Olympus E-P1 'Digital Pen' has been officially announced - And I think I want one!

I have seen discussions about this little puppy kicking around for a while and from what I was reading, certainly became very interested in both the concept and the actual product.

Announced in the US, Olympus has officially announced the what appears to be a very long awaited release of the E-P1 - "The Pen", sporting its large sensor in a compact form factor.

The inclusion of a larger sensor in a compact to quite honest is a no-brainer. Thankfully the masses have cottoned on to the fact that more pixels you try stick in a constant size, the worse your pictures will likely be. Noise, artifacts and countless other nasties start to pop up once you exceed the sweet spot on the size/pixel curve.

Sadly though, it has taken way too long in my book for this to become a reality - Has pixel mania passed? Of course not, but thankfully we seeing a transition in line with reality rather than fantasy.

Want to see and read more? Click away and continue reading after the jump...

   

Some have called the styling retro harking back to a more romantic era. I don't...

The lines are clean, well proportioned and simple. Elegant almost. I am pretty sure that it is no coincidence that it will look totally at home sat right next to you aluminum MacBook Pro or even, should you have one, you MacBook White.

The cases however, I will give on. Retro they are indeed. And it works. Very well.

I could now rattle off all the specs, functionalities and all that other techy information. But I won't, because if I am really honest - I don't care about all that stuff...

For those that are interested however, head over here to an article by Eamon Hickey.

In fact even if you're also, like me, not that interested. Head over to Eamon's article anyway as he, if nothing else, has had some hands on time with it.

I am really looking forward to seeing some of the material that this thing can produce. Like I have always said - The best camera in the world is the one that you have with you - And this may be a good answer to the question of 'what can I have with me pretty much all the time?' Apart from your iPhone ;-)

Last words from Olympus themselves...

"In 1959, Olympus changed the face of photography by pursuing one simple idea: create a camera as easy to use and carry as a pen. Designed by renowned style guru Yoshihisa Maitani, the Olympus Pen triggered a camera boom that would last through the end of the 1970s. Today the legend comes alive again in digital form with the release of the E-P1. This first groundbreaking Olympus Micro Four Thirds model comes at a time when mirrors are no longer a necessary component for digital cameras with interchangeable lenses. Incredibly small size, retro style, and ease of use are a nod to the Pen’s past. However, D-SLR quality and a host of new features place the E-P1 at the leading edge as Olympus innovative technologies reimagine the future. Now everyone can have the best of both worlds: high-end design and D-SLR performance."