There is more to the highest quality images than meets the eye. Pixel count alone cannot take credit for all the quality image results. Superior image quality is made up of the level of dynamic range, colour accuracy, low noise and printability of the file. The E-1 is a perfect reflection of this philosophy.

To meet the high-quality image demands of the professional photographer, the E-1 SLR uses a Full-Frame Transfer CCD (FT-CCD). The FT-CCD is a Progressive scan sensor producing higher image quality than is found with many equal or higher mega pixel CCD models. Unique to the E-1, the FT-CCD offers many advantages over traditional Interline CCDs found in many competing digital SLRs.

In transferring image data off the chip to the image register area, an Interline CCD essentially uses a built-in path or highway into the chip for the data to travel on. This 'highway', however, takes up valuable real estate that could be better utilised for further image capture information, thereby reducing the size of the active image gathering area - photodiodes - in each pixel. By comparison, the FT-CCD transfers the data via a Vertical Charge Transfer Register that does not require the so-called Interline "highway." Using more of the pixel area for data capture results in better image resolution, higher dynamic range, lower noise, and more image information.

The key benefits of the FT-CCD include its high sensitivity - due to a larger pixel capture area - and a high Signal/Noise ratio - along with the ability to capture more electrons for a higher dynamic range from black to white. With these advantages, professional photographers using the E-1 will no longer hope for images with more exposure latitude, greater detail, and less noise than ever before. They will expect them.