(FT5) UPDATED3 -> Four Thirds is dead! Long live Four Thirds!
FT5 rumors are rare but when we publish one you can trust  that we know what we are doing!
I know people started saying that after the MicroFourThirds success classic Four Thirds development is going to die. Forget it! Expect big Four Thirds news between late August and October. Cameras and lenses are coming! The E-3 successor is ready to be announced. It should arrive together with the new prime lenses. I hope to get some concrete specs these cameras and lenses soon!
(FT4) The E-3 successor is rumored to use the 12 Megapixel, E-30 sensor with a weaker AA filter, and little upgrades in the AutoFocus system . It will have Art Filters.
UPDATE: The E-3 successor will be an upgraded E-3. But the same source who gave me the specs told me Olympus will release a completely new high-end camera next year (probably at Photokina 2010)
UPDATE2: This is what of a source told us: “The E3 Evolution (or mark 2) is essentially a repackaged E3 with E30 features. If you add in what the E30 has, like art filters, digital leveler, AF adjustments, you’ll be pretty accurate. The E4 will only be released next year. ”
UPDATE3: The most improbable rumored name for the E-3 successor is “OM-N1“. The sources told me that the name will not be E-4 or E-5!
Related Posts
- (FT 4) Classic four thirds camera development
- (FT 3) One more source says E-3 upgrade is coming
- (FT 2) first possible human specifications list rumor for the Olympus micro four thirds camera
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Russ
July 9, 2009 |With regard to 4/3 being endangered by 35mm sized sensors, I think that the reverse may be true.
One strong advantage that 4/3 has over 35mm sized systems is that the telephoto lenses can be made smaller and less expensive. At the high end, look at the Olympus 90-250mm f2.8 lens, which is the equivalent of a 180-500mm in a 35mm format. This retails for US$5,495.95 at B&H. A comparable lens is Sigma’s 200-500mm f2.8 lens which retails for $28,999.00 at B&H. Granted, the Sigma comes with a 2x teleconverter and a case, but for the $23,503.05 savings one should be able to get a those extras and still have over $22,000 left. The weight difference is also striking at 3.3kg versus 15.7kg.
Then there is the issue of DoF. 4/3 yields greater DoF. If you love bokeh, 35mm sized sensors are better, but here comes the problem. Medium format is even better than 35mm. One problem with 35mm sized sensors is that they are best at nothing. Depending on what is needed, they are either outdone by 4/3, or by medium format.
Then there is the aspect ratio. 4/3 is at 1.33:1. Medium format is usually at either 1:1 or 1.33:1. Large format is often at 1.2:1. 35mm is at 1.5:1. I know this quite well because of all of the time that I’ve spent in darkrooms with 35mm negatives and 8×10 paper. 1.5:1 is too wide for traditional photography, but not wide enough for the 1.78:1 of HDTV, and definitely not wide enough for cinema aspect ratios (1.85:1, 2.0:1, 2.2:1, 2.35:1, etc.)
Russ
July 9, 2009 |I accidentally sent the message before concluding.
Anyway, 4/3 offers better performance per dollar than 35mm sized systems, and is all that is needed for most photographers. If more is needed, is 35mm good enough when medium format is there with even larger sensors, more megapixels and better bokeh?
David Eastham
July 9, 2009 |Olympus is unlikely to aspire to 35mm full frame because they prefer to make smaller products than their competitors.
If Panasonic want a large sensor SLR, their best bet would be to jump on the 30mm x 45mm bandwagon of the Leica S2. This seems entirely probable, given the co-operation of the two companies. Why settle for yet another ‘full frame’ 35mm based camera when you can have ‘fuller frame’. After all 35mm was a film size and cameras took this format mainly because film of that size was readily available. Now nobody buys 35mm film there is no need to cling onto this size. If anything, the market for full frame is disadvantaged by being split between four competing lens mount standards, whereas 3/4 is the only standard in tis own niche (we will ignore APS-C for that statement!)
Josh
July 9, 2009 |Hey Russ,
the problem with medium format is there are not enough lenses out there. imagine how many 35mm lenses have been produced during the past few decades. even for now, the lack of lens choices is still a limiting factor keeping potential user away from Olympus four thirds system. on the other hand, the success of 35mm camera shows its ability to provide enough shallow DOF, people using medium format are not for a shallower DOF, instead they are looking for a better resolution and image quality. DoF is the single most important feature for DSLR especially among amateur users. maybe pros don’t agree with this, but look at those online forums, canon and nikon FF users are really proud of the shallow DoF, it’s really attractive to non-pro users.
Winder
July 9, 2009 |If the next E-3 is nothing more than E-30 sensor dropped into the E-3 body I do not think it will be much of a success. Does the E-30 and the EP-1 share the same sensor? Art filters are not exactly a selling point as they can all be added in post processing.
E-30 has Truepic III image processor and the EP-1 has TruepicV. I would hope they would at least use the current image processor and sensor. I would hope the LCD is also much improved over the E-30 and even the EP-1.
I bought 2 SHG lenses with my E-3, and I have hopes that one day Olympus will produce a body worthy of the quality of glass.
Archer Sully
July 9, 2009 |Josh: Yeah, there are lots more 35mm lenses than MF, but really, the MF lenses are uniformly better. And, face it, lots of 35mm lenses aren’t very good.
Lack of lenses for 4/3′s is a shibboleth, propagated by folks who haven’t paid attention for the past 3 years. And, come to think of it, lack of lenses hasn’t cut down interest in the E-P1.
Steve Noel
July 13, 2009 |My first visit here and will be back. One comment:
Lack of lenses for a given sensor size is not the problem, many folks make it out to be. Most folks make do with only a few (or only one) for most use. I tried to cover all possible bases in the early years, but as I got better, I began to us less and less equipment. Let the development continue!
Thanks for the site.
Steve
Scott Huffman
July 28, 2009 |I have a hard time believing the new e3 will have the e30 sensor. I have seen test and the e3 is better than the e30 shooting in low light. The e30 has much more noise
Kathy
August 14, 2009 |Just last weekend I stopped by my local camera store looking for a fast, single focal length lens (10mm or 12mm) for my E-3. They didn’t know of anything but pointed me towards this website. I was very happy to see this FT5 article about expected new lenses –though, it seems unlikely now (on Aug. 14) that they’ll be available by the time I need them (leaving on a trip on Labor Day). Anyhow, this site is a real find and I will check back often.
Since you asked, the ads don’t bother me.
Rocko Wallaby
August 26, 2009 |I don’t think FF in digital photography is as inevitable as some believe. I’m certainly not saying that it will go away – I think it will become the “new medium format” for wedding photographers and other pros that have been using MF film. They’ll love the compactness and light weight of the FF stuff compared to their old MF equipment. And let’s face it, if you’re going to pay somebody $6000 to photograph your daughter’s wedding, you’ll want him or her showing up with top-notch tools. However, those same attributes of compactness and light weight that the FF pros and serious enthusiasts will love have also become much appreciated by the new generation of dSLR users – soccer moms, trekkers, travelers, and casual photographers that have grown used to small dSLRs and P&Ss in the 10 – 12 MP range that deliver stunning prints of Johnny’s soccer team or their vacation to the Grand Canyon, along with the occasional 8×10 print of Jane’s prom dress for grandma.
Yes, of course camera makers can put FF into tiny bodies – my Oly Stylus comes to mind. But the thing that must be considered here is not in the size if the body but rather the size of the lens. There’s no getting around it – 35mm lenses are bigger, heavier, and, if you want faster glass – more expensive than their APS or 4/3 counterparts. My Stylus has a 35mm lens. Try hanging a 14-42mm lens on it such as the one found on the EP-1 and you’ve got a completely different animal. And because of the much higher resolution of the FF sensor, the glass needed to deliver that fine detail will be very expensive indeed. Of course the cost of FF sensors will come down, but you also need to factor in the size, weight, speed and quality of the lenses needed to take advantage of a large sensor, and that’s the rub. While we “enthusiasts” (and by the very fact that we visit and read forums such as this one probably means that we are in that group) probably don’t mind toting around pounds of equipment in pusuing that nth degree of perfection, it’s the other 95% of camera buyers that drive the market, and they want small, light, and cheap. They pretty much have that now, but the success of the M4/3 format shows that they want smaller still. The big two, N & C, are still busily developing and introducing APS lenses, and there are rumors abounding that they are working on mirrorless cameras a la M4/3. I think that’s a pretty good sign that they realize that small sensor cameras, including dSLRs, are here to stay.
One final thought. There’s a lot of excitement over the development of backside illuminated sensors. Sony just released a new P&S with this technology, and I’ve read that others, including Panny, are developing their own versions. It’s a promising technology – low light ability with low noise – but as of this moment I’ve read that it probably won’t work its way into the 4/3 sensors for quite some time because of the “heat and gain issues on larger sensors” that at this time cannot be easily solved. However, I’m pretty sure it will probably eventually reach the 4/3 format ,and if it’s easier to implement on smaller sensors, it’s a tantalizing thought to think the technology will reach 4/3 sensors way before it can be applied to FF!
Well, no one knows the future, so this is just my 2 cents. Its value to you depends on your current exchange rate.
Chow
September 6, 2009 |Why would anyone consider buying an upgraded E-3 (E-3 Mark II) this fall when 6 months later a totally new cam will be launched at Photokina (E4??). I can’t imagine Olympus will go this road. Furthermore why would Olympus wait till Photokina. It’s pretty obvious Canon and Nikon will launch new products than also which gives Olympus less interest. The way they launched the E-P1 was one of the smartest marketing tricks I’ve seen. It makes more sense if Olympus picks its own time for launching the E4 so the whole world will watch.