News for 4/3rd dSLR users

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Aside from Olympus launching the E330 with tiltable LiveView a few weeks ago and the availability of a few long awaited lenses(8mm Fisheye, which still isn't available in the US, but Japan is enjoying them; and the 18-180mm zoom), there are few other new happenings in Olympus - 4/3rds world.

PMA allowed Sigma to release 5 more lenses with 4/3rd mounts.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022611sigma43rds.asp
That leaves Sigma with a total of 8 lenses. You can view the other 3 lenses at www.bhphoto.com since they've been available for awhile.

Olympus also announced their joint project with Panasonic/Leica, which unveiled a Panasonic 4/3rd dSLR, named the DMC-L1. http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022609panasonicdmcl1.asp which is pretty much a rebadged and housed E330, retaining an improved LiveView, without the tiltability. Perhaps another excellent camera for UW use?

The Panasonic dSLR was released in conjunction with a 4/3rds Leica lense. http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022608leica14-50mm.asp The lense has a FL of 14-50 with an aperture ring on the lense and OIS. Hopefully this is the first, of many, Leica lenses for our mount.

So we have...
15 Olympus Zuiko Digital Lenses
8 Sigma Lenses
1 Leica OIS lense

4 Olympus and a Panasonic body.

Not too shabby for a system that many think wouldn't take off...

 

[f3nikon]

Thanks for the update.

 

[Allison Finch]

Very good, but what about housings???

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Currently, there are housings for the E1, E300, and E330 Olympus dSLRs. The Panasonic DMC L1 has yet to be confirmed as a production model, so UW housings probably aren't gonna be available on the short term.