(Speculation) Is Olympus working on a compact model a là Leica X1 and Sigma DP2?

Last week our old server crashed two times. We had to make some space and we checked our database and old posts. And we noticed something we havn’t noticed before. I want to list you three rumors:

1) According to Mr. Watanabe (which has been interviewed by amateurphotographer) Olympus is working on camera above and below the E-P1. Source: http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

and

2)One (or both) camera will have an electronic viewfinder and faster AF and not get any bigger in size than E-P1

http://www.lemondedelaphoto.com/Entre-chat-a-propos-de-l-Olympus,2341.html

and

3) Zone-10 wrote a very long article over the E-P1. It is a very interesting text and they included following prediction:

“I fully expect to see Olympus introduce a “pocket-camera” Digital Pen that does not take interchangeable lenses. It will have an extending zoom lens, or another model may have a fixed 35mm equivalent lens which will close up flush. The Infinity Stylus Zoom film cameras would be good cameras to model this after.  The clamshell or sliding cover design is still viable and I have one which goes most everywhere with me. But pocketability is not in the design specification for the E-P1 and nor should it be–let that be a feature for another model based on the same sensor design.”

http://zone-10.com/cmsm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=438&Itemid=1

In summary if Olympus is working on a model belove the E-P1 and that model will probably not be bigger in size…Zone-10 may be right and Olympus is working on a “compact E-P1” with non interchangeable lenses! A cheaper Leica X1 copy?

a little bit of everything…

Read “What I would like in a upgraded Olympus E-3 dSLR” from Gary Ayton. Do you agree with him?

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The german website “The public eye” reviews the Panasonic GF1. Read it in german or english (google translation)

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Adobe released a special Photoshop Application for iPhone! Photographyblog tested it…http://www.photographybay.com/2009/10/10/adobe-photoshop-app-for-iphone-first-look/

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A lucky photographer owns the + new Panasonic 20mm lens. Read his thoughts: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1041&thread=33260046

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(FT3) Olympus MicroFourThirds announcement on October 31th

A dpreview forum user says.

I received several Olympus mailshots today about their presence at the third annual Utrecht photo fair (Dutch website http://www.zoomexperience.nl) which happens to be taking place on the weekend of October 31 / November 1. No such e-mails in previous years so perhaps they’re doing something bigger there this year – go spend your 8 euros for a chance of seeing the first (wood, black leather or whatever) mock-up of that Ex or EPy !

found via: photorumors.com

As always 43rumors is working to collect all rumors about the next Olympus camera. If you find something interesting write us at 43rumors@gmail.com ! Thanks!

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a little bit of everything…

Japanese_Flag

All good things are three!

The japanese website bcnranking.jp tested the Panasonic GF1. Read it in japanese or english (google translation)

Also dc.watch.impresss.jp tested the GF1. Read it in japanese or english (again google translation)

And the latest japanese blog testing the GF1 is it.nikkei.co.jp. Japanese or bad google english translation ;)

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We stay in Japan but this time we show you the Panasonic 7-14mm lens review at trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp. Japanese or english…your choice!

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Do you like japanese reviews? Take that! We also found a E-P1 vs GF1 comparison at ganref.jp. Japanese or english.

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(FT3) Updated-> New Fuji organic sensor?

We already told you about rumors saying Fuji will join the MicroFourThirds system. Now it seems that Fuji is working on a completely new organic sensor. Image-sensor-world.com says that “Potentially, multi-layered organic sensors can over-perform BSI (Bayer Sensor) by a big margin. Their biggest advantage is that the dye absorption could be tuned to have very high QE in each of three colors, crosstalk can be minimized and each pixel location can detect and process all three color signals. Bayer sensors, on the other hand, get only one color per pixel, effectively discarding 2/3 of the incoming signal.

MuTaka also adds “As far as I understood it, Fuji had succeeded in producing a color picture from the organic sensor. Their test sensor was 1/15″ with a 3 micron pixel. The effective image 320*240 pixels. QE is 65%, and with antireflective film surpaces 80%. For a 550nm wave length
Fuji design is not sensitive to IR so doesn’t need IR cut filter.
The main chalenge is stacking the three layers and the electrodes together. Fuji “needs to make the improvement to the nanometer stamping installment
” .

The original chinese article can be found here: dpnet.com.cn

via: noisycamera

UPDATE:

Engineering sample specs

Pixel pitch: 3.0um
Optical size: 1/15″ (1.2mm diagonal)
Total array size: 360 x 256 pixels
Usable array size: 320 x 240 pixels
Frame Rate: 50 frames/sec
Full well capacity: 40000e
Dynamic Range: 60dB
Dark current: 7e at 60 degrees centigrade, 50fps
Quantum efficiency: 65% at 550nm
electron to voltage conversion: 56uV/e
Pixel fogging?: none
Image ghosting: cannot be detected using current apparatus
Organic Layers: – (unknown?, does not include AR film on pixel)
Pixel fill factor: 85%
metal layer Structure: 2 polysilicon layers, 4 “wire routing” layers
1 pixel uses 3 transistors
Process node: 180nm
Micro Lens: None

Some more details of the article. Fuji thinks it would be possible to perform nanoimprint lithography with an additional AR layer to raise the quantum efficiency to 80%

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