[matthew]

I have a very, very good feeling about this. I imagine that it will solve my biggest problem with the Panasonic Micro 4/3 cameras - no in-body image stabilization - and expect that it will finally force Olympus to move away from xD cards and embrace the SD cards that the rest of the world is using. (The other Oly SLRs, even the tiny-ish E-4x0 series, have slots for both Compact Flash and xD. If they keep CF I'd be ecstatic, because I have so many of them, but I just can't see it happening.) I also imagine that it will have really good controls, perhaps borrowing a bit from canon, and perhaps innovating a bit with something new. I can also picture Olympus bringing in a compact kit lens, probably a 14-42 to match the range of their current introductory lens, but with a much smaller size; I also think that the 17mm f/2.8 lens is for real.

While I'd like a camera that's both silent and has an electronic viewfinder, Panasonic's G1/GH1 both have mechanical shutters and still make some noise when they shoot. (Although they are much quieter than even a 4/3 SLR.) The form factor for this Olympus camera means it doesn't look like it will have an EVF, but I can still imagine buying one if the price isn't too high.

But maybe I just have a really good imagination.