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| Baldwin Locomotive Works Steam Locomotive #26 at Steamtown National Historical Site, Pennsylvania (click to enlarge) Olympus E-M1 Mark II; 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens @ 20mm; 1/200th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200 |
First, this post has nothing to do with my E-M1 Mark II malfunctioning a couple of weeks ago and having to have it repaired. Those kinds of things happen. My number just happened to be up.
Second, this is not a criticism of Olympus gear. I must say I've been very happy with my Olympus gear—both the Olympus cameras I've owned and the excellent Olympus lenses I've owned. There is nothing for me to complain about when it comes to versatility, quality of build, features or image quality. I have no plans to sell my Olympus gear and intend to use it for a long time to come. So why do I say I probably won't buy another Olympus camera?
I think a trend has emerged from Olympus over the past couple of years that, to me, leads me to believe that Olympus is no longer providing its customers with enough value for the price we have to pay for their cameras. I don't mind paying a lot for something as long as I believe I am getting the value commensurate with the price. However, I think Olympus is misjudging today's photographic market and, instead of reducing the price of their micro4/3 cameras as market pressures have pushed down the price of APS-C and full frame cameras, Olympus' asking prices for their cameras, in my opinion, are too high for what you now can buy from their competitors. In other words, I don't think Olympus is pricing competitively and that may not bode well for their future.
For example, last year they introduced a really terrific camera, the E-M1X, but in my opinion at $3000 US, is way overpriced for today's market. Yes it has a new (huge) body, two batteries and two image processors but it has the same, at least, 4 year old sensor, same twp generation old EVF, same basic focusing abilities but with a few additional features added. It is essentially the same, or slightly improved, camera as the E-M1 Mark II in a new wrapper. What it doesn't have, from all reports I've read and seen, is better image quality. That is a lot of money for a few additional, albeit nice, features but image quality that is the same as it has been available for the past three or more years. Don't get me wrong, it is a technically terrific camera aimed squarely at the sports and wildlife photographers, but still, I think it is overpriced for today's market when you compare its price to the price of cameras with similar features and better image quality.
Second, Olympus introduced another "new" camera (E-M1 Mark III) that is largely the same as the old camera (E-M1 Mark II) in the fact that it has the same body, same grip, same four the five year old sensor, same two generations old EVF, same battery, etc. They did make some incremental improvements and added a few new and to some, worthwhile features. They also added a new, faster image processor. Again, it is a terrific camera in and of itself but when compared to its competitors, overpriced.
Olympus set the price of that camera at $1800 US. I have yet to see or read anything that says there is an improvement in image quality, reduction of noise or better dynamic range. I haven't seen anything confirming that focus is faster and better either. The EVF is way outdated. The E-M1.3 is a terrific camera that provides a lot of versatility and do just about anything you want it to do. But tell me why I would spend that much money upgrading my E-M1.2 and have no expectation of better image quality, focus, etc. for my money?
I think Olympus now consistently overprices their gear for today's digital camera/lens market. A few years ago, the prices they set for their gear were not out of line. Yes, they were a little on the expensive side, but the value you received for what you got was good because of being feature rich and their industry leading IBIS. However, with the downward pressure in today's market, I feel their gear is now overpriced for what you get. In fact, a couple of years ago, I started buying all used Olympus gear, which I believe is a much better value and more aligned with the current market. It is not hard to find excellent used or factory refurbished Olympus gear in the used marketplace—with a warranty as well! I've not had a bad experience with any I've purchased.
I want to repeat that the quality, features, build, etc. is still excellent in everything they build and sell. The problem is that the market has changed and Olympus has not. Here are a couple of paragraphs I wrote recently from another post, here, when I wrote about the new E-M1 Mark III.
Speaking of $1800 US, let's look at other cameras that are available at a similar price level as a comparison as to what and whom Olympus must compete to keep their users or attract new users from the world of DSLRs. Here are three full frame (35mm sized sensors—4 times the size of micro4/3) cameras which cost the same as the new Olympus.
Nikon Z6—24mp, listed on B and H for $1843, which includes the $250 Nikon F to Z mount adapter, an expensive XQD memory card and a camera bag. Less than $50 more than the E-M1 Mark III body alone.
Sony A7III—24mp, listed on B and H for $1798, which includes a spare battery, external battery charger, memory card, bag, lens cleaner. Same price as the E-M1 Mark III.
Canon R—31mp, with a bag, 128gb memory card and lens cleaning accessories all for $1799. Same price as the E-M1 Mark III.
As far as APS-C cameras that are available, the 26mp Fujifilm X-T3 is listed for $1299, the Fujifilm X-Pro 3 is listed for $1800 and the 20mp Nikon Z50 is listed for $856. In fact you can buy this Nikon with two very good lenses (16-50, 50-250), a memory card and other accessories for less than $1200! Sony also offers the 24mp A6600 body for $1198.
I'm not even mentioning the Panasonic's G9 ($999) or GH-5 ($1300), which are direct micro4/3 competitors and are priced much less than the new Olympus.I really like my Olympus gear and intend to continue to use it for the foreseeable future. However, unless Olympus changes their current trend of asking such high prices for marginal improvements, I just can't see buying another Olympus digital camera. I can't say for sure that I would never buy another Olympus camera but, at this point, I'm not looking to do so—and I'm one of their biggest fans. The exception might be if my current camera was lost, stolen or died again and was not repairable. Since my E-M1.2 is my "go to" camera, I would then consider buying another one. Since my philosophy is to not buy used cameras from private parties, that means a factory refurbished camera or one that is new but on sale or with financial incentives. And that, my friends, is a shame.
Again, I want to repeat that I am perfectly happy with all of my Olympus gear. I plan on using it for the foreseeable future. I want to continue to use it for the long term.
I hope Olympus survives this worldwide economic slowdown due to the Corona Virus Covid-19. I hope all the camera manufacturers do. However, I suspect this slowdown will affect the photographic market even more and Olympus wakes up and sees the light and makes the necessary adjustments so they can not only survive, but keep existing customers such as myself as well as attract new ones.
Dennis A. Mook
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Greetings Dennis -
ReplyDeleteI just went through this debate myself - I still have my 12-100 and 9-18 Olympus zooms but sold off my EM-1, mark I plus a half a dozens lenses I was not using to make way for a new Olympus body. I already had a Nikon D500 with the 35mm, 200-500 & 17-55 zooms, but then found a Nikon Z50 plus FTZ adapter for just over $900. I added a Tamron 14-400 zoom to the mix and now I can work with two cameras, plus 4 lenses.
So now I will wait (several years?) for the Olympus Em-1, mark III to drop in price, but have a cheaper and strong system to work with until then. I will keep my two remaining lenses as I enjoyed them so much, and wait. I hope Olympus will wake up to the new reality & see if they are not advancing enough then they are falling behind.
Fuji is also nipping at my "decision set" The F-100V, and even the XT-30 has some compelling attributes. Do I move into a third system? Seems crazy.
Thanks - Chris
Chris, thanks for the comment. I think there are a lot of Olympus owners that feel the way we do. It truly is a shame.
DeleteYep, same here! Love the Olympus gear I have but I'm not seeing them make it long term. My XT3 gets more use these days by far and in the end I will probably upgrade that system rather than my EM1 Mk II.
ReplyDeleteAdd me to list. I intended to buy a new EM-1 MK II when the new version was introduced. However, instead of a price drop, the discount was dropped and the price increased $100. I soon came to the same conclusion as you and I bought the Panasonic Lumix G-9 and I am not looking back. Over time I will replace most of my Olympus lenses with the comparable Lumix offerings.
ReplyDeleteBen, at first I didn’t much care for my G9. I bought it as a backup camera for last fall’s extended road trip. Since then, I’ve had time to really get into it, better understand it’s features and configure the settings to my liking. My opinion now has completely changed. I really like the camera. It is an outstanding tool that is p,easier able to use.
DeleteI spent several hours really studying the updated version of the user’s manual (published after the last major firmware update) and that opened my eyes as to how versatile a camera it really is. Also, I don’t think many understand how good the Panasonic m4/3 lenses are. I have the 8-18mm f/2.8-4 instead of the Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 as I can put filters on the lens directly which is not possible with the Olympus. Excellent lens in all respects. Everything I’ve read about Panasonic’s Leica branded lenses has be stellar.
Olympus is not the only major player in the m4/3 space and they better be aware of how current customers are thinking about their future with the brand.
Ok - I am back in with the EM-1, Mark II with the extra 20% off refurb sale recently. So $844 for the camera all-in + $900 for the 12-100 Olympus zoom = a kit well under $2,000. It's the 12-100 zoom lens which was the tipping point. My images have never been better with that lens & I usually have a run and gun approach to grabbing quick images so this fits my shooting style + they upgraded the firmware recently. Not state of the art, but good enough. It will get me through until the EM-1, mark III price drops way down in price. Still have the Nikon Z50 + Tamron 18-400 with VR. That is my outside kit for trails and travel. Still have the D500 with the 200-500 zoom - great combo for intentional nature and wildlife shots. This kit range should get me through the next few years.
ReplyDeleteChris, I’ve purchased several items from Olympus’ Certified Refurbished shop in the past. As you did, I wait until they run one of their 20% off sales and anything they have that you need is a true bargain. I get their notification email and go to the site immediately as cameras and lenses don’t last long before being sold. I find the shop a good way to get high quality gear (really like new) at a extraordinary price.
DeleteAs for the 12-100, what can I say? That lens pretty much stays glued to my camera. I wish Nikon and Fuji would make equivalent lenses of that same excellent quality.
Thanks for your comment. Have fun with that new combination.
Hi Dennis -
DeleteI see you like the Olympus 12-100 as well. It is unmatched by any of the brands I use. Combined with the Topaz DeNoise ap, which I run my photos through after lightroom, it is offering great image quality. Olympus does have a slight noise issue, resulting in grainier shots (at least at my proficiency level), but DeNoise really clears those photos up nicely.
As for Fuji - they continue to amaze me with their rate of innovation, but the Olympus 12-100 and Tamron 18-400 (Nikon Z50 side) lenses create advantages not yet covered by Fuji lenses.
Thanks - Chris
Chris, yes, I love the 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens. It is my favorite. As for noise, I overexpose my RAW images (they look overexposed and a bit blown out in my viewfinder) but when I open them in Lightroom they look properly exposed. By giving my images as much exposure as I can without blowing out the highlights, noise is minimized or eliminated entirely. That is usually about one stop more exposure than what looks right in the EVF. It is much better to have to darken you RAW files when editing than lighten them. I also found that ISO 250 has the combination longest dynamic range and the least amount of noise.
DeleteAs for Fuji, I wish they made a 16-140mm f/4 IS lens with the image quality and close focusing ability of the Olympus 12-100! But they don’t, unfortunately.
Great advise on exposure - I will try that out. I vaguely recall that you can set a +1 on exposure as part of the default settings - Can you confirm how to best do this?
DeleteChris my best advice is to do two things. First, pick a few scenes that fairly represent the kinds of things you photograph most. Then make some test exposures at how you would normally set your camera, then increase exposures by 1/3 stop up to about a total 1 1/3 stops overexposed. Then, in Lightroom, look at which exposure, upon import, is the brightest in the histogram but doesn’t show any highlights being blown out. That is before any editing. That exposure would be a good starting place for the expose-to-the-right (ETTR) method of maximizing capturing the information in your file and minimizing noise.
DeleteSecond, I would treat each scene/exposure as an individual circumstance, using the camera’s exposure compensation dial to adjust the exposure. I’ve generally found that “best” exposure may vary from 2/3 stop to as much as 1 1/3 stop over how you would normally set your camera. I would not recommend a “blanket” adjustment in your camera’s menu setting.
This whole theory revolves around how information is captured in your digital files. The brightest f/stop in the image represents 50% of all available information in your file. The second brightest f/stop is 25% more. The third adds 12.5% more info. When you get to the darkest values, i.e., the shadows, there is actually very little info in each brightness level. Anytime you have to raise the levels of the shadows, you are increasing digital noise. So if you expose a file as bright as possible without blowing the highlights, you either have to not raise the shadows at all or very little. In fact, if you have to darken the image when editing, that is a best case scenario. That will maximize quality.
I hope this all sounds rational and I’ve been able to explain it simply and thoroughly.
Thanks - this is most helpful!
DeleteChris
I agree that the Olympus bodies are overpriced of about 25% - as are some of the lenses,compared even with full frame cameras and lenses.
DeleteOn the other hand with the E-M1 MkIII you get many functions of practical value no other camera can deliver, and worldclass image stabilisation enbling you to shoot handheld in most situations. The joystick also is the best in the market.