Not a Compact. Not an SLR… It’s a PEN.
Small, lightweight, dignified exterior design,
easy operation and HD movie/audio recording

Back in 1959 Olympus launched the now legendary Pen series of cameras rewriting the history of photography. Designed by renowned style guru Yoshihisa Maitani, the Pen represented the perfect marriage of simplicity, style and performance. Five decades with the release of the E-P1, the digital era’s next generation Olympus Pen has arrived: mirrors are no longer a necessary component for digital cameras with interchangeable lenses.

The first groundbreaking Olympus Micro Four Thirds model impresses with its incredibly small size, retro style, and ease of use – without giving up any of the benefits of D-SLR quality. This new ultra-compact hybrid device can even record HD quality movies with depth of field and Art Filter effects familiar from still photography. Naturally, the E-P1 packs all the advantages of Olympus imaging technology e.g. image stabilisation, a dust reduction system, and bright interchangeable lenses.

Introduction of OLYMPUS PEN E-P1 Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens system camera

Olympus Imaging Corporation (President: Masaharu Okubo) is pleased to announce the OLYMPUS PEN E-P1, an interchangeable lens system digital camera compliant with the Micro Four Thirds System standard, together with associated accessories.

The OLYMPUS PEN E-P1 is an interchangeable lens digital camera that compliant with the Micro Four Thirds System standard announced in August 2008. The nickname “OLYMPUS PEN” comes from company’s legendary half-frame film camera, which was released in October 1959 and rapidly swept across the world, sold a total of 17 million units worldwide and forever popularizing the joy of photography with people everywhere.

We decided to give the new product the same product name because this new camera brings to digital SLR photography the same breakthrough in size reduction and convenience that the original PEN, as well boasting a stylish design that echoes the charm of the original. This naming expresses our commitment to making it possible for as many people as possible to experience the true pleasure of photography at its finest.

Thanks to the Micro Four Thirds system standard, this camera features an internal structure that does not use a quick-return mirror, thereby facilitating a radical reduction in size without degrading the advantages of traditional SLR cameras such as high performance and high picture quality. The body boasts an attractive metallic finish that expresses the high quality and sense of compressed power exuded by the original “OLYMPUS PEN” series cameras.

Read full Olympus Press Release HERE

Once again Olympus breaks the mold and maybe gives photographers the camera they have been waiting for. We are really excited about seeing the quality of images that this camera will produce and we will keep you up to date when we know more. With it’s retro design it’s not only going to be photographers after this camera but style gurus too… Could Olympus be on to a winner - we reckon they just might!

Earlier this month  members of the IWDIG were given the opportunity to practice their sporting skills not least their camera action as they covered non-stop hockey in the Annual Isle of Wight Hockey Festival.  Saturday and Sunday brought fabulous sunshine and entente cordial between Mens, Ladies and Mixed groups of 11 a side teams from mainland UK including international visitors from Holland.

The two day event takes place in May every year on the Isle of Wight and as always hosted by the Isle of Wight Hockey Club at the Victoria Recreation Ground in Newport.

The 2009 Isle of Wight Hockey Festival was a great success with 36 teams and over 400 people visiting the Island. There was sunshine all weekend and the feedback from the event was very impressive.

IWDIG members shot and dodged wayward balls on behalf of event photographers Island Lifestyles 2020  the official photographers for the IOWHC.  To view the photographic results of Amanda, Anne, Colin, Gary, Lucy, Peter, Richard and Sandra’s adventurous weekend click HERE:  and for more information about the Isle of Wight Hockey Club visit IOWHC website.

Searching for ways to expand the skills of our members both photographically and in the use of modern technology and software is a new aim for 2009. Laptops and hands-on training was the order of the day for our recent meeting and it looks like this will become a major way forward this year.

With so many of our photographers wishing to learn in this way we are already considering running extra group evenings throughout each month. We believe that this could be the way forward to equip our photographers with the skills they need to compete in today’s digital world.

The IWDIG is pleased to have so many enthusiastic photographers as their members and with these numbers growing all the time be able to expand our knowledge-base and skill assets within the group.

Our photographers are always kept up-to-date with the latest trends in photography, introduced to new developments in software and share a common goal to improve their knowledge and skills through learning and fun.

Shooting Babies the first studio session for 2009 was photography for IWDIG members with a twist. Not your ordinary photoshoot where everyone is geared up for screaming babies, no these little ones and even the bigger kiddies upstairs, in the alternative studio, behaved like little cherubs. Grace and Dylan may have been the greatest wrigglers known to man but a quick rendition of “What’s the story in Balamory?” accompanied by frantic waving & calling from the parents soon grabbed their attention allowing a few more shots.

Above all, patience and fun was the order of the evening and all of the equipment, settings and setup in the world won’t get a decent picture if you’re not ready to have fun. Grace a mere slip of a thing at just 4 months and Dylan a veteran,  well he’s nearly 1, were it has to be said model examples - you don’t get many kids so well behaved at their ages during a photoshoot much to the relief of the photographers.

It’s all gone baby crazy.. no feeds or changes but in between cuddles time for a few more shots!!! It’s obvious of course you would want to book a photographer who photographs in a style that you like, but sometimes it just isn’t that simple. On the day we did connect and had a blast.  Child portraits are amongst our most treasured possessions they must be taken at a relaxed pace to let their personalities unfold.

We would also like to thank all of the parents for letting us capture the smiles of their precious children, and the older models too for their professionalism. As for the rest of the pictures - well there HERE