News 

SLRs are the most lucrative and fastest growing segment of the overall digital camera market. But some compact digital camera users are reluctant to move up to SLRs because of their bulk.

The new format, called the Micro Four Thirds System, would make digital SLR cameras thinner and lens units smaller than those based on the existing Four Thirds System.

The Four Thirds System is an open standard that specifies the size of the imaging sensor and lens mount, ensuring compatibility of lenses between products.

Olympus and Matsushita, maker of Panasonic brand electronics, offer digital SLR cameras based on the Four Thirds standard, while Sigma Corp makes Four Thirds-based lenses. "Packing high picture quality into a body thin enough to slide into a pocket. That is the basic concept of Micro Four Thirds," Haruo Ogawa, head of Olympus's SLR business division, told a news conference.

Matsushita and Olympus did not disclose the actual size or design of their new cameras based on the new standard, and declined to comment on prices and launch timing.