the SLR loses the mirror

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Then why is shutter lag so bad on P&S cameras? I'm assuming that they will have to use electronic gating for the shutter in order to provide live view from the main sensor which, as I understood it, was what caused the shutter lag.

i mean for SLR live view. dpreview didn't note anything particularly slow about using LV once you were in it, other than contrast AF being notably slower than phase:

The E-420's overall performance was fairly good. The camera is responsive in most situations, focus is relatively quick (although it slows down considerably when using Imager AF in Live View) and the shutter lag is short.

The only problem I can see with it, from a marketing standpoint, is that the new lenses will not fit on existing 4/3 cameras. I can definitely see these attracting P&S users, but once transitioned to a Micro 4/3 camera, there's not much incentive to upgrade to a 4/3 camera since all of the Micro 4/3 lenses you've just bought won't work on the larger 4/3 system. Micro 4/3 will not work as a means of leading people into 4/3. I can see a lot of 4/3 people adding a Micro 4/3 camera to their bag, but I don't see it moving in the other direction. Then again, I've been wrong (a lot) before.

ZV

i think panasonic might be the driving factor behind m4/3. panasonic's SLR sales are pretty dismal. they don't really need people moving up to the full system, they need people purchasing high margin cameras.

Originally posted by: jpeyton
I don't think Micro 4/3rds is a gateway product or an entry level item.

If you look at Olympus' financial picture, you'll see that they're hurting pretty badly. Sales and profits are way down.

This is an attempt for them to really innovate and create a new market segment where they have far less competition. The problem with 4/3rds is that it was smaller, but not small enough to sway people. Micro 4/3rds will be significantly smaller, and the quality will be much higher than P&S digicams but below that of full size DSLRs.

olympus's decision to accomodate a side swinging mirror made the flange depth almost as long as canon's, which means that the cameras couldn't be that much smaller than what canon or nikon are able to produce. i wouldn't be shocked to find that 4/3 mount's inside diameter isn't much smaller than nikon's either. the lenses could be smaller for equivalent focal lengths, but not for the same aperture (not f-stop). the real small lens is the 40-150 f/slow, but you don't see it on store shelves so people can't compare.


as a side benefit of the short flange, this camera should be able to mount M, ltm, and pen lenses with appropriate piece of chinese brass.





edit: i think this would help the EVF



edit2: scuttlebutt seems to think that olympus has relaxed it's exit pupil requirement for the lenses. apparently the amount of 'tele-centricity' that olympus specified has always been complete overkill for standard 4/3 SLR sensors (they'd need a 55 mp sensor to see any difference). also, offset microlenses (which are essentially free once the mask is developed) offer a pretty good solution to corner shading issues caused by angle of incidence.

 

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
I'd venture a guess on Sony trying to get into that market fairly quickly if it looks like a money maker. This is based on the A350 and A300. Sony implemented a Live View to appeal mainly to former P&S users, which, I think, means they're after this same market in a different way. If Olympus' way looks better, I'll bet that Sony follows them.

I don't think that Sony will be the first as if I understand correctly what others have said elsewhere they would have to go to an all electronic aperture control first (which current Minolta AF/Sony Alpha fit lenses aren't although if they got the rights to the Vectis lens range from Minolta they could). For that reason someone like Canon would imo be better placed to do that.
Of course there have been rumours about a Nikon compact using an APS-C sensor for a while (but maybe not with interchangeable lenses).