Four Thirds Photo
[Updated July 26, 2007]
You may be asking yourself - 4/3 photo, what are you talking about? The 4/3 simply refers to the aspect ratio of the images produced by the camera. Or more precisely the aspect ratio of the camera’s sensor.
The 4/3 thirds refers to the type of the sensor in the camera and it just so happens that the 4/3 inch sensor also produces images that have an aspect ratio of 4:3. Wikipedia have an article that explains this in greater detail.
Traditional film based 35mm camera have an aspect ratio of 3/2 as do may recent Digital SLR’s. There are however a few manufacturers (including Olympus and Panasonic) of high end Digital SLR’s who decided to go against the grain and produce their cameras using the 4/3’s format.
4/3 camera’s (and photographers) are often shunned by the greater photographic community as often happens when you are different (or perhaps better) than the masses. But, just because more people do a particular thing doesn’t mean they are right!
If you are looking for some more information about 4/3 systems I recommend that you spend some time discussing the pros and cons with the people that actually use them. Don’t let the manufacturers or photographers who use a different system give you advice about the capabilities of a 4/3’s camera. Of course the manufacturer will have user guides and specification sheets, but his is not what I am talking about here.
There are now a number of excellent dedicated on-line communities where you can discuss and learn about photography. 4/3 Photo - is one such community which I just keep coming back to. They have everything that you need to help you grow as a photographer including:
- A very active website with very relevant forums.
- A large and growing number of photographers.
- Friendly critique from your peers.
- A monthly photo competition for 4/3 camera’s only (photo’s must be taken in the month of the competition)
- Relevant equipment reviews
- Articles
- A gallery
- And more…
Whether you are a seasoned professional, just starting out on you journey into photography, or looking for some friendly advise to help you refine your techniques they are definitely worth a look.
At the risk of fueling an urban legend I have corrected the information presented in this article.
Thanks to the members at the fourthirdsphoto forum for setting me straight.
I told you there was a wealth of information available at fourthirdsphoto!