4/3rds and APS-C aren't much different in size, so agreed: for the love of Mike will somebody please build a usable pocket camera containing one! The DP1 was so nearly it, but a lens that collapses more into the body, and a seconds per frame somewhere lower than 5 are the next steps, I hope.
Kit Laughlin wrote:
I think one of the 4/3rds sensors would be an excellent compromise; I have always maintained that larger sensors are the way to go, and the E-420 sensor does make quite clean files—certainly good enough for a quality P&S.
I sold the DP1, and kept the E-420: larger, but way more flexible. It's all a compromise.
I agree with this. I've long expressed the opinion that Olympus should do a 4/3'rds sensor compact -- and digital Pen F, if you will. It's clear that the 4/3'rds sensor isn;t working too well for them (as evidenced by sales), and an 4/3rds compact might be a way of leveraging their investment and commitment to the sensor. I suspect it would sell as well as the E-3 and cost them a lot less to develop and produce.
Lotusm50 wrote:
Now if they only took the next step with this type of camera and put an APS sensor in it.
StevenPA wrote:
Lotus is right: put an APS sensor in there!
The bigger the sensor, the bigger the lens.
If they put an APS sensor on a camera with a 28-112mm equivalent lens, you'll end up with something that looks exactly like the Sony DSC-R1. And that ain't no compact camera no more...
What they need to do is match Fuji's 6 MP SUPER CCD sensor from the F30 with the f2.0 zoom lens from the Powershot G6. The F30 @ ISO 400 looks excellent for a compact camera, on par with ISO 1600 on most consumer dSLRs. Coupled with an image stabilized version of the f2.0 zoom lens from the G6, you have a camera that could be just as useful in low light as typical entry level dSLRs with their kit lenses.
Rubber Soul wrote:
The bigger the sensor, the bigger the lens.
If they put an APS sensor on a camera with a 28-112mm equivalent lens, you'll end up with something that looks exactly like the Sony DSC-R1. And that ain't no compact camera no more...
<snip> The F30 @ ISO 400 looks excellent for a compact camera,...
Who needs a 5x or 6x mega-zoom lens? (Especially since it will be pretty poor over most of that range). Further, the Sony R1 had a lot of features that contributed to it's size.
Also, the point of all this is not having a camera that "looks good for a compact", but one that will look as good as a DSLR. We had this in the film era. You can't tell me that this is something that can't be done in the digital era. Digital compacts, however, have yet to come up to the quality offered by quality film compacts and reach their potential.
It can be done, let's not assume that it has to do everything -- just give us a simple compact with an APS (or 4/3'rds) sensor, with a quality fixed focal length lens (somewhere in say, the 28mm to 50mm range), that's works the way we expect it to, and there will be a lot of happy people.
It can be done, let's not assume that it has to do everything -- just give us a simple compact with an APS (or 4/3'rds) sensor, with a quality fixed focal length lens (somewhere in say, the 28mm to 50mm range), that's works the way we expect it to, and there will be a lot of happy people.
quote
...so basically what we have already..the DP1..but one that has quicker raw write speed and any other necessary improvements.
As with all things we can assume, I would think, the DP1 will be improved upon within the year, wether by sigma in an updated version, or by another manufacturer in a new camera.
or Stylus Epic... or Fuji Natura... etc. One problem is that those classic small film point-n-shoots had very high angle of incidence on the film. This may not work well on a digital sensor (if you recall all the fuss about the M8). Then again I don't recall much complaining about the 1.5x RD1.
marcwilson wrote:
...so basically what we have already..the DP1..but one that has quicker raw write speed and any other necessary improvements.
As with all things we can assume, I would think, the DP1 will be improved upon within the year, wether by sigma in an updated version, or by another manufacturer in a new camera
even in film days, these cameras were fairly scarce... so I don't know about "a lot of happy people," only two (you and me!)... but even with full size DSLRs, most people "need the versatility of a zoom," so a fixed length non-interchangable compact digi? Don't know... and then they'd probably still make is a 35mm effective FL
>> just give us a simple compact with an APS (or 4/3'rds) sensor, with a quality fixed focal length lens (somewhere in say, the 28mm to 50mm range), that's works the way we expect it to, and there will be a lot of happy people.
Olympus and Panasonic are working on a P+S sized interchangeable lens camera with Four Third's sensor. They are also introducing new lenses to work with the smaller format.
If it wasn't for the new m4:3 possibilities I would be very excited at this camera!
*EDIT* Just saw how slow that lens is at the long end, given the tiny zoom factor there is no excuse for that slow a lens. Sorry Nikon, you've fluffed it.
