Micro Four Thirds Standard Announced

Olympus and Panasonic jointly announced the Micro Four Thirds standard, a new digital interchangeable lens system that eliminated the mirror box and optical viewfinder to create smaller, lighter cameras. This collaborative effort laid the technical groundwork for the entire mirrorless category.

Significance

This announcement was the fundamental technical breakthrough, providing a standardized platform for mirrorless camera development and signaling a serious commitment from major manufacturers to this new paradigm.