Four Thirds standard
Seven companies now support the Four Thirds digital camera system open standard.
For high-resolution digital capture, most professional photographers have turned to either the Canon or Nikon digital camera systems, but a few pros, and an even a higher number of prosumers have turned to Olympus, who with Kodak, initiated a new digital system standard called Four Thirds. Since then, the number of companies to support the Four Thirds standard has rapidly risen to seven: Eastman Kodak, Fuji Photo Film, Leica (Digilux 3), Panasonic, Olympus, Sanyo, and Sigma.
All seven of these companies have come together to support a new open standard in image sensor size and lens mount, which means that any of the Four Thirds lenses made by any of these companies will fit and work on ANY of the other Four Thirds camera brand bodies. This is a major step in compatibility between brands! This means that if you like the new, 10 MP, Olympus E-400 camera (the world’s smallest and lightest D-SLR at only 375 grams), but you love Leica optics, you can now have both! It also means that your investment in digital equipment should now have a slower depreciation factor.
Unlike other digital camera systems that have been slowly adapted from our analog 35mm cameras, the Four Thirds standard has been developed for digital from the ground up. Over the years, the design of SLR cameras was like a secret art handed down in the family. Each manufacturer maintained its own standards and traditions. However, to facilitate faster development and innovation of the Four Thirds System, Olympus early on considered establishing it as an open standard.
Designers and engineers at Olympus felt that this was the opportunity to review the optimum size of the SLR camera, and to them, the OM-1 (introduced in 1972) had long been regarded as the original compact, lightweight SLR camera, the camera that first challenged the conventional wisdom of what an SLR should be. In the fall of 1999, Olympus engineers selected the 4/3-type image sensor as the basis for a new digital standard that would provide balance between the picture quality expected of SLR cameras and the compactness needed to ensure high mobility at the highest level. But it was not until June 2003 that the first Four Thirds-based SLR camera, the Olympus E-1 was announced.
The 4/3 Theory: A Four Thirds image sensor has an aspect ratio of 4:3, unlike the typical 35mm SLR style image sensor’s aspect ratio of 3:2—which mimics film. The diagonal size of the 4/3-type image sensor is about half that of a 35mm full frame sensor. This means that the focal distance required to obtain a given angle of view is half that needed for a 35mm film camera. As a result, the optical system can be made much smaller. Moreover, because the effective aperture can be reduced without reducing brightness, the Four thirds system makes it possible to design much brighter lenses.
The foundation for the high picture quality of the Four Thirds system is the lens mount, which is about twice the diameter of the image circle. This extra headroom allows much more freedom in lens design and ensures sharp, clear imaging performance. (By the way, Olympus has a lens mount adapter that allows old OM system lenses to work on the Four Thirds system mount!)
Benefits of Four Thirds System: The advantages of the Four Thirds system are now widely recognized around the world:
* 100% Digital Concept - Digital-dedicated design optimizes performance of the image sensor (the design and 4/3 ratio of the sensor allows for better optical performance, and at smaller sizes).
* High Mobility - Compact design maximizes camera mobility (cameras and lenses are often up to 1/2 the size and weight of regular 35mm digital cameras).
* Open Standard - Ensures expandability and compatibility of products from different manufacturers.
The complete case for the Four Thirds System Standard, which now has great momentum, is explain in a new Web site:
This includes the Four Thirds “story”, a complete explanation of the “Standard” (and its benefits), the “Supporting” companies and their products (although we did not see all the lenses and camera bodies from Leica, Sanyo and Sigma listed here). While photographers by in large love the old 35mm 3/2 ratio, many are beginning to see the benefits of a new open 4/3 digital standard that has been pioneered by Olympus.
Posted by Royce Bair on 03/27 at 12:55 PM
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