"Olympus E system mirrorless in two years. Probably."

Is that there is a lot of consistency between what "Olympus America's DSLR product manager" is saying at PMA in 2010, and what Akira Watanabe (manager of Olympus Imaging's SLR planning department) said in a 2009 PMA interview.

Akira Watanabe - at PMA 2009 - "Watanabe had another bold projection: autofocus will change dramatically in SLRs." - "Watanabe, though, believes image sensor-based autofocus will outperform phase-detect systems in the future."
http://www.cnet.com/8301-13951_1-10189546-63.html

Richard S. Pelkowski - Olympus America's DSLR product manager - at PMA 2010 - "Soon the AF system in the Pen cameras will be as fast as that in the E system DSLRs so there it will be possible to get just as good AF performance without the mirror system."

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/olympus_e_system_mirrorless_in_two_years_probably_news_295133.html?aff=rss

There is a clear consistency between these 2 interviews about the Olympus strategy being pursued.

it,s going to be obsolite in the same way as the dodo is !!! if olympus dont make E-series 4/3rds cameras SLR's theni might aswell get a m4/3 rds camera and a converter!!!! or more likly a NIKON

on the plus side i might be able to get a cheap E620 or E30 when everyone jumps ship

...and nothing to do with Olympus at all.

Hipster Doofus said:

ginsbu said:

Re: "Olympus E system mirrorless in two years. Probably."

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Guys, don't get all tied up in knots over this. I don't think Mr. Richard S. Pelkowski of Olympus America is in any position to know what Olympus Japan is planning. Seriously... how could any of you possibly take the word of a dude who looks like this :



The poor guy just wasn't smart enough to not think out loud... in front of a reporter... with recording devices . For Richard's sake, I hope he still has a job tomorrow morning.

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elfenone said:

New sensor, new direction.Coming soon.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=34564834

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It turned out that this is a video camera sensor, and just a research proptotype. The technique described simply would not work for a still camera.

Gregm61 said:

Exactly. And that is precisely how it sounds. He only talks about Af speed in the article and makes no mention of the real problem with EVF's and that's the inability of one to allow the user a continuous, uninterrupted view over a fast burst or multiple fast single shots while being able to keep a subject framed in the finder. It's even more serious when someone at this level truly seems to not have a clue.

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I understand your concerns because present EVFs and their blackout would not be acceptable to me in some of the types of photography I do. So unless or until this problem can be overcome I would still have to use a DSLR for this. However, I think that there is a possiblity that there may be a technological solution to this problem. The interview says "With the traditional dual curtain shutter removed as well, Mr Pelkowski said that a fully electronic shutter could be introduced that would make extremely high frames rates such as 20fps possible". So it may be possible that future cameras would not have this problem and 20fps would well outperform the best high speed DSLRs.

Gregm61 said:

That's not what I'm concerned about. What concerns me is what happens to EVF's, including the one in the E-P2, when you press the shutter release to shoot a burst and it blanks out entirely over the course of the burst and you cannot continue following the subject to keep it framed in the finder. Even fast single frame shooting is impossible because it takes the finder so long to come back the subject is gone and you have to re-estabish contact, losing the ability to follow a subject a few seconds after every shot.

What this will do is turn this system into an oversized digicam.

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The guys prediction was for these changes to happen within two years. If we can graciously extend our benefit-of-doubt capabilities to, just for a second, assume Olympus are in fact not run by a bunch of monkeys, then what's to say that his prediction isn't that we within two years will be able to use this technology without the issues you describe (or they will delay the products)?

Olympus have always (to the best of my knowledge) been an innovator in this business. Worst case scenario I see is they're the first out of the gate (along with Pana) with something that'll be industry standard sooner or later, albeit with some initial problems others won't have to deal with. I wonder if the most pessimistic voices in here were really expecting the technology in todays DSRL's to always stay the same?

I think he may have been a bit optimistic and/or unrealistic in his predictions. I don't think he's an idiot.

...that somewhere in the future - electronics will surpass mechanics as far as speed?

I see it as more than probable.

Barry Stewart said:

Gregm61 said:

TrapperJohn said:

Pretty darn sharp, and that's the micro version.

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That's not what I'm concerned about. What concerns me is what happens to EVF's, including the one in the E-P2, when you press the shutter release to shoot a burst and it blanks out entirely over the course of the burst and you cannot continue following the subject to keep it framed in the finder.

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Not sure if it's relevant, but shooting with the E-330 in Liveview 'A' and using the LCD... there is no blacking out when the shutter is pressed. Add a second sensor to avoid the blacking-out.

I'm all for the mirror going bye bye — if the screen refresh speed is there. It is lacking in the 330, but tech advances could make a big leap. What do they use in fighter jets?

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I would not mind at all seeing that body styling come back too.

DickyUK said:

it,s going to be obsolite in the same way as the dodo is !!! if olympus dont make E-series 4/3rds cameras SLR's theni might aswell get a m4/3 rds camera and a converter!!!! or more likly a NIKON

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I do not agree with you there. The way I read this is that m4/3 will be the small and cheap entry level system while you have to buy 4/3 (regardless of those having a mirror or not) if you want faster lenses or weather-sealing.

We have no idea what they actually plan, besides mirrorless (and that hasn't been officially announced). Could it be that people freak out at the idea ans switch systems but then when the product arrives they come back?

If they had said they plan to only produce micro 43 I'd be irritated too. But saying they plan on a new 43 system with the existing lenses is pretty hopeful to me. I have a feeling they know wheat they are up against, performance wise.

--
John Krumm
Juneau, AK

Pixnat2 said:

Remember the E-10?
It was an OVF mirrorless camera :

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse10/
and
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse10/page4.asp

So mirrorless and OVF IS possible indeed!

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But if they use that approach (a fixed beam-splitter), neither the OVF nor the sensor is getting all the light, ever, which means a darker viewfinder and noisier images. That's not exactly a step forward.

--
MFBernstein

'Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.' - Ed Abbey

buddika said:

What if they develop EVF with fast enough refresh rate. An EVF dont have to beat the refresh rate of an OVF, which is practically infinite. An EVF only has to beat the speed of response of human visual system. That they may do in few years.

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60 frame per second seems to be acceptable number for refresh rate, based on video game users, which is not that hard to achieve. I see more of the problem is the lag between what actually transpired in front of the camera and what appears on the EVF, though.

Give the rather slow pace that Olympus brings out new product it will be 5 years before there is an EVF in all of the E-series cameras.

Unless the E-4 will be the first to have EVF..... which I doubt.... but possible. If the E-4 is released this year as an OVF then it will be another 3 years (given the current speed of Olympus design and implementation) for the E-5 with an EVF.

I can not imagine the E-4 being the body that Olympus decides to work the kinks out on.

I have never had a complaint about the OVF on the E-3. It is one of the last pieces of the camera that I would have wanted to change. I do not understand why an EVF is a development priority when there are obviously other areas that Olympus needs to improve first. I think most E-x users are pretty happy with their current OVF........

If the EVF does not work as good (responsive, bright, accurate colors) as the OVF then Olympus has actually done more damage than good.

They will probably lose me as a buyer of new cameras..

Unless some "electronic miracle" occurs, the EVF will always have a detectable delay.. (not real time) OVF works at the speed of light, evf (so far) does NOT.
--
Larry In Mystic Connecticut, USA
Equine Event shooter
Sometimes Wildlife shooter
Sometimes 'Street' Shooter

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory..

Unless otherwise stated ALL images posted by me are copyright:
(c) Lasting Imagery
(c) Larry The Camera Guy
(c) Equinepix
if you use them in any way without my permission I will NOT be a 'Happy Camper'.

Except among a strangely large number of Olympus users.

I have to say that I'm amused by the number of Oly users who seem to think that mirrors. prisms and shutters are the "now and forever" of high end photography.

I'm actually snickering at the folks who are claiming in this thread that they will likely switch to Nikon or Canon. How odd to see people willing to march into oblivion for the sake of their mechanical shutters and flapping mirrors. Seriously...do people ACTUALLY BELIEVE that the current 50+ year old SLR layout has a future?

As was pointed out in the interview, current DSLRs are basically old designs with a sensor where the film was.

Olympus will likely be the FIRST to go with an all electronic system...and some people think they will be the last? People think that Nikon and Canon will still make conventional SLR styled cameras 10 years after Oly goes electronic? Really?

What next...computers without floppy drives? Replacing VHS tapes with discs? Watches that use batteries instead of springs? No way.

The truth is, many of these people would be more comfortable with Canon and Nikon. Olympus is an innovator. Canon and Nikon stick with the safest design possible until they are forced to change. If you hate change, Canon and Nikon are the cameras for you.

Gregm61 said:

TrapperJohn said:

Pretty darn sharp, and that's the micro version.

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That's not what I'm concerned about. What concerns me is what happens to EVF's, including the one in the E-P2, when you press the shutter release to shoot a burst and it blanks out entirely over the course of the burst and you cannot continue following the subject to keep it framed in the finder. Even fast single frame shooting is impossible because it takes the finder so long to come back the subject is gone and you have to re-estabish contact, losing the ability to follow a subject a few seconds after every shot.

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Yup.

The other thing is that EVFs really kill battery life. Compare an E-620 and an E-P2/EVF - 500 shots vs. 300 (CIPA).

--
MFBernstein

'Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.' - Ed Abbey

And does it specifically say not for stills

What bother me here is the fact that only the potential of future CDAF method is higlighted but nothing much about the compatibility with non CDAF optimised lenses.

A bit worrying at the moment for owner of HG and SHG lenses or prospetives buyer.

Let's wait and see....
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guillaumeserandour/

I love Olympus and I really enjoy the new EP2 (although I'm not 100% crazy about the EVF yet).

What concerns me about these media pronouncements is Olympus' apparent disregard for customer opinions. I don't want them telling me what's good enough, in resolution or anything else. That smacks of arrogance in my opinion.

Larry Lynch said:

They will probably lose me as a buyer of new cameras..

Unless some "electronic miracle" occurs, the EVF will always have a detectable delay.. (not real time) OVF works at the speed of light, evf (so far) does NOT.

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the so called delay in practise isnt a problem b/se you act on what you see.

delay' isnt a problem, lag is, lag sees the frames stutter, lag prevents you from acting on what you see

Just remember that any number of weapons sights are electronic now. These include passive IR, image intensifiers, heads up displays, and they are fitted to battlefield weapons, armour and for flight crews as helmet devices and HUDs

if they didnt work, they wouldnt be so prevalent

Australian SAS crew seen through a Bushnell image intensifier somewhere in NW Iraq, they are equipped with weapon sights and helmet mounted devices



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