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| Presque Isle Lighthouse, Presque Isle State Park, Pennsylvania on the shore of Lake Erie. (click to enlarge) Olympus E-M1 Mark II; 12-100mm f/4 lens @ 12mm; 1/500th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200 |
I know many of you who read this blog have and use micro4/3 gear. I would suspect each of us who do is still wondering if the format will survive, for how long and in what manner. I don't know how much you keep up with the micro4/3 news coming out of Japan Industrial Partners (JIP)/Olympus and Panasonic, but I try keep aware of what is being said by the managers of those three companies. I do this because, as you all know, I have quite a vested interest in micro4/3 gear.
What I have been reading continues to be a mixed message. Uncertainty, at best. I believe that is the worst kind of message and breeds confusion and apprehension among the format's user community. Uncertainty, can lead to not only to the users not buying new gear, but also selling the gear one now owns. Those two things will make matters worse.
In various publications I've now read four different interviews with Panasonic managers and it has become clear to me that, yes as they said, they will continue to support micro4/3 format. However, it also appears to me that the support and new gear introductions will most likely come in the form of video oriented kit. Additionally, I found it interesting that a Panasonic manager commented that he (they) don’t believe that Olympus users would migrate to Panasonic in the future. I don't have much hope for Panasonic to continue to make cameras primarily targeted for stills photographers. That is discouraging, if it plays out that way. Panasonic says micro4/3 has certain advantages in video but mentioned nothing about stills. I'm not hopeful but we may see a G10 and a GH6 but we may also see Panasonic go a different way. In fact, yesterday a new micro4/3 10mp video camera was leaked.
On the other hand, what I am reading coming out of various Olympus and JIP managers is that JIP will maintain the Olympus name, take over the production facilities in Vietnam, concentrate on high end and mid level cameras but also look for other market opportunities in the way of industrial, surveillance and commercial sales. Looking outside of traditional photographic sales chains is smart. I hope they increase sales and find success. Olympus has said repeatedly that the current lens road map and cameras under development will continue. The main question that remains for me is for how long and in what form will their purported support come? Will there still be research and development for new stills cameras with an updated sensor and EVF? Will there be more AI type features Olympus is so famous for? Will there be new and/or refreshed lenses? Will there now be a new emphasis on video to better compete in that market?
As I've mentioned in the past, I have quite a bit of micro4/3 gear. I don't plan to sell it off anytime soon, with the exception of some of my prime lenses (I just don't use primes much anymore because the Olympus zoom lenses are so good). My assessment is that my cameras and lenses are just as good today as they were months ago before all of this upheaval in our world started. I believe my cameras and lenses should continue to serve me more than sufficiently well into the future. That said, I don't plan to buy any more micro4/3 gear until I'm assured this uncertainty has settled out. That can only happen if Panasonic, JIP and Olympus are truly forthcoming and open about what they have planned for the future of the format. Sadly, I suspect they will keep us guessing which only hurts them and us for the future.
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Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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I think a new sensor is not very likely. Honestly, M43 has reached the maximum MP at 20. Any more pixels and diffraction will start setting in at f/5.6, maybe sooner. I too purchased the OM-D EM-1 MK3 and love the 50mp High Res shooting mode. This may be the best way to get more than 20mp using these cameras. Updates are likely to be iffy ...otherwise hope they continue to support existing product. I hope I never need a repair! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI hope the 4/3rd line continues, but worry that the new JIP operation might be more about milking out whatever remaining cash might be left. Already the "X" model is slashed by $1,000. As a bargain-bin sale, one could pick up a nice kit. As a company with a future, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteLooking to the future, soon we will find out if the new Fuji X-S10 is really a Olympus EM-1 with a APSC sensor. The Fuji X-S10 has built-in image stabilization, a small body style & a appearance like the EM-1. If Fuji could duplicate a 12-100 zoom or close equivalent, then there is a way forward should I need to switch brands. Fuji really seems to be trying to innovate it's way forward and I give them a lot of points for that.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. My Olympus equipment may outlast me in useful service. The current technological features are superbly functional and in my opinion one or two camera model generations ahead of the Nikon Z6. I think the Olympus is a mature system and the hardware is unlikely to evolve much in the future. The camera race should be about the first to adopt the advanced technologies in the iphone.
ReplyDeleteAs for the 20.4 mgpxl sensor, If you crop the Z6 3:2 image to a 4:3 ratio, you will have 21 mgpxl. The Nikon D5 is 20 mgpxl for $5,497.