Olympus has already released several competent digital cameras so far, but none have been world-beaters. The E-10 is a unique camera, it is best thought of as an SLR with a non-interchangeable lens; but this is not entirely accurate. Like an SLR, the image seen through the lens is reflected such that it is directly viewable in the viewfinder. The camera uses a beam-splitting prism in place of the mirror meaning that both the viewfinder and 4MP CCD see the same image. Unlike an SLR, no mirror needs to fall in order to capture the image which means a nearly-silent shutter on exposure. The fixed 35mm to 140mm (35mm equivalent) lens provides a wide range with a fast f/2.0 to f/2.4 aperture. Compared to entry-level digital SLRs, the E-10 has a slow minimum shutter speed (1/640s) and limited sensitivity ranges (ISO 80, 160, and 320 equivalents). The E-10 shoots a respectable three frames per second but only for four exposures. It also takes about five seconds to power-on.
Where does the E-10 excel? It is an all-in-one package with moderately wide to reasonable zoom without the worry about dust getting into the sensor or behind the optics. It supports shooting either JPEG files (with customizable compression levels), or 30-bit raw files. It supports either lithium-ion batteries or AA batteries in a pinch.