Olympus 4/3 Camera Lenses: Discontinuation And What's Next

Olympus has discontinued its Four Thirds mount lenses, instead focusing on the Micro Four Thirds mount. This was made official in the 2017 Four Thirds catalog, six years after the last Four Thirds mount camera was released.

The Four Thirds sensor standard was created in partnership with Eastman Kodak in the early 2000s, with the first Four Thirds DSLR, the Olympus E-1, released in 2003. Olympus produced about 20 lenses for the system under the brand name Zuiko Digital.

In 2008, Olympus and Panasonic announced the Micro Four Thirds system, which uses the same Four Thirds sensor but removes the mirror box, helping to pioneer the mirrorless camera. Olympus then began launching a new line of lenses specifically for Micro Four Thirds cameras under the branding M.Zuiko Digital.

The Four Thirds System was a standard created by Olympus and Eastman Kodak for DSLRs

The Four Thirds System was designed for digital cameras and allowed for the interoperability of digital cameras and lenses made by different manufacturers. The system was smaller and lighter than its DSLR predecessors and used a large CCD with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which was twice the size of the CCD image circle.

The Four Thirds System was discontinued in 2017, six years after the final Four Thirds cameras were released. However, the system played host to several innovations, including being the first interchangeable lens system to offer live view.

The Four Thirds System was succeeded by the Micro Four Thirds System, which was the world's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera system.

The system was designed for digital cameras and had a 4:3 aspect ratio

The Four Thirds System was a standard created by Olympus and Eastman Kodak for digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) design and development. The system was designed from the start for digital cameras and had a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The Four Thirds System was the first interchangeable lens system to offer live view. The system was designed to allow smaller cameras capable of high-quality images. The Four Thirds System was also the first to use telecentric lens designs, which project light straight onto the sensor.

The Four Thirds System was jointly announced by Olympus and Kodak at photokina in September 2002. The first Four Thirds camera was the Olympus E-1, announced on June 24, 2003, and aimed at the professional market.

The Four Thirds System provided a standard that allowed for the interoperability of digital cameras and lenses made by different manufacturers. The system had a 4/3" type sensor, with an imaging area of 17.3 mm × 13.0 mm, giving a diagonal of 21.64 mm. The sensor's area was about 30-40% smaller than APS-C sensors used in most other DSLRs.

The Four Thirds System was discontinued in 2017, six years after the final cameras were released.

The Four Thirds System was discontinued in 2017

In 2008, Olympus and Panasonic began publicizing the Micro Four Thirds system, a mirrorless camera system that used the same sensor size. The Micro Four Thirds cameras were significantly smaller than the Four Thirds cameras. The first Micro Four Thirds cameras were released in 2009 and the final Four Thirds cameras were released in 2010.

The Four Thirds System was quietly discontinued in 2017. In early 2017, Olympus announced that it would stop production of Four Thirds lenses. In March 2017, the latest catalogue from four-thirds.org stated that production of Olympus's Zuiko Digital line of Four Thirds lenses had been discontinued.

The Four Thirds System was the first interchangeable lens system to offer live view. It was also the first ILC system specifically designed for digital. This meant a wholly new lens system, providing the focal lengths that made sense for the sensor size.

Olympus produced 24 lenses for the Four Thirds System

The Four Thirds system was the first interchangeable lens camera system designed specifically for digital. It was developed by Olympus, who also produced 24 lenses for the system.

The Four Thirds system was notable for its telecentric lens designs, which projected light straight onto the sensor, rather than at challenging angles towards the edge of the sensor. However, this often resulted in relatively large lenses, meaning the system didn't end up being significantly smaller than APS-C cameras.

The Four Thirds system was also the first interchangeable lens system to offer live view.

The Four Thirds system was succeeded by the Micro Four Thirds system, which abandoned the mirror box and telecentric design philosophy to deliver on the size benefits that had been promised by the Four Thirds system.

The Four Thirds System was replaced by the Micro Four Thirds System

The Four Thirds System was jointly announced by Olympus and Kodak in 2002. The first Four Thirds camera was the Olympus E-1, released in 2003. In 2008, Olympus and Panasonic began publicizing the Micro Four Thirds system, a mirrorless camera system that used the same sensor size as the Four Thirds System. The Micro Four Thirds system was designed to be even smaller than the Four Thirds cameras. The first Micro Four Thirds cameras were released in 2009, and the final Four Thirds cameras were released in 2010.

The Four Thirds System was discontinued in 2017, six years after the final cameras were released. The Micro Four Thirds system, on the other hand, has gained support from companies like Logitech, Sirui Optical Co., Ltd., and Hangzhou Xingxi Technology Co., Ltd. (YoloLiv).

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