Olympus confirm 4/3" CCD concept camera

May 1, 2001 at 04:00:00 GMT

Olympus US has today confirmed that Olympus Optical Co. Ltd. (Japan) are indeed working on a "concept camera", that is be based around a 4/3" CCD, though they haven't confirmed the supplier (though it's plainly the Kodak KAF-C5100E). "Olympus plans to position the 4/3" CCD as a new industry standard, and expects this new image sensor to encourage competition and to expand the market for digital SLR cameras."

Olympus Announces Concept Digital Camera with Built-in 4/3" CCD

New Technology to Set Industry Standard for Digital SLRs

Melville, NY, May 1, 2001 — Olympus America Inc. announced today that its parent, Olympus Optical Co. Ltd. Of Tokyo, Japan, the world leader in film and filmless photography, has initiated an R&D project to develop a multiple lens digital SLR concept camera using a new 4/3" CCD.

Still in the early concept stages of project development, the camera utilizes a new 4/3" image sensor that delivers roughly four times the image area of a 2/3" CCD. Olympus is very excited about the potential of this technology, however company officials stress the developmental nature of this product and system. Its feature set, specifications, introductory date and pricing remain undetermined at this time. Olympus plans to position the 4/3" CCD as a new industry standard, and expects this new image sensor to encourage competition and to expand the market for digital SLR cameras. This enlarged CCD provides a platform for lens development and is specifically designed to meet the applications and needs of professional photographers.

Olympus is committed to providing state-of-the-art digital photography solutions to its customers and the photographic industry. The CAMEDIA E-10 is an example of this commitment. The 35-140mm f 2.0-2.4 ED glass lens and four auxiliary lenses deliver excellent price-to-performance value for the serious digital photographer. Olympus will continue the development of E Series cameras, improving upon this platform while exploring additional design concepts. The E-10 currently provides the best platform for digital photography, winning many awards for excellence in design. The Olympus CAMEDIA philosophy is to provide the easiest to use, highest quality range of consumer to professional digital cameras today and into the future. The announcement of the 4/3" CCD chip design is the first step towards establishing a new standard for future digital camera and lens development for the imaging industry.

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Click here for an article on the relationship between Olympus and Kodak

Phil's sarcastic coment: "Built-in" instead of ?? Sounds to me as though Olympus has rushed to produce this press release to stress the early development nature of the new camera and boulster the E-10's market position. It's VERY unusual to find out about a digital SLR under development this early in the cycle, me thinks it wasn't well planned.