Olympus E600 makes a surprise retail debut

Surprise! *** Balloons dropping *** The Olympus E600 is making its online retail debut at RitzCamera.com in a two-lens kit bundle. It is currently in-stock and shipping (!) for $750. This is the only kit they have, bundled with the 14-42mm and 40-150mm Four Thirds lenses and the bonus Olympus gadget bag.

We haven't checked the whole internet, but we did not find this camera at any of the other major online retailers we check on a regular basis. Even on eBay, the only one offering it there is RitzCamera.com

The Olympus E600 was a surprise announcement in late August 2009, offering Four Thirds Users an E620-Lite with a Novemberish release estimate. Things had been very quiet on the E600-front. We could not find Olympus E600 reviews on the internets.

Olympus did raise a few eyebrows with the announcement and availability of both the E450 and the E600, as both DSLRs are not generally available in many markets. Perhaps it's Olympus's way of telling Four Thirds users "we haven't forgotten about you, but we are busy with M43rds right now, so please excuse us".

And as things are right now, the E600 is actually not offering a price advantage over the E620, because you can get the E620 two-lens kit for $710 at Abes of Maine or $750 at B&H Photo.