Winson wrote:
We have all heard Olympus' questionable reasoning behind rejecting the
combination of standard SLR lenses and digital imaging. Well, I saw a short
review of the E-10 in the Feb 01 issue of PCPhoto (pg. 34) that actually
gives a
plausible explanation for their position:
"Olympus also designed a completely new lens for the E-10. The nature of
digital
camera sensors is such that light coming in at too steep an angle won't be
recorded at all. Larger sensors and wider-angle lenses exacerbate the
problem.
The very large 4.1 megapixel sensor required a new design to maximize the
image
potential of the camera..."
Whether this is just Olympus marketing speak or the editorial opinion of
PCPhoto
is hard to say.
The one weakness of SLR design, I have heard it said, is the requirement
of the lens to be a retrofocus design in order have room for the
mirror/light box. Supposedly it is difficult to design such a lens and to
manufacture it to the same high standard as a lens for a camera with an
auxiliary viewing system such as a rangefinder. A secondary result is the
comparatively large size of the retrofocus design. Since, apparently, an
SLR design is not retrofocus enough for a digital sensor, won't the
problems of the design become even more exaggerated as the the steepness
of the angle is decreased? If so, it is understandable why a complete
redesign of the camera is needed for digital, ie., small sensor=small
field=offset of lens size increase due to more extreme retrofocus.
So are all the other companies with digital bodies that use existing lenses
just marketing an inferior product?
Gregg
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