On 21/10/2007, C.H.Ling <ch_photo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> Smaller sensor means smaller mirror, smaller pentaprism, smaller shutter,
> less area occupied by the sensor area.... that is enough to make the
> camera
> smaller and lighter than the others, right?
>
> C.H.Ling
It does sound like you're right but I have to disagree. I do wish it was
this simple. On paper and in principle, a small sensor has a chain benefit
of everything else being small but once demands on performance become
higher, these principles will take a hit. In the case of the E-3, this was
apparent during the development stages.
Let's have a look at that mirror you referred to. The need to offer 1/8000
sec max shutter speed forces the entire 'direct drive' assembly to be
re-evaluated and that includes not just the shutter mechanism but also the
entire mirror box. If a small mirror was first designed to support 1/4000
sec, doesn't logic suggest that something needs to be done to beef up the
mirror, change the mirror, toughen the mirror etc etc to help it to cope
with a speed that is now twice as fast? I think so.
OK. Now let's look at the pentaprism. In the E-3, the development team knew
of the experiences that many including those here in the List complained
about 'tight,' tunnel-like etc etc. How do you bring in more light to
brighten it? How do you enlarge the view so that people stop complaining
it's tunnel like? It's not as simple as moving a few rows in a cinema to
look at a wider screen. So something needed to be done to the prism itself.
I will assure you that the first course of action was to retain the same
prism and try to extract as much as they can without resorting to a larger
solid glass prism that has higher refractive index and larger light flux.
What I'm saying here is that we should consider giving the engineers the
benefit of the doubt that they always have Mobility in their mind and they
do try their best to get the most without allowing the camera to gain weight
and/or size.
Next, shutter mechanism. Olympus did succeed in this area as they learned
the trick from Maitani with the OM. They simplified the mechanism by
removing as many gears as they could and replace them with a direct
closer-in-contact cam. This helped to lighten the mechanism BUT once it is
lighter, it was also more vulnerable in other ways. So the mechanism itself
had to be toughened also.
One other thing. With all these secondary vibrations coming through, a very
compact camera body has a larger tendency to send them straight to the
sensor and cause problems. These harmonic problems cannot be dealt with by
any in-camera or, worse, in-lens Image Stabilisation system. Simply put, the
gyro measures a completely different pattern of vibrations. So if we are to
have a compact body, the components are going to be more tightly tucked in
the way of one another. And this brings about additional solutions to help
create paths for these vibrations to be channeled away from the sensor.
These paths can add weight and girth.
There are a lot of 'black-art' type sciences involved today in the making of
a DSLR that make it so different from even a high-end film SLR such as the
OM-4. There is every wish within Olympus to aim for that and they're trying
to do that. Until technologies are available that give the necessary
breakthrough, we just have to soldier on with whatever improvements that
come their way. After all look at every other 'complex' industry like
automobiles...to get to where we are with CVT, air-con that works all the
time, auto cylinder shutdown, commonrail diesel etc etc etc, it took the
industry decades to achieve. Those who lived during periods where these
weren't at all possible technologically would probably have moaned in the
way we all are about our cameras today.
So take heart. They will come. Cut them some slack.
K.
--
"To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards of people" - Emily
Cox
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