m4/3

[swifty]

Hi Oly folks!!
I see there's not much action here but maybe soon you'll have a new addition to the crew.
I'm not sure but are any of you's excited about the upcoming m4/3 Olympus camera?
I for one am in great anticipation for a small form factor, larger sensor sized camera as a take everywhere and travel cam.
Almost sprang for a Sigma DP2 but the m4/3 standard could prove to be more versatile if implemented correctly.

[TOM]

I'll get excited when it is announced. I'll be even more excited if it can take an M mount lens.

[arthurking83]

My only concern for these kinds of systems is the unknown quantity of popularity(consumer acceptance).

if it doesn't take off in a big way, the 'small sensor' format of the 4/3rds system may prove to be a liability in the distant future(say 10-15 years time).

Technology changes so fast and it may not be unreasonable to expect 100Mp APS-C sized sensors with decent ability, but the smaller format of the smaller sensors may prove to become a technological limitation. As digital cameras seem to be assessed on the number of pixels they have, consumers are lead astray for the wrong reasons, so when they hear that the new model P&S they have their eyes on is only 24Mp, or that the new (4/3rds) DSLR is only 55Mp vs the probability that the new (APS-C) camera is now at 100Mp(APS-C) or 200Mp for the full frame equivalent... and for only a few hundred dollars more, it'll make the smaller sensor models look less attractive, because the first thing consumers are interested in is the number of megapixels.

Once the bandwagon is abandoned, then it makes it harder for those companies to make a profit which may lead to their demise, or abandoning the old system in favour of a new system which makes the old lenses not really worth much any longer.

Many camera formats have gone forever due to the camera manufacturer abandoning the system because of limited acceptance by the general consumer population! So the possibility is a real one if the manufacturers involved in the format(Olympus and Panasonic) don't get it right from the start ... price being the most important factor.

The ElectronicViewFinder may also be an issue for some(I know that I don't like them!) but that's only an educated guess, without actually having seen through one yet!

[swifty]

I think the target audience for m4/3 or Olympus for that matter is not mass market. N C and S have got that pretty much dominated.
Olympus could still do well as a niche player if it designs well. I agree that the 4/3 standard has liabilities due to physical constraint but it has potential advantages that I don't believe it has been able to exploit with their current products (eg. size). Sure Olympus cams are smaller than APS-C ones but not really by a meaningful amount.
The only problem with m4/3 doing well is that N C and S will look and say if m4/3 is successful, so will mAPS-C. So when they release, they really need to get it right the first time to convince enough users to invest in that system before competition gets too stiff.

[ehor]

I just hope it takes SD as well as xD cards!!!

[swifty]

Leaked photos of the top and side of the Olympus EP-1 are now popping up around the net. An official announcement shouldn't be long now

[Wulfys Kingdom]

I'm too not sure about the m4/3 & EP-1. Since I already own 2 Oly bodies buying another body (and selling an exsiting one) doesn't appeal to me as I am happy with what I've got and the E330 & E510 don't worry me size wise.

These would have appealed to me if I was buying my first camera, but as an existing user with limited funds unfortunately they dont.

[Beej]

Long live Zuiko quality!

[rooney1987]

It's going to be the future format for sure.