Olympus Imaging and Panasonic announce new Micro Four Thirds System standard
In what is one of the most interesting digital camera announcements of the last year or so, Olympus and Panasonic have announced a new digital camera format based on their existing 'Four Thirds' format.
Micro Four Thirds uses the same sensor size as current Four Thirds system, but the reflex mirror box and is dropped and the diameter of the lens mount is reduced from 50mm to 44mm. This will allow for a remarkably compact camera, barely any bigger than a regular compact digicam, but with a large sensor and interchangeable lenses. Of course without a reflex mirror box, cameras based on the Micro Four Thirds system won't be SLRs. The will have to rely either on a monitor on the back of the camera or an EVF (electronic viewfinder).
In fact in many ways cameras based on the new system will have more in common with a Leica rangefinder camera than a modern SLR. The fact that Panasonic make Leica's consumer cameras raises some interesting possibilities! Maybe a Leica branded Micro Four Thirds camera with a range of fixed-focal length lenses and a high-quality direct-vision optical viewfinder??
Four Thirds lenses will be compatible with Micro Four Thirds cameras with the addition of an adaptor. There is no word as yet about when the first Micro Four Thirds cameras will be launched.
In what is one of the most interesting digital camera announcements of the last year or so, Olympus and Panasonic have announced a new digital camera format based on their existing 'Four Thirds' format.
Micro Four Thirds uses the same sensor size as current Four Thirds system, but the reflex mirror box and is dropped and the diameter of the lens mount is reduced from 50mm to 44mm. This will allow for a remarkably compact camera, barely any bigger than a regular compact digicam, but with a large sensor and interchangeable lenses. Of course without a reflex mirror box, cameras based on the Micro Four Thirds system won't be SLRs. The will have to rely either on a monitor on the back of the camera or an EVF (electronic viewfinder).
In fact in many ways cameras based on the new system will have more in common with a Leica rangefinder camera than a modern SLR. The fact that Panasonic make Leica's consumer cameras raises some interesting possibilities! Maybe a Leica branded Micro Four Thirds camera with a range of fixed-focal length lenses and a high-quality direct-vision optical viewfinder??
Four Thirds lenses will be compatible with Micro Four Thirds cameras with the addition of an adaptor. There is no word as yet about when the first Micro Four Thirds cameras will be launched.
posted by Chris at 12:47 PM
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