Olympus dual IS and digital ND filter technologies patented

Olympus has patented a dual image stabilization technology, that uses both in-body and lens stabilization systems. Additionally, the company has also patented a way to reproduce the effects of a neutral density filter.

Some Olympus mirrorless cameras come packed with built-in image stabilization technologies. This has reduced the need of launching stabilized lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system and their numbers are quite low. Most Panasonic ILCs do not have in-body IS, so this is why there are several Panasonic-branded lenses with OIS technology.

Anyway, Panasonic has recently unveiled the Lumix GX8 camera and it has built-in IS, albeit a special one. It is the first Micro Four Thirds shooter to come with a Dual Image Stabilizer. This technology combines both the in-body IS and the in-lens systems for better stabilization.

Olympus cameras do not have dual IS technologies, so you need to turn off one of them. This may not go on for too long, as the company has also patented a dual IS technology that would allow its future camera to behave like the Panasonic GX8.

Patent for Olympus dual IS technology spotted in Japan

The patent is not very explicit on how things work. However, it seems like when both the body and the lens have built-in IS, the body will correct rolling / rotation, while the lens will take care of the rest.

This is how the Olympus dual IS technology looks on paper.

Either way, the Olympus dual IS patent says that the shake correction will be significantly improved when compared to what is currently possible. Two heads work better than one and, in this case, the camera and the optic will communicate better to make sure that blur will not show up in your photos.

It is unlikely that the upcoming OM-D E-M10 Mark II will have such technology as it is a low-end camera. On the other hand, the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, which is probably coming in 2016, might come packed with this mechanism.

Olympus patents in-camera digital neutral density filter

Until the introduction of its dual IS system, Olympus has patented a technology that replicates the effects of a neutral density filter.

Olympus may add a technology that mimic the effects of an ND filter into its mirrorless cameras sometime in the future.

ND filters allow photographers to capture images at slower shutter speeds or faster apertures in bright conditions. They are present in some high-end compact cameras, such as the Fujifilm X100T, Canon PowerShot G7 X, and Sony RX100 III, but it looks like Olympus’ digital ND filter will be available in an interchangeable lens camera.

The patent application is referring to a camera’s electronic shutter, so this may be the tool that will replicate the effects of a neutral density filter.

It is too early to speak about these technologies, but it is impossible to deny that having both dual IS and ND filter technologies in an ILC does not sound great. What would you like to see in a future Olympus camera?