Olympus execs: E-5 sequel due in 2013, mates Micro Four Thirds with Four Thirds
Photographers invested in the Four Thirds system haven't had many options lately, most of all if they prefer Olympus camera bodies -- the E-5 arrived in 2010, and hasn't really had company since. Olympus imaging president Haruo Ogawa and the company's Spanish lead, Miquel Angel Garcia (seen above), are both promising interviewers an E-5 sequel by the end of 2013, but it may not be what some expect. Both executives say the camera will support Micro Four Thirds lenses, yet take full advantage of the Four Thirds system. Based on earlier remarks and patents, DSLR Magazine speculates that it's a Micro Four Thirds camera that can mount the larger glass through a converter. Garcia may have hinted as much by telling Quesabesde that the mystery shooter ends a "transition period" that began in 2009: when nearly all of the company's interchangeable lens-based lineup has shifted to Micro Four Thirds over that time, there's only so much room left for interpretation. There's months to wait before we know precisely what's underway, but the clues suggest Olympus may bid farewell to the traditional DSLR within a year's time.
[Image credit: Quesabesde]
