Tests show ups and downs of Four Thirds cameras

Panasonic's DMC-G1

Panasonic's DMC-G1

(Credit: Panasonic)

DxO Labs on Tuesday released new sensor test results for three cameras–Panasonic’s $670 G1 and Olympus’ $540 E-520 and $450 E-410–that show both the advantages and disadvantages of the Four Thirds standards the companies use.

The Four Thirds system governs image sensor sizes and the mounting mechanism for interchangeable lenses on the companies’ SLR cameras, and the companies announced a new variation called Micro Four Thirds for smaller cameras that have SLRs’ interchangeable lenses but not SLRs’ “reflex” mirror, which directs light through an optical viewfinder before a shot is taken.

Four Thirds SLRs have a smaller sensor than lower-end SLRs from market leaders Nikon and Canon, which poses image quality challenges because there’s less surface area to gather light. However, the sensor size is the same for Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds, which means that cameras using the latter have a much larger sensor than typical compact cameras have.

Originally posted at Underexposed

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