Oly M4/3rds to be Announced.....

[morgan]

There is a cv m-mount adapter out there, I think cameraquest has (or will have) them. I don't know if you could ltm-m- m4/3, but that would be cool. The 2x conversion factor kind of stinks if you're into wides, but I think the system has real potential. I wonder how the sensor does at higher ISOs?

 

[morgan]

Here's the adapter link:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0904/09042401cosinaadapter.asp

 

[Phantomas]

Yep, well aware of the adapter. But obviously oly won't release the camera giving away lens sales to third partys. I recon a couple of lenses are in the works too.
Also, do you think it will be easy to focus MF lenses while holding out the camera looking at LCD? I really hope the production version will have a viewfinder...

 

[Tuolumne]

"Olympus Imaging and Panasonic announce
new Micro Four Thirds System standard "

http://www.olympus-global.com/en/news/2008b/nr080805fourthirdse.cfm

One can only hope Olympus will announce some nice small primes along with the body...

Does this mean that all m4/3 lenses will be interchangeable on different camera bodies? I ask this because it may be more than just a matter of the physical and electronic connection. As has been remarked in other threads, the Panasonic G1 lenses use a combination of optical and SW adjustments to achieve an optimal image. Will all camera bodies have the "smarts" to do this for all lens brands?

/T

 

[morgan]

Yeah, I don't know. I imagine it will be a challenge focusing. I'd rather have a viewfinder for sure, even at the expense of a little more height. Or an attachable external EVF even.

 

[Avotius]

do you think it will be easy to focus MF lenses while holding out the camera looking at LCD? I really hope the production version will have a viewfinder...

It was easier for me to MF lenses on my old Panasonic G1 using the LCD, its was a lot bigger then the viewfinder and so a lot easier to see if things were in focus.

That said I sure hope they do a clip on viewfinder type thing too even if it is an EVF.

 

[BillBingham2]

You could have a button that would allow you to say quadruple a focusing area on the back LCD or the view finder while you hold it. Release it and it goes back.

I think they are right that they could start a new market segment. I just hope the release enough great primes at the same time. Heck, I'd even be accpet a more manually controlled auto focus system on them, though I do like manual focus.

B2 (;->

 

[Avotius]

I really hope they give us some sort of pancake zoom type lens, even if it is short, say....28-50mm f2.8 😀

 

[Jamie Pillers]

That is a SPLENDID idea! Has anyone ever developed a 'pancake'-like zoom before? Is it optically possible? I know this type of lens exists in P&S-type cameras.

 

[Avotius]

That is a SPLENDID idea! Has anyone ever developed a 'pancake'-like zoom before? Is it optically possible? I know this type of lens exists in P&S-type cameras.

That is what I was thinking about, I seem to remember that Pentax has a waterproof camera that has some sort of zoom in it that is awfully compact yet is something like 28-140mm and does not stick out of the camera at all. While you need a small sensor to do something like that doesn't it seem feasible that you could cut back a bit on the length and then let the lens stick out of the camera a bit but still get some interesting lens specs? I dont know if the Pentax's lens was a folding optic type or what but still...

Well anyway...that is just a hypothesis but if they made it what a design revolution.

 

[kuzano]

If you're talking sensor size....

If you're talking sensor size....

Stick some film in a Pen body. Half-frame is bigger than µ4/3, too. 😉

Half frame and the 4/3 (including micro) sensor are almost identical in size.

My fantasy m4/3rds body would be a Pen FT with an adaptor to use the original Pen FT primes, even though the 35mm equivalent would be 2X (double focal length)..

 

[kuzano]

Lens sales will not be lost in the target market

Lens sales will not be lost in the target market

Yep, well aware of the adapter. But obviously oly won't release the camera giving away lens sales to third partys. I recon a couple of lenses are in the works too.
Also, do you think it will be easy to focus MF lenses while holding out the camera looking at LCD? I really hope the production version will have a viewfinder...

I doubt Oly is concerned with lost lens sales. We are not the target market. The compact digital camera market that Oly is seeking to attract with the micro offering is not savvy with regard to attaching aftermarket lenses to the camera. Consequently, it's likely the camera will have at least a couple of lens choices, plus the lenses that mount to the Panasonic G1.

The market of buyers concerned with mounting their "leica" and "cv" lenses to the micro cameras is probably a spit in a bucket to Olympus.

 

[gavinlg]

All I want is optically brilliant and decently fast (f2 for most, f2,8 for wides and 1-2 really fast f1.4) pancakes. Word on the street is that the first camera will be released with a standard range zoom of reasonable speed + a 14mm or 17mm f2.8 pancake (can't remember which one of those it was at the moment)

Don't want an internal VF, it would be tiny and useless, prefer to just clip one on to the hotshoe and have focus conformation light in it (powered by hotshoe) and maybe some basic information like ISO shutter and aperture. That would be near perfect. They could bundle them with the prime lenses.

also like that it supposedly doesn't have an inbuilt flash, though I wouldn't mind if it did.

 

[ruben]

The Soviet Universal Turret Finder will be just fine.

Then to balance the going backwards with something going forwards, we could attach a full digi at the cold shoe of a Kiev and use it as a preview back, light metering etc.. and have the ultmative hybrid RF

 

[morgan]

Agreed. I'd like a few fast primes and some a sort of 24-70 equv. zoom (2.8 like my canon).

As for an inbuilt flash, if it would increase size much, then I'd rather they skipped on it.

 

[jarski]

while Panasonic and Olympus are opening our eyes to new post-SLR times, EVF cameras, big boys Nikon and Canon have been silent with this respect (least for those of us relying web forum gossip mills 🙂 ).
I trust/wish/hope/beg/pray they come up with solution that is backwards compatible = full frame 35mm sensor, usable with current lenses.

 

[cny3123]

I am definitely hopeful for a compact M4/3 offering with a small compact fast prime.

 

[Kevin]

If this thing's auto focus hunts in low light and does not have a human-friendly af assist lamp (think e410) then we should be hearing from the early adopters soon enough.

I also hope the wide prime lenses don't produce the type of barrel distortion my 25mm pancake does.

Personally I am going to wait a few month longer and see what the Samsung can do. Then I will decide which body/sensor will parent my orphaned Canon FD lenses.

In the meantime I am quite happy using the cameras and lenses I already have.

 

[zuikologist]

Personally I am going to wait a few month longer and see what the Samsung can do. Then I will decide which body/sensor will parent my orphaned Canon FD lenses.

Me too: I like the idea of an APS-C sensor in a body smaller than the G1. Let's hope Pentax jumps on that bandwagon too. They already have some very nice pancake lenses.

 

[Trius]

I just got my E-620. I'm done with Oly for a while 😀

OMG ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!

Will, you KNOW you can't fool us ... especially me. 😀

I'm glad I haven't made any big moves. My 21/2 would prolly work OK as a normal lens (42mm equivalent ... 35SP has 42mm lens ... hmmmm), so I'd need a 14mm prime to complete the wide end. My OM Zuiko 28 and 50s would cover long normal and short tele.

But ... if it lacks an optical VF, that may be a deal killer for me. I mean, if the VF isn't OM class ....