Olympus is working on a ground breaking compact camera. A recent patent describes a 50mm (FF equivalent) f/1.0 lens deisgned for a 1:1.7 inch sensor used by the current current XZ-series (here on Amazon). This would become the worldwide fastest compact camera! Would love to get such a camera and you?
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For US readers: $50 off on the new STylus 1 via thrid party resellers at Amazon US (Click here).
53 Responses
I have been asking for such a camera for forever. Actually a 1″ with 35mm equiv f1 would be perfect! Make it like a Pentax MX-1 but with optional EVF / Hotshoe and I am there…
f1.0 on a 1/1.7″ sensor is equivalent to about f4.5 on 35mm and f3.2 on APSC. So, not bad, but nothing special for a fixed focal length lens. But, compared to the Sony RX100 it’s nearly 2 stops faster at 50mm equiv. So if you need pocketable camera and mostly shoot 50mm, it would be the best available.
1.0 is nice for a small sensor. very cool, it gives a bit more pleasing look for portraits on a compact camera.
Many big (thick) elements, so this will a rather large lens I think. I can see the appeal of the Stylus 1 with its 28-300 (equiv.) f/2.8 lens for a 1/1.7″ sensor, but this doesn’t make sense to me.
If I get my calculations right, f/1.0 would be roughly equivalent to a 19mm f/1.7 lens on a 1″ sensor, from a DOF perspective. That will likely be a smaller lens and IMO makes more sense.
But of course Olympus will never release a 1″ compact, too close to their M43 offerings 🙁
I agree that using such a small sensor doesn’t make a lot of sense. It doesn’t pay off in camera size (you cannot make a tiny camera for enthusiasts), so why not just use a m4/3 sensor with a fixed lens (like a Fuji X100s)? This f/1.0 lens is roughly equivalent to a f/2.4 in m4/3. I guess you’d get much better IQ with the bigger sensor and f/2.4 lens than with the small sensor and f/1.0 lens.
Still, I think they could fit a 25mm f/1.8 with a m4/3 sensor in a very small package. That would make it quite interesting.
Smaller sensors are cheaper to make.
seeing the diagram its looks like an enlarged view to me, like 3:1 or 5:1(wild guess). I rather see more use in such lens that a phallus symbol zoom lens in a compact. no offense to the people who want it all 🙂
People stop talking about DOF! No one buying such a camera gives a care about DOF!!
This simply is a perfect camera for indoor low quality light camera for your everyday joe and parents with no understanding of photography principles. F1.0 lens will help keep shutter speeds indoors to an acceptable level that may keep camera shake to a minimum. If it had ibis, even more killer.
Personally, I can see a lot of people I know where such a camera would be highly recommended!
The small sensor is about keeping cost low and very compact lens – not about compact bodies!
Geez. Not everyone needs a 1″ or m43 sized sensor and large lens as a result. Some people could benefit from a small sensor fast ultra compact lens.. even if it’s a bit soft.. its difference between getting a family shot or not..
Well a 43 sensor is not much larger than a compact, and it still beats a 1.7 for those family shots right? And Olympus will want at least 500 USD for this thing right? There you go then: they have scrimped on sensor size once again. They have failed to deliver price/quality, again. Or are we going to get this thing for 200 USD?
No way we are going to get it for 200 USD, this is going to be another overpriced fail – if they manage to put it out before they go bust.
compactcamerarumors.com
I’ll never understand people who are bothered by the fact that a site posts content that they are not personally interested in, or who try to tell website owners what kind of content they should post. Not interested? Then don’t read it. It’s as simple as that.
The admin of this site is free to post compact camera rumors if he wants to. Who said that the name of a website (43rumors in this case) must be a complete description of its content?
Relax, nobody insulted you – yet.
Speak for yourself you nameless ranter. If you want to say something useful & mean it, then don’t be such a coward & give us your real name.
If it is 1″ sensor with F1.0 lens that covers 28mm-85mm, I’ll be very interested 🙂
Booooo! That is like f8 on FF booo Oly make a real system, wtf!!
LOL!
Seriously, i would love this. Bring it.
No it is “like” an F4.55 on FF or F2.2 on mFT
no…no more 1/1.7 cameras
what we need is m43 senzor with fix zoom f/2.8 or fix focal lens f/1.8 ala fuji x100s
no more 1/1.7 senzor cameras …leave it ..drop it
why only f/2.8?
have a look at the canon G1X MK2 with its 12-60/2.0-3.9 lens…
Precisely! Now, that might be killer cam, it also works with the Canon radio flash system.
Yawn… Give me a proper camera with a 1″ sensor, bright zoom, proper EVF, proper controls – I’ll buy it. Something like the soon-to-come Canon G1X. Is it that hard? This is what tiny sensors are for, not for unlikely overpriced system cameras.
Very true, too simple, rather unlikely.
Equivalent fixed 50mm in a small body?
If under 300€/400usd, yes please.
Trash.
regardless, it’s a small sensor and we all know it’ll be over-expensive for a p&s. Olympus would never add a 43 sensor, fearing it’ll bite into its ICLS cameras.
Plus, they can’t sell a P&S anyways, so why even bother? They Cant even sell a PEN series camera! What made them think they could sell this? -Unless it’s an omd shaped P&S.
With a sensor that big, having a fast glass in front of it is a waste.
Panasonic manages to stuff a M4/3 sensor into the GM1, a camera smaller than an XZ2, yet Olympus is ready to release yet another version XZ with the same 1/1.7″ sensor. Even Sony RX100 II manages to put a 1″ sensor in a similar sized camera, too. Obviously, the there’s a trend toward larger sensor compact cameras.
http://camerasize.com/compact/#491,386,467,ha,t
What gives, Olympus?
You could still make it look like a PEN trip!
put your 0.95 on that gm1 and suddenly it looks like different situation.
When I get a GM1 I’ll ket you know. 😉
And why NOT pop a Not on onto the GM1? The 17.5mm @ f8 using the focus scale would work just fine!
Remember, hold the lens with the left hand!
my point was that the compact with its f/1.0 lens is without doubt much more compact then any 0.95/1.1/1.2 on a GM1, the advantage of such specced compact, to me, is very handy when an extreme fast lens on a m43 body lessens the advantage of m43 as a compact system camera in situations where we prefer minimal size specifically without losing too much of the subject isolation quality of a big aperture(in this case still effective for portraits). When I want to take portraits of my gf in casual without much stuff with me, this compact sounds like a winner to me; shooting with minimal pretentions, like a fun snapshooter.
The point is that F1 on an 1/1.7″ sensor will give you the “equivalent ” { I know people get stressed with that word lol} of an F2.2 lens { same DOF, same AOV, same total light} on mFT. The GM1 with 20mm F1.7 will be better in every-way
http://camerasize.com/compact/#386,491.30,ha,t
the irony is that you like to use equivalent dof now in favor of mft, while most mft users get sick when a larger sensor user compares the dof between his and mft sensors. I get the the difference, but like i accepted it with mft, i accept it with an even smaller sensor. In case you dont get it; I would still be happy with a 2.2 equivalent. Anyway fast lens counts are more needed the smaller a sensor becomes; for the sake of dof and for the sake of shooting at lower iso.
Sure, I get what you mean, I was thinking something else.
A fast f1.0 lens would be great on a compact camera. I question the use of such a small sensor, which clearly bucks the trend of bigger (1″) sensor compacts. Cameras like that will never replace interchangeable lens cameras.
If the GM1 came with an attached zoom lens, I would accept it as a fair comparison.
I think there may well be a bit of fear in going to a 1″ sensor. Considering that the Sony 20mp 1″ sensor cameras are using the first gen it matches the our top mFT in DR and colour depth and is less than a stop poorer at high ISO . I must admit as dual system user { FF/mFT} who never shoots mFT over 800 ISO with 99% of my shooting between 24-200mm { FF equiv AOV } I was seriously tempted to replace my mFT gear and go with the RX10.
http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-RX10-versus-Olympus-OM-D-E-M1___918_909
Though Nikon has made some odd decisions with its 1″ line up not the lest being price. It does have excellent performance/speed. Between them and Sony there are 1″ interchangeable lens bodies , an underwater body, truly pocketable and the close to do-it-all RX10 .If the next gen of 1″ sensor ups the ISO quality by just one stop I would seriously consider jumping ship.
An XZ3 with a fixed zoom and 1″ sensor won’t replace a M4/3 camera.
As 1″ sensors improve, so will M4/3 sensors… AND APSC, AND 135 format… so, I don’t think that’s such a big deal.
Sorry, not interested. But glad you found excitement.
Sorry, not interested in your lack of interest. But glad you found this interesting enough to comment.
This could be a very interesting camera if they manage to keep the lens small.
The best thing would be to borrow a 1″ sensor from Sony. I can imagine it as a nice night landscape camera, thanks to the greater depth of field and the f1 light gathering.
Not that I’d buy it anyway. I’d like a m43 sensor coupled with a great f1.4 MZuiko fixed 17.5 or 25mm lens.
Off topic: Nocticron is a beast of a lens. 😉
A Sony RX100 like lens/sensor combo in a slightly bigger, om-d styled body and with a nice evf – that’s what I am craving for.
Please Olympus, give us something like that!
And by the time Olympus would make such a camera you would probably be craving something else. 🙂 Just buy the RX100 or the the EM10 and stop wishing for bigger sensors in smaller, retro styled packages.
I got a bit excited before I read about the FF equivalent part…
A 210mm f/1.0 lens would have been something, even if only for a compact sensor.
yes… It would have over a 4 inch wide aperture on micro four thirds…. That would be something..
The bigger news is that Oly are getting sued, for a lot of money. This drawing may not ever make it to production. 🙁
What’s the point? I’d rather have a bigger sensor and a F1.4 lens…
I’m fine with MFT. I think Oly (and Panny) shold produce f 1.0 lenses for MFT system first!
I wonder what olympus plans on doing in the near future. The new A7S shows Sony is being very agressive about this market. The RX100 is a fantastic camera. This is a unique product, but I wonder how much longer olympus can hang on to M43 users in the face of full frame compact cameras. I still prefer olympus by far, but that’s because they have such a complete package and compelling lenses. That may not last forever.
I would rather go the rx100 way than the full frame way. One small camera to do it all that fits my jacket pocket 🙂 And with enthusiasts compacts getting better all the time I can see this happening. Evolution = Big camera bag -> Small camera bag -> Jacket pocket.
35mm equivalent and I will get it! would prefer a 1″ sensor though over the 1.0 aperture 1.4 would be more than ok with 1″
Nothing to see here. A GM1 + 20/1.7 combo is better in all aspects.
I’d rather have a bigger sensor- at least 1″. Or better yet, why not a 4/3rd sensor paired with the Olympus 25mm. I really hope Olympus gets serious about video cause their 5 axis is awesome for video. I don’t need 4k but give us some good quality HD with plenty of dynamic range and ISO. The new Sony A7s is unreal. But the new full frame lens lineup SUCKS!
I think this is great news if true. And to all the measure-bators who are obsessed with equivalence: You clearly don’t get what this camera would be for, i.e., faster shutter speeds in lower light rather than very narrow depth-of-field.
If it’s good and sharp, that lens will be quite an impressive achievement. I have a hunch getting up the money to buy one will be quite an achievement for most enthusiasts.
Love it Manufacturers making smaller and faster lenses. So the complete package is small and light not what Sony is doing just making smaller bodies with FF which requires large and heavy FF lenses. The key is not just large sensors