electronics

Just a few years ago, the first 8 megapixel compact camera was regarded as a breakthrough. Now it's tough to find a new camera with so few megapixels. Truthfully, most photographers will never need more than 8 megapixels (if even that many). Remember, megapixels affect picture size, not image quality. Regardless, the average megapixel count keeps climbing higher and higher, relegating these old cameras to history. If the grades below look mediocre, it's a reflection on age, not necessarily quality.

On September 29th 2003 Olympus announced the five megapixel C-5060 Wide Zoom, as the name implies that camera was a step up from the C-5050 Zoom in no small measure because of its wide angle zoom lens. And now on the opening day of PMA 2004 Olympus raises the stakes higher, with their first eight megapixel prosumer level digital camera, the C-8080 Wide Zoom.

But the differences between the C-5060 WZ and the C-8080 WZ are even more significant, Olympus hasn't just reused an old body and lens and bolted in the new Sony 2/3 " eight megapixel CCD, instead they have completely redesigned the body and approached the most important part of any digital camera, the lens, with an eye to quality. Indeed when I asked Olympus about the new lens they stated that it was as of the same quality as the Zuiko lenses made for the E System (the E-1 digital SLR), and to support that it's made in the same factory.

The Olympus E-300, also known as the Olympus EVOLT is the latest entry in a line of digital SLRs based on the r"Four Thirdse" standard developed jointly by Olympus and Kodak, first announced in fall of 2002. The first Four Thirds camera was the Olympus E-1 SLR, aimed at the professional market, but the new Olympus E-300 brings the Four Thirds system down to a price range accessible to amateur and a"enthusiastf" shooters. The new model uses the same lenses and sensor format as the original E-1, but offers an impressive 8-megapixel resolution, and will ship with a new ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-45mm lens.