Digital SLR cameras have brought new value
to photography and enabled it to progress
in new directions by utilizing technologies
that were not available during
the era of conventional silver-halide film.
And in advance of other systems,
the Olympus E-System has spawned a complete line of
designed-for-digital lenses,
an innovative dust reduction system,
and the world's smallest, lightest SLR camera.
While remaining true to its commitment
to the fundamentals of optical excellence and image quality,
Olympus continued to search for ways in which the
unique benefits of digital technology could be applied
to make photography significantly more enjoyable.
The results of this search were revealed
with the spring 2006 launch of
the Olympus E-330 with fulltime Live View.

Weighing his words carefully,
Watanabe recalled the development team's efforts at the time:

"In the Chapter II of E-series development,
we set out to build on the foundations laid by
the E-1's successful introduction. The high image quality of
our dedicated Four Thirds System ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses,
and the fact that ZUIKO DIGITAL telephoto lenses were
half the size and weight of previous telephoto lenses,
had strong appeal. In addition,
our Dust Reduction System solved the problem of
dust contamination that plagues other digital SLRs.
So we were pleased that we had communicated the appeal of
these features to everyone who chose the Olympus E-System.
"But we wanted to do more,
and in the second phase of development,
we set out to include Live View functionality
in every camera we make. As you know,
Live View enables photographers to use
an SLR camera's LCD monitor as a viewfinder,
just like on a compact camera.
This was a new concept for SLR cameras,
but when we introduced the Live View E-330 in
the spring of 2006, we found it was very well received
by existing SLR users.
And because we wanted all Olympus E-System users to enjoy
the freedom of taking photos at angles that preclude the use
a traditional viewfinder,
we decided to include it on all E-series camera bodies.
"Live View expands the horizons of digital SLR photography
by allowing users to take photos they never could have
taken before.
For example, it allows users to capture more natural-looking
candid photos of children because the photographer's face
is not hidden by the camera when shooting.
And because the image displayed on the LCD monitor
can be enlarged greatly, it makes it easy to focus accurately
on details that are not clearly discernable
with a conventional viewfinder.
So it's perfect for photographing flowers, jewelry,
and other small items where correct focus
can be difficult to achieve.