AkiraWatanabe
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Olympus still loving E-series DSLRs, but teases new Micro Four Thirds lenses to confuse you
The Micro Four Thirds form factor may be a compelling choice for those seeking portability with affordable prices and notable quality, but there's no doubt that many folks are still loyal to the conventional DSLRs. If you're one such Olympus fan who's concerned about the fate of the larger E-series lineup, fret not: Akira Watanabe, head of product development, reassured PCPOP that the E-series models are here to stay because of their unique features, though his team's still pondering over the idea of replacing the budget triple-digit line (like the E-620) with the PEN series, as suggested by his colleague previously. But shifting the focus back to PEN, Watanabe teased that his crew's developing some MFT lenses to boost the portfolio, though little is revealed other than that these will cater users who have specific photographic needs. Very intriguing indeed -- maybe some fisheye and tilt-shift love?
Olympus exec declares "twelve megapixels is enough"
The megapixel race has been declared over plenty of times before, but we're guessing that there will be more folks than ever in agreement with Olympus exec Akira Watanabe's recent statement that twelve megapixels is "enough for covering most applications most customers need." In addition to that blanket declaration, Watanabe said that Olympus has "no intention to compete in the megapixel wars for E-System" (its line of DSLRs), adding that it would instead focus on other features like dynamic range, color reproduction, and a better ISO range for low-light shooting. On that latter front, Watanabe predicts that autofocus could be one of the big areas of innovation in DSLRs, with current "phase detect" systems giving way to new and improved image sensor-based autofocus systems. So, what do you think? Is twelve enough, or is the more megapixels the merrier? Sound off in comments.[Via Ars Technica]
