I'm Wondering If Olympus Has "Something Up Its Sleeve," So To Speak?

Garden of the Gods State Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1 Mark II; 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens @ 38mm; 1/125th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200

The other day an interesting thought struck me.  I'm going to toy with you a bit so bear with me.

As I wrote here and here, I felt Olympus' introduction of the E-M1 Mark III as its "next generation" camera just didn't make sense.  Today, it makes even less sense during these tumultuous times and considering how this pandemic has had an even greater negative affect on the already struggling photographic industry.  

Olympus basically gave us the same camera as the E-M1 Mark II with a few added features (the new E-M5 Mark III, announced last October, turned out to be a slightly downgraded E-M1 Mark II—also with same the E-M1 Mark II 20.2mp sensor).  Granted, the new features in the E-M1 Mark III are attractive and useful and increase the value proposition of the camera.  But still, after waiting for a new camera for over 3 years, I think we all would have thought that Olympus would have put a brand new sensor in their new professional level camera.  After all, the current sensor was announced in September, 2016 so you know it was developed at least a year or more before then making it at least 4 years old.  In digital photography terms, a sensor that old is ancient.  But they didn't?  Why?

I've started to wonder if Olympus really has a new, flagship camera under development.  I'm wondering if the Mark III is not the "next generation" pro level camera but a placeholder model.  I wonder if it is a camera to temporarily satisfy Olympus' user base until the real next generation camera is ready.  After all, not only is the Mark II's sensor a bit "long in the tooth"  but the camera is as well.  Everyone was expecting a new camera from Olympus in late 2019 or early 2020 and Olympus gave us one.  But is it, again, the real next generation camera?  Time will tell.  Let me expand on this thought a bit.

Let's consider Olympus' history in digital photography gear.  They have been right on the front lines of creating and introducing remarkable features in their cameras.  They have been industry leaders.  Considering IBIS, live composite, live time, the best sensor dust mitigation system in the industry, high resolution photography, pro capture, etc., Olympus are the ones that, to me, seem to push the envelop in giving photographers new and useful tools to better their experiences and help create the images those photographers want to create.  But they didn't do that.

Let's then consider the E-M1 Mark III.  Same four year old sensor as is in the Mark II.  Same image quality.  Same noise profile.  Same three generation old 2.36mp EVF.  Same LCD.  Same body.  Same battery.  On the bright side, there is a new image processor to handle some of the features that they brought from the E-M1X.  You get my point.  Although there have been some features added to the Mark III, they are really not new (Starry Sky is maybe an exception).  They are already in an existing camera.  All in all, the camera is recycling features already existing in another Olympus camera—mainly the E-M1X.  That doesn't sound like the Olympus we have all known, especially for the E-M1 line of professional level cameras.

What if Olympus is working diligently on their next generation camera but, because it is not yet ready, they felt they had to put out the E-M1 Mark III to meet public expectations and to keep users from defecting to other manufacturer's gear?  I believe that is what Nikon did with the Z6 and Z7 cameras.  I think those two cameras were introduced as placeholders until the more sophisticated next generation Nikon mirrorless cameras are ready.  What if Olympus is currently developing a camera with new features and improvements based upon the kind of computational photography we see in smartphones?  Features that allow a small sensor to act like a large sensor.  Features that map distance in the image that can create a very shallow depth of field.  What if Olympus is working on a camera with a new sensor with new technology that can give image quality that meets or exceeds that of today's full frame?  What if they have a camera under development with the latest 5.7mp EVF, which is now found in several other cameras?  What if, what if what if?  I could go on but you get my point.

The other day I read a Samsung announcement in which they announced they developed new sensor technology that, in my interpretation, can make tiny pixels act and record light like much larger pixels.  We all know that larger pixels absorb more light, has less noise in the shadows and provides overall better image quality.  Here is the partial text from the Samsung press release:

"For our latest 108Mp image sensor, the ISOCELL Bright HM1, we implemented our proprietary ‘Nonacell technology,’ which dramatically increases the amount of light absorption pixels are capable of. Compared to previous Tetracell technology which features a 2×2 array, the 3×3 pixel structure of Nonacell technology allows, for instance, nine 0.8μm pixels to function as one 2.4-μm pixel. This also mitigates the issue raised by low-light settings where light information is often scarce."

Currently, micro4/3 20.2 mp sensors have pixels that measure 3.3µ (called pixel pitch).  A 50mp so called "full frame" sensor has pixels that measure 4.1µ.  The pixel pitch of the new Sony A7rIV is 3.76µ.  In other words, not as much difference from micro 4/3 as you might have thought.  If Olympus were to put a variation of one of the new Samsung sensors using that new technology (not the 108mp version, but one that is maybe 24mp or 32mp or so) into its next generation cameras, it is not out of the question that the image quality could fully equal that of the larger sensored cameras.  Just sayin'.

To wrap up this wild speculation (remember I've been locked down for well over a month), it doesn't make sense for a company known to introduce cutting edge technology and features to put out a camera that is, in essence an amazing, professional level but "warmed over version" of two existing cameras in a format that is already looked upon as a stepchild—especially in the declining photography gear market.  With that kind of thinking how does Olympus survive?  Not easily is the answer.  That led me to think that maybe their real next generation camera, packed with all sorts of computational photography features (as I said like the smartphones we now have), and improvements such as a new, updated sensor, a new higher performance image process, 5.7mp EVF, bigger battery, etc., is not yet ready to hit the market.

Olympus has recently publicly stated that they would have new cameras and lenses (yes plural for both) this year.  It would not surprise me if Olympus has a new flagship camera for late this year or early 2021 that will rival cameras with larger sensors.  I think that is just the ticket they need to leap into the future and stay viable in this tough digital photography environment.  But, what do I know?  I suspect not much but it is fun to speculate.

What are your thoughts?

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Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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