Olympus is out...

Specifically for the discussion of the A-mount DSLR range
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

In hindsight Olympus might have been better off using their OM 35mm mount and going down a niche purist type route. That seems crazy but look where they are now, essentially sold the business out. The 35mm OM cameras were very good in their day - they might have been able to carve a niche out. I know some will say it has to be mirrorless, fine but a 35mm full frame shove your adapter on there and bingo OM lenses. I think that could have worked out OK for them. I was never convinced about 4/3, IMO they picked the wrong sensor format twice which was a huge mistake.
Camera makers these days are determined to cut costs. I remember years ago I noted how short the charging lead was on the Sony DSLR camera kits, no doubt some bean counter decided if they cut it in half they would say a few pennies x thousands of packs = saving some money!

Years later they took it a step further, removing the chargers from camera kits. Later A Mount bodies removed the GPS and the AF assist, both of which are useful, and the Minolta AF assist is the best out there - it works and doesn't annoy people when you use it, unlike the LED bright beams on some models, nothing I have used it anywhere near as good. Ditto on the built in flash removal, more and more common - yet useful for those who want to trigger off camera flashes quickly, without using a transmitter. So to me MILC = rapid cost savings. Less parts, faster to make, smaller bodies = less material and they charge higher prices! That was their plan, except it came at the time where good enough and phones were hurting sales badly.

Unfortunately we're in the position of just having to put up with what's there. But we can still be prudent and buy used gear or blow out deals if needed. I have 0 interest in the marketing hype/influencer nonsense that flies around, I don't want or need 100mp cameras, don't need 1000 AF points or 8K. A mount was being wound down for 7-8 years, that was fairly obvious looking back. At least there is a way using those lenses in the future with some compromises, it's just a shame that makers are overly obsessed with making small bodies with compromised ergonomics, with little variation. Sony must have re-used those E Mount moulds with minor tweaks an awful lot!
I'm certainly not interested in spending money investing in native MILC glass, the cost is ridiculous (not to mention the slow lens creep issue we've seen F7.1 lol). I said a while ago I think the downfall of MILC is the ability to use so many lenses, you can entirely bypass native lenses. That cuts off a revenue stream significantly - and no question hurts sales/profits. Hence we see ouch prices. A friend of mine bough a Nikon Z 70-200mm F2.8, yes it's a lovely lens, however the cost cutting is shown even there - a lens case? No you get a pathetic cloth wrap! I was staggered how tight camera makers have become, even on expensive purchases like that. I would be pretty disgusted if I paid that for a lens and didn't even get a real case to carry it in. Maybe I'm a bit picky. Welcome to MILC anything to save a few £££ $$$$ ;-D
classiccameras
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by classiccameras »

Canon and Nikon started out right keeping their traditional SLR mounts and using a cropped APS-C sensor. Sony and Pentax followed but Olympus just got left behind. Makes you wonder what Panasonic would do if Olympus went under, They already sell more cameras and have market leaders in some such as the Bridge cameras, some thing Olympus failed to do
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Word is Nikon might do something with F mount maybe a D850 update, not sure what else. I don't think Canon are doing much, unless they pull something out of the bag. They 5dMkIV isn't getting updated so we hear, and the 7dII is gone for a while now (even the A77ii lasted longer). They did put out the 90d, but I doubt it will hit the spot for 7dii users, single slot, plastic v mag alloy body, same old 45 point AF (7dii was very good for AF) and quite pricey really for what it is IMO.
I wouldn't bank on a ton of things happening on either SLR mounts - guess we will find out
Be interesting to see how crazy Pentax price this new K3III - I don't think they can do anything really to improve their situation. It's probably MILC all the way, cheaper to make and more profits - trying to wring out as much as they can with declining sales. Lot of used gear around, and that's another problem for them. I'd have no problem using a DSLR or lenses if you can bag some decent deals.

I suspect Panasonic are banking on video users keeping them going, they did team up with Leica and Sigma. Mount size is almost the same as A Mount, a fraction larger! There is a lot of huff and puff from this new OMD company, wonder if it will live up to the noises they are making. My money is on Pentax next to fall, if that leaves enough for the others we can ponder that and the new OMD efforts (if Oly couldn't make it work can they?)
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Dusty
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by Dusty »

As companies keep dropping out of the market, it should make the others stronger. The problem with that is that everything (except m4/3) is proprietary. Flashes, batteries, lenses. About the only standard is the tripod mount!

That means a lot of us will keep scrounging used items until they are no longer available or reliable as a used purchase. (What's an used A900 worth w/ it's 12 year old sensor tech and aging electronics?)

Eventually, we will either move on to a different mount or switch to bridge cameras, depending on what we see as our photographic future.
An a700, an a550 and couple of a580s, plus even more lenses (Zeiss included!).
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by classiccameras »

I moved over to a Bridge camera Lumix FZ 330 a couple of years ago just to lighten the load when out taking pictures, its been the most useful camera have owned especially for landscapes and general photography.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

It is proprietary, and it isn't. Because you can adapt lenses at least. Evidently the Z Mount is the best suited to this (shortest flange distance)
The multi interface shoe debacle, well you can't use the flashes on other cameras (unless you use two adapters) - some/most other flashes work on the MIS.
I know plenty of people who have just not gone MILC, lot of EOS users, many have no interest - they already got their gear and are not unhappy with it. Some got a Sony body and adapted lenses, a few moved back to EOS R as that works better (but kept their DSLR stuff)

At least from those I know, not too many are entirely dumping mounts and moving to other mounts. It can be quite costly doing that. You have to take the over excited YouTubers, sponsored by squarespace, with a pinch of salt ;-D. Yes some people do switch, they are not too many in the overall picture. I know enough Nikon and Canon users who are not moving anywhere, and don't really care much about 20fps and animal eye af.
I was toying with the A900, but used prices are unrealistic - people still trying to rake back 600/700 euro on a camera that is basically just old. A900 should be priced around the 5dII level, I (about 350-400 max). Even the A99 is still quite pricey

Take a basic set up for any MILC system
UWA lens (16- something)
Normal Zoom (24 or 28 - something)
Fast prime (50mm)
Tele: 70-200mm

F4 for the zooms. add the body and native lens, that's not pocket change. Tamron's a bit better, but not what they used to be hardly bargain stuff
A 16-35mm F4 is about £1000 odd, cost adds up quite quickly. Unless you adapt lenses you'd need some serious firepower in cash. That's before you even load up on batteries, grips and other stuff. You're looking at ball park 5K+ for a simple set up. Add in native macro lenses or any fast WA primes and that's going to rocket up rapidly. Not worth it IMO
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by classiccameras »

I built my recent A58 and 2 Minolta lenses 17-35 F.28 & 24-85 kit for under £400. that's all I need for that camera. Thank goodness for Minolta lenses. As I said in my last post, I use my Panny bridge more than any of my other cameras, the lens goes from 25 mm - 600, OK its not wonderful at 600 but I rarely use that focal length.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

There are some good deals around, but also some incredibly stupid prices too.
Here's a good example!
https://ebay.to/2LO0hbd
Who cares if it's sealed new, old stuff is old. Ebay can be dire on prices (basically they don't sell the stuff), or the odd good deal comes up. I've done quite well overall, you just have to be picky
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bakubo
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by bakubo »

Here is a new interview posted today. We shall see how things play out.

Interview: Aki Murata of OMDS (Olympus) - 'we’re more flexible now'

https://www.dpreview.com/interviews/185 ... exible-now

Editor's note: Barnaby Britton

For all of the doom and gloom in comments and even some editorial coverage (not, I hasten to add, on DPReview) it seems that the team at OM Digital Solutions is going into 2021 with a marked sense of confidence, both in their leadership, and in the strength of the Olympus brand. Mr. Murata embodies this confidence, but I've heard similar statements from several current OMDS employees this year who have made the transition from Olympus.

'No change' is the message, and, with new products confirmed to be on the way in the coming months, everything looks to be going to plan. The most immediate problem facing Mr. Murata and his team appears to be the difficulty in fulfilling orders for the 150-400mm tele-zoom, which has been backordered almost since the day it was announced. Arguably that's a good problem to have, but I get the impression that so early in its corporate existence, it's also a slightly embarrassing one for OMDS.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Olympus is out...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I think reality v expectations comes to mind. What they do we shall see.
Apart from re-hiring some ambassadors like Robin Wong (who's over excitement/spluttering/sweating/gushing) about Micro 4/3 actually puts me off ever even looking at any of their products ;-D, let's see what they can do.
My guess is same as before there are not enough buyers for new camera gear in 2021 and moving forward to support all these makers
It's great someone picked up the Olympus camera division, but it doesn't mean it's going to be a raging success
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