On Tue, Sep 24, 2002 at 10:28:08AM -0400, Tom Scales wrote:
> Unfortunately, everyone else is passing them by. 4/3" when both Kodak (!)
> and Canon have introduced full-frame?
I'm not so sure that full-frame 35 is necessarily that important. What's the
goal here? I would contend that it's resolution, not absolute image sensor
size, once you've made the decision to abandon your existing lens mount. So
what if the normal lens is a 24 isntead of a 50?
Nikon and Canon have existing lines of lenses that have all of the optics
and capabilities that people insist they need (whether they actually do or
not). For them, a 24x36 sensor is imperative to make those lines of lenses
fully usable without the focal length multiplier effect.
Olympus has long held that they're not going to use the OM mount lenses as
the base of their DSLR. Since there's no autofocus lenses there (ignoring
the few lenses introduced for the OM-77), that makes marketing sense. That
gives them the freedom to design with no constraints, including image
circle size and lens flange to sensor distance.
Now, I would strongly agree that a significant resolution is a sine qua non,
and the question then becomes whether they can cram a 10-Mpixel or better
sensor into that form factor - even if not now, will they be able to keep up
in the future? Kodak and Canon have raised the resoltuion bar, and while not
having that class sensor in the initial offering may not be fatal if the
line isn't aimed strictly at the pro, people will demand it soon enough.
I, too, am somewhat disappointed in the prototypes shown in the dpreview
pictures, but we don't know enough about just what that camera *is* to make
a firm judgment yet. Notable by their absence are such E-10/20 staples as
the pop-out monitor, the adjustable viewfinder, and the built-in flash, and
the big pack at the bottom of the camera is a disappointment (I do not have
the Li-ion pack for my E-10 because I'm not fond of what it does to the
handling), but all of that may well change by the time it becomes a real
product.
I just hope Olympus doesn't take too long in making a real product out of
it...and, in the process, doesn't rush it to market before it's ready.
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