Olympus/Kodak confirms ambitious SLR project

24th September - 2002
By Ian Burley

3PM CET, Olympus official statement - click here.

LIVE FROM PHOTOKINA 2002, COLOGNE, GERMANY

No more rumours - the ‘Olydak’ thoroughbred digital SLR system is on its way, though you’ll have to wait a while yet. Fuji named as potential partner.

Is Olympus going to deliver a digital OM-style SLR system?

The Olympus Photokina 2002 press conference has just finished and we can now gleefully report that Olympus has at last confirmed that its much rumoured collaboration with Kodak to build an entirely new digital SLR system is in its advanced stages.

And here is our first shot of the mock up Four Thirds prototype shown today

An official statement we can now publish (click here) reveals that the project is called Four Thirds, a reference to the 4/3 inch CCD being developed by Kodak for the new camera.

Key points include:

• Olympus chose the sensor size, which is smaller than other existing 35mm legacy digital SLRs, to avoid legacy issues like focal length shift and angle of incident problems at the extreme edges of the frame which can be manifested by large sensor chips.
• We’re told the new system will feature an open design of ‘universal’ lens mount, which sounds very reminiscent of the Pentax K mount back in the early 1980s.
• Four Thirds lenses will be much more compact than comparable 35mm SLR camera lenses, with , say - a 300mm sized lens being more comparable to the optical reach of a 600mm lens in 35mm format terms. This suggests we can expect a much more compact camera form factor than current digital SLRs - dare we suggest, like a digital OM system.
• Fuji Film is mentioned as being interested in the new system; a sign, perhaps that it wants to move away from its dependence on Nikon. Don’t forget that Fuji Film has worked in exclusive partnership with Olympus to bring the new xD memory card platform to fruition.
• A product you can buy is some time away - this isn’t a Christmas 2002 stocking filler.

We’re still digesting the revelations of the press conference and will be posting more information, including photos, from today’s proceedings on our special DP-Now Photokina discussion board - come and join us there and also tell us what your initial reaction is to this and all the other Photokina news.

Olympus UK
Olympus PIX site

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