More thoughts about the “new” Olympus sensor.

The real mystery about the upcoming new PEN’s is the new 12 Megapixel sensor. I have been told that Olympus markets it as a “completely new” sensor. And I know for sure that it is not going to be used by any future Panasonic camera. But I don’t know yet how deeply Olympus redesigned the sensor. There are basically two options:
1) The sensor is 100% from ground up new.
2) The basis is the same 12 Megapixel [shoplink 14834 ebay]Panasonic G2[/shoplink] sensor and Olympus only did make some kind of changes on it.

The truth is that my sources tested the jpeg quality only so it’s difficult to say if the changes in image quality are the results of the sensor or of the new Truepic VI engine. The good news is that my sources noticed a visible improvement. Dynamic range has been increased (more in the dark areas than in the highlights) and so the colors (with better blue). They told me it’s the best Micro Four Thirds sensor to date. But let’s not get too enthusiastic. The improvement is here but not extraordinary. The best news is the fact that Olympus recognized the need to become independent from Panasonic sensors. Anyway, I am reposting a comment from Thom Hogan about the posisble future Oly sensor:

I don’t have the original source to look at for that statement, but…those three specific things say to me that this is a sensor redesign, not a from-scratch design. Let’s do it backwards:
* Autofocus speed: highly dependent upon how fast you get data off the sensor. There are two basic ways to do this: up the frame rate and sub-sample the pixels, preferably both. This is work mostly in the add-on circuitry in a CMOS sensor. It doesn’t touch the sensel itself (other than how fast it is taking information from it).
* Color fidelity: highly dependent upon the Bayer filtration. We’ve been all over the map on this one during digital’s history, increasing filtration, decreasing it, flipping it to CYMG instead of RGBG, you name it. It’s an optical issue, and Olympus is an optical company.
* Dynamic range: can be dependent upon a lot of things, including sensel efficiency, read noise, microlenses, and so on. But read this and the previous one together and I get “Olympus changed the layers on the top of the sensor.”
I’m guessing here, but it’s quite possible that Olympus really meant it when they said 12mp is enough (it isn’t, but for different reasons than most people think, and Lytro is a good example of that). With Panasonic showing them sensors with similar traits but more pixels, Olympus might have simply asked to be given access to the original sensor design for improvement. So they put engineers working on the two easiest things to tweak: the photosite support circuitry (goosing the bandwidth) and the filtration layers (Bayer, microlenses). This would also explain why Panasonic is the fab.

I’ll be watching the details in the Japanese press when the release happens. What I’m looking for is evidence that the sensel is changed or different, or that the underlying transistor type is changed. Differences in substrate materials or flipping the sensor (BSI) are also fundamental design changes. Those are all things that would indicate a ground-up sensor design. But based upon what we’re hearing as leaks, I’d bet this is a reconfiguration of an existing sensor.

(FT5) First non blurred E-P3 picture with 12mm lens (+ FT5 Olympus rumor summary)


Pictured above you can see the new Olympus E-P3 with 12mm f/2.0 lens. Cute or not?

The last couple of weeks I posted so many info that it’s time for a rumor recap! Olympus is going to announce the new products on Thursday June 30th at 6am London time. You can follow the announcement live on 43rumors where I will post all news, reviews and image samples we can find. If you want to help me send me interesting links at 43rumors@gmail.com. Thanks!

Those are all the products Olympus will announce on Thursday:

1) Common features of all three new PEN cameras
– Very fast autofocus
– Truepic VI engine
– New Olympus designed sensor
– All three PEN cameras do have AF assist lamp
– Old lenses will focus faster on the new Pen cameras (although not as fast as when using new lenses).

2) Olympus E-P3
– It has the new Olympus “tweaked” 12 Megapixel Sensor
– Truepic VI engine (two processor in one)
– ISO 100 to 12.800
– 1080i 60frs AVCHD or JPEG video
– 35 point autofocus
– OLED touch Display (610k resolution). Sounds like it is almost the same screen used for the [shoplink 19904 ebay]Olympus XZ-1[/shoplink].
– pop up live guide
– dual dials
– flash is remote trigger capable, but no free bounce like [shoplink 14832]Olympus E-PL1[/shoplink].
– fastest AF to date for any mirrorless cam (and I have been told that it is considerably faster that the [shoplink 16254 ebay]Panasonic GH2[/shoplink]!).
– updated art filters
– effects to combine with art filters (like starlight)
– 3D still images
– built-in Eye-Fi support for controlling the Eye-Fi cards ([shoplink 23437 ebay]Click here to see the cards on eBay[/shoplink])
– Interchangeable grip. I have been told there are two different grips you can buy (and more will come after).
– Design changes: The top dial is now placed instead of the ON/OFF button of the E-P2. To make room for the built-in flash. There is a video recording button over the AEL button.
– Price somewere between $799 and $899 dollars

3) Olympus E-PL3
– Same sensor and af speed as the E-P3
– no built-in flash (Will have bundled external flash that uses the hotshoe+accessory port)
– tilting LCD screen
– Screen is LCD and not OLED.
– looks EXACTLY like the Olympus XZ-1 ([shoplink 19904 ebay]Click here to see that camera[/shoplink])

4) Olympus E-PM1
– It is as small as the Olympus XZ-1
– No tilt screen, no built-in flash

5) 12mm f/2.0 lens
– It’s the very first High Grade lens for Micro Four Thirds and is made in Tatsuno (Japan)
– All metal construction with distance scale. You see the distance scale when you pull the focus ring from autofocus to manual mode.
– Lens size similar to the new Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4.
– Filter size 46mm
– Already in production since April and will be in Stock in July.
– Close focusing 20cm (0.67 feet)
– Price around $799

6) 45mm f/1.8 lens
– No macro
– Price around $299

7) New Olympus FL-300R
It works like the Sony’s F20AM ([shoplink 23438 ebay]Click here to see the Sony flash on eBay[/shoplink]). For example you fold down to turn off.

8 ) New external EVF
– cheap build quality, cheap price (Compared to the current [shoplink 23321 ebay]VF-2 viewfinder (around $279.95)[/shoplink]).

9) Olympus 14-42mm II R
Same price and optical performance as the current 14-42mm lens but with a much faster autofocus performance.

10) Olympus 40-150mm II R
Same price and optical performance as the current 40-150mm lens but with a much faster autofocus performance.

What are you going to buy? (You can select more than one product!)

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Reminder -> Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct

(FT5) First pictures of the E-P3 with 12mm lens!

Here are the first pictures of the upcoming new Olympus E-P3 with 12mm f/2.0 lens attached! As you see the E-P3 is very similar to the [shoplink 14830 ebay]Olympus E-P2[/shoplink]. The main difference is the new built-in flash. We have been told the 12mm lens has a focus ring you can pull in a different position to allow manual focusing. Once pulled the focus ring on manual position you will see the distance scale! Cool!!! And as you see the new 12mm f/2.0 lens has almost the length of the [shoplink 14794 ebay]Panasonic 45mm macro[/shoplink].

 

Those are the full E-P3 specs:

– It has the new Olympus “tweaked” 12 Megapixel Sensor
– Truepic VI engine (two processor in one)
– ISO 100 to 12.800
– 1080i 60frs AVCHD or JPEG video
– 35 point autofocus
– OLED touch Display (610k resolution). Sounds like it is almost the same screen used for the [shoplink 19904 ebay]Olympus XZ-1[/shoplink].
– pop up live guide
– dual dials
– fastest AF to date for any mirrorless cam (and I have been told that it is considerably faster that the [shoplink 16254 ebay]Panasonic GH2[/shoplink]!).
– updated art filters
– effects to combine with art filters (like starlight)
– 3D still images
– built-in Eye-Fi support for controlling the Eye-Fi cards ([shoplink 23437 ebay]Click here to see the cards on eBay[/shoplink])
– Interchangeable grip. I have been told there are two different grips you can buy (and more will come after).
– Design changes: The top dial is now placed instead of the ON/OFF button of the E-P2. To make room for the built-in flash. There is a video recording button over the AEL button.

(FT5) E-P3 with built-in Eye-Fi support (fold down external flash)

[shoplink 23437 ebay][/shoplink] I hope you will be here on Wednesday to follow the Olympus announcement! Announcement should be made at around 6-7am London time. In the meanwhile I am continually getting tidbits of rumors!

A source just told me that the E-P3 has built-in Eye-Fi support for controlling the Eye-Fi cards ([shoplink 23437 ebay]Click here to see the cards on eBay[/shoplink]). And as you know there will be a new flash too (the Olympus FL-300R). A new source told me that it works like the Sony’s F20AM ([shoplink 23438 ebay]Click here to see the cards on eBay[/shoplink]). For example you fold down to turn off.

And now a couple of confirmations:
1) A couple of sources confirmed that the 40-150 II R is coming too.
2) Sources are now certain the sensor is designed by Olympus (and produced by Panasonic). Olympus goal was to improve the dynamic range, color fidelity and autofocus speed.
3) New and known soruces keep saying AF speed is amazing :)

(FT5) New 14-42mm IIR Olympus kit lens coming! (+40-150mm IIR coming too?)

[shoplink 14816 ebay][/shoplink] Image on top shows the [shoplink 14816 ebay]Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6[/shoplink] which is going to be replaced soon with the “IIR” version.

Olympus will not only announce two new lenses (the 12mm f/2.0 and 45mm f/1.8) but also one (or maybe two) reworked kit lenses! There will be certainly a new 14-42mm IIR lens. It has the same size and optical design of the current [shoplink 14816]Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6[/shoplink] kit lens. But the new “IIR” version boost the autofocus speed to much higher (I repeat “much”!!!) speed than the [shoplink 16254]Panasonic GH2[/shoplink] + [shoplink 14802]14-140mm[/shoplink] combo! It is so faster that you “feel” it. It’s not just a marketing “blabla”!

One of our sources also told us that there will be also a new 40-150mm IIR coming too. But that has to be confirmed by other sources. Your older lenses will also focus faster on the new PEN but not as fast as you can do on the new lenses.

In summary, Olympus will announce three cameras (E-PM1, E-PL3, E-P3), a new Flash, two new prime lenses (12mm and 45mm) and two reworked zooms (14-42mm and 40-150mm). Is there somehting else Oly? :)

(FT2) Will Fuji announce a Micro Four Thirds camera in September?

A couple of months ago the Fujiguys promised that there will be some exciting news in September 2011. Now Photorumors got a rumor from an unknown source saying that there will be probably “some kind of a mirrorless solution with a sensor probably smaller than APS-C, something in the m4/3 range.” I don’t know how reliable the source is, what I know for certain is that Fuji wants to make a mirrorless camera that takes interchangeable system. One of my sources also told me months ago that there was a meeting between Olympus and Fuji. I hope that source will know come back to me and tell me if that rumor is true or not ;)

Meanwhile Fuji released the new firmware for the X100 you can download here: http://www.fujifilm.com/support. And click those links if you want to check price and availability of the X100: [shopcountry 19929].

(FT4-5) All PEN’s with the same new Olympus (!) sensor. Same AF speed. And more rumors!

Our sources do of course read your comments and they send me their answers. Some of my sources are new, some are well known, that’s why you see a different FT ranking (See the ranking explanation on the bottom of the article to learn more).

(FT4) Source_1:
1. the grip is just that – a grip. but it will come in different sizes to support the longer lens.
2. the sensor is Olympus own – its not sharing anything with Panasonic.
3. there is a dedicated, zoom button for zooming in when you are in the green box mode? button location below the record button.
4. flash is remote trigger capable, but no free bounce like [shoplink 14832]Olympus E-PL1[/shoplink].
5. the other two cameras will have bundled external flash that uses the hotshoe+accessory port.
6. the front of the new EPL looks EXACTLY like the Olympus XZ-1 ([shoplink 19904 ebay]Click here to see that camera[/shoplink])
7. the 45mm is about as big as the new [shoplink 23110]Panasonic-Leica 25mm f/1.4[/shoplink], maybe a bit more smaller in width.

(FT5) Source_2:
1. All three PEN cameras do have AF assist lamp

(FT5) Source_3:
1. All three cameras do have touchscreen (but only the E-P3 is using the OLED 640k screen. The other two do use a 460k LCD)
2. AF is terrific. Very fast and accurate.

(FT4) Source_4:
1. Old lenses will focus faster on the new Pen cameras (although not as fast as when using new lenses).
2. AF really faster than the [shoplink 16254]Panasonic GH2[/shoplink] (tested in daylight)

(FT5) Source_5:
1. There is no final firmware yet (it’s still 0.9), but I can say images do look better than the GH2.
2. E-PM1 is smaller than [shoplink 17361]Panasonic GF2[/shoplink], but bigger than [shoplink 23109]Panasonic GF3[/shoplink].

(FT5) Source_6:
1. Damn fast AF!
2. E-P3 has same design as E-P2. The E-PM1 and the E-PL2 do have a completely new design.

 

Feel free to make questions, they will might send me the answers to post on 43rumors!

 

Reminder -> Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct