It seems that Panasonic and Olympus have hit something big with Micro Four-Thirds, as more and more companies that have a stake in the consumer photography are rumored to be putting out mirrorless DSLR-sized sensor cameras with interchangeable lens mounts soon.

Samsung's NX series has been long awaited, and is rumored to be released by the end of this year.

Ricoh, a producer of some more niche market cameras is also rumored to be releasing a mirrorless design soon.

FujiFilm has also been rumored to be putting out a Micro Four-Thirds model sometime for next year's PMA.

There is also some light speculation that Sony might be readying something. Well it doesn't say "mirrorless" specifically, it's supposed to target the Panasonic GH1 directly.

There are some rumored hints that Nikon may be following suit, given some recent patent applications.

Myself being an early adopter of the Micro Four-Thirds system can only hope that the head start that Panasonic and Olympus have created for themselves by being the first-to-market by over a year will be enough to avoid them being sidelined by new proprietary offerings from other companies.

Nikon's offerings will likely be something to be reckoned with given their market recognition from their DSLR offerings.

If Canon jumps into the game, they will also of course, just like Nikon, have a large existing consumer base because of their heritage and brand name.

Competition is good for the consumer - only if the consumer picks the format that wins the standards battle.

Obviously lens selection is a huge factor in launching a new system. And this was one of the key criticisms against Micro Four-Thirds in its early days. Almost every review of the G1 praised it for its capabilities, but cautioned buyers about the limited lens selection. Over a year later, Micro Four-Thirds has already amassed itself a good handful of native lenses. Panasonic currently has six lenses available, while Olympus has two. And within the next year, both companies are expected to further increase their lens offerings (Olympus has at least two coming next year, and Panasonic probably similar). That will probably mean over 10 lenses in the Micro Four-Thirds system by the end of next year.

In addition, Panasonic currently has three Micro Four-Third bodies, Olympus has two, and FujiFilm is rumored to be putting out one next year. That will be at least six Micro Four-Third bodies by the end of next year.

The current closest known competitor is Samsung, with their NX body, which has usually been shown with two or three other lenses.

But will this head start be enough to keep Olympus and Panasonic afloat?

This mirrorless market has created a whole new consumer product segment. They don't appear to be trying to take on the DSLR market, but yet, they are far superior than any point and shoot camera, super zoom, or even "bridge" camera.