Olympus Micro Four-Thirds camera
- Brand: Olympus
- Subject: Digital Cameras
- Category: Camera Previews
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Photokina report
Olympus has commenced development on an interchangeable lens type digital camera based on the “Micro Four Thirds System”. The forthcoming camera will bring dramatic reductions in size and weight to the Olympus E-System, and will comply with the new Micro Four Thirds System standard which was jointly announced with Matsushita Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic), on 5 August 2008. A concept model of the new camera will be exhibited at photokina 2008 Show, the world’s largest trade fair for the photographic and imaging industries held in Cologne, Germany, running from 23 to 28 September.
Micro Four-Thirds system
The global market for interchangeable lens type digital cameras is growing steadily, but it still only accounts for a 7% share of the total digital camera market. Considering the much larger share held by interchangeable lens type SLR cameras when film was the dominant imaging medium, there still seems to be ample room for sales growth in the digital domain of this category. Market surveys, however, indicate that numerous customers to date still choose compact models because they currently find D-SLR cameras to be “big, heavy, and difficult to operate”.
Micro Four-Thirds camera concept
The Micro Four Thirds System standard was established to meet this need by enabling the development of radically more compact and lightweight interchangeable lens type digital cameras. The camera currently under development will be the first Olympus model to comply with the Micro Four Thirds System standard. Interchangeable lenses complying with the new standard are also moving ahead. In addition, users will be able to mount existing Four Thirds System wide-angle, telephoto and macro lenses on Micro Four Thirds System bodies via an adapter.
Olympus interchangeable lens type digital camera
The product name, launch date and retail price of the first Olympus interchangeable lens type digital camera based on the Micro Four Thirds System will be announced in the future. Olympus also remains committed to the original Four Thirds System and will continue to expand its line-up of D-SLR cameras to satisfy the broad spectrum of customer needs. This includes solutions for the professional photographer, aspiring artist, hobbyist as well as the everyday consumer.
