[shoplink 23321 ebay]
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Image on top shows the current [shoplink 23321 ebay]VF-2 viewfinder (around $279.95)[/shoplink].
Olympus will not only announce three new cameras and two new lenses, there will be also two new accessories:
1) A new Flash that will be positioned a bit lower than the current [shoplink 23320 ebay]FL-36 flash[/shoplink]. UPDATE: The flash will be called FL-300R.
2) A new Olympus external electronic viewfinder which is cheaper than the current [shoplink 23321 ebay]VF-2 viewfinder (around $279.95)[/shoplink].
I have no specs about both products. That’s why I don’t knwo if the new viewfinder will have the same VF-2 quality or not. But a cheaper alternative is very welcome!
P.S.: Check the current Olympus VF-2 price at [shopcountry 23321].
112 Responses
Olypus is up to something big!
Its good news that a new flash is on the way. Hopefully it will suit the body size of the Pen cameras. I still think that Olympus need an ultra small cheap flash if its true that the E-PM1 and E-PL3 do not have in-built flashes. The FL-14 is a bit expensive. They need a small little thing that they can bundle in with these two cameras to appeal to P&S upgraders.
To be honest I don’t know why they don’t incorporate a small flash into the EVF.
Zaph, that is a great idea! they may even not think of it…
maybe give them a call 😉
Interesting idea. But then that means that everyone who wants a pop-up flash for the E-PM1 and E-PL3 has to buy a VF which they may not want. Anyone who has an E-P3 will (supposedly) have a built-in flash already in the camera. And if they are interested in a VF then I dont think they will want another little flash on the VF to make it more bulky. The people who buy a VF probably tend to use larger hot shoe flashes.
“The people who buy a VF probably tend to use larger hot shoe flashes”
Which they can’t use on camera, or trigger from the hotshoe – because the EVF is in there. If you have a look at most small flashes, the actual flash part is tiny, and could be incorporated into the EVF without adding much bulk at all. It sounds like right now that the E-PL3 has no flash, but can use the EVF, so this way you could have both. I understand that it wouldn’t be a strong or amazingly useful flash for all situations, but it would do in a pinch, and be better than none, where no flash means no photo.
Maybe they have thought forward with this one, and already done it – so that E-PL3 buyers have a good reason to buy the EVF.
Even a LED flash for macro!!
Either that or they should make a compact EVF with hot shoe.
I just bought the FL36R, so I’m kinda glad it will be a lower model, but not if it’s both smaller and nearly the same power!
Tad disappointed about the new EVF. Kinda hoped for a slimmer version of the VF2 with the same or better quality. Can’t have it all though!
This new view finder will only be interesting, if it has at least the same quality as the VF-2 or the EVF of the Panasonic GH2. Other than this would be superfluous crap.
I don’t think you could expect the new EVF to be better, smaller and cheaper indeed.
I suppose they are going to offer a kit-version of the E-P3 and/or the other cameras with the cheaper EVF and the 17mm prime.
Why not? It’s the general tendency with technology, you know?
And we only know it’s cheaper, there are no words about size or quality!…
That would render the VF-2 useless. I don’t think they’ll abandon it.
(I meant better, smaller and cheaper at the same time)
Why wouldn’t they?
They have abandoned the E-P1, and it has been rendered nearly “useless” by newer models. I own one by the way, and it’s working well…
We don’t know if it’s bigger! That’s where my hopes are: bigger, better, cheaper!
Exactly as Duarte keeps saying. There’s absolutely no reason or precedence Olympus (or any company for that matter) wouldn’t “abandon” an obsolete piece of technology when cheaper, better and smaller tech is available. Just look at any modern tech, from P&S cameras to iPods.
Usually if a product is being replaced, it’s being replaced by something that’s of equal pricing or even more expensive. Replacing a single product with something cheaper doesn’t make much sense financially, except for situations like cheaper build costs.
But maybe I’m wrong.
What Archer said.
Cheaper build costs are a high likelihood for an electrical computerized thingamajig with an LCD. For example, every generation of iPods has had more memory, better screen and/or was lighter than the previous – and I’m quite sure every generation has been the same price or cheaper than the previous.
That’s not to say that the new VF won’t have lower specs, just saying that there’s no reason to suspect that it COULD not have better specs and lower price.
Quite the opposite. Every technology company does this in one way or another. The VF-2 is about two years old, and Mr. Moore tells us that it should be possible to do the same electronics for half the price or twice the performance or a mix of the two.
While Moore’s law is perfectly valid for transistor technology, I’m not sure how well it applies to something like an EVF. Obviously as the technology improves, its cost will decrease but I see it taking place a little slower with LCD tech.
Efficient manufacturing can cut costs too.
“don’t think you could expect the new EVF to be better, smaller and cheaper indeed.”
Why not? Microprocessors have been like that for over 25 years?
Generally your argument is true, but you can hope. Sometimes technology does make things cheaper for a change. We’ll read the specs before we decide on anything.
Even if they’re lower end, so what? Some people who don’t need the best can spend less money.
FL-14 is a little expensive for what it is (basically it’s an external flash with the power of a built-in flash…), so a low-end make-do model is needed.
Though I also hope they’ll make something with higher power and with bounce flash. Maybe a FL-32? Not that I use flash a lot, but I think strobists would want something like that. Something similar to Olympus T-32 for OM is a good idea.
Honest, built-in EVF is something we all want but don’t get…. Weird. OVF is better, but I doubt that will ever happen for a mirrorless system.
Unless the new EVF is a lot smaller than the VF-2, I can’t imagine wanting it myself but maybe less expensive is what’s needed for many of those new to m4/3.
I’d be very interested in a smaller accessory flash but it would have to be tiltable for bouncing off the ceiling. I’d like to see them make it really small by powering with the camera instead of having its own batteries.
Good idea about a flash that is powered by the camera batteries.
Aside from this one that admin hinted at which will prob have GN 20 – 30 range – as i said above I think they need a really small and cheap option for P&S upgraders who might be put off buying a M4/3 if there is no built-in flash. This small flash would be perfect if it could be powered from the camera. Just like a pop-up.
Just like the small flash Sony recently announced, and it can also tilt and even has a limited zoom function.
I never understood why the FL-14 can’t tilt, all it takes is a hinge after all. They lost a sale with me just because of that stupid decision, hope they don’t do the same this time!
Yep thats the type of flash that I was thinking about – the one from Sony. Something like that for the Oly hot shoe.
Yes, I agree. A new EVF should be smaller than the VF-2. It doesn’t need to be as good. It’s sufficient if I can frame an image with it and see where the camera focusses.
For working with manual focus lenses, I’ll stick to the VF-2.
I do like the look of the VF-2 but that is expensive. $279 for a small lcd screen in a housing with a hinge. Thats dearer than alot of small compact cameras which have alot more components. Oly need to make a camera with a built-in EVF and not charge too high a premium for it.
They should reduce the price of the VF-2 to around $150 and then offer a cost reduced version for around $75-100 to those with E-PM and E-PL cameras.
That would be reasonable and would allow them to sell more units than what they are currently.
Agreed about the price. I’ve never really understood how manufacturers can charge so much for viewfinders, electronic or optical.
Yep, it’s photography premium taken to extremes. It’s even crazier in video world – just take a look at how much a 5-12 inch viewing screen for digital video cams or video DSLRs costs, and compare to similarly sized laptop screens.
Cost per unit.
Great news on the EVF. Hopefully it will be a match for the OLED EVF Sony is going to put in their A-77 and NEX-7. My ideal would be to do away with the hinge to make it a bit smaller (hinge is pointless if you have an LCD on the back of a camera to use at weird angles). Make it of out aluminum (why put a plastic EVF on a metal camera?). Finally, and most importantly, add a hot shoe on top.
Yes, a hot shoe on top would be killer. I’d probably trade my VF-2 for one if it has the shoe mount; I like the articulation in the VF-2, but I’d gladly give that up if it meant I could still use a flash.
a hotshoe on top? wouldn’t that hurt the circuit board of the VF? And besides, it will look weird as it will be tall…
I have no idea about the circuitry as I am not an engineer, however cameras have had hot shoes mounted atop view finders since the early days of SLR’s. See the Olympus OM-4 or Pentax LX as perfect examples.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Olympus_OM-4.jpg
It may look a bit odd, but I don’t care so long as it allows me to use an RF trigger.
+1 radio trigger on top of the EVF.
Well…the viewfinders of those days are glass opticals…maybe that wouldn’t heat/shock due to flash.
The new Pen should have at least a PC sync that would be awesome!!! I bet nobody thought of that? Their small enough even for the old film cameras…
If they are going to put anything on it, they could recycle the old 5 pin connector they used on the C-* series of cameras back in the day, though this time around, they should provide a proper 5 pin to hot-shoe cable. Of course if they used the 5 pin, I could use my Promaster 5750DX flash that I use with my C-2100UZ.
The other way to do it, is have an extension cord for the accessory port and use the hot-shoe as normal, and mount the EVF on a bracket to the side.
A third way is to put another hot-shoe and accessory port on the left side of the camera.
I’m crossing my fingers here.
The Panasonic external EVF was crap and that’s why it never took off because it was a cheap accessory as far as usability is concerned.
The Olympus EVF being cheaper than the VF-2 only says it’s newer, and since this is technology it generally indicates it’s going to be better…
I’m really hoping for better and bigger, actually!
bigger? please no…better? well the vf-2 is actually very good already..
VF-3 should at least have a locking mount. probably the hinge construction will go (which i use frequently tilted up), being cheaper, and so a metal version is highly unlikely.
When I said bigger I meant I wanted better resolution! If it’s the same size all the better!
I want an EVF that attaches to the left side of the camera.
Just like the flashes attached to the XA film cameras:
http://www.cameraquest.com/xa4.htm
Yes i think that would be good “rangefinder” solution for alot of us. Best of both worlds. When its on its secured by a fastener and the hot-shoe is free. Then Oly could do a built-in EVF in dSLR style to replace E-xxx
I want an EVF that stays on the camera!!! I don’t want to loose a 200$ EVF.
Then buy a Panasonic G1/2/10/3 or GH1/2. You have plenty of choices!
Or maybe a compact camera, so you don’t risk losing the lenses too 🙂
In fact I’m waiting to see what olympus does for real… 😉
A lens locks in place, so do straps, lens covers, filters, converters, tripod mount accessories, etc… Pretty much all camera equipment and accessories lock or screw in place. The only exception is the VF-2 viewfinder.
Now, that makes some sense that the new E-P3 will not have a build-in EVF. Wish it have one though. Love to see how small it’s gotta be, but not scarifies the resolution.
I think new EVF will be low res one like panny, which aiming for lower model & amateur.
Do low end users care about EVF’s? Most people coming from the P&S world have never used a view finder. Low res EVF’s like the Panasonic are pretty pointless as far as I’m concerned. I guess they’ll work in a pinch if the sunlight is too harsh, but they’re in no way enjoyable to use.
O/T. Light Field sensor. Captures also the direction of light, what allows to control DoF/focus in PP. http://allthingsd.com/20110621/meet-the-stealthy-start-up-that-aims-to-sharpen-focus-of-entire-camera-industry/
That light field sensor looked interesting, only problem is the photos look like total rubbish. Very low quality – worse than form a phone!
Considering that the tech is in early development, you just don’t know what it will do in two-three years. I would love to see these guys build a m4/3’s camera.
I want an EVF with a flash socket on top, so that I can wirelessly fire my studio flash with my Elinchrom EL-Skyport.
I want accessories like those off camera hot shoe (the one with twirling phone cord-like cable) that also plug into the accessory port in addition to the hot shoe pins. Instant off camera viewfinder, maybe with addition of remote shutter button.
No practical reason, only because it seems doable. 😀
Seika:
Yes, I wish they made an extension cable for the accessory port. I suspect it is an HDMI-like cable underneath, but it is a somewhat different form factor.
For the current Pens, except the E-PL1 which does not support the wired shutter release, there are already remote viewers with a shutter button. The cheapest one seems to be the Yongnuo model:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270636797934&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT
The Aputure Gigtube is a little more expensive, but it has a hot-shoe mount and swivel screen that might be useful:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380304998802&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT
Phottix has the Hector remote:
(hector display): http://www.phottix.com/en/wired-remotes/phottix-hector-live-view-remote.html
(cable for Olympus): http://www.phottix.com/en/accessories/extra-hector-cable.html
Aputure Gigtube also makes a wireless version:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380322360833&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT
Now, the fine print:
These devices use the audio/video out support, which Olympus only provides QVGA resolution (320×240).
As I mentioned above, the E-PL1 does not support a wired shutter release.
Olympus uses a combined cable for A/V out, shutter release, USB (and in some p&s cameras, battery recharging), but does not provide a combined cable so that you could put your own video device with a shutter release. I ordered the Phottix Hero cable, to see if it would be useful to do the separation.
Another issue with the combined cable is Olympus chose exactly the wrong location to put this cable (where you grip the camera with your right hand).
I picked up the following hand held device that I can connect with my E-3 and E-P2 in live view to display the image in a removable display. I have a mechanical shutter release modified so I can use it on my E-P2.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270645468221&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
Ah, seen those Aputure before. It’s just look bulky above the camera.
The JXD does look cheap enough for a not so serious use. Thanks 🙂
About the accessories port, does it also support signal to the camera ? I guess it does because of the LCD/EVF switch.
Yes, I imagine the viewers are better for camera on a pole/tripod type situations, rather than on the camera.
The communication is 2 way because the SEMA-1 microphone needs to be able to record the sound (and perhaps the bluetooth accessory introduced with the E-PL2).
@AndyOz : Yes, that “EVF that attaches to the left side of the camera” should be a fair second choice solution, assuming those 2 dumb companies can’t provide what we have been emphasizing for… years now !!!
But maybe next automn we will have been heard ? -)
‘FL-300R’?! it maybe ‘FL-30R’ 🙂
If ‘300’ is right, then we will see the monsterous flash with GN 300 😀
LOL. This is Spartaaaaaaa!!!
Unless they changed the distance scale from meters to decimeter, then a guide number of 300 would make sense. Or maybe they are just decoupling the flash model number from the guide number.
In terms of powering the flash from the camera, unless they add more pins and change the hot-shoe layout, it probably is not going to happen. Given it looks like the E-PM will use a smaller battery than the BLS-5, it likely means it means it will have power issues, and an external flash will drain the batteries even faster.
It would be nice if the new EVF has a knurled knob so that it will lock on the hot-shoe.
Re. powering the flash: the formerly “new” pens have that accessory port under the HS for the EVF & other accessories. If the flash were small enough power-wise (say similar to the on-board flashes of other digicam’s) then you might be able to get enough power out of this port. Of course then it would only work on the newer cam’s with the accessory port.
I’d like to see a REALLY small (a la NEX3 & 5) flash. Small enough to fit into an underwater housing and just strong enough to trigger my real strobes.
Hope they can make a viewfinder that fits better to the PEN design. EVF-2 looks really out of place on top of nice retro designs.
I wish it will be lower profile EVF. Wouldn’t really matter if Oly had sacrificed the hinged design for looks and lower profile. One can anyway use the LCD to weird compositions.
Alfons – totally agree. The VF needs to be a bit squarer and to sit a bit lower to suit the E-P2/3 model design and I think they will need to remove the hinge. That way there are two VFs – one with hinge and one without. Gives people choice.
I don’t agree on your concept, but I agree it needs to fit the body better! I always imagine it should look like a mini telescope. I also have some crazy concepts on how it should look, but it shouldn’t look too out of place, like current VF design…. Should I bring up Olympus O-Product again? That camera is a museum piece and a digital version is needed (it is a film P&S by the way).
you mean like a boxed design right? I can picture my style of VF. If i summit the design, would Olympus like it?
Give it a go. Trying sketching it and post it for us to see. Although the VF that is coming next week wont be changed – so maybe Oly might look at it for the future!!
FL-300R is the Panasonic number for what is the same flash
oh wait that was FL360r, sorry
Any likelyhoood of a new EVF for GF1?
Some old post somewhere seems to suggest the official statement that GF1 accessories port doesn’t have the bandwidth for larger video size, so assuming the GF2 and 3 is using the same specification, better EVF might not come.
Also it’s just for the GF, which is a third of their lineup (G and GH don’t need it) as opposed to the PEN.
I hope the new flash can be angled upwards.
Good news all around! Thanks for posting it all admin. 🙂 I can remember the dark days when we had to WAIT for product announcements. Now thanks to you, we get them all ahead of time. 😉
You were lucky! I remember the days when we had to wait for the magazines to come out with the product announcements, because there were no company web site thingies.
I hope the old VF-2 will also continue to function on the new devices. @admin Any info about it?
Meh. Olympus will charge a premium again for the new EVF. Just make a camera with built – in EVF and be done with it. Highway robbery….
As i said before…i dont see room for “lower spec EVF”
the current VF-2 is the same quality as G3 EVF, i’m sure it dosnt cost 280$ to produce SO olympus can very well drop the price to 150$ and introduce a new 3mpx OLED EVF (same as upcoming sony) with a premium 290$ price tag
such move will help oly to compete with sony, and will move their MFT system forwared, instead of backward(if to introduce a lower spec evf)
I don’t know. Over in dpreview, I see many, many gripes about the price of the EV-2, particularly from XZ-1 users. I could see a lower spec EV-3 that doesn’t tilt, and maybe comes in at $99 would be a big seller.
Michael, i am talking about pricing the current VF-2 at 139$,
if the newest camera G3 can have such a viewfinder for 599$ then i’m sure it can sell for 139$ as well…oly have to suck it up if they want to be competetive
2.Oly needs to compete with sonys latest 3mpx evf’s, so they can introduce a premium priced 280$ 3mpx oled vf, and make money on that one…
I wish Olympus will include the Super FP mode in the new compact flash. All the popup flash and low-end flashes has a max sync speed of 1/180… This makes it really difficult to do fill-flash. To make matters worse, now the minimum ISO is 200. Most of the time I have to shoot at f/18 or f/22 to get that kind of shutter speed in bright daylight.
My old Canon G11 can fill-flash comfortably at 1/2000… If m43 were to replace all the high end compact, there need to be a solution. Carrying a compact E-PL2 or E-PM1 with an FL-50R just for Super FP mode fill-flash would be a big joke…
Jack, the traditional solution is to get neutral density filters to reduce the amount of light entering the camera. You can use a polarizing filter too if the polarization effects are acceptable.
Note, some users have reported that the FP-TTL flashes are problematical in very bright daylight, due to the fact that the sun overpowers the popup controller, and the flash just doesn’t notice the pulse of light.
Also note the XZ-1 can sync at high speeds, because unlike the Pens, it does not have a focal plane shutter.
Well quality is quite important for a EVF, so let’s hope the new one replaces the old by simply being a more efficient design without quality loss. Can’t imagine that those who do decide to go with a EVF attachment don’t want the best quality.
I hear the VF-2 is of great quality, but good enough to be anything less ? Maybe 2 years ago, but not today i guess.
Thanks Michael, that was good advice. I should stop being lazy and start using ND filters…
If you are manually focusing lens then the quality of the EVF becomes important. I tend not to manually focus, and I just want an EVF to be able to frame the shot and do a review of the shot without moving the camera in the bright sun, just like I had when I was shooting with my C-2100UZ 9 years ago. Now for me, given I bought the EV-2, it is an academic question, but if I was just starting out with Pens, I could see getting an EVF that is QVGA quality (320×240) instead of 800×600 for a cheaper price.
I recently bought a clearviewer for my E-P2, because I can’t really use the VF-2 when I’m shooting in the direct sun, due to my wearing polarized sunglasses (I can’t see a VF-2 in landscape orientation with polarized sunglasses on, while I can’t see the LCD when the camera is in portrait orientation). I also got the clearviewer so that I could use my external flash and/or microphone. So alternatives exist, but every alternative has some issues involved.
VF2 the more I use it the more I like it, makes my PL1 look as a STEAMPUNK machine, especially with the old 9-18 or with legacy lenses.
I believe we’ll have a cheaper alternative, perhaps more streamlined, lesser resolution, but the VF2 will still be king until we get the RF camera.
BTW a locking mechanism would make the VF more easy to break, which it can’t do if it can glide apart.
A great alternative would be to have it connected to a cable, or wi fi, and a clip for a spectacles’ type of mount. Oly did register a patent for the latter. Split the viewing from the camera body, v. interesting.
I’ve been thinking about purchasing a VF2 since all my lenses are legacy (besides the kit lens). Just wondering how bad is the noise vs. the LCD? Trying to manual focus in low light on the LCD is nearly impossible, there’s so much noise/blue noise all over the LCD and I’m wondering if the VF2 has the same characteristics?
mambastik:
Yes, the noise would be the same thing, since in both cases you are going through the sensor of the camera. All that is different is the EVF has a higher pixel could for the earlier Pens than the LCD, and the image is much more vivid.
You can get rid of much of the noise by a setting in the menu (Boost or something). It makes the LCD/VF less responsive (Does not update so fast when stuff changes infront of the camera or when you move it) but it is totaly worth it since you can then focus in a lot less light than with “boosting” on.
Amalric, what is wrong with making your PL1 look as a STEAMPUNK machine?
My icon photo is of my first attempt at a steampunk camera, with my E-P2 housed inside of a 1915 Kodak Premo Pony 5×7 body with the lens removed. I have now moved on to making my custom frame for my E-3, since the E-3 is weather sealed, and rain unfortunately happens in outdoor events.
In terms of remote viewing, you can do that now. I have a reply earlier with some links, but they are awaiting moderation, so it may be some time before they show up.
Using the A/V out cable, you can plug in anything that takes an analogue video signal. I recently bought a portable music/video player with video in capability that I can have the live view output remote. There are some combined devices that do both remote view and shutter release on ebay.
My major complaint is the location of the A/V out cable is where you hold the camera with your right hand. A second complaint is Olympus does not allow live view on HDMI devices. There is a nice 7″ portable HDMI screen for video productions that would be really sweet to use if they provided HDMI resolution.
I would love to find a clip on unit for glasses, but so far, I haven’t found one cheap enough for a fun hack.
Hopefully the new EVF will only lose the hinge and keep all the other specs.
Michael, I am all for steampunk devices, perhaps my message wasn’t conveyed with the needed irony.
I am all with futuristic devices being introduced with a retro style. The irony of it!
amalric, could you please tell me how can i use my username as a link like you have? 🙂
Frosti, the Website you filll in when replying here is directly linked to your nick by the system. So by clicking the latter you activate the other. A nice feature.
where to fill in the website?
what do you mean “here” ?
In the form you fill in to post the first time.
and if i’m a registered user?
admin some help here please 🙂
What is doing Olympus is really tempting! As a legacy user…the only concern for me is the 2x crop factor which really is a deal breaker for me T,T
Well the crop factor is based on the sensor size. If you want a 1:1 crop factor, you need to get the so-called full frame DSLRS from Canon, Nikon, and Sony. Obviously, this comes at a cost in terms of size, weight, and cost.
…and sacrifices the ability to use a large number of legacy lenses.
I dunno, a lot of people use legacy lenses on 4/3rds and micro 4/3rds systems. If you want to use those lenses without a crop factor, digital cameras exist that will use them. Personally, I prefer using a smaller form factor camera that is cheaper. Everything in life is a tradeoff, and you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Not, i use all OM lens from 16mm Fisheye to 600mm, but natural i my first HG FT lens is ZD 8mm F3.5 Fisheye so i E-330 by buy.
If E-PM1 and E-PL3 really do not have integrated flashes, Olympus NEEDS to bundle them with small external units like Sony did with its NEX models. Or they’ve completely missed their target buyer. Whether FL-300R is that one remains to be seen, a “serious” flashgun smaller then FL-36 is also needed. FL-14 is too bulky as well and cannot rotate.
Note, when the E-P1 and E-P2 came out, they did bundle in the FL-14 for $99 extra (normal price of the FL-14 is $199 if memory serves). But you still have the problem you cannot use the VF-2 and external flash at the same time.
Agree, but E-P1/2 are enthusiast orientated models, while E-PM1 and E-PL3 are geared towards P&S upgraders, which are used to flash.
For enthusiasts, Olympus needs to make fixed EVF with hot shoe.
The VF2 IMHO is far more important than the flash, although I would rather have a port apart from the hotshoe.
As sensitivity increases, need for flash is less and less.
Sure, for the “lighting up the scene” flash is less important with better sensitivity, but flash is still important for fill, effects and especially for good controlled lighting. For the last part however the hotshoe is only used for control, if it was possible to add an advanced flash controller (or even a simple cactus-like-device) to somewhere else.
More great news…. Thanks…. Making the viewfinder more accessable by price point is a very important decsion for Olympus. The benifits are huge in marketing electronic viewfinders as one way forward. If they become so popular everyone wants one, then the market will be ready for cameras with them built in, like I imagine the pro pen to be…. The pro pen will have to be bigger, so there will need to be counter balances to lure people into them…. Keep up the fantastic rumours, it is shapping up to be a great week for me…
I do hope this EVF will have a flash sync out socket, So I can control studio flashes with my PEN while composing with an EVF.
Martin Lind:
If you buy one of the cameras with a pop-up flash (E-PL1, E-PL2, and I believe E-P3) then you can use the pop-up flash to trigger the studio strobes.
If you are willing to do some DYI, other users in the past have shown that the flash hot-shoe is still active when the VF-2 is used. They were able to tape wires down to connect the 4 pins on the bottom of the hot-shoe, and one on the side, and then carefully slide in the VF-2. Still, it is a shame that Olympus didn’t provide either an extension cord for the VF-2 or some port on it to provide a hot-shoe.
You have the same issue with the SEMA-1 and VF-2. You might want to use the EVF and record with an external microphone at the same time when making videos.
On second thoughts Oly could simply provide a plug or port for an external flash, although in the PL1 the pop put flash can already activate one. Some other accessories like a GPS or the PenPal might later be integrated in a bigger body, and so the EVF.
Size against built in accessories: there is probably room for a fourth model in the future.
Great news about the smaller flash. A small camera system needs a small flash. I had considered the yongnuo and metz smaller ones, but if the oly model has Super FP then it’ll probably be olympus.
As for the viewfinder, i hope it is smaller than the current one, while retaining or improving image quality.
Well, globele shotter is very importan by flash use, so a not need large flash by and hight speed shotter.