Last week, we told you of a teaser for the new Olympus micro G digital camera on the Olympus Asia site. They are basically following the history of the Pen camera. The next teaser is next Tuesday, June 2, 2009 [does the page source hints at June 16 as official release date?]. Check out the Olympus Pen history, celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
The Olympus PenEE was introduced in 1961 with fixed focus and automatic exposure. It is most probably the PenF, introduced in 1963, that will interest us as far as the new Olympus Pen micro G is concerned. From the Olympus site, “The Olympus Pen F was the world’s first and only half-frame system single-lens reflex camera, released in 1963. The camera featured a porro-prism finder and was the first to have a rotary titanium shutter. It could be used with a highly versatile range of 20 exchangeable lenses. The Olympus Pen F was a revolutionary camera packed with innovative features.” The PenF was followed in 1966 by the PenFT, which added a built-in TTL exposure meter and a self-timer.
The Olympus PenFT is a beautiful camera and if Olympus introduces a compact “mirror-less” DSLR with all the features enthusiasts are looking for, they may just have a winner on their hands.
See Olympus Pen micro G Teaser
A Visual History of the Olympus Pen
Photos courtesy of Olympus
Please visit the Olympus web site for more info about these cameras and their features.