A new partnership has emerged between two of the world’s largest digital camera manufacturers that could see new technology heading to the market.
Olympus has joined forces with Matsushita - the company behind Panasonic - to put together a new series of lenses that will be lighter, smaller and more versatile.
Named the Micro Four Thirds System (MFTS), the new lens standard will offer a new interchangeable lens system for digital cameras for use with digital single-lens reflex (SLR) model.
The MFTS standard aims to cut mount-to-sensor distance by up to 50 per cent, reduce lens mount outer diameter to six millimetres and increase the number of electrical contacts in mounts from nine to 11.
It is claimed that MFTS camera bodies could soon be “even smaller and slimmer than the light, compact and widely acclaimed Olympus E410 and E420.”
Other high performance compact models in the manufacturer’s range include the ten-megapixel Olympus SP-570UZ.
