Olympus dalliance with DSLRs over?
in [Digital Cameras]
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From: Jeremiah DeWitt Weiner on 28 May 2010 12:14 In rec.photo.digital.slr-systems Bruce <docnews2011(a)gmail.com> wrote: > So there's going to be an "E-5"? .... > Meanwhile, Olympus > will support (but not invest in) the E-System for the sake of existing > users. Hey, don't take it from me. "Toshiyuki Terada, or 'Toshi', manages the Olympus SLR product planning team in Tokyo, Japan. .... All Toshi would say was that his team are definitely working on the next generation of Four Thirds products... .... Speculation that Olympus was abandoning conventional optical viewfinder DSLRs in as little as two years was also dismissed. .... I asked Toshi if, now that the Pen E-PL1 had been launched, the product development resources within Olympus would now be weighted more towards Four Thirds and the E-System line. Toshi's reaction was almost one of curiosity; implying surprise that I thought that R&D had been pulled off Four Thirds in the first place. "Many technological developments are common to both and new features that you see in our Pen cameras will also be applied to future E-System cameras," Toshi explained, adding: "We could not have separated our Micro Four Thirds and Four Thirds development effort; it would not have worked that way."" <http://fourthirds-user.com/2010/03/lunch_with_olympus_manager_of_slr_product_planning.php> That interview was published on March 17th of this year, only a little over 60 days ago. But hey, you think whatever you want. > Under these circumstances, the only DSLR purchases that make any sense > are those from Canon and Nikon. None of the other brands can be > guaranteed to be in production in three years' time. I would be willing to lay money on the proposition that Olympus will still be making DSLRs in three years. -- Oh to have a lodge in some vast wilderness. Where rumors of oppression and deceit, of unsuccessful and successful wars may never reach me anymore. -- William Cowper, 1731 - 1800
From: SMS on 28 May 2010 12:28 On 24/05/10 10:18 AM, Bruce wrote: > Under these circumstances, the only DSLR purchases that make any sense > are those from Canon and Nikon. None of the other brands can be > guaranteed to be in production in three years' time. True, if you want to be sure of an upgrade path and continued availability of lenses and accessories, you do not want to stray from Canon or Nikon. Choosing a D-SLR body is almost like getting married--divorces are messy and expensive. It's pretty sad that no other D-SLR system has even been able to reach 10% market share, and other than Sony, they're not even in the high single digits. You see the results in terms of product offerings. Other than Sony, no one has the resources to invest in sensor development so they fall further and further behind. You're also stuck with inferior in-body VR/IS because other than Canon and Nikon no one has the resources to invest in lens development. Olympus also has the problem that they can't increase the sensor size on 4:3. Canon and Nikon can do APS-C or full frame (or anything in-between) and in most cases you can use the same lenses (though you can use EF-s lenses with an adapter on Canon full-frame models you really wouldn't want to do this). There may be a market for interchangeable lens P&S cameras like Micro 4:3 and Sony NEX. NEX is too new to know its chances, but Micro 4:3 sales have been underwhelming.
From: John Navas on 28 May 2010 13:17
On Fri, 28 May 2010 09:28:29 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven(a)geemail.com> wrote in <4bffef38$0$1599$742ec2ed(a)news.sonic.net>: >Olympus also has the problem that they can't increase the sensor size on >4:3. Canon and Nikon can do APS-C or full frame (or anything in-between) >and in most cases you can use the same lenses (though you can use EF-s >lenses with an adapter on Canon full-frame models you really wouldn't >want to do this). It's not a problem. It's a valid design choice. >There may be a market for interchangeable lens P&S cameras like Micro >4:3 and Sony NEX. NEX is too new to know its chances, but Micro 4:3 >sales have been underwhelming. Unsupported and simply not true (like so much of the other stuff you post). -- Best regards, John "A little learning is a dangerous thing." -Alexander Pope "It is better to sit in silence and appear ignorant, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." -Mark Twain "Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn." -Benjamin Franklin |