William Sommerwerck wrote:
The MA-1 is all well and good for people who need really long teles, but
where is the Olympus OM camera body with a full-frame sensor?
Such an interesting idea, that there is sonething inherently superior
about the 35mm frame. Like it was the result of careful research and
technical analysis, rather than a convenient adaptation of a film format
originally created for quite a different purpose. When 35mm still
cameras came out, they were exactly the equivalent of what the E-1
represents, an effort to produce a smaller, lighter, more flexible and
ergonomic camera by taking advantage of improvements in lens and image
sensor technology to use a smaller sensor size.
Has it occurred to anyone that an "expensive" body with a full-frame sensor
could actually be cheaper than buying a whole new outfit for those who want
to keep their legacy lenses?
A perfectly sound position, which Can*n is supporting fully with at
least one model. The others majors (and Can*n, keeping feet in both
doors.) are trying to move toward the inevitable mainstream of smaller
sensors while still maintaining their existing business, leading to
interim cameras that are kludges. Notice how they are slowly starting to
introduce digital lenses optimized for smaller sensors? As it did with
the OM-1, Oly is taking a different road, looking to change the
standards of size, weight and function. Of course, they can afford to do
that since they don't have a current SLR line to protect, but that is
the past, to which I and others on this list contributed by buying used,
rather than new Oly equipment. When I shoose my first DSLR, it will be
based on the qualities of the systems currently on offer, not the past.
So far, Oly is the only one to directly address the future or the SLR
without carrying the weight of the past. I think it is a noble effort
and hope they succeed. And I hope the MA-1 is for real, to help me
across the divide.
Don't hold your breath waiting for f/2 fixed-focal-length lenses for the E-1.
I won't, but then that's not what I'm most interested in. Fast, high
quality zooms is where the market action is going to be, except for fast
super tele, where, oh my, the E-1 already has its first entry. Spending
a lot of money on what will be low volume sellers would be a good way to
make the 4/3 initiative fail. If it is a big success, such lenses will
follow. To make a new format/system successful, the first products have
to be the potentially high volume items.
Moose
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|