As some of you old time list members might recall, I have done some
consulting work in the past for Olympus Japan. They have again consulted me
during the development of the 4/3 digital SLR system, and have given me
permission to offer the list a "sneak peek" into what is in store. Some of
this will be announced during the official unveiling on June 24th. I expect
all of it to be officially announced within 6-12 months after that.
First the basics - the system will be based around a standard sensor size, in
this case 13.5mm x 18mm. Officially the "4/3" designation applies to the
aspect ratio of 4:3. Expect simultaneous announcements of bodies, lenses, and
flashes from Olympus, Fuji, and Kodak. In fact the biggest news may be the
extent to which the three companies agreed to the standards, which go beyond
the expected sensor size and lens mount to include internal RAW file format
s, flash compatibility and storage media (xD cards).
Initially Olympus plans 3 bodies, all of which should be on store shelves
within the first 6 months of the initial announcement. There will be an
"amateur" 4MP body, a mid-range body at 6MP, and finally the full bore pro
model which will offer an 11MP sensor. All of Olys sensors initially will be
manufactured by Kodak. Fuji will be making their own sensors for their
bodies. All the bodies from all 3 manufacturers will accept the same lenses
and flashes.
The "amateur" model will be a 4MP EVF (electronic viewfinder) camera offering
the usual exposure modes (manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and
the ubiquitous icon-identified "program" modes). Shutter speeds up to 1/2000
and X-synch is 1/125 (more on flash later). ISO range of the sensor will be
adjustable from 50 to 800. It will only accept the new format x-D Picture
Card storage format. Interface is the typical "wonderbrick" menus, buttons,
and dials. Expect this model to hit the streets at around USD600 without a
lens.
Sensor: 13.5mm x 18mm, 2320x1740, ISO adjustable from 50-800
Shutter: 30sec to 1/2000, X-synch 1/125
Storage: (1) xD Picture Card slot
Burst mode at full resolution: 4 frames at 2fps
Viewing: Electronic viewfinder with 250,000 pixels; External 1.8" LCD display
Focusing: Auto focus with 5 focus points, manual focus with focus
confirmation in viewfinder.
Metering: ESP (matrix) and center-weighted
Exposure: Manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, portrait, landscape,
night, and close-up modes.
Flash: Built-in (GN 18), shoe for external flash.
Major accessories: Various external flashes, lenses, and AA battery grip.
The midrange model, with the 6MP sensor offers true optical SLR viewing, an
upgraded shutter (highest speed will be 1/4000, and X-synch at 1/250), and
will also accept PC Cards (more specifically, microdrives). The ISO range of
this sensor extends all the way to 3200, although Olympus is admitting that
at 3200 it is fairly noisy. The "any shot is better than no shot" proponents
pushed for this capability in the system, but this will be the only body to
offer it, at least initially. The camera features a fairly intuitive
interface (separate, dedicated shutter speed and aperture dials, for
instance). Expect a roughly USD1200 street price for the body.
Sensor: 13.5mm x 18mm, 2898x2174, ISO adjustable from 50-3200
Shutter: 30sec to 1/4000, X-synch 1/250
Storage (2) xD Picture Card slots, (1) PC card slot
Burst mode at full resolution: 8 frames at 4fps
Viewing: Full SLR viewing with glass pentaprism and diopter correction;
External 1.8" LCD display
Focusing: Auto focus with 9 focus points, manual focus with focus
confirmation in viewfinder.
Metering: ESP (matrix), center-weighted, and spot.
Major accessories: Various external flashes, lenses, and AA battery grip.
The pro model, besides offering the highest resolution (up to 3864x2898),
also adds a faster shutter (highest speed 1/15000(!) and x-synch at 1/300)
and a burst mode allowing 10 shot bursts at 8fps at full resolution. Figure a
USD2200 street price.
Sensor: 13.5mm x 18mm, 3864x2898, ISO adjustable from 50-1600
Shutter: 30sec to 1/15000, X-synch 1/300
Storage (2) xD Picture Card slots, (1) PC card slot
Burst mode at full resolution: 10 frames at 8fps
Viewing: Full SLR viewing with glass pentaprism and diopter correction;
External 1.8" LCD display
Focusing: Auto focus with 9 focus points, manual focus with focus
confirmation in viewfinder.
Metering: ESP (matrix), center-weighted, spot, and multi-spot.
Major accessories: Various external flashes, lenses, and AA battery grip.
Lenses: The basic lens mount is all electronic, naturally, and includes
support for stabilized lenses. We've already heard about the initial 4 lens
offerings. The initial lens line will be heavy on zooms, as would be
expected. Most zoom ranges will eventually be covered by a lower cost
"amateur" zoom with variable maximum aperture, and a "professional" fixed
aperture of roughly the same zoom range. The philosophy was to provide a
basic 3 zoom set of lenses to cover most peoples needs, that should look
something like these:
9mm-20mm f/2.8-3.5 (18mm-40mm equivalent)
9mm-20mm f/2.0
14mm-54mm f/2.8-3.5 (28mm-108mm equivalent)
14mm-60mm f/2.0 (28mm-120mm equivalent)
50mm-200mm f/2.8-3.5 (100mm-400mm equivalent)
50mm-150mm f/2 (100-300mm equivalent)
Also expect an amateur "superzoom" in the range of 14mm-100mm (28mm-200mm
equivalent), and a more conservative, but faster, normal zoom targeted at
wedding photographers, in the range of a 14mm-45mm f/2.0 (28mm-90mm
equivalent).
For fixed focus lenses Oly will be concentrating initially on fast, long
glass, where the smaller sensor size will allow big handling and speed
improvements over the 35mm equivalents. These should include something like
these focal length/aperture combinations:
150mm f/2.0 (300mm equivalent)
250mm f/2.0 (500mm equivalent)
300mmm f/2.8 (600mm equivalent - already announced)
Besides the already announced 50/2 macro (100mm equivalent) expect a version
of the 90/2 macro (180mm equivalent) as well.
These lenses will obviously be based on the original OM designs, but will
actually be somewhat smaller and lighter than the original Zuikos thanks to
the smaller image circle required.
Finally, a fast normal (25mm f/1.2) should be on the list.
Oh, and I saw a prototype 4mm circular fisheye. Looks like a 5/8 scale model
of the Zuiko!
OK, the question on everyone's mind: Will it accept my OM Zuikos? The answer
is yes, but expect stopped-down metering only. The good news is the OM
adapter will allow us to take advantage of the larger image circle offered by
these lenses through a shift capability integrated into the adapter. Expect
about 9mm shift either direction left to right, slightly less(about 5mm) top
to bottom. I wouldn't be surprised to see a tilt adapter as well, but because
of space limitations I don't think tilt/shift is viable without loss of
infinity focus. Might be nice for controlling DOF on macro, though. I see a
potentially lucrative market for shift and/or tilt adapters for other types
of lens mounts as well.
That's about all I can reveal for now. And a happy April Fool's Day to all!!
:-)
Paul Schings
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