It's official, it is goin to be a digital Pen

[gavinlg]

Originally Posted by majid

Except the Pen was a half-frame camera. Four-thirds (and M4/3) is really quarter-frame, i.e. 110 film equivalent, with all the professional quality we've come to expect from 110 film...

It's doubtful it can compete with the Sigma DP2 or the future Samsung APS-C compact on image quality, specially in low-light.

Sigma DP1/DP2 sensor size: 20.7mm x 13.8mm
Olympus Four Thirds sensor size: 18mm × 13.5mm
Pentax/Samsung APS-c sensor size: 23.4mm x 15.6mm

OMG the sigma DP2 sensor is SOOOO much bigger than the 4/3rds one, a whole 2.7mm in length (due to the 3:2 ratio instead of 4/3rds 4:3 ratio) and a whopping .3mm in width.
An Olympus E-3 with it's 2 years old 4/3rds panasonic sensor would spank a sigma DP2 in low light. The foveon sensor can be woeful at high ISO - color splodges, casts and massive undersaturation.

From my E-3, iso 1250 + pushed almost a stop (iso 2000ish equiv) in post:


Now thats a 2 year old sensor from Olympus/panasonic, and the new M4/3rds or Digital Pen will have a new and improved version of it.

Why exactly do you think it wouldn't compete with the sigma or the Samsung (had to laugh at that one) in image quality? My Olympus E-systems DSLRs compete with my full frame Canon 5d, and in some areas surpass it.

[gavinlg]

Originally Posted by FrozenInTime

For normal 28mm....90mm lenses : direct OVF with projected lines as per Leica/Zeiss/Bessa (or EVF option) then EVF only for exotic focal lengths.

You think they're going to incorporate fixed focal length projected lines into the VF of a modern compact digital camera aimed at people who want DSLR quality in a smaller/easier to use package for under $1000? I understand why you want it - so do I, but I fear there is no chance of it happening.

[mabelsound]

Originally Posted by Avotius

I had a look at olympus's e system stuff the other day....I sure hope to hell this new m4/3 whatever it will be called wont be priced like the e system stuff! Awfully expensive over on the e system side...but then again a lot of those interesting expensive lenses are a good stop faster then their nikon/canon equivalents

You know Colin, if you are looking seriously at system DSLR's, and if you like compactness, old glass, and affordable new lenses, you should really look into Pentax.

As for the new m4/3, I'm delighted they've chosen to connect it to the Pen line. An optical VF would be terrific, or an improved EVF, and classic styling.

[gavinlg]

Originally Posted by Avotius

I had a look at olympus's e system stuff the other day....I sure hope to hell this new m4/3 whatever it will be called wont be priced like the e system stuff! Awfully expensive over on the e system side...but then again a lot of those interesting expensive lenses are a good stop faster then their nikon/canon equivalents

The lenses are amazing. 14-35mm f2 + 35-100mm f2 are just phenominal.

[FrozenInTime]

Originally Posted by fdigital

You think they're going to incorporate fixed focal length projected lines into the VF of a modern compact digital camera aimed at people who want DSLR quality in a smaller/easier to use package for under $1000? I understand why you want it - so do I, but I fear there is no chance of it happening.

Projected frame lines from a LCD would allow zoom and parallax correction.

With the potential of two models in the pipe line:
one is going to be disappointingly basic - probably only rear LCD (<E-620/G1 price bracket ?) ; the second has the potential to be very exciting ( E-30/GH1 price bracket ?)

[Bassism]

For those wondering what the connection between the PEN shorts and the new m4/3rds camera, if you check the URL, it's listed under dslr. I think it's a safe bet that a new dslr would not be inspired by the PEN, which makes it seem to me likely that they're referring to the m4/3rds camera. It also seems to me promising that it is listed under dslr rather than point/shoot.

I'm excited to see what they come out with. In a market where every camera is essentially the same as every other camera and even new ground breaking designs are made to look like every other camera (see G1), a little bit of looking back might be a good breath of fresh air.

As long as Olympus are bold enough, and I feel like they probably are, at least moreso than Panasonic who are really lucky to be making cameras in the first place, I think this camera could start some real innovation in a stagnant market.

[antiquark]

Will the sensor be in portrait orientation (vertical) like the original pens?

[Leigh Youdale]

Originally Posted by antiquark

Will the sensor be in portrait orientation (vertical) like the original pens?

I wouldn't think so. The 4/3rds sensor will fit within the dimensions of the half frame size but with conventional orientation. As someone pointed out, it's about 1/4 frame size.
I don't think the market would accept the portrait orientation.

[digitalintrigue]

It appears the teaser campaign is working very nicely for Oly.

[.ken]

Originally Posted by wlewisiii

I guess I'm not sure why this is a surprise... Oly has foundered over the past several decades and will be gone soon. This attempt to associate thier digital products with with one of their few past successes is only a simple desperate stab at survival. Pen & OM will soon be a simple memory, fading quickly...

Sorry,

William

Haven't you heard? The 4/3rds was dead when it launched. And Olympus doesn't even really exist.

[aizan]

what are they going to call it? "olympus pen d" is already taken.

[jonmanjiro]

Originally Posted by nikonhswebmaster

Yes Japanese designers are really stuck in the dark ages interface-wise, they just don't get Apple. I imagine they would design a horrid interface, not unlike the almost useless ones in their existing designs.

The rule in Japanese design is black on black illegible lettering, zillions of tiny buttons, laid out in no particular order, and endless menus controlled by a four position set of buttons, that you can accidentally touch with your thumb while you shoot.

I have a new Samsung TV with controls in braille, with lettering so small that it take a magnifying glass in bright light to read it.

The junk really ticks me off frankly.

Sooner or later I will just take all my casual photos with an iPhone.

Fred, you do realise that Samsung is a Korean company, right

[scho]

Originally Posted by aizan

what are they going to call it? "olympus pen d" is already taken.

I'm betting on Olympus Pen mFT

[FrankS]

I wonder if this new Olympus Pen will have Image Stabilization?

[JoeV]

Originally Posted by fdigital

Sigma DP1/DP2 sensor size: 20.7mm x 13.8mm
Olympus Four Thirds sensor size: 18mm × 13.5mm
Pentax/Samsung APS-c sensor size: 23.4mm x 15.6mm

And the 110 film format is 17mm x 13mm, with one sprocket hole, just to set the record straight. So 4/3 and m4/3 is very close to 110 format in size.

~Joe

[nzeeman]

Originally Posted by nikonhswebmaster

Yes Japanese designers are really stuck in the dark ages interface-wise, they just don't get Apple. I imagine they would design a horrid interface, not unlike the almost useless ones in their existing designs.

The rule in Japanese design is black on black illegible lettering, zillions of tiny buttons, laid out in no particular order, and endless menus controlled by a four position set of buttons, that you can accidentally touch with your thumb while you shoot.

I have a new Samsung TV with controls in braille, with lettering so small that it take a magnifying glass in bright light to read it.

The junk really ticks me off frankly.

Sooner or later I will just take all my casual photos with an iPhone.

if you are happy with iphone photo quality - that clearly shows that apple's brainwashing machine still works good. they make high-priced garbage that all other companies have by much smaller prices, they have services thousands of miles away, they take you great money for products and for every repair - and because of that people think that that is some great elite company.
i hope you realize that there are tons of products for asian market which you never see on west - and a lot of them are very much ahead of apples products.
and yes - as someone else stated - samsung is korean...

[digitalintrigue]

High priced garbage? That's one heck of a brainwashing campaign, maybe Leica should try it.

[nzeeman]

Originally Posted by digitalintrigue

High priced garbage? That's one heck of a brainwashing campaign, maybe Leica should try it.

hahaha - you are right about that - but i think they already did they and made success.
i am sorry about making off topic post like this before - but i had to answer to ignorance...

to get back on topic - i think it will be great if olympus really make that digital pen - i always loved their design style - compact and yet look so durable... im not digital kind of guy - but i enjoy to see that some companies have courage to mae something that is not so mainstream.

[Steve Bellayr]

Other than the outward appearance/style how would this camera be any different than a number of retro digitals? Rolleiflex did one which did not get rave reviews.

[Pickett Wilson]

I think the market for all this stuff is really Japan, anything with the slightest hint of retro is a must have.

[PhotoMat]

Originally Posted by aizan

what are they going to call it? "olympus pen d" is already taken.

I hope it doesn't have image stabilization. I don't think PenIS would be a smart marketing move.

[Leigh Youdale]

Originally Posted by DanOnRoute66

Wow, unless you guys have some inside information about Olympus that isn't evident on the Pen 50th anniversary celebration link, I
The suggestion that there's more to come implies, to me, anyway, that there's going to be more information on PAST Pen cameras.

You could well be right. No, we don't have anything more than a couple of obscure and enigmatic comments (in Japanese). So we could all be having a great time building something in our minds that doesn't exist, and we'll end up having our self-created expectations disappointed.
Anyway, not long to wait, either way. We'll either be excited, dismayed or full of advice for Olympus as to what an opportunity they missed and what they should have done instead.

[Al Patterson]

It would be nice if they could come up with something as innovative as the PEN. We'll know in a few weeks.

[lemalk]

Wow. A lot of bashing. Oly, Apple, FourThirds, Leica...

As many others have stated (and I'm glad there's some defense of the E system), I think the new Digital Pen (or whatever it's called) shows a LOT of promise. I'm holding off on a D-Lux 4 purchase to see whether this new camera fits the bill.

On a completely superficial level, the design intrigues me - anything without a mirror hump is a step forward.
I just hope, as Steve Jobs says, Olympus doesn't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by neutering the camera's design or functionality from the prototype that's been shown.

[gavinlg]

Originally Posted by FrankS

I wonder if this new Olympus Pen will have Image Stabilization?

Yes, it will, as said by olympus in numerous interviews. I'm not sure why you'd think thats a bad thing either - it'll have it built into the sensor, meaning you get about 2-3 stops of handholding ability from every lens.

Originally Posted by JoeV

And the 110 film format is 17mm x 13mm, with one sprocket hole, just to set the record straight. So 4/3 and m4/3 is very close to 110 format in size.

~Joe

Who cares? 4/3rds can hold its own with full sized 35mm sensors, let alone APS-c sensors from Canon and Nikon and Pentax which are only a tiny % bigger than it. Refer to the picture I posted on the last page - ISO 1250 pushed to 2000 and it's clean and sharp. The "small sensor" comments are vague and generally made by people without any experience in the system.

Originally Posted by nzeeman

if you are happy with iphone photo quality - that clearly shows that apple's brainwashing machine still works good. they make high-priced garbage that all other companies have by much smaller prices, they have services thousands of miles away, they take you great money for products and for every repair - and because of that people think that that is some great elite company.
i hope you realize that there are tons of products for asian market which you never see on west - and a lot of them are very much ahead of apples products.
and yes - as someone else stated - samsung is korean...

He never said he thought the camera was good quality, he was talking about the interface, and I agree with him. Apple knows how to make an interface - the iphone is nothing short of brilliant. Not that it's relevant to this

Originally Posted by Steve Bellayr

Other than the outward appearance/style how would this camera be any different than a number of retro digitals? Rolleiflex did one which did not get rave reviews.

There's a huge difference - the m4/3rds camera will have a 4/3rds style sensor - the same used in Olympus DSLRs, which is considerably bigger (around 10 times bigger) then the sensor in any compact camera bar the sigma DPs, of which the sensor is similarly sized. All other compacts have sensors the size of a dust mite. This means DSLR quality in a tiny camera. Plus, it has interchangeable lenses.

Originally Posted by Pickett Wilson

I think the market for all this stuff is really Japan, anything with the slightest hint of retro is a must have.

I don't think the camera is going to be "retro" in the same way that the new Nissan GTR isn't "retro" despite being a name and lineage dating back 50 years. It's going to be designed to sell.

Originally Posted by PhotoMat

I hope it doesn't have image stabilization. I don't think PenIS would be a smart marketing move.

It will according to Olympus, and I don't really understand why you wouldn't want it?

Originally Posted by DanOnRoute66

Wow, unless you guys have some inside information about Olympus that isn't evident on the Pen 50th anniversary celebration link, I can't imagine how so many of you think that the very short video suggests there's going to be a digital Pen. The suggestion that there's more to come implies, to me, anyway, that there's going to be more information on PAST Pen cameras. And if they're talking about 50th anniversaries, they could string this campaign out for the next 10 years, as they plug the various full-frame Pens and then the half-frame SLRs on or near their respective 50th anniversary release dates.

My sense of Olympus is that, while the company over all is doing well, the camera division is in a lot of trouble. Whether the camera division even remains viable may depend on whether Olympus is acquired by some bigger company that's ready to invest a lot of money into the photography division.

People have been saying olympus is in trouble for years - they're a smaller camera company that march to the beat of a different drum than nikon and canon. They're much MUCH bigger than leica for instance, and their main specialty is actually in medical/optical, which is a large portion of the company and does very well. Their 4/3rds e-system also does quite well.

Olympus themselves have said "june 15th" will be the date for the new micro 4/3rds.

sources:
http://translate.google.com/translat...istory_state0=

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/15/o...ch-early-july/