Olympus’s first Micro Four Thirds digital camera will resemble the legendary Olympus Pen camera which debuted half a century ago, a Japanese press report claims.
The long-awaited camera is due to be officially unveiled this summer.
So far, only mocked-up versions of the camera have been shown to journalists at photographic trade shows.
Reporting from a Japanese press conference, held earlier this month, respected trade publication Pen News Weekly states: ‘The announcement this time indicates that the actual model to be introduced will feature a considerably different outer design, that bears a close resemblance to the legendary Pen 18x24mm camera.’
Olympus president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa is quoted as saying: ‘More than 30% of the users of compact digital cameras wish to use DSLR cameras but they do not actually step up to DSLRs simply because of prices, sizes, weights and difficulties to use.’
He added: ‘We at Olympus wish to make an appeal to those people with the new Micro Four Thirds DSLR-type camera, hoping to regain lost ground in our imaging business by focusing on the Micro Four Thirds system.’
An Olympus UK spokesman declined to comment on the report.
The Olympus Pen first appeared in 1959. On its website chronicling the history of the Pen-series camera, the firm states: ‘The design process began with the concept of creating a camera that could be sold for ¥6,000. The Pen combined the superb photographic performance of the D-Zuiko lens with excellent portability, and it was also used by professional photographers as a secondary camera.’
Click here to watch a short 50th Anniversary movie about the Olympus Pen, and for more on the camera’s history.
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