The days of press photographers with huge SLR digital cameras might be a thing of the past.

Olympus and Matsushita have announced a new digital camera format that will make single lens reflex (SLR) models smaller and lighter. SLR cameras are the fastest growing segment of the overall digital camera market. While they offer a much better picture quality, they are bigger than the smaller personal versions and are often only used by professionals and enthusiasts.

The new format, called the Micro Four Thirds System, is an open standard that would make digital SLR cameras thinner and lens units smaller. Haruo Ogawa, head of Olympus Imaging Corp's SLR business division, told a news conference that the idea was to packing high picture quality into a body thin enough to slide into a pocket.

The name 'micro four thirds system' does however raise a question. If it's a bit smaller than four thirds, it's probably three thirds, so why isn't it called the One System? 

So far the size or design of their new cameras based on the new standard has not been announced. X

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Reuters