June 16 - 12:00pm EDT   The E-P1 will be supplemented by more distinct Micro Four Thirds models and with more professional features, Olympus product planning manager Akira Watanabe said in the wake of the new camera launch today. He explains to DPReview that the E-P1 is just the first in a larger range and that at least one future model will have an electronic viewfinder, much as Panasonic's Lumix G1 and GH1 have now. More lenses should also come in tow and may include more prime lenses beyond the new 17mm f2.8. [full story]

June 16 - 8:05am EDT   Olympus today finally launched the E-P1, its first camera using the Micro Four Thirds system and the first to adopt a non-SLR profile. Meant to recall the company's PEN cameras, it has a consciously retro but compact design that allows a large DSLR sensor and removable lenses but without the depth needed with a conventional mirror box or large optics. In a unique approach, Olympus doesn't have a dedicated electronic viewfinder beyond the 3-inch LCD but does give the choice of an optical add-on viewfinder. [full story]

June 15 - 9:05am EDT   One day ahead of its scheduled release, Olympus' EP-1 micro four thirds digital camera has been leaked. The camera is equipped with a 13-megapixel, 3 CCD sensor and can capture RAW images. It relies on an SD memory card for storage, and much like Panasonic's Lumix GH1 can shoot seven minutes of 720p video or else 14 minutes of 640x480 resolution video. [full story]

May 6 - 10:25am EDT   Panasonic on Wednesday officially confirmed the price for its second Micro Four Thirds digital camera, the Lumix GH1. The official price of nearly $1,500 for a bundled kit includes a 14-140mm, f4.0-5.8 lens and matches the unofficial pricing from electronics retailers J&R, revealed just yesterday. Panasonic adds that the camera will ship early in June. [full story]

May 5 - 3:55pm EDT   The Panasonic Lumix GH1 Micro Four Thirds camera, introduced at the start of March, has finally received a tentative US price through electronics retailer J&R's website. The new model is set at $1,500 for its standard kit version, which carries Vario HD 14-140mm, f/4.0-5.8 lens, which features four aspherical pieces of glass, optical image stabilization and is meant to capture both the close-up and telephoto shots likely in the camera's signature 1080p video mode. [full story]

March 4 - 1:35pm EST   Olympus' first digital camera based on Micro Four Thirds technology, originally spotted at Photokina in September, has made another appearance that now includes a likely release date. The company now expects the DSLR, which resembles a vintage rangefinder, to ship sometime during the summer. Olympus is still keeping mum about pricing for its unnamed Micro Four Thirds camera, however. Specs, including megapixel count, are also not yet disclosed. [full story]

January 28 - 1:40pm EST   Olympus will have not one but two cameras based on the Micro Four Thirds system in the near future, a Russian leak hints. The first, the M-1, would have a relatively compact body but would carry a 3.2-inch LCD and shoot HD video, making it one of the first DSLRs below the Nikon D90 to get the feature. It will also reportedly come with a relatively short-ranged but removable 12-45mm lens. [full story]

October 16 - 12:30pm EDT   Panasonic on Thursday announced more details regarding its Lumix DMC-G1 digital camera, first introduced last month. The Lumix G1 is the world's first Micro Four Thirds System camera, meaning it offers interchangeable lenses and certain functions that are similar to digital SLR cameras. The electronics maker revealed the camera will cost nearly $800 bundled with a 14-45mm Lumix G Vario lens when it ships to stores in mid-November. Around the same time, Panasonic will release a telephoto lens for the camera, in the form of a 45-200mm Lumix G Vario, which will be priced at about $350. [full story]

September 25 - 11:20am EDT   Panasonic's Lumix G1 Micro Four Thirds camera will carry the price of a full entry-level DSLR when it launches in the near future, company executive Yasunori Takase says in an interview with Adorama. Although Panasonic has publicly said it would only expand on its launch details next month, Takase now says the camera plus its 14-45mm kit lens will cost nearly $800 in the bundle when they reach US shores. Pricing for the optional 45-200mm lens isn't available. [full story]

September 22 - 9:45am EDT   Olympus preceded the Photokina expo today with two prototypes of its future camera technology. The first, unnamed device is the company's first example of a Micro Four Thirds model and uses the smaller, mirrorless design to replicate the look and short, swappable lenses of a vintage rangefinder camera but with the large sensor of a digital SLR. The new design would drop any separate viewfinder altogether in favor of the preview LCD and would have simple navigation and mode dial controls. [full story]

September 21 - 2:40pm EDT   Panasonic on the eve of the Photokina expo revealed a test version of a Micro Four Thirds camera with HD video capture. Similar in body style to the just-announced Lumix G1, the new camera would serve as a bridge between high-end compact cameras and full DSLRs with a large sensor and swappable lenses but also a dedicated video button and stereo audio recording. Few extra details are available, though the camera has a similar control scheme to the G1 with a separate dial for priority shooting modes. [full story]

September 12 - 7:40am EDT   Panasonic chose Friday to break new ground with the launch of the Lumix G1, the first known production camera based on the Micro Four Thirds pseudo-SLR system. The absence of the traditional mirror and a smaller lens mount produce a 12.1-megapixel camera which is both the smallest and lightest to carry swappable lenses but which still has the sensor size and focusing abilities of a more typical DSLR. The lenses themselves are often half the size and weight of a regular SLR parallel. [full story]