Panasonic touted its GF3 camera’s auto focus as the world’s fastest at last week’s PMA Imaging Expo in Sydney. Absent from the launching pad for products was Olympus, which today claimed it couldn’t launch its new range of PEN cameras at the time due to the ongoing effects of the Japanese earthquake.But today, at the launch of a new range of micro four thirds cameras from the company, Olympus has claimed its own cameras have taken the top spot for auto focus speeds.
Apart from the AF tweak, the recently unveiled range that includes three models from the professional to consumer focused confirms a leak from last week that revealed the new E-P3, featuring a high 12800 ISO setting cap and video recording in 1080i at 60 frames per second.
The 12.3 megapixel camera is the flagship model in the series, following on from the previous E-P2 model. This cam is set to hit stores at $999 with a single lens kit, and $1199 for the double.
The rest of the range, including the E-PL3 and the Mini, feature the same innards including an upgraded image processing chip and software that allows greater focal points for more dynamic range when perfecting the subject in a shot.
The E-PL3 Lite is set to have its pricing release in July, with a release slated for August, while the Mini is set for a September launch.
Harry Matsushita , General Manager for Overseas Sales and Planning at Olympus, said that the company wants to gain more than 30 per cent market share for its cameras within six months.
The cameras are set to be pushed by a $4 million marketing campaign over the next six months, directly targeting the smartphone user.
With iPhones officially becoming the most commonly used cameras for photos uploaded to photography site Flickr, the need to battle against phone cameras has made itself evident.
