Micro Four Thirds system

The Micro Four Thirds Standard (or Micro Four Thirds ) is a substantially developed by the companies Panasonic and Olympus, specially tuned to digital, mirrorless system cameras standard for system components such as lens mounts or flash units. The open for other manufacturers, general standard defines, among other things, the sensor measurements, the lens mount together with the communication protocol, the image circle and the flange focal length ( 19.62 mm ), but also optical requirements such as the maximum angle between incident on the sensor light beams. This is Micro Four Thirds is the only vendor-independent standard for mirrorless digital camera systems and is now (as of January 2013) supported by 19 providers.

3.1 Fixed focal length 3.1.1 Macro Lenses

Description

Beginning of August 2008 was presented by Panasonic and Olympus as a further development of the Four Thirds standards for DSLR systems the so-called Micro Four Thirds System standard for mirrorless cameras. With this compact camera systems with interchangeable lenses are available. The new standard uses a about half as large flange focal length of only 19.62 millimeters, which makes its employment for SLR cameras virtually impossible, but with high image quality relatively small designs for system enables cameras. The bayonet connector is narrower with an unchanged format used by 6 millimeters.

The elimination of the oscillating mirror enables a greater freedom in the lens design; especially at wide angle the rear element of the lens may be similar move as rangefinder cameras closer to the sensor, which can be exploited for example by telecentric imaging lenses to optimize image quality. This has also meant that Micro Four Thirds cameras are equipped exclusively with Live View functions for both still image capture as well as video recordings. Since no additional sensors are provided, the auto focus ( AF) or motif analysis needs to be (for example, face recognition ) optionally controlled by the signals from the image sensor, arbitrary and variable areas can be evaluated within the entire image.

With an adapter and the electrical compatibility, the use of lenses of the Four Thirds standards is also possible, although Micro Four Thirds with eleven contacts has two more than the normal Four Thirds standard. The additional contacts are used for speeding up the communication between the camera body and lens, which can be important when shooting video in particular.

Sensor size

The screen size of Micro Four Thirds sensors is equal to those of the Four Thirds standards and is 21.63 millimeters, with exactly half the diagonal of the small aspect ratio ( 43.267 mm), corresponding to a crop factor of 2.0. The normal focal length is thus approximately at 25 millimeters. This image sensor size is slightly smaller than the image in 35 -millimeter movie sound film, yet still allows a continuous operation, without the sensor temperature to be greatly increased by the increasing difficulty in increasingly large sensors sensor cooling, which regardless of the sensor size is an increased dark current noise result has.

Most cameras have an image sensor having an aspect ratio of 4:3 and an optically active area of 17.31 mm × 12.98 mm (area 224.64 mm ²), with some camera bodies have a multi-format sensor, in which at various aspect ratios of the full image circle is used, such as the Panasonic DMC -GH1, DMC -GH2 or. This allows for the aspect ratios 4:3 ( 4608 × 3456 pixels, 17.31 mm × 12.98 mm), 3:2 ( 4752 × 3168 pixels, 17.85 mm × 11.90 mm), 16:9 ( 4976 × 2800 pixels, 18.69 mm × 10.52 mm) using the maximum screen size (data for the DMC -GH2 ).

Communication between the camera and accessories

A central feature of the system are intelligent components which communicate via electrical contacts with each other via a standard well -defined bi-directional protocol. All Micro Four Thirds lenses are therefore equipped with its own main processor.

In this way, information on subject distance, aperture selection and focal length as those of competing systems be exchanged electronically between the camera and lens. The Micro Four Thirds system may also transfer but also individual characteristics of lens, such as characteristics of the distortion or vignetting at the camera, which allows for digital compensation of aberrations.

Innovative products

The first camera that was introduced in 2008 for Micro Four Thirds, was the Panasonic LUMIX DMC -G1. This still strongly rejected at conventional SLR camera has live view and an electronic viewfinder. This type of camera is expected now to a new class, for the three names are used: one is " EVIL " ( = electronic viewfinder, interchangeable lens, English for " electronic viewfinder, interchangeable lens " ), on the other hand "CSC " ( = compact system camera), the third " DSLM " ( = Digital Single Lens Mirrorless ).

Another very compact construction without a built- seekers, more reminiscent of classic compact cameras, is realized with the PEN series from Olympus. Panasonic now offers in the GF and GX series similar models.

Because of the small flange focal distance of the cameras Micro Four Thirds system can be provided with little effort even with lying in the housing pinhole that capture a relatively large angle. With such pinhole cameras with correspondingly low light brightened the electronic images are then available in real time on the screen or in the electronic viewfinder is available, and it can not only still images but also record video clips.

In November 2010, the first camcorder of the camera system was introduced with the Panasonic AF100.

End of 2011, the first motor-driven zoom lens was introduced by Panasonic, with the uniform focal length variation is possible when shooting video.

In February 2012, Olympus introduced the OM- D E-M5 its first Micro Four Thirds camera with built electronic viewfinder before, which is also dust-and splash-proof.

The Micro Four Thirds standard has been designed for high-quality movie recordings. Due to the relatively small image sensor surface, it is easier to carry away the resulting heat loss in continuous operation on the image sensor which would cause an increased image noise.

The presented in September 2012 camera housing Panasonic LUMIX DMC- GH3 is not only designed for high-quality still image recording and compressed video clips, but can be used as the first Micro Four Thirds system camera as a digital cinema camera for cinematic purposes.

Compatibility

Because of the small flange focal length of about 20 millimeters and the availability of a large number of lens adapters very many photographic and cinematographic lenses can be connected to a Mirco Four Thirds camera.

Supporters

The following manufacturers and suppliers support the Micro Four Thirds standard:

Astro Design, Blackmagic Design, Carl Zeiss, Cosina, Fujifilm, JK Imaging, Josh. Schneider Optical Works, Kodak, Komamura, Leica Camera, Novoflex, Olympus, Panasonic, Photron, Samyang Optics, Sanyo, Sigma, SVS- Vistek, Tamron, Tokina and View Plus.

Camera housing

Camera models on the Micro Four Thirds standard in the order of their presentation in public:

2008 Panasonic LUMIX DMC -G1

Panasonic Lumix DMC -GH1
Olympus E -P1
Panasonic Lumix DMC -GF1
Olympus E -P2

Olympus E -PL1
Panasonic Lumix DMC -G2
Panasonic Lumix DMC -G10
Panasonic Lumix DMC -GH2
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GF2

Olympus E -PL2
Panasonic Lumix DMC -G3
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GF3
Olympus E -P3
Olympus E -PL3
Olympus E -PM1
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GX1

Olympus OM- D E-M5
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GF5
Panasonic Lumix DMC -G5
Olympus E- PL5
Olympus E- PM2
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GH3
Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GF6
Panasonic Lumix DMC -G6
Olympus PEN E -P5
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GX7
Olympus OM- D E-M1
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GM1 than the smallest to date system camera in the world

Kodak S-1 by JK Imaging
Panasonic Lumix DMC- GH4 with 4K video recording at data rates up to 200 Mbits per second and up to 100 still images per second
Olympus OM- D E -M10

Panasonic offers or offered with the models AG - AF100, AG - AF101 and AG - AF101A also professional, high definition camcorder for the Micro Four Thirds system, for which there are special designed for use on the set objectives and tools.

An overview of all camera housing currently available can be found on the product pages of the Four Thirds consortium.

Lenses

Developed for the Micro Four Thirds System Lenses are usually expected telecentric because of the small dimensions, which has advantages in terms of image quality, specifically in terms of the image sharpness and brightness in the corners. Lenses with Micro Four Thirds lens mount, there are several providers in a large focal range. With mechanically and electronically compatible lens adapters also can convert almost all lenses of the FourThirds system be used without functional loss.

Fixed focal length

Macro lenses

Zoom lenses

Converters and Adapters

With telephoto and wide angle converters, the focal length of lenses given may be extended or shortened, and with various adapters lenses can be adapted with lens threads or other bayonets on the Micro Four Thirds mount.

Since the Micro Four Thirds system has an image circle that is only half as large as in small picture format, and the flange is so low, can adapters with the shifters, conventional built for miniature film lenses for the Shift Photography used be.

Extension tubes allow a lower minimum focusing distance and thus a larger image scale.

1 without the program AE and autofocus, with Metering ( working aperture / aperture priority )

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