Why Isn't Micro Four Thirds the Perfect Format?
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Loading... - Clara Andersen
- 06 Jul 2022
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Micro Four Thirds had a lot going for it when it launched as it promised low cost, smaller lenses, and good image quality. So why didn’t it become the go-to format?
The new mirrorless era was ushered in with the release of the Panasonic Lumix G1 in November 2008; the future was here for all to see and see they did. As an increasingly frenzied buying public hoovered up more and more cameras, so manufacturers fell over themselves to release new systems. The intention was to give budding new photographers a low-cost taster, then hook them in to buying lenses, accessories, and more expensive cameras. So why wasn’t the upstart Micro Four Thirds system the natural successor to the photographic crown?
Micro Four Thirds (MFT) has had a relatively long and iterative evolution since the birth of its spiritual father — the E-1 — back in 2003. In fact, you could probably argue that the original OM-1 was the spiritual grandfather, as that truly iconic system ushered in an era of contemporary looks married to groundbreaking design that significantly reduced size and weight. The camera proved revolutionary, catapulting Olympus into the “big five” of Japanese camera brands.
It’s ironic then, that the OM was the cause of Olympus’ digital SLR demise and subsequent rebirth in the form of the E-1. The OM-707 was the first — and last — attempt at an autofocus OM which was not only a poor effort, but probably the worst of the autofocus systems released by manufacturers in the 1980s. It ultimately changed Olympus’s strategic direction, and it instead focused on the profitable consumer bridge camera market. OM never transitioned to digital and, by the early 2000s, it was clear that an SLR was needed to fill out its range.
Olympus was not afraid to innovate and developed the E-1 from scratch to meet the perceived needs of the digital camera market. In the same way, the OM shrunk the SLR to more svelte proportions, so the E-1 brought new meaning to a portable DSLR. While Nikon and Canon were constrained by existing film cameras and lenses — meaning each opted for APS-C (and APS-H) or full-frame — Olympus had a blank canvas and, with Kodak, established the Four Thirds format, notably growing the consortium to include Panasonic and Leica.
Sensors were relatively expensive components in the early 2000s, so the 17.3mm by 13mm design offered some significant benefits. It was cheaper and, because it was smaller, the camera and lenses were also smaller and commensurately cheaper. The 2.0x crop-factor brought advantages of reach and depth-of-field and the sensor also brought along with the potential for faster readout times. The E-1 was built from the ground up for the pro news and sports segment and came with a competitive 5-megapixel Kodak sensor, dust/weather sealing, and the first sensor dust removal system (Supersonic Wave Filter), however the frame rate and AF didn’t match Canon and Nikon’s offerings.
Olympus made good with the E-3 in 2007 through significant technical improvements including fast AF and in-body image stabilization (IBIS), however the horse had already bolted by this point (even with the release of the E-5 in 2010). What’s interesting about this product timeline is that MFT arrived in 2008, Olympus’ first model was the diminutive Pen E-P1 in 2009, but it wasn’t until the release of the OM-D E-M5 in 20212 that a genuine top-line MFT model arrived. Read More...
