(FT5) Olympus “reinvents” the AF system! It is incredibly fast!
The image on top shows the GH2 which “is” and soon we can say “was” the mirrorless camera with the fastes AF. Olympus new PEN cameras will be faster!
The biggest new feature of the upcoming new PEN cameras is the completely new and almost revolutionary autofocus system! The new AF system focuses almost instantly, it’s faster than the actually very fast Panasonic GH2 focus (which focuses in 0.1 second with the Panasonic 14-140mm). Sources told me that the improvement is huge and you can feel it for REAL (they had the famous “Wow” reaction)! The new AF is even faster than the phase detection autofocus of most of the current Canon DSLR cameras (faster than the Canon 5D for example! Olympus made this possible by combining a new optimized sensor and engine plus the new autofocus system inside the new Micro Four Thirds lenses. I repeat, the AF is incredibly fast only when using the upcoming new Olympus lenses (like the 12mm f/2.0 lens). By the way, the AF is not only fast, it’s also very accurate (according to my sources). Genrally the real good news here is that Olympus remade the whole sensor-processor engine-af workflow. I guess and hope this will also positively affect the image quality! Well done Olympus!!!
That’s a very good news if you do consider that fast autofocus is usually one of the advantages of DSRL cameras over Mirorrless cameras!
P.S.: I will have more news about the sensor and lenses soon. I am still having some troubles about the sensor rumor I received. If you have “rumors” to share feel free to contact me using the anonymous contact form on the right sidebar Thanks!
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Thank you very much for...
guyharrisonphoto
12 months ago |I don’t want another 12 mp sensor! Panny has improved resolution by 33% to 16 mp which is great for those of us looking for professional print quality at large sizes AND Panny managed to make ISO 400 the “new” ISO 100. If Oly can take that sensor and improve the AF then count me in for life!
Hope they announce an UW housing as well. This would be an UW photographer’s dream camera. Pany does not support UW like OLY does and I am eagerly waiting for a housing announcement.
Neonart
12 months ago |Really? I’ve been printing 17×22′s from 12MP files and no pixilation is noticeable with an Epson 3880. The prints look gorgeous.
Maybe if you crop alot it’s a factor. I’d MUCH rather have better than G3 DR and ISO performance over Megapixels.
If you like the performance/megapixels of the G3, then that’s your camera.
dan
12 months ago |A jump from 12mp to 16mp is not 33% more.
One from 9mp to 16mp is.
MikeS
12 months ago |And? If you choose to look at it in terms of area, it’s still an 18% increase, which is good, and infinitely better than 0% more pixels.
Zigi_S
12 months ago |You won’t see more than 12mpix with oly, because of refresh rate, AF, maybe electronic shutter and so on.
jules
12 months ago |There have been lots of assumptions lately that higher resolution automatically means compromise on DR, ISO and IQ in general.
This is not necessarily a trolling bait, but it may draw similar answers, I am afraid.
Inge-M
12 months ago |Componse, componse and componse before shoot,
and maybe you need not loss a pixel.
Nael
11 months ago |Wow. You spelt “compose” wrong three times in a row. What are the chances!
Scott
12 months ago |12mp is plenty. We have 44x60s hanging in our studio shot with 10mp and they are amazing. More mp is not the answer. The more mp you add the small the pixels and the smaller the pixels the more noise and less dynamic range.
Fish
12 months ago |Whenever I read the comments here I always find myself thinking of this comedian’s remarks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk&feature=related
At the very least it is worth watching.
- Chad
Gino
12 months ago |So true… another point is that even modern P&S cameras exceed most crowd’s photography skills by BIG margin. But they still keep complaining that their bad pictures are the camera’s fault..
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |Hey, buddy. Let’s not go there.
@Fish … funny clip!
I used a hand held light meter, then had to set the exposure myself, while juggling the meter and the camera!
Ross
12 months ago |That is so apt for the whingers & is so true.
Thanks mate.
Paulus
12 months ago |Congratulations to the Olympus engineering team!
Conclusion: Olympus has developed the industry leading contrast autofocus system for mirror less cameras in combination with the new professional M.Zuiko lenses (autofocus speed and accuracy).
That is certainly one of the most important improvements for the professional and semi-professional user and will create the basis for the final creative destruction of the archaic DSLR-technology.
Add
- Weather sealing
- Built in EVF
- Swivel LCD
- GPS, Bluetooth and Wireless LAN
- Fast professional M.Zuiko lenses
- And a MFT-successor of the famous 12-60mm/f 2.8-4 HG Zuiko
… perhaps a fast 12-75mm …
Olympus, Do it all and do it at once!
Inge-M
12 months ago |Paulus, know you people so have test E-P3/prior E-P3, and maybe yourself?
Paulus
12 months ago |Dear Inge-M,
Admin will be the first who will let you know … FT5
Nathan
12 months ago |Don’t need GPS, don’t need bluetooth, need fast autofocus and fast glass.
Wireless networking would be VERY interesting for studio purposes.
12-60? Heck, I would settle for a successor to the 14-54 II which I love.
I’ll take my superwide on the side, in the form of the 7-14. Or even 9-18.
What I really want is a standard zoom 1 to 1.5 stops faster than the crappy kitty lens. Just like the 14-54 II.
BS Artiste
12 months ago |Creative destruction? Someone must read Schumpeter.
Technology disruption from innovative inventions always is a gale of creative destruction.
Paulus
12 months ago |Dear BS Artiste,
I would suggest reading A. J Schumpeter, F. A. v. Hayek and Israel M. Kirzner simultaneously.
Archer Sully
12 months ago |I’ve got enough headaches already, thank you.
Paulus
12 months ago |Dear Archer Sully,
Change your Avatar – perhaps this is a first step in curing your headaches.
greyhat
12 months ago |If we saw yesterday topic Olympus engineering team was below par, today they are genius. I doubt either option is 100% right.
Consider the second option (the half full glass): they took care of one issue at a time, but had to release a camera on every technological step or market change:
1. classic looks: E-P1
2. EVF: E-P2
3. nice price and features for mass market (flash): E-PL1
4. ergonomics/features for mass market enthusiasts (accessories/adapters): E-PL2
5.(tbc) size and simplicity for P&S up-graders: E-PM1
6.(tbc) ergonomics+1 for mass market enthusiasts: E-PL3
7.(tbc) pro lenses support for enthusiasts and pros’ 2nd system: E-P3
It looks good but it isn’t: too many cameras and complex naming probably they need money for every next development business case. Apple also did this, lots of launches with something new to make money and be able to
The issue is that customers get annoyed for having a thing that gets “old” too soon. But it’s the definition of electronic stuff nowadays
What I don’t understand is why E-PL3 lost some E-PL2 functionality. This prevents sales because customer don’t see that move as an upgrade but has a compromise and puzzles customer (Apple don’t do this). Compromises is for a new product line, new naming (just see comments on Panasonic GF2 and GF3 on this site and reviewers everywhere).
I think Olympus is focusing on Pro heritage and needs (desperately) money for that and all forum readers are paying the development, each step.
If Olympus half full glass option is remotely right Olympus will have “soon” high grade lenses converted from 43 success stories and a “pro” body with all included (tilt screen and EVF built-in). Lenses will smile at pros for a carry anywhere light system. Pros will write on blogs about the system and magic happens: sales from every market segment.
Let us all (all camera makers fans included) hope glass is close to half full. It is better to the industry: quest for quality and perfection always drove science on the right path.
Paulus
12 months ago |+ 1
Inge-M
12 months ago |People think the is leftovers, from the two/three last year by Pen, but maybe the sam so happen by Olympus E-5, spec tell only about water pro E-30.
Ross
12 months ago |Olympus is not the only manufacturer producing a model that is less than the previous. Canon followed the 50D alloy body with the 60D plastic body with less of the advanced features, but they thought enough of the art filters & articulating screen of the Oly E30 to include that on theirs.
amalric
12 months ago |This is the cleverest post in a long time and it truly looks the explanation of what has been happening, considering that since the 2009 downturn sales have been decreasing for Oly and in the camera world.
Oly needs a bottom up approach, it needs to prospect new (Asian) markets, and new young customers, it it wants to finance the dream camera that enthusiasts want. Meanwhile it increments IQ and AF, pushes a few HG lenses, and the system develops organically.
I expect this to be in cooperation/competition with Panny. From the consumer POV, which is *not* the only one, just skip two or three models and you’ll get all you want. One cannot act as a spoiled kid and get everything at once. As good as it looks the X100 is a fixed lens camera and nobody knows how they’ll get into ILS.
As a system m4/3 now looks very good, with a choice of HG lenses improving its prospect drastically.
greyhat
12 months ago |Admin, since yesterday after posting always get “404 not found” on this webpage http://www.43rumors.com/wp-comments-post.php but comment is successfully posted.
Inge-M
12 months ago |I have a link DSLR people.
http://www.spiderholster.com//dual-camera-system.html
pdc
12 months ago |Man, but those are big guns!
om-4
12 months ago |What Oly does with m43 is what they did with 43.
At launch of the E-3 it had the worlds fastes autofocus with the 12-60SWD lens.
No the body didn’t make older lenses faster nor did the SWD lens make older bodies focus faster.
It was the specific combo that made things faster.
Same story again with m43.
Fine by me. Now let’s see some SHG glass with the new SWD for m43.
By the time we get to E-P7 hopefully E-P5 that body will be fully compatible with classic 43 glass. Waste of customers and glass if they can’t get that right when classic 43 gets axed in due time.
Scott
12 months ago |Thats not true. The 12-60 on the e1 is faster than the 14-54 on the e1 and the 14-54 is faster on the e3 and e5 than on the e1. The focusing speed and accuracy(more on accuracy) with the e5 on all lenses is faster than the e3
BS Artiste
12 months ago |Paulus,
I’ve read a great deal of Hayek’s and Mises’s works. As a patent attorney, I’ll have to pick up some of Kirzner’s works on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Paulus
12 months ago |Dear BS Artiste,
Thank you very much for your positive acknowledgment!
Perhaps we should ask Admin if we could get a column “43rumors from the attorneys and the economist point of view”.
Best regards
Matthias
12 months ago |Would love to see the new sensor/ processor generation in the next DSLR from Olympus!!
Sigh – it would be too sad to see this excellent technology going down the drain.
jockyscot
12 months ago |So far I have a GF1 and one lens. I will not be buying anything else as the lenses are crap, panasonic are a joke and olympus have turned to marketing over quality. I quit four thirds after having 3 E3′s which refused to focus. I could have put up with the heavy clunky E3 if it offered more than my excellent E500. What I won’t put up with is anything which does not give me optimum image quality.
Why are the micro cameras so noisy if they use the same sensor as the big boys? What’s with the cheap glass? I used to buy olympus because their kit was excellent. Without the excellence they are nothing.
Anonymous
12 months ago |So far I have a GF1 and one lens. I will not be buying anything else as the lenses are crap, panasonic are a joke and olympus have turned to marketing over quality. I quit four thirds after having 3 E3′s which refused to focus. I could have put up with the heavy clunky E3 if it offered more than my excellent E500. What I won’t put up with is anything which does not give me optimum image quality.
Why are the micro cameras so noisy if they use the same sensor as the big boys? What’s with the cheap glass? I used to buy olympus because their kit was excellent. Without the excellence they are nothing.
Melvin
12 months ago |On first sight this looks really nice. … how about the customers who already own a bunch of zuiko’s. Olympus reinvented their focus system several times, (12-60SWD is also the world’s fastest lens with E3 and E5) but how about backwards compatibility with older lenses?
I am waiting on the micro cam that can focus my 35-100 and 150/2.0 without compromise, reliable and fast.
Getting new customers is very important, but keeping old customers your customer is even more important!
Fish
12 months ago |The 35-100mm and the 150mm f2 huh? That is a couple of sweet lenses!
sderdiarian
12 months ago |News Flash from the Future: “Olympus Releases E-PLSMFT101″
This new body is incrementally smaller than the E-PLWTF100 which came before it and introduces a new 12 MP noise-free “super sensor” with TrueBluePic CXVII processor, a flip and fold-out 12″ OLED along with a true break-through: Olympus’ first built-in EVF. Cost: $799. Optional power switch: $1,000.
A bit cynical, but these guys truly have me scratching my head over what they’re thinking. Maybe their business plan is to have us buy all three new models in order to have a full featurset?
A
12 months ago |Nice
Zaph
12 months ago |Hopefully they’ll also put an AF illuminator in the damn things.
amalric
12 months ago |What has this to do with AF?
You should probably try some other brand instead of dissing forever Olympus, if you don’t understand anymore its cameras.
Those are three tiered comsumer cameras, with *some* advanced features. If you need a Leica get it, instead of pestering users, about what you are not getting.
Zaph
12 months ago |Err, OK. It’s a pretty basic, cheap, simple feature. I’m not dissing anyone, and it’s not an advanced feature.
Zaph
12 months ago |“What has this to do with AF?”
You are right, what could an AF illuminator, designed to help with auto-focus in low light, possibly have to do with auto-focus. They have one on the XZ-1, and other Olympus compacts, Panasonic m43 offerings have it, but Olympus stubbornly leave it out on the PENs.
Osang
12 months ago |I wonder if a 12MP file can print beautifully on a poster size 5ft x 8ft. If not, I’ll buy a 16MP camera.
Osang
12 months ago |argghhh 404 error again.
Gekopaca
12 months ago |But what exactly “AF” is?
I can’t find it on my C-Mount SOM Berthiot Cinor 50mm f2…
P G
12 months ago |…
Sergey
12 months ago |@admin
what about the orientation sensor?
admin
12 months ago |No orientation sensor.
AndyOz
12 months ago |Hey admin
I was thinking about the E-PM1 and E-PL3 and that they both don’t have flashes. Do they have hotshoes or is Olympus planning on some accessory like the Sony flash attachment for the Nex-C3? Either way Oly should include a little flash ‘cube’ type thing for people to use (whether it be in the hotshoe or another type attachment).
admin
12 months ago |They have hot shoes!
AndyOz
12 months ago |Thanks for that admin. Great work.
I reckon that they need a very small flash (smaller than FL-14) which they can either give with the camera or sell at a very low price. Alot of people who buy the Pen Mini or Pen Lite would be expecting flash capability without having to spend a couple of hundred for something like the FL-14.
Fraenzken
12 months ago |Thanks for all the good news admin. Do you know if the new bodies will focus faster also with 43 lenses (like the 12-60 or the 50-200)? I remember you writing about a rumor that the new models will have a dual core processor (which might improve focus speed), that’s why I ask.
guyharrisonphoto
12 months ago |Any word on the sensor?
Martin
12 months ago |> Any word on the sensor?
Oh yes! : ‘Panasonic’
