Over the years, the British Journal of Photography has reviewed hundreds of cameras from the leading manufacturers. Here is a list of all digital SLRs and links to their BJP reviews (registration required).

Olympus has shown a prototype of the next digital SLR to complement its E-system.

Based on Olympus’ Four Thirds System, the new interchangeable lens DSLR will be marketed as a mid-level model, which will fit between the E-520 and the current flagship DSLR – the E-3.

The camera will share the same body as the E-3, as well as many of its features, according to Olympus. ‘It will inherit all the outstanding features of the E-3 such as the high-speed AF system using an 11-point full twin-cross sensor and the built-in image stabilisation mechanism with a correction effect of up to 5 EV steps,’ Olympus revealed at Photokina. ‘Other highlights will include a new and updated feature to replace the current splash and dustproof function of the E-3’.

Olympus has declined to provide more details about the camera, including its name. The new model is expected to be released in early 2009.

Olympus has shown a prototype of its upcoming Micro Four Thirds compact digital SLR.

Significantly smaller than Panasonic's G1 model, which utilises the same size-reduction technology, Olympus' camera is expected to be released in early 2009. Shown exclusively at Photokina, Olympus was careful by pointing out that the final model might differ from its prototype.

For more information about the new camera, read our full news article here.

Read more for an additional six photos of the prototype.

Olympus just announced the upcoming release of its E-30. Read our full story here. However, if you want to see more images of the new camera, read after the jump. If you want a list of the camera's full specifications, download the PDF here.

More pictures, after the jump.

Last year, BJP revealed images of Olympus' first Micro FourThirds prototype. The camera uses a new concept developed in collaboration with Panasonic delivering all the advantages of a digital SLR camera, but in a compact body – by doing away with a camera's mirrorbox.

Now, rumours have it that Olympus is days (or weeks) away from officially announcing its first two Micro FourThirds models. According to EnGadget, which cites a Russian source, the M-1 and M-100 are 'about the size of a bulky point-and-shoot, with the former boasting a 3.2-inch LCD monitor and HD video capture'.

Now, we have to wait and see... but such cameras could prove very attractive to professional users looking for a high-quality compact that can be fitted with third-party lenses (using an adapter).

See our review of the world's first Micro FourThirds camera – the Panasonic G1.

To celebrating its 90th Anniversary, Olympus has launched its own space project (i.e. a marketing coup).

Last November, Olympus supplied its pro digital SLR, the E-3, a dust-proof and splash-proof camera (not that there is a high-risk for the camera to be exposed to water while in space), to the Japanese astronaut Dr. Koichi Wakata, who is now in the ‘Kibo’ (meaning ‘hope’), the Japanese Experimental Module on the International Space Station.

Wakata will engage in the mission of becoming a space photographer and documenting status of the Earth for several months. According to Olympus, the resulting images will be released ‘in various different forms’.

The project focuses on the environmental situation of the Earth today and speculating its possible image of ‘tomorrow’, thus increasing the awareness of the consequences of Global Warming. To see Wakata's pictures, visit olympus-space-project.com.

Next month, it is widely expected that Olympus will unveil its Micro FourThird compact digital SLR. A prototype was first unveiled last year at Photokina, and the small interchangeable lens camera drew thousands of visitors. It looked like that:

Olympus was quick to point out that it was just a prototype and that the final model could be very different. However, it appears that Olympus could keep the compact aspect. A new feature on the Olympus website teases us with a complete history of the Olympus PEN line of cameras, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The original PEN was released in 1959. While most models were fixed-lens cameras, the PEN F was a half-frame 35mm single-lens reflex cameras with interchangeable lenses. The half-frame led to a smaller image format, but also made the PEN F one of the smallest SLR ever produced.

Now, with the Micro FourThird technology designed by Olympus and Panasonic, the compactness of the PEN F could be reproduced in the digital age. Who's ready to bet the new camera will share the PEN name?

Yesterday, we were reporting on rumours that the long-awaited first Olympus Micro FourThird camera could revive the Olympus PEN brand. Today, competing title Amateur Photographer has a similar report (you can check it out here). The magazine quotes Pen News Weekly, a Japanese trade magazine, as saying that Olympus' June announcement will be about a camera that features 'a considerably different outer design, that bears a close resemblance to the legendary Pen 18x24mm camera.'

Olympus president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa adds more details by saying that Olympus wants to appeal to customers that want a compact digital camera but with DSLR features. And he goes as far as to admit that Olympus has lost ground in the imaging business (ten years ago, Olympus was a leader in the digital camera market with its µ line).

Less than a month now before the new camera is unveiled (Olympus has already started advertising the new camera, teasing readers with the word: "Envy")

It's a secret for nobody that Olympus is getting ready to unveil its first Micro FourThird camera this month. Olympus and Panasonic announced the new format last summer, but until now only Panasonic had released two new camera models using the technology - the G1 and GH1. The Micro FourThird system uses a smaller sensor (17.3x13mm) than in other cameras, achieving the gains in compactness by doing away with a mirror box and optical viewfinder. The size has also been reduced with a six-millimetre smaller lens mount.

Olympus has been pretty quiet over the past year about how it will use the technology in its cameras. We've seen one prototype (here) back in September last year. However, this is about to change in the next couple of weeks. Olympus has invited photography journalists and editors from all over Europe for a special event in Berlin on 15 and 16 June.

And judging from the invitation sent to journalists, Olympus is going all retro on us (that's a good thing in our books), putting a lot of emphasis on black-and-white photography. This would seem to fit with the intense focus on the Olympus PEN we've seen coming from the imaging company over the past couple of weeks (more on this here).

Here are the scans of the invitation:

And, Olympus has also emailed journalists with some shots of previous PEN cameras, released in the 70s and 80s. Here are a couple:

'The wait will soon be over,' says Olympus, as it is getting ready to announce, next week, the details of its first MicroFourThird camera. Speculation has been building as to whether the camera will include video or not. However, the biggest question mark remains on how small the camera will be.

Of course, Olympus is spending a lot of time and money to promote a camera, some say, could redefine photography and relaunch the Olympus brand in people's psyches. 'Before long, photographers everywhere will be able to enjoy the benefits of a whole new approach to digital photography. And as a special treat, Olympus is offering registered enthusiasts all the details before anyone else,' Olympus says.

'Those who want to be the first to obtain exclusive news about the new model and revolutionary Micro Four Thirds system can register online at: http://www.olympus-consumer.com/en/promotions/mft.popup.'

The Olympus Pen E-P1 camera was unveiled exclusively to European journalists on Monday 15 June in Berlin. Here is a selection of images of the event. More will come today, as well as videos and photos taken with the E-P1.

The following unprocessed images were taken using the Olympus E-P1.

These videos were shot with the new Olympus Pen E-P1.

Edmond Terakopian, a freelance press photographer and BJP contributor, has had the opportunity to test the newly-released Olympus E-P1 MicroFourThird camera, and he is mostly enthusiastic about it.

‘Every once in a while a product comes along, out of the blue, that you’ve been wishing for. For me, the Olympus E-P1 is this product,’ he writes. Terakopian says it is sturdy, comfortable, ergonomic and well made. He also likes its retro looks.

However he does tell us later on that however good this camera is, it’s not perfect. The main problem, he says, is that it doesn’t have a built-in optical viewfinder, criticism that is being shared by a lot of reviewers so far.

As for the 17mm lens, Terakopian writes: “This little lens is superb though; it’s sharp, contrasty and performs well with flare. I just wish it was f/2 (or faster) and not f/2.8. With the smaller sensor, getting out of focus backgrounds is trickier as the smaller sensor increase depth of field; as a result, it would be preferable to have faster apertured lenses.”

So, who’s this camera aimed at? Terakopian asks at the end of his quick review. “It’s not a compact and not an SLR; think of it as a modern day rangefinder style camera. For me, its ideal for features / reportage and street photography. I would definitely recommend it as a second camera to an SLR user.”

Read Terakopian's review here.

Photo © Daisy Lowe.

VICE is staging a special photography project with four 'cultural icons'. Four women - Daisy Lowe, Alice Dellal, Miquita Oliver and Lovefoxxx - are using the latest Olympus E-P1 camera to document their lives over the course of six weeks along specific themes:

Daisy Lowe - ‘eyeStyle’.
The supermodel will be giving viewers a rare glimpse into her glossy lifestyle.

Alice Dellal - ‘eyeDoWhatILike’
Britain’s edgiest supermodel and style icon will be inviting viewers into her world.

Miquita Oliver - ‘eyeLondon’
London born TV presenter will show us around her hometown.

Lovefoxxx is ‘eyeTravel’
The CSS musician invites us to travel with her around the world.

The images are uploaded daily here. However, viewers can also upload their own images, with an overall winner receiving the new E-P1 camera. Find out more at www.viceland.com/storiesoftheeye.

The release of video-enabled cameras such as the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has pushed photographers to experiment with filmmaking. Edmond Terakopian is one of them. One year ago, he produced Muse, shot on Canon’s popular camera. Now, Terakopian is at it again. On 03 March, he released Homage. However, this time, he has used Olympus’ Pen E-P2 camera, a compact Micro FourThirds model, which offers 720p HD video. BJP talks to Terakopian about his experience with the E-P2.

Homage from Edmond Terakopian on Vimeo.

BJP: Why choose the Olympus E-P2 camera?
Terakopian: When I initially tested the E-P1 for BJP, I shot a few very quick test video clips and was impressed by the quality of the visuals. However without a microphone input, I didn't give it much attention. During my test of the E-P2 for the magazine, I was delighted to find an optional accessory (Olympus SEMA-1), which allows a microphone to be attached to the E-P2. This definitely had me interested in wanting to experiment shooting a film with it.

BJP: What were your first impressions of the camera in terms of its video capabilities?
Terakopian: The video is absolutely brilliant. Whilst it's not a Canon 5D Mark II or 1D Mark IV, it really is amazingly good. Although sound is automatic, you have full manual exposure control over the visuals. For my short film Homage, I shot mostly at above ISO1000 and the quality is rather good at 720p HD. Noise and colour were extremely well handled. What is a massive boost for this camera is the ability to be able to add various lenses to it. Although I shot the entire film using the Olympus 14-42mm kit lens and OM 50mm f1.4 and OM 85mm f2 lenses using an adapter, it opens up the possibility of using Leica M lenses and a whole assortment of weird and wonderful C-Mount lenses (with rather severe circular vignetting!).

BJP: How do you go about making such a film?
Terakopian: It's very important to have an idea and then a fuller script when making a project. My initial idea was relatively close to the finished product. The scripting aspect tightened things up. It's also good to have a script as the talent can get a copy ahead of time to get accustomed to what the idea is. Lastly, I'll say that it's also important to be free thinking and take things in from the location, talent and assistants. For example as it was snowing heavily on the day of the shoot, my whole opening sequence had to be scrapped. My assistant Antje came up with a great opening scene idea, which I ended up incorporating.

BJP: What accessories did you use?
Terakopian: One of the good things about the E-P2 is its size. As it's small and lightweight, photographic tripods work well in keeping things steady (as long as one doesn't need to pan). I used two Manfrotto carbon fibre tripods to keep the two E-P2s steady. I also used a Hoodman focusing loupe designed for DSLRs to aid with manual focusing. Lastly, audio was taken care of using the excellent Rode VideoMic, which I mounted on a side flash bracket.

For editing, I imported all the video files into Aperture 3. This allowed me to flick through all the clips and make my initial edit. I then made notes of good scenes within each clip, which I wrote in their respective metadata fields. After I had my rough cut done in my head, all the files were exported into a folder. These were then converted to Apple ProRes 422 using Compressor (to aid editing without having to constantly render). The film was then edited in Final Cut Pro and some of the sound was edited in Soundtrack Pro. However my initial plan to edit over two days expanded into almost five as there was a very complex multicam scene, which is extremely important to the story. Although I had to filter all the audio (very simple five minute job) to get rid of the subtle auto gain hiss, I was pleased that the auto gain isn't as aggressive as other systems I've tried.

BJP: What is your opinion of the E-P2 capabilities, especially in light of the other DSLRs you've used to shoot films?
Terakopian: As I mentioned, I wouldn't rate it as highly as my Canon 5D Mark II. However, it's much smaller, lighter and cheaper as is now part of my working kit. Up to ISO1600 and as long as I don't need 1080p HD, I'm more than happy using the E-P2 for 720p HD. Whilst I have my favourite Canon lenses (35mm f1.4L and the 85mm f1.2L II) the ability to be able to use my Leica optics on the E-P2 is a very attractive option. There is a new American company that is about to release a 50mm f0.95mm lens for the Micro 4/3 mount which also adds to the excitement of this system.

BJP: What’s next for you?
Terakopian: I have a script idea for my next film. But, I'm not telling, so watch this space.

Homage premiered on 03 March at the Brick House in London during Olympus' Pen event.

Image © Edmond Terakopian.