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Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

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Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#171

Post by csharptwdec19 »

slantyyz wrote: post #142
anta40 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's a few brands out there still, but there is a noticable stigma in the professional community around equipment that isn't Canon Weird. How do arrive at that conclusion? Typically pros pick Nikon or Canon FF DSLRs. It's very common at least among photojournalists & wedding photographers. Now mirrorless is the hot stuff. Sony/Fuji/Olympus started earlier, and after a few year, Nikon & Canon decided to join to c…

Nikon's first mirrorless cameras were announced in 2011, so around the same time as Fuji's X-Pro1. While a lot of people mocked the Nikon 1 series (because of their strange form factors and handling), they were the only mirrorless cameras that had autofocus nearing DSLRs for several years. They were actually pretty good cameras.

Nikon 1 hater here. You're not wrong on any of that. They had great technology in even the early models.

But... It was all so expensive. So expensive that for a while the perception was that Nikon was pricing it to protect their precious F-Mount lineup.

And, maybe they were, which wouldn't have been the WORST idea, because it did keep too many people from buying into the system (which, quite frankly, may not have fared well long term anyway, once the right technology was in place for larger sensors to focus as fast as the 1 series could.)

I do also know that some of the system's cost is because the small sensor size necessitated -very- good glass to get good image quality. (Smaller sensor but same MP = higher demands on glass)

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#174

Post by slantyyz »

lizknope wrote: post #155
ISL wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me, the big monoculture risk is Sony's image-sensor fab. As I understand it, Sony, Fuji, Nikon and many others all rely upon the output of one company's manufacturing process. There's a good reason for it -- they appear to make the very best sensors (edit: in terms of dynamic range and noise) in the commercial-camera market. Canon makes their own sensors, which are good in absolute but not relative terms, which ap…

Some of Nikon's sensors are probably made by Tower Jazz. https://petapixel.com/2020/06/05/towerjazz-hints-that-nikon-... Nikon has also used Toshiba in the past but probably 80% of Nikon's DSLR sensors were made by Sony.

The Nikon 1 line, with exception of the J5 (which used Sony's sensor), used sensors made by Aptina.

Aptina's sensors were pretty spectacular from an AF perspective in that they had phase-shift AF on-sensor in 2011. The AF was as close as you could get to DSLRs on a mirrorless camera for quite some time. It's just too bad that Nikon came up with a weird set of 1st generation Nikon 1 cameras that made no sense to anybody.

IIRC, Aptina ended up cross-licensing their patents to Sony.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#175

Post by dnr »

Someone1234 wrote: post #14

That's a legitimate shame for open standards. M43 has its proponents and critics, but either way it is rare to see a somewhat successful multi-vendor standard in photography that actually worked . The main problem is that the market itself has been shrinking, and there's just not enough room to have so much competition (Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, Fuji, Canon, and Nikon). M43 was successful, but it succeeded in an area…

I've been happily using my Panasonic G3 for years for hiking/backpacking/skiing. The key features for me are the small weight and size of the body and lenses, and the electronic viewfinder. I've been thinking about upgrading the body recently, but all the newer G series are much bigger and heavier, and the GF and GX series don't have a viewfinder. What's the best choice for me in the M43 world? (Or which system should I look at instead?)

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#176

Post by jseliger »

meowzero wrote: post #126

It was a matter of time. They were focused on m4/3, which was a good system. But phone technology evolved quickly. Most pros or prosumers go for the higher-end APSC or Full Frame lineups. In my experience, they don't take the m4/3 stuff seriously. For regular folks, m4/3 is too expensive. For the same price, they can use their phones (or buy an APSC camera). The quality is negligible thanks to all the software enhanc…

In my experience, they don't take the m4/3 stuff seriously

Olympus neglected video for far too long and Panasonic's autofocus has been inadequate for many years.

Both companies have produced incredible cameras but both had and have substantial weaknesses they never properly fixed.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#177

Post by slantyyz »

csharptwdec19 wrote: post #171
slantyyz wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nikon's first mirrorless cameras were announced in 2011, so around the same time as Fuji's X-Pro1. While a lot of people mocked the Nikon 1 series (because of their strange form factors and handling), they were the only mirrorless cameras that had autofocus nearing DSLRs for several years. They were actually pretty good cameras.

Nikon 1 hater here. You're not wrong on any of that. They had great technology in even the early models. But... It was all so expensive. So expensive that for a while the perception was that Nikon was pricing it to protect their precious F-Mount lineup. And, maybe they were, which wouldn't have been the WORST idea, because it did keep too many people from buying into the system (which, quite frankly, may not have far…

It was expensive initially, but prices shot way down when I got my first N1 camera, a J1. I still have a V1 and a J5 in addition to my M43 gear.

The tech was pretty good right down to the end of the line. The J5 is a pretty fantastic camera. Basically a Sony RX100 (it is a Sony sensor unlike the Aptinas in its predecessors) with interchangeable lenses.

I still prefer the handling of my J5 over my Micro 4/3 cameras. The J5 is what the V1 should have been on day 1.

The lens ecosystem was small (I have most of the "affordable" ones), but they happened to be in the focal lengths that matched up to my favorites on my APS-C DSLR at the time. The one thing I loved about the N1 was how small they were. I could carry multiple bodies and lenses in a small bag that would be filled up by one dslr and two lenses.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#178

Post by csharptwdec19 »

Galaxeblaffer wrote: post #114
geerlingguy wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I thought mirrorless cameras were already outselling DSLRs. In volume, yes. In profit, it's still close, but mirrorless has been closing the gap for a long time. And Sony used to be king of the hill with mirrorless, but Canon and Nikon have quickly caught up and the playing field is a bit more level (even as Sony holds the crown for most of the technical features). The thing is, ecosystems matter a lot past the hob…

Why not go all Sony ? You can share the lenses between your apsc and your full frame.

The problem you still run into with Sony (especially if you're on a budget) is that if you go Nikon or Canon there's decades of used lenses you can pop right on your body and go to town (to at least some level).

This impacts both what choices you have, as well as what you can expect to pay for a given set/quality of glass.

To Wit: A Canon 10-18 is ONE THIRD the cost of the Sony E-mount 10-18. Yes, the Sony has a constant F4 aperture and the Canon doesn't. And yeah, on the other end Canon has the 11-24 f4 L, and yeah it's at least double the price of the Sony.

tl;dr - Sony's issue is you usually just have midrange options for everything, even if you really want a lower end lens that just hits the right range.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#180

Post by csharptwdec19 »

ben7799 wrote: post #106
easygenes wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For professionals, a lot of that selection also comes down to serviceability. When Sony started gunning for more of the professional market with the A9 they had to up their service game and it’s still considered lacking.

Bingo.. having used Canon service quite a few times they are just fantastic at that part. The brand wars are mostly an amateur thing.. once you decide on a brand if you're really serious and especially if you're running a business you don't jump brands over little differences in sensor performance because it's too much financial churn and you lose your muscle memory switching to a camera with a different control layo…

> you lose your muscle memory switching to a camera with a different control layout.

This is a -huge- thing for some folks.

Have a colleague who does some light pro photography (i.e. weddings, concerts, etc.) I wouldn't call him a Canon zealot or anything, although his first comment at my Sony was 'Well, it's not a Nikon so I can still be your friend.'

We were showing each other shots and he was amazed at what I was able to produce with an e-mount. So he decided to give it a little spin.

All the feedback was around 2 points:

- It took good shots, but.

- Everything was so unfamiliar to him that he missed shots due to not being able to find anything.

Some time later I ran into him again; he had tried Sony cameras a few more times but just couldn't get comfortable enough with the layout.

(The Sony layout -is- kinda bad, even if it's what you've learned on.)

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