I have read it <http://www.imx.nl/photosite/comments/c014.html> and in
engineering terms it strikes me as an explanation of why a bumblebee
can't fly. Meanwhile, Oly has built superb DZ optics but the bee that
hasn't flown yet is a quiet 4/3 sensor... even at 5 MP. And I'm quite
sure that's why there is no E-2 or E-3 yet.
No doubt they may eventually produce an E-2 or E-3 with a 10-12 MP
sensor but the market has already moved on. I couldn't wait anymore.
Chuck Norcutt
khen lim wrote:
> Chuck
> Not to worry - - - offence not taken. Edwin Pitt in his website explains it
> very well when he put the question of whether the E-1 would be Oskar
> Barnack's camera of choice. Kodak also published a semi-technical article on
> the impact of the Four-Thirds ratio silicon imaging photo sensor based on
> the KAF-51XX architecture.
> The issue is very difficult to explain, I guess and like anything that is
> brilliant and groundbreaking, there will always be those who simply love it
> and those who would feel affronted by it. The emergence of the Four-Thirds
> open architecture is a threat to Canon and Nikon. Yes, it's true that they
> have ignored it so far. And yes, it is true that they will continue to
> ignore it. And here is where Olympus is betting the house on their future
> here and opening the architecture has now produced the DMC-L1 and hopefully
> others will hop in. Tamron is in discussion now to join largely because
> Sigma has made a fairly big splash about its new Four-Thirds lenses.
> I know that I might be going a little off-course here in my reply but I
> write all these with one purpose and that is to suggest that explaining the
> credibility of the Four-Thirds design isn't easy. Many have tried and some
> have prevailed. Edwin Put's article is one of the superb ones. I encourage
> you to get hold of it because it is very well written even though he is a
> Leica and Canon user. I appreciate his unbiasness as a result.
>
> K.
>
>
>
> On 30/08/06, Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>Welcome Khen. I'm one of those who couldn't wait for Olympus any longer
>>and jumped ship to a Canon 5D after 30 years of OM ownership. I stick
>>around here because of the wisdom and cameraderie and because I still
>>own (and sometimes actually use) OM gear.
>>
>>Don't take offense that my first response to you personally on the list
>>is to question your statement but I think the following is hard to
>>defend and needs clarification at least. You said:
>>"Remember this and remember well, the Four-Third's sensor does not
>>require the same number of megapixels to beat a full-frame 35mm sensor."
>> I'm not a proponent of the megapixel race and I can read a lot of
>>things into this statement apart from the megapixel race so please tell
>>us precisely what you mean.
>>
>>Chuck Norcutt
>>
>>
>>khen lim wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On 30/08/06, Winsor Crosby <wincros@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Welcome. Nice to get an insider contributing to the list.
>>>>
>>>>I worry about the price. The E-1 seems obviously designed to a higher
>>>>price point and in fact was at a higher price point and drastic price
>>>>cuts were made, apparently to sell it. I worry about an expensive E-3
>>>>doing the same thing.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Demographic anomalies exist with the E-series. It does very well in
>>
>>Europe
>>
>>>spurred on by a very matured structure and a sophisticated and
>>
>>well-thought
>>
>>>out professional programme. In Malaysia, it's been in oblivion and sales
>>
>>are
>>
>>>generally disastrous not helped by a local mob that knows NOTHING about
>>>promoting it. The E-3 will be more or less in a similiar price bracket
>>
>>as
>>
>>>what the E-1 began albeit a little higher. That's the forecast I
>>
>>understood
>>
>>>from Shinju-ku although this applies to UK because the first price
>>>structures they work on are for Europe then followed by North America.
>>>
>>>One wonders whether Olympus will again go into
>>>
>>>
>>>>the no development mode they did with the OM when margins and sales
>>>>are too small to justify it.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> No, Winsor, no more. And in fact, Olympus did not intentionally go into
>>
>>a
>>
>>>no-dev mode during the OM days. I was there. We were gobsmacked -
>>
>>stunned in
>>
>>>fact - by how Minolta was taken to the cleaners and back with
>>
>>Honeywell's
>>
>>>successful but damaging lawsuit. The whole market was reeling from the
>>>effects. After that, Olympus went back to the drawing boards to redesign
>>>their passive AF system and that meant losing a lot of ground to Canon
>>
>>and
>>
>>>Nikon. If it weren't for the lawsuit, pretty much what you've been
>>
>>seeing
>>
>>>today with Olympus' market position wouldn't have been there. We tried
>>
>>to
>>
>>>salvage bits with first the OM-707 (77AF) followed by the OM-101PF but
>>
>>we
>>
>>>failed. In fact the OM-101PF had a cavity under the mirror box ready for
>>
>>an
>>
>>>evolutionary upgrade to AF but that didn't happen for obvious reasons.
>>
>>The
>>
>>>fact though was that the OM-101PF's focus-by-wire technology was and
>>
>>still
>>
>>>is utterly brilliant because it was truly digitally velocity-sensitive
>>
>>and
>>
>>>you will see it relivened soon. OM days weren't predicated by poor
>>
>>margins
>>
>>>and sales so much as they were hampered by the fact that Maitani's
>>>suggestion for the OM-5 did not pass the mustard with the board. We were
>>
>>all
>>
>>>very disappointed. For better or worse, the loss of the OM-5 changed
>>>directions for the entire company, prompting Maitani to eventually
>>
>>retire.
>>
>>>I hope the E-3 will at least be competitive in the MP count because
>>>
>>>
>>>>that is what people seem to buy. Even those of us who realize that
>>>>there is not much difference between a 4/3 5MP and an APS-C 6MP are
>>>>not tempted by 5MP when there are sub-$1000 8 and 10MP cameras
>>>>available, no matter how well made the E-1.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>The E-3 will be extremely close to an effective Mpix count of around
>>
>>10.2 to
>>
>>>11Mpix. No, the E-3 will not compare directly with its natural rivals if
>>
>>one
>>
>>>were to use Mpix as a yardstick. It's pretty much uncannily similiar to
>>
>>the
>>
>>>battle between AMD and Intel in the computing industry where the former
>>>might have a 'slower' clockspeed but in effect, runs as fast as the
>>
>>latter.
>>
>>>Remember this and remember well, the Four-Third's sensor does not
>>
>>require
>>
>>>the same number of megapixels to beat a full-frame 35mm sensor.
>>>
>>>What happened to the E-2?
>>>
>>>
>>>It's there. :) .... I apologise but I really cannot disclose much
>>
>>about
>>
>>>this just yet. But it's there. It sure is there. And there are other
>>>E-series DSLRs very much ready to be unleashed. At least one of them is
>>>consumer-grade and two are prosumer-grade.
>>>
>>>I agree with your statement the brand loyalists if you are talking
>>>
>>>
>>>>about the people on the forums. I have concluded that the worst of
>>>>them are psychotic and are amused by the responses they elicit.
>>>>
>>>>Not sure what you mean by base-reference zoom.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>This term is used internally to refer to lenses designed more for
>>>consumer-grade consumption such as those meant for the E-xxx range of
>>
>>DSLRs.
>>
>>>Winsor
>>>
>>>
>>>>Long Beach, California, USA
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>On Aug 29, 2006, at 11:46 AM, khen lim wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Eeeerh.....spectacular? yes.....cheap? no, Winsor, they won't be
>>>>>cheap.
>>>>>On a slightly brighter side, base-reference zoom lenses are on
>>>>>their way.
>>>>>Soon.
>>>>>10MP Sony A-100 won't be too much of a problem eventually as sales
>>>>>will
>>>>>level out in Q1 2007. Right now, yes, because when the A-100 was
>>>>>launched,
>>>>>no prime competitor was launching. Sales figures spiked
>>>>>unrealistically for
>>>>>June-July figures especially in Japan (courtesy of figures from Ali ~
>>>>>thanks) but they will subside. Remember, Canon just released the
>>>>>Rebel XTi
>>>>>(still don't like it, anyway) and Nikon, the D80. Both came AFTER
>>>>>the A-100
>>>>>but still to early to register any big sales figures yet.
>>>>>By very late this year, the A-100 will begin to be hit big. That's
>>>>>when you
>>>>>see the E-3.
>>>>>
>>>>>K.
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
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