Olympus
Imaging and Panasonic announce new Micro Four Thirds Digital SLR
System
Olympus Imaging
Corporation (Olympus Imaging) and Matsushita Electric Industrial
Co., Ltd. (Panasonic) today announced joint development of technologies
and devices for the "Micro Four Thirds System", a new
standard that extends the benefits of the Four Thirds System for
interchangeable lens type digital camera systems by enabling dramatic
reductions in size and weight.
Under the terms
of an agreement between the two companies, they will work jointly
toward commercial production of significantly lighter and more compact
interchangeable lens type digital camera systems.
The global market
for interchangeable lens type digital SLR cameras is growing steadily,
but still only accounts for a 7% share of the total digital camera
market. Considering the much larger share held by interchangeable
lens type SLR camera systems when film was the dominant imaging
medium, it seems that there is still ample room for sales growth
in the category. But compact digital cameras continue to offer an
expanding range of features and performance, and market surveys
indicate that customers choose compact models because they find
digital SLR cameras to be "big, heavy, and difficult to operate."
Recognizing this
market trend, Olympus Imaging and Panasonic have introduced products
based on the Four Thirds System standard, and have led the industry
in bringing features such as Live View and contrast-detection autofocusing
systems to interchangeable lens type digital camera systems.
Now, Olympus Imaging
and Panasonic are expanding the potential of the Four Thirds System
standard even further, enabling the development of radically more
compact and lightweight interchangeable lens type digital camera
systems based on the Micro Four Thirds System standard.
Together with
the existing range of Four Thirds System products, the new range
of Micro Four Thirds System products will enable customers to enjoy
true interchangeable lens type digital camera system performance.
|
|
|
When compared to the
Four Thirds System standard, the primary distinguishing characteristics
of the Micro Four Thirds System standard are:
Approximately 50%
shorter flangeback distance (mount-to-sensor distance)
6mm smaller lens
mount outer diameter
Electrical contacts
in mount increased from 9 to 11
August
5th , 2008: News Release:
A new Four Thirds System standard has been developed to increase the freedom
and enjoyment of digital SLR photography. The new standard makes it possible
to dramatically reduce the size and thickness of digital interchangeable-Lens
type cameras, while at the same time employing the same 4/3-type image
sensor device size used by the Four Thirds System standard to ensure high
picture quality - which remains the primary requirement of any digital
SLR camera.
In addition, the new
standard also takes into consideration future enhancements such as integrated
handling of movies and still images.The new standard preserves the ability
to exchange lenses and maintains the high picture quality established
by the Four Thirds System, while expanding shooting freedom beyond the
restrictions of the viewfinder, and enabling easy shooting of both still
and moving images. At the same time, it enables all of these capabilities
to be incorporated in a camera that's as compact and lightweight as a
conventional compact camera.
The Micro Four Thirds
System standard maintains the Four Thirds System concept of "High-picture
quality digital-dedicated design," but focuses on reducing overall
system thickness and size by aiming for a highly portable compact system.
The Micro Four Thirds
System also embodies our ongoing efforts to expand the Four Thirds System-based
standards to meet future needs such as movie compatibility, to improve
the comfort of Live View shooting and to increase the usability of existing
Four Thirds System interchangeable lenses.
The biggest attraction
of any SLR camera system is the ability to change lenses. However, if
the imaging plane (focal point) varies depending on the angle of view
or focal length of each lens, it would not even be possible to focus the
subject.
|
To avoid this
problem, the imaging plane of all interchangeable lenses is standardized
by strictly specifying the length of the flange back, or the distance
from the mount plane to the film/image sensor surface.
Digital SLR cameras
incorporate more components between the lens and the image sensing
material than film SLR cameras, such as the image stabilizer, dust
reduction mechanism and low-pass filter. Also, since the viewfinder
of an SLR camera requires a mirror box for viewing the real image,
the flange back needs to be longer to accommodate the mirror box.
Compact cameras do not use the mirror box, so don't require a long
flange back. These factors have made it difficult to design SLR
cameras that are as slim and compact as compact cameras.
However, if a
digital SLR camera can be designed to exclusively use Live View
for shooting, the mirror box is no longer necessary and the camera
can be designed with the kind of slim profile previously considered
impossible, without compromising the high picture quality. For example,
when an ultra-slim pancake lens is combined with the camera, it
can be stored and taken out of the inner pocket of a jacket, allowing
the user to benefit from the high picture quality of SLR with a
higher degree of freedom.
The Micro Four
Thirds System is a new standard based on combining Live View shooting
with the Four Thirds System, freeing users from the viewfinder and
moving closer to an optimum balance between picture quality and
compact size. With the Micro Four Thirds System, more people will
be able to enjoy the excitement of interchangeable lenses and system
extension capabilities that only SLR photography can offer, while
still benefiting from the convenience and high portability of ordinary
fixed-lens compact cameras.
|
|
|
|
A
Radical Reduction in The Thickness, Size, and Weight of Interchangeable-Lens
Type Cameras
The benefits of
reducing the size of an interchangeable-lens type camera cannot
be properly experienced unless the size of the lens itself is reduced
as well as that of the body.
Therefore, the
Micro Four Thirds System standard has reduced the outer diameter
of the lens mount to enable lens size reduction.
The new lens mount
diameter is about 6 mm smaller than before because this size allows
the mount to transmit the same optical flux to the Four Thirds System
while still retaining the required strength.
In addition, the
lens mount of the Micro Four Thirds System is equipped with two
additional signal contacts for smoother Live View shooting with
shorter time lags, faster higher communication speeds between the
lens and body, and, of course, reduced lens and camera size.
These two contacts
will also be used in high-speed data processing required for the
movie handling capability expected in the future.
|
|
|
|
An
Interchangeable-Lens Type Camera System Designed to Handle Movie
Shooting in the Future
Wouldn't it be
something if a single camera the size of highly portable compact
camera could record both still images and movies with the high picture
quality befitting an SLR?
This dream can
become reality with the Micro Four Thirds System standard.
Soon users will
be able to switch easily between shooting still images and movies
using natural, intuitive operations while keeping the useful Live
View on the monitor screen.
|
|
|
To make
full use of the advantages of size reduction and new functions
of the Micro Four Thirds System standard, it is necessary
to combine a dedicated Micro Four Thirds System lens with
the body.
Existing
lenses compliant to the Four Thirds System standard can also
be used by attaching a dedicated adapter. See diagram below.
|
|
|
