Olympus Pen Digital And Maybe A New Way Of Thinking
6/07/2009 05:00:00 PM
Do you recall the story of my uncle's war camera - the little Olympus Pen half frame? Well, looks like they've reinvented it (read here) digitally using the new micro 4/3 sensor technology and it got me thinking.Since you know by now I believe deeply that the best camera is the one that's with you. And since I'm an advocate of keeping a camera with you at all times, it's obvious that small cameras are easier to haul around than large ones. As such, this little Olympus--and potentially a huge wave of cameras following this path (ahem, Nikon and Canon?)-- could drive a revolution of small, high powered cameras with interchangeable lenses. I mean, c'mon, check out this sweet little 17mm 2.8 on this Pen. This camera clearly fits into your shirt pocket. If these micro 4/3 sensors can get noise issues figured out and they can add an array of lenses... [Click 'continue reading' link below]
--
...might we be onto something?
Don't get me wrong, those of us that have them, we love our D3x's and H3D's for the majority of large scale commercial work--and that level of camera is certainly here to stay--, but it seems we could be in for a real polarization of technology in the very near future. At one end, the really big and buff - the big dSLRs I mentioned + DSMC's like the forthcoming RED camera system; and at the other end of the spectrum a new standard--perhaps even professional quality--of highly effective micro cameras.
And it's what this begets that interests me: Might we then also see a new era of professional photographer, a backlash in the spirit of Terry Richardson who lands large commercial commissions but who'd rather shoot Kate Moss with a point and shoot than with a Hasselblad?
The only thing that's constant is change.
