Olympus' Micro Four Thirds camera launching this summer
By Ross Miller 
posted Mar 3rd 2009 11:12PM
posted Mar 3rd 2009 11:12PM
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omg come on already i cant wait!
That's what she said!
Want. Want. Waaaant.
Why does this camera take so long to develop ? Panasonic is on their second m4/3 already.
They're trying to take the lessons from Panny's first to make their first. No point sending in your whole army just to scout your enemy (Aoe3 refence), just send one, and you know what to send next time.
It also could be that the miniaturized components needed to fit such a camera into this small of a body are still in development.
Make THIS an Engadget giveaway!
A G10 today, a GH-1 tomorrow, or this guy in a bit?
I hate being so informed.
A G10 isn't really competition to these cameras... it's more like the Oly, the Samsung, the Panasonic or an entry level DSLR.
THOSE LOOK AWESOME!
it's ugly.
and it hates you
Any word on what kind of lenses will be available on launch?
a 14–45 f/3.5-5.6 and a 45–200 f/4-5.6.
There are also rumors for a 7-14 f/4 wide angle lens, a 14-140 HD f/3.5-5.6 super-zoom, and a 20 mm f/1.7 pancake prime lens.
WOW
So cool. haven't been in love with a camera like this before, ever.
love at first sight
Well it looks like Olympus will have my business come summer. As tempted as I am by the Samsung counterpart, it doesn't appear as though that'll be available until next year at the very earliest.
I like the rangefinder look. I still prefer a real SLR, though.
The way I see it, this class of has a lot of maturing to do before it can be considered a completely ideal substitute for a dSLR. On the other hand the small size could make it a great secondary camera; As a backup or for times when a dSLR is just too bulky.
Well, there is a rumor they are also working on a bigger brother which has the SLR looks you so desire.
so long as this thing doesn't constantly want to tip over in my hands, i shall buy.
I
Want
This
Camera
and
I
Don't
Like
Hippies
but
I
Do
Want
This
Camera
Nowz
That's the exact same "concept" model they showed at Photokina last September. I was really hoping Olympus would have something more functional to show off. A summer release sounds great, but I'm skeptical.
Summer? How about... now? Ah well, better late than unsatisfactory.
Yes! Love it! Hopefully Olympus acts smartly, and implements extremely fast shutter times that are possible now that they got rid of the mirrors.
You mean continuous shooting rate? Well there is still the the limitation put forth by a physical shutter. (The G1 has one, so presumably this will too.)
The shutter on the G1 only closes when it's turned off, otherwise the live view wouldn't really work all that well. But it's max shutter speed is still only 1/4000s, which is pretty much standard for entry level SLRs. I suspect there's really more to the "shutter" speed of these cameras than the speed of movement of a physical shutter and mirror.
Actually the shutter closes, then opens, then closes again, and then reopens during every shot. It needs to do this in order to clear the sensor of the live view and then complete the shot and resume live view.
Step teasing us with this picture!!!!!
DO WANT CAMERA! so bad. GH1 looks really nice and versitile, but I am in love with the design of this camera.
They should really license fuji's split sensor HDR and low noise mode from the 200EXR, and you have a ridiculously small camera with excellent low light performance.
No one complaining about the small sensor size?
This camera uses the same size of sensor found in 4:3 dSLRs. They're a tad bit smaller than the ones found in most other brands of dSLR, but downright HUGE compared to the types typically used in compact digitals.
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/cameras/2008/sensor-formats/sensor-size.jpg
It's not that small.
That's what she said. :X
I'd complain more about the shape, personally. I just like 1.5:1 better. (To say nothing of losing the viewfinder...)
But yeah, the slightly smaller size is a concern to anyone worried about image noise, particularly if they release these with high resolution sensors. Don't get me wrong, at 6MP it could have good low-light performance, but I doubt they will release it at 6MP.
@Sam
There is at least the possibility that Olympus might use Panasonic's oversized sensor from the GH1. With one of these it could achieve a variety of asp3ect ratios while still exploiting as much of the image cicle as possible.
No company would be brave enough to release a anything less than 12MP for a sensor this size in this day and age.
They should make one that accepts pre-digital/electronic lenses, can't be that impossible surely and there's tons of quality lenses floating around that are going to waste now.
Um, all current DSLRs support 'pre-digital' lenses. This new one can't because it's too small.
yes, M mount.
it'll never happen but that would be great.
Various adapters exist for both 4:3 and µ4:3 that allow a wide variety of lenses, including those for the M-mount, to be adapted
I'm digging the old school look. I'm not sure if that camera would be right for me, but I would for sure have to take a good hard look.
yeah! i want that camera! to hell with my fat ass d60!
Yes, and Olympus is trash, just like Canon. And the people who use them.
Get a NIKON! Preferably a D60 or D80.
While I'm a fan of Nikon SLRs myself, I must disagree with your statement. Also the D80 and even the D60 are too big too be considered a substitute for this new breed of camera. So unless Nikon suddenly announced their own LIVE system, I will most likely purchase this Olympus as a companion to my dSLR.
I love the design but im not too sure about the brushed metal and corkboard looking leather. Maybe if it was black with darker leather... but then again I suppose that would take away from the "retro" feel. Meh either way I want one.
Also whats with the body cap, looks like its built into the camera.
I want it so badly
My favorite camera to date has been Konica's Hexar AF. Having given up film two years ago for a Canon G7, I've yet to look through its optical viewfinder. Noise at higher ISOs and sluggish responses are the price paid for its small size and stealthy operation. This Olympus promises to be all that and a bag of chips. I can't wait.
Returning to the subject of shutter times and exposure. Check out CHDK. Hackers have got between 64 sec and 1/60000 with flash sync on Canon Powershot cameras. I read somewhere that they "used a combination of the camera's mechanical shutter, and the readout electronics of the CCD to give times far shorter than the stock..." At least with that range of cameras it is technically possible. Whether or not it's doable on a 4/3 type of camera, I don't know. But since some hackers have pulled it off on existing cameras, just with software changes, manufacturers ought to be able to do it on a new range. It would be a unique selling point, and possibly not copyable on a dslr. Have a look here (with picture example) http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Samples:_High-Speed_Shutter_%26_Flash-Sync. Amazing stuff.
Not going to get too excited about this until we get more details about the sensor. With a large sensor this could become a Sigma DP1/2 killer, otherwise the interchangeable lenses will be nothing but a gimmick because we might as well use a compact camera with zoom.
I bought an Olympus dSLR mainly because of my nostagic relationship with my old Olympus OM-1 which my father bought in 1975. My dream camera always has a been a digital version of that camera, and this one looks pretty darn close. Maybe my dreams are coming true at last!
If it can do 1080HD video like the Lumix GH, then I am SOLD!