Olympus expects PEN cameras to replace entry DSLRs
updated 07:45 am EDT, Tue October 12, 2010
Olympus may use Micro Four Thirds for entry DSLRs
Olympus' SLR Product Manager Toshiyuki Terada in a recently discovered interview said the company was likely to use its PEN cameras to replace its entry level. The executive told Poland's Fotopolis it did "not have concrete plans" to update traditional entry DSLRs like the E-620 and could move to Micro Four Thirds cameras for a similar amount of performance. Photographers particularly attached to the larger bodies could get lens mount adapters for full Four Thirds or else trade up to a pro camera like the E-5.
He added that Micro Four Thirds cameras could go beyond their existing niche and fit more professional uses. It could eventually spell the end of DSLRs altogether, but Terada didn't have an expectation of when that would happen.
Olympus is already planning to improve its compacts to appeal to hobbyists as well and is developing fixed lens cameras that still have options for PEN accessories, such as the electronic viewfinder. The system was still in prototype form but would give away its focus through its design. [via Photo Rumors]
