| |
 |
|
| Click photo for more views of the Olympus E-System Prototype. |
On Tuesday, as Photokina got started, the president of Olympus Imaging Corporation formally committed to marketing a successor to the company's E-1 professional D-SLR, as well as additional entry-level models, in calendar year 2007. The E-1 debuted in 2003 with a four megapixel Kodak CCD, it being the first camera built around the Four Thirds format sensor size and lens mount.
At Photokina we had a chance to speak with representatives from Olympus America, who showed us a conceptual mockup of the E-1 replacement, but were unable to provide any technical details. (See photos.) Given that competing pro cameras with physically larger imagers are already hitting noise limitations due to their ten-plus megapixel densities, we asked what image size would be possible from the smaller Four Thirds format chip. The answer: "In 2002/2003 Tokyo said the sensor format was capable of reaching 20 megapixels, and new noise reduction technology has been developed since then, both during capture and post-capture." (Given the high-ISO noise issues in current eight/ten megapixel Four Thirds consumer models, we'll remain cautious).
Interestingly, the Olympus representatives also told us that the company had planned on producing an E-1 successor earlier but decided to "literally skip a generation" and instead "wait for the resources to do it right." Which sounded good to us.
|
