|
Logo (c) Copyright Olympus Imaging Corporation, 2008-2009 Tokyo, April 20 2009
June 16 2009 is the OPR – ‘Official Product Release’ – for Olympus’ first Micro Four-Thirds (M43) model but definitely not the most definitive. For that December will hold even more clues. Nonetheless this mid-year, the industry will sit up and take notice.
With a little more than two months away now, the shape of the new M43 model from Olympus has yet to be made clear but we know of a few ‘side developments’ right now. After Nikon has launched the D-5000 in clear response to Olympus’ recent stunning announcements, there are other movements in the industry also. Pentax is putting finishing touches to the new K30D while Canon is trying to figure out where it wants to go at the low end of the market.
Samsung is trying to pull the carpet under Olympus’ M43 underpinnings and Panasonic is tracing its steps to see what it can do to create more momentum for its G1 and GH1, both of which are excellent cameras but somehow not picking up sales as they should. At the same time, many of us are quietly optimistic that Leica will embrace the M43 platform because it just suits them so completely. We have very little word on this but it would seem strange if they didn’t…
So what should we expect from Olympus’ first M43 model then? There’s still a bit of time between now and OPR and so the company can still juggle a few things to put things right. For the time being, you may expect a total of four lenses to be launched concurrently with the M43 model. Two are likely to be mainstream zoom lenses and the other two, primes.
Of the two zooms, the one that is almost certain to see the light of day is a reincarnation of the currently wildly successful 14-42mm ED. Whether this one will be rated at f3.5-5.6 or f3.5-4.5 remains to be seen. The other zoom lens that could come in together is the M43 variant of the 40-150mm. We use the word ‘variant’ because there may be modifications here.
As for the two primes, the 17mm f2.8 is almost ripe for the picking but Olympus has a fair few other primes to choose from right now. Even if the market hasn’t seen much of these, the company is in a position to pick its time and place to launch them and right now, they also have two platforms to do so. It is becoming increasingly obvious that Olympus is going to focus on what makes rangefinders so special during the film days – wind back to Leica and people like Bresson, Eisenstadt et al and you will get a clearer picture. So other than the 17mm (EFL 35mm), there are lenses like a faster and more compact version of the present-day Zuiko Digital 25mm. Here an f2.0 version is not unthinkable and Olympus may choose its second M43 model to showcase it sometime around September or a little after.
Both the model for June 16 and the one for end-of-year will sport the now-familiar 12.3-megapixel LiveMOS sensor. TruePic will remain at generation III+ but there will be additional capabilities of which the most eagerly awaited is their video capabilities. We do not believe that Olympus will go gaga the same way Nikon and Canon have. So expect something somewhat lower in performance specs such as 720p and not 1080p. Whether Olympus is obstinate enough to resist the industry’s obsession with numbers is quite another thing. Time will tell, as everyone will say.
The model slated for June 16 launch will be sub-US$1,000 in kit form with the standard zoom lens, will have a 2.7 if not 3.0-inch LCD monitor at the same pixel resolution. Pop-up flash is standard and the orange-coloured body seen at last year’s Photokina and this year’s PMA is a red herring. It’s more likely that you will see a more serious chrome-black model instead, almost reminiscent of Olympus’ RD/RC rangefinders or the Pen-series. December will see a full-black model and more serious features including lenses.
Olympus’ focus on outstanding optical solutions will underscore its direction for the M43 cameras but this means it will have to develop a whole new lens range where users can enjoy its advantages. This of course means that it won’t be relying on adapting current Four-Thirds lenses. For many, creating a brand new range from the ground up seems too big a challenge considering the bad economic times but this had never deterred even a small outfit like Olympus. In fact you only need to go back to the Pen-F System and see how the company went about creating and supporting a second system.
At any rate, it’s all about design economics. Olympus has a good enough range of Four-Thirds lenses to begin with. What they only need to do is to redesign half of them for M43 applications. The 14-42mm as well as the 40-150mm are a pretty good way to start. Eventually you will see more. In that sense, Olympus is getting a nice return on the investment it made with developing the E-System.
The benefit of universalising a common design for M43 and Four-Thirds use is a very smart one. What many might not realise is that M43 is leading the way for the entire Four-Thirds to gravitate towards smaller but no less functional DSLR solutions. Clearly the E-3, E-30 including the forthcoming E-4 will signal the end of an era for Olympus. After that, expect to see the company moving very clearly away from the rest in very much the same way as how they used the OM System during the 70s and 80s.
The first apparent result of this joint development effort for M43 and Four-Thirds is the E-620. Using the 400-series as the form factor, Olympus surgically grafted the in-camera Image Stabilisation mechanism – meant for M43 – into the E-620. Four-Thirds contributed the TruePic III+, the I/O architecture, wireless flash and many more. M43 will take on the 20% smaller I.S. mechanism plus the entire sensor-cum-SSWF system and a few other little bits and pieces. You will see all of these by mid June this year. The E-620’s articulating LCD setup will make its way into M43 but whether you will see this in the first camera due mid-year is anyone’s guess but it will definitely appear in December.
As for viewfinders, there are a range of possibilities. June 16 may reveal none at all – no optical and no EVF. Be reminded that this M43 model is a basic starter model. It is possible that Olympus is gauging market response from this model before it decides what else to do in December. As it is, there are options for mid-June and one of them is a glass uncoupled rangefinder type accessory. For end of the year, there is every probability that an excellent EVF variant will find its way and Panasonic might be giving Olympus a hand in developing this.
Some of you might already know that Cosina, that quiet manufacturer who owns some very impressive Euro brand names, has already announced the ZM/VM lens adaptor for M43. This gives Olympus and Panasonic M43 cameras a remarkable edge in terms of lenses you can use. Suddenly you have Voigtländer as well as Zeiss lenses available but you should also expect a Leica-M adaptor to be announced also. This has to be an excellent piece of news.
Exactly how exciting is Micro Four-Thirds considering what we know of Olympus’ impending offerings? We believe it is a tremendous new opening for the Tokyo-based company. Gloom or no economic gloom, we are optimistic that Olympus will sell as many as it can make. The difference between theirs and Panasonic’s offerings is that Olympus does not need to make their M43 models look like DSLRs. There is no faux pentaprism appearance here – Olympus understands the strong appeal of a real rangefinder. It’s been there and done that and the revival of something very similar in the digital era is an important growth area for digital camera sales.
This takes us to past models like Epson’s RD-1 and Sigma’s DP-1. The difference is of course Olympus’ M43 offers lens interchangeability and secondly this is the only iteration from a major camera manufacturer. The RD-1 was excellent but awfully expensive and limited in numbers. The much-anticipated but maligned DP-1 turned out to be relatively anti-climactic with well documented technical issues that delayed its launch. Just these points alone are enough to create momentum for Olympus to do things differently but more effectively.
Following the expected official product release on June 16, availability will be around July or August at the very latest.
Ken Norton
Please login or register to add comments |
