As you might remember our sources said that Olympus had a new cheaper external EVF but than Olympus didn’t announce it along the new PEN cameras. We were all wondering what happened. Finally our reader “Felix” noticed something very interesting in one of the E-P3 commercials from Olympus (Click here to see the commercial on youtube). At the end of the video (00:58) you can see the new external viewfinder we talked about for weeks! It’s definitely NOT the current Olympus VF-2 ([shoplink 23839 ebay]Click here to see images of that viewfinder[/shoplink]). Hope Olympus will let us know more about it soon!
91 Responses
First! 😉 Looks ugly…
its prob just me, but when i first saw it, i thought it might be collapsible, prob nonsense….
To large. blah.
and if it was too small, would it be “blah” too when its unusable?
No I want to keep the size down because i want to use it with xz-1
That is an odd looking thing. It would be nice to know if it can be used with older PEN cameras.
i wonder what this knob on side is used for.
Not sure what Pablo is useful for either.
If it is ….it looks like another tumor!!!!!! How can Oly design such a cool camera..and then do THAT to it!!!!!
LOL…. I bet it is difficult to make it tiny and cool looking like the Panasonic because of the higher resolution? oh…well.
Bob, at least its a “tumor” which can be easily removed
After reading the posts…maybe this the new viewfinder…perhaps it is something else.
It’s not flexible.
😉
it looks to me like it has a flash integrated at the front?!
Dream on.
only i see that it has a built-in flash?
Why would they put a built-in flash in the EVF when the E-P3 already has one?
BTW . . I don’t want to read from a lot of cheerleaders shouting their praises all the time but the several negative comments that are initially appearing in this thread are typical of what’s wrong with the group that hangs out here at this site. Hopefully, Olympus understands that this group that posts here on a daily and even hourly basis isn’t representative of much of anything that ought to matter to them or anyone who is truly interested in their cameras.
+1!! Rightfully said! And we all know who those folks are 🙂
And just so that I contribute to this thread. Here is another angle of the EVF from a different youtube video.
http://www.imagebam.com/image/b65884139823885
The image u posted is the VF-2.
ok. I have never seen a 2 tone/color VF-2. Or do you think that is some weird glare in the photo/video that makes the back silver?
It is a gold sticker 🙂
For use on the E-PL3 and E-PM1..
Then why would they show it mounted on an E-P3 instead of a E-PL3 or E-PM1?
And why wouldn’t they include a flash-EVF all in one unit with the E-PL3 and E-PM1 instead of the supplied clip on flash unit?
I guess they are thinking that for those who have an E-PL3 or E-PM1 and want a VF, then it gives then a flash option while the VF is attached. However as you say Oly are already giving those owners a supplied clip on flash as well so they will have two flash options. But for those that want to use a VF most of the time then at least they only need the one hot shoe accessory.
I thought it was going to be a cheaper VF but it doesnt look that way. I think they also need a cheap sleek VF which they can bundle in with the E-P3 for the same price.
Thats a question for the Olympus marketing and product engineering teams 😉
I’m looking at my VF-2 right now and this other EVF looks taller and has something on its left side that’s not not on the VF-2. Anyone know what it might be?
maybe they moved the diopter to the side but its huge….
i loaded the pic into lighroom and tried to recover the hilight area, not much help but the front shows indeed some kind of window…weird..
“some kind of window”
Maybe it’s a hybrid viewfinder 😉 ?
Might be a tension knob for its swivel.
The maybe not a reason for show on E-P3.
Because it can also be used on the PL3 and PM1 (what awful names, sigh).
Actually, I too saw a flash.
Whether it is the case or not, its a brilliant idea, as long as its not the only option available.
I am detecting a pattern here. We get the first specs or blurry picture of the latest from Olympus, and everyone wails and moans about what an abject failure it is. Then when the product appears and is tested, everyone wants one. Here I was all ready to snap up the first G3 I could find because of the EVF, but now I am back on the fence because the E-P3 looks so darn compelling.
So what could cause the VF-3 to be so big? Maybe it allows the use of a flash and all the rest of the Olympus accessories. That always seemed to be the shortcoming of the VF-2 to me. I think I will just it back and wait to see how Olympus has pleasantly surprised us once again.
Admin> the youtube video is presented at 1080p as well, so i’ve uploaded sharper grab
http://i51.tinypic.com/v2vb03.jpg
It looks like its a flash and viewfinder combined in one? Well that would explain why its so huge and why its mounted on the E-PL3, so u can use flash and viewfinder at the same time.
Seems like a nice idea.
Something must have gotten lost in translation. We need a hotshoe atop the EVF so we can use a radio triggers; not a dinky flash built into the front. This EVF design doesn’t appear to solve any problem the VF2 doesn’t already solve.
Maybe you missed the bit where it’s cheaper than the VF2 🙂
I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect it to be both cheaper AND better!
I really don’t care about the cheaper part so much (although cheaper is welcome), function is what matters to me. It appears Olympus’ solution for those of us that do off camera flash is to buy a set of Olympus dedicated strobes and ditch our radio triggers. I personal have no desire to switch from RF triggers to optical.
+1
This is a funny comment thread 🙂
lol!
Looks a bit like the side dial may turn and raise/lower the eyepiece angle so keeping it from being knocked out of place as with VF2.
Hummm… I think Mr Olympus might change his designer team… definitely!
This is certainly an interesting development. I was expecting a cheaper cost reduced version that didnt tilt and hopefully something a bit smaller than the VF2. But this looks just as large but with a flash on the front and something on the left. Oh well we shall find out soon I guess.
Could that hump on the left be a sensor to detect when the eye is up to viewfinder rather than having to use a button, or maybe its the new button for switching to VF?
Perhaps this one is marketed toward the owners of E-PL and E-PM models and has a flash onboard so that owners can have a VF and flash combo.
+1 on the eye sensor!
Why would the eye sensor face forward? Or do i missunderstand?
This is, like the VF2, a design-destroyer. Will it fall off as often as the VF2?
“This is, like the VF2, a design-destroyer.”
Yeah, EVF should add to camera depth, like on G1/2/3, not to its height. They should have made it as tall as that bluetooth addon.
Built in flash is an interesting idea, but is useless if it doesn’t support Super FP mode. And this one’s too low to be useful with larger lenses. Weird combo indeed.
or maybe this is something else, maybe a gps module for astro tracing function…..
I think it’s an EVF with combined built-in flash, gps, bluetooth and iterational anti-matter detection device!
It appears Olympus has once again retained Mr. Gadget for their EVF design, more of a “tumor” than ever, and jarringly clashing with the nice lines and small size of any of the bodies it will attach to.
Olympus, maybe it’s time you finally just properly incorporated an EVF into your bodies? Just trying to talk you off the cliff…
For Gods sake I wish they would stop supplying ugly add-ons and just bite the bullet and include an VF into the camera body. Such an attractive retro camera fitted with what appears to be an ugly afterthought.
Everybody (well maybe only a few) thought it would be nice to have a modular camera system & saw the early film version but didn’t think that it doesn’t have to be like that at all. Their modular concept maybe what we are seeing in the PENs now. I think we need a bit more detail to appreciate what this might be, but it could also be a prototype that won’t be released.
Having the flash built-in, would that get too hot & make the EVF more prone to be broken? I guess the engineers would test this first. Let’s hope that the EVF will work with the EP2…not everyone will upgrade as fast as they would like.
That new EVF does not have a built-in flash. Good grief this thread is getting silly!
how do you know for sure?
But it does have an espresso machine built in – see that little knob? That’s for adjusting the steam.
does that mean the e-p3 will be water-proof? cool!
LOL, this is a funny thread indeed…
What is that mounted to the black P3?
Either the flash from the EPL3/EPM1 or a low profile viewfinder – which would be more interesting.
It is Penpal, a bluetooth device to send images from camera to computer.
-p-
the window is because it’s an optical / evf combo… obviously 🙂
The side thingy is for retro flashcubes!
Push down to activate. After flash remove cube, turn a quarter and reengage.
Anyway, Oly should put out a buildin EVF in a RC body and call it the new O-product.
The side knob could be a lock and the square shape could be to allow for another hot shoe on top? This would be a good combination – even if it is a bit bigger than you might want. It would look neater in black. We need a better image… Personally I would prefer a low profile one without a hot shoe but I can see the argument for one with.
Will it be better?
Or just cheaper…:-/
Guess i’m the only one who thinks this looks better than the VF-2. I still wouldn’t buy one though.
Audio jack on right side of image? That would be nice….
I think the mic jack would make a lot of sense! I have the SEMA-1 adapter and I’d much rather have that integrated into the EVF than be a whole other thing to lug around.
You could be right there – that would be more exciting.
I think that side knob thing isn’t really a knob. It looks more like a push button. I’m thinking it may be a lock to lock the VF in place on the camera, and then you hold the button in order to remove it from the camera.
Gee, it’s so compact! And it’s SO much more attractive and practical than those ugly Panasonic Gx and GHx integrated EVF/Flash/Microphone humps. 😉
I love all the speculation going on about this thing. Flash, Bluetooth, HRM, GPS, avalanche beacon and cappuccino maker rolled into one! Sign me up for TWO! 😉
It’s too bad that Olympus handles this with all the care of an afterthought.
This is how external viewfinders should work:
http://i.imgur.com/FZ2IA.jpg
don’t like the smallish flash in tht picture,they should have made the flash modular in order to replace it with your modules
“modular flash”
You mean.. like a hotshoe?
just meant the built-in flash to be a removable module as it is positioned on the e-p3
r u sure u can use an offset OVF like that? its not rangefinder
What is the button to remove the lens … at 3 is from?
Swejk, its a $-change calculator
Hey that’s great! What camera is that?
Although it’s not practical in our zoomed-obsessed era.
@frosti… Yeah, that’s a rangefinder. What, you never used one?
It appears you swap viewfinders to match the lens. Have you seen those Leica contraptions with lens and viewfinder as one unit?
Mr Reeee. That camera is a design that Ben created as his ideal design for Olympus Pen Pro with a built-in EVF. So unfortunately it is not on the market …. yet.
Ben – I like that design except i wouldn’t worry about having a removable VF with optical options – I would just leave an EVF in the top corner. Thats alot more likely and able to be produced. Have you thought about trying to design a rear view of the camera to show the VF and the buttons you would like, maybe using a combination of the X100 and an E-P3 or whatever you like. That would be great to see. Then you can send both to Olympus and say – please make a camera like this for us.
Yes, this is an optical VF with adjustable zoom and autofocus assist lamp for predecessors Pen.
That’s the x100-style hybrid viewfinder! admin did say that fuji is working close with olympus on something…
the knob look like a switch + button to me (from the 1080p grab)
Well, why is anyone thinking that this is a VF ? There are already several different accessories and Olympus has announced new ones. So this could be :
A flash, a stereo mic, that new communicating penpal device, gps, you name it.
To my eyes, it looks like a mic or the new penpal device.
It cant be a pure flash, cause its so tiny. Why would u buy it if u already get one for free with your PEN ?
The Penpal looks different, there were already pictures on 43rumours.
It also can’t be a mic. Because mics aren’t build like this and there is already a mic for the pen.
Maybe its a GPS but the viewfinder is the most logical answer.
Some of the pre-press materials metioned wifi support, so perhaps it is the wifi equivalent of the penpal that hasn’t been announced. On the other hand, given the Eye-fi is mentioned, that may be the wifi support that was mentioned.
There is mention of a new EVF at Let’s Go Digital placeholder for the PL3:
Olympus PEN E-PL3 accessories
Stylish accessories for the Olympus E-PL3 include the Olympus FL-300R external flash in silver with the wireless flexibility and the affordable and tiltable new Electronic Viewfinder with a 100% viewing angle and 920,000 dot resolution. Attached via Accessory Port 2, it’s excellent for shooting in bright sunshine or with a telephoto lens.
So it got worse resolution than the old one, well maybe its very cheap that way. Still wondering if the picture then shows it, cause what is in the front?
The EP3 manual available online has a section on accessories which just lists under viewfinders the optical VF 1 (for the 17mm) and the current EVF 2. Does this not suggest there is no new EVF imminent?
Maybe it’s not a flash but a second cam? It’s the typical size for that. Could work for a rangefinder-like system.