Brace yourselves for the news that all Olympus and Pentax film SLR owners have been waiting for (and plenty of other people too!). Both companies yesterday confirmed the prices for their new DSLRs, the Olympus E-1 and Pentax *ist D. So without any further ado, here are those prices…

Olympus E-1 Prices
- E-1 digital camera ?1,408.83 including VAT
[Including battery, charger, cable and strap]
- E-1 digital camera kit ?1,820.08 including VAT
[ Including 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 lens, battery, charger, cable and strap]

Lenses including VAT
- EZ-1454 Digital Lens 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 [including lens hood and case] ?495.85
- EM-P5020 Digital Lens ED 50mm F2 Macro [including lens hood and case] ?390.10
- EZ-5020 Digital Lens ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 [including lens hood and case] ?779.03
- ET-P3028 Digital Lens ED 300mm F2.8 [including lens hood and case] ?5,318.05
- EC-14 Tele Converter x 1.4 [for 14-54, 50-200 and 300mm] ?353.68
- EX-25 Extension Tube 25mm ?105.75

Pentax *ist D Prices
- Pentax *ist D camera body ?1400 including VAT
- Pentax *ist D camera body with smc 18-35mm f/4-5.6 FA AL J lens ?1529.99
- Pentax *ist D camera body with smc 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 FA AL J lens ?1499.99
- Pentax *ist D camera body with smc 20-35mm f/4 FA AL lens ?1899.99
- Pentax *ist D camera body with smc 24-90mm f/3.5-4.5 FA AL lens ?1799.99

Now in my humble opinion, these prices seem a little high when you consider that the Canon EOS 10D retails for around ?1150-300 body only. And lets not even mention the sub-?1000 EOS 300D! It will be very interesting to see how many E-1s and *ist Ds Olympus and Pentax sell at their recommend retail price; how soon will it be before prices become more competitive? This is less of a problem for the E-1, as it’s a whole new camera system aimed at the advanced amateur/professional photographer, but the Pentax *ist D is aimed at a similar market to the EOS 300D, and there’s currently a whopping ?500 price difference between the two cameras (body-only).