Future of Olympus
Jun 2, 2012 15:34:51 #
not discount stores. real camera stores carry all the brands. But rember one BILLION dollars in acumalated losses may force oly to merge or spin off their camera division.
Jun 3, 2012 08:51:55 #
As an Olympus owner I have been keeping an eye on their situation, which is not good. But I have what I need for the next several years so if they are not there when I need to update I will just look elsewhere. The irony is that while Sony's cameras have been getting raves, Sony has been losing money and is not in good financial shape either. Just remember who would have ever thought that, one day, Kodak and Minolta would be a thing of the past.
Jun 3, 2012 09:14:51 #
Good point, Vanderpix. BTW, our local store is not a discount/big box but a reputable business with several stores in our state. I found their dropping of Olympus to be a bit unsettling.
Jun 3, 2012 09:40:02 #
My thoughts on Olympus: Back in film days, this was my choice of cameras. I owned every model from OM1 to OM3 and OM4. Their lenses were second to none. They never built bodies as sturdy and durable as Nikon, Canon and Minolta and were never a favorite to the professional trade that had to take equipment into the field especially in hostile environments. (That was Nikon's strong point back then -- just couldn't kill an FM2 or F3). Today Olympus still makes great lenses and most people still would rather have a Nikon or Canon body. I would love to see Olympus go into just making lenses for Nikon, Canon and Sony. With their reputation for great lenses, they could zoom right up to #1 ahead of Tamron, Sigma and Tokina. (Anyone from Olympus paying attention out there?). They may not go out of business on their own, but the problem is that perception is often reality. If enough camera stores do what your's has done, they will be forced out. In the last two years Sony has zoomed ahead of them in the market and I don't see things getting better for them. One problem too is their smaller sensor size. The trend is going the other way -- Sony and now Nikon (if the D600 rhumor is accurate)have full frame cameras in the prosumer price range -- around 1600.00. With the increased sensor size more megapixels can be added without increasing noise. If Olympus tries to pack too many megapixels onto their 4/3rd's sensor, they may be making a sharper image at the expense of increasing noise.
Jun 3, 2012 10:05:47 #
Wow, good analysis, Mike. BTW, judging from your location(s), let me guess... military? I'm from NE AR, near Memphis, lived in Nashville 6 years (Vanderbilt Divinity School), and am back in AR (Little Rock). My history looks similar to yours. Appreciate the input.
Jun 3, 2012 11:24:19 #
In case you didn't see it - 4/3rds camer's outsold all slr type cameras in 2011. the trend is not full frame
Jun 3, 2012 11:31:27 #
that's probably micro 4/3rds, since Olympus is only selling one 4/3rds body right now. But Mirrorless cameras are probably the future. And I agree about Olympus lenses. One of the reasons I have not sought to sell my Olympus equipment is the bang for the buck I get with their lenses. I Have a range 0f 12-200( or 24-400 crop factor included) that are go from 2.8 -4. And they take great photos as well
Jun 3, 2012 13:59:59 #
yep i ment micro 4/3rds . kodak went broke mostly due to nobody used their film as much since digital cameras and minolta lives in the sony alpha cameras. i have no fear olympus will be around for a long long time. most people buy online let nikon and canon have the stores
Jun 3, 2012 14:35:06 #
I have a Nikon D7000 with a battery grip. Great camera and I've really enjoyed it. But I need something I can throw in my briefcase and carry around with me. For example, a few weeks ago I was going to my office and a local Party City store was on fire. Ironically, it's right next door to my camera store. If I had only had my camera... The newspaper story the next day did not include a picture. I still can't figure out why the camera store employees didn't hustle over to get a few shots. Could have sold them to the paper.
Aug 22, 2012 10:12:58 #
I'm fairly new here, and glad to see this thread. I've been concerned about Olympus because they do not seem to be coming up with anything new lately for the dslr -- no new lenses, no new models. And Sigma and others no longer make lenses for Olympus. How are we to grow, expand our photography if we cannot find the equipment we need?
Aug 22, 2012 10:23:07 #
Is Olympus putting all/ most of their eggs in the 43 basket? I don't know since I don't have or use DSLR, thus don't follow it. I'm not worried about 43 support, if for no other reason than Panasonic is also in the game.
Aug 22, 2012 10:50:43 #
sinatraman wrote:
no it is about the board of control at olympus falsifying losses totaling over one billion dollars over a long periodof time. Had that been an american company that board would be having a mandatory vacation at club fed. Have not heard what the japanese government is going to do to them. but they are in much worse economic condition then they let on.
How can you possibly say that after the trillions of dollars of taxpayer money that has been given to numerous U.S. companies over the last few years who evidently had questionable business practices or they wouldn't have needed the "bailout" money? :-( :?: :-(
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