Crystal-ball-gazing (or - Who and When will meet my DSLR w..

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Here's my wild prediction, based on little other than what I am seeing
and hearing around the net..

Olympus/Panasonic/Leitz (and possibly one other surprising 'outsider' -
woohoo!!) will join forces more formally, and release a camera system
that meets pretty much all of the following list... but it may not be
before mid-early 2006, and there will be one 'minor' upgrade to the
E-range before then. The 'almost perfect' camera will have:

DSLR, 4/3 format
12 Mp (or greater, but I doubt it, at least for a couple of years!)
'Good' high ISO performance (better than E-300, but possibly less than
current DSLR's)
Extended Dynamic Range (an underrated issue, and one which can help
cancel out any noise criticisms..)
Automatic sensor cleaning (ultrasound + ....?)
In-camera stabilisation
'Live' (but probably 'limited') LCD preview and histogram
Range of new Oly Zuiko, Panasonic/Leitz, Sigma 4/3 lenses
.....

I really do believe Olympus and Panasonic could not give a $%^& about
following the 35mm DSLR path or mindlessly battling it out for the last
megapixel. There is a huge niche market outside 35mm DSLRs, and if
they can achieve a decent high-resolution smaller-format camera, that
'niche' could very well eat up a significant portion of the rest of the
market. There are frequently unflattering comments about Olympus
cameras in these forums (and hey, I criticise them too - there are
several things about my Oly C8080 that really get up my nose), but I
think those who slag off about the 4/3 system are missing the point.
That point is simply this.. I'm not the only one who would love a
system that is SMALL (both camera and lenses), had a reasonable range
of high quality lenses from a number of manufacturers, and was capable
of sharp enlargements to 13" x 19" (ish).

OK, the current offerings from Oly may not quite be there, but they are
very close, they are currently re-structuring the company in a big way,
and they've released some very promising (if horribly expensive)
lenses... I could be wrong, they might also be about to sink like a
stone (O; - but as an eternal optimist, I can dream.

The 4/3 thing is in it's infancy. We've all heard of the higher noise
at high ISO's and the expense/limited range of the lenses. But does
anyone think those issues are insurmountable? All it needs is a
quieter and slightly higher-res sensor... Actually I think the noise
issue is blown out of proportion - hell, my 8080 prosumer has worse
noise than the E-300, and it's perfectly managable and generally
invisible for 90% of my shooting. (The remaining 10% I should be
shooting on medium format anyway.. (O;) Some people just don't seem to
know how to *use* their available dynamic range.. (ducks and hides)


And then, if the 4/3 system does manage to take off, the
limited/expensive lens range problem may simply take care of itself as
Tamron and others flock to fill the need.

I'm not holding my breath, but I still think we should watch the 4/3
space very carefully........... And if I'm right, I am *so* going to
gloat (after I've spent a few weeks playing with my `realised
wish-list`..) And I think Stacey will be impossible too..

So, seeyaz in 2006, when I may return to dig up this post!


PS - I apologise for the 'RichA' style post. I won't do it again.. (O;