Olympus Apparently Working on a FT-to-MFT Adapter with Built-In AF and IS
Olympus currently offers a $144 adapter called the MMF-2 for photographers who want to use an existing collection of Four Thirds-mount lenses on a Micro Four Thirds camera. The accessory makes the lenses mountable and acts as a middleman between the lenses and the cameras, but its features pretty much end there. It appears that Olympus is working on a much fancier adapter: one that actually contains lens elements and contains focusing/stabilization features as well.
Illustrations in the document (one of which is shown above) shows that the adapter is somewhat bulky and contains 5 lens elements within.
It will reportedly have built-in high-speed autofocus and image-stabilization — a boon for photographers (e.g. wildlife, sports) who would like to use telephoto lenses to capture fast-moving subjects.
This patent comes just a few months after Olympus reaffirmed its commitment to the Four Thirds format by announcing that its currently building a new camera for the lenses.
No word yet on when we might see this high-tech adapter announced, but we’re guessing it’ll cost a good deal more than $144.
(via Photo Rumors)
