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Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

bbc.com

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Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#291

Post by [deleted] »

sudosysgen wrote: post #234
bayindirh wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sony's image sensor fab business is a bit different. First of all, there's two companies: Semiconductor and Imaging. Sony opens some of their technologies to other customers by transferring Imaging unit's patents to Semi and allows them for re-licensing. So, not everyone is using the same sensor even if they are coming out from the same fab. Second, there's customer tailored sensor business. Sony can provide a custom…

I know that Canon had fabs for their sensors at least back in the day, probably also now.

[deleted]

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#292

Post by chillfox »

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.

I loved the Nikon 1, it was small, light, and fit easily in a small handbag with an extra lens.

Yeah, it was a bit pricier than it should have been, and their marketing sucked. Instead of trying to sell it as a great camera for people who wanted something small and capable they tried to sell it as the perfect second backup camera for DSLR owners. Which is stupid because the perfect second/backup camera for DSLR owners is another DSLR with the same lens mount.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#293

Post by fomine3 »

Polylactic_acid wrote: post #277
fomine3 wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume some $300 range cameras has sensor that same (or less) size to $600 smartphones.

They are almost entirely pointless in my opinion I'm not sure why they even sell low end cameras anymore. The only potential benefit I see is the software allows a lot more manual control but it also doesn't have as good automatic improvements that phone software has.

Even though a sensor is poor, it has better form factor, better zoom, and it's dedicated device.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#294

Post by pkulak »

photogram wrote: post #261
pkulak wrote: post #144

I'm really sad about this. It feels like everyone went full-frame without appreciating the benefits of smaller lenses and bodies. Olympus glass is the best in the industry, probably because they don't have to make everything so damn large. I've got Olympus lenses that cost $400 new and can't even match $2000 full-frame glass. Sure, I'll keep my kit forever, but it sucks to know I'll never upgrade any of it.

It's true the lenses Olympus make may take up much less volume than an equivalent large focal length for full frame. But the downside is they're not cheaper in the prosumer space. The spatial resolution demands put on the lens by a 20MP M43 sensor is actually pretty similar to a 42MP Sony A7Rii. This means the manufacturing tolerances are the same as full frame, which is a large component of lens cost. This means tha…

Yeah, you're right. But still, the Olympus is water sealed and stabilized to like 7 stops. And it's still smaller and uses smaller bodies, even if not drastically.

That said, I don't like that Olympus lens. I don't have it and have no interest. Like you said, it's a bit silly and defeats the purpose of the format. But give me the 45 prime and I've got a camera with great reach that can nearly fit in my pocket.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#295

Post by h2odragon »

Jedd wrote: post #288
h2odragon wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got one better: i sank $2k into a full four thrids lens a while back (the f2.0 zoom; its still worth every penny). I've been wondering about finding a new sensor to put behind that, if i have to embrace the suck of adapters anyway, what should i be looking for now? Seems like "any Cannon" is the only sensible answer.

What do you want to do that you can not do now?

I'd like to get video using the lens; for stills the current olympus e3 its paired with is still pretty good.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#296

Post by BeetleB »

Paul_S wrote: post #187
BeetleB wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fully expect Ricoh to drop the Pentax line. Their APS-C cameras are fantastic . Their full frame camera is the best value for the money - almost half the price of the competition with comparable quality. Pentax has unique features for the enthusiasts. But ... the ecosystem is dying. Sigma stopped making Pentax lenses. At this point I don't think anyone makes lenses for Pentax other than Pentax, and Pentax lenses ar…

Ha, ha. Same here, after I retired from photography I sold my Nikon gear (I didn't own most of it anyway) and went for an Olympus, mostly for size (no mirrorles back then). Then I had all my gear stolen and seeing that Olympus was slow at developing pro bodies it promised I went for Pentax. At some point I will probably arrive full circle back at Nikon after Pentax gives up. Pentax glass is really nice, I wasn't both…

> Pentax glass is really nice, I wasn't bothered about sigma.

Pentax glass is great. It's also expensive! I want medium quality options.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#297

Post by jeyashankher »

bitL wrote: post #271
possibleworlds wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. There's also the Fujifilm X-Trans sensors which try to recapture some of the magic of film. However I really wish more people knew about Sigma and their Foveon sensors[1]. The fact is that there is a completely different technology on the market which produces very different – and arguably far superior – image quality and colour reproduction compared to 99% of digital cameras on the market. The Sigma system c…

Unfortunately, real Foveon is a thing of the past, Sigma switched to a Bayer sensor in their latest "fp" camera and their last Foveon-based Quattro had 3 layers but a 4:2:2 pixel mosaic, making it no longer a "true Foveon". I owned SD1 Merrill and it was the sharpest camera I've ever used, but there is nothing comparable on the market these days.

I own and still use a DP2X. When things go right, the result is truly breathtaking. 80 to 90% of the photos I take with this are junk, but the remaining 10-20%, boy-oh-boy, truly memorable results!

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#298

Post by possibleworlds »

bitL wrote: post #271
possibleworlds wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. There's also the Fujifilm X-Trans sensors which try to recapture some of the magic of film. However I really wish more people knew about Sigma and their Foveon sensors[1]. The fact is that there is a completely different technology on the market which produces very different – and arguably far superior – image quality and colour reproduction compared to 99% of digital cameras on the market. The Sigma system c…

Unfortunately, real Foveon is a thing of the past, Sigma switched to a Bayer sensor in their latest "fp" camera and their last Foveon-based Quattro had 3 layers but a 4:2:2 pixel mosaic, making it no longer a "true Foveon". I owned SD1 Merrill and it was the sharpest camera I've ever used, but there is nothing comparable on the market these days.

All true. I do hold out hope for a “true” foveon return. And you can still grab Merrill models second hand, like I did about a year ago.

I mainly use an Olympus em5 mkII so I’m saddened by the OP news, although I will wait to see how it plays out before switching to Ricoh and/or Pentax. Guess I have a thing for the underdogs.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#299

Post by ehnto »

akersten wrote: post #5

Sad to see them go - photography's such a great hobby and having competition in the space is healthy. There's a few brands out there still, but there is a noticable stigma in the professional community around equipment that isn't Canon. If you're not using L-glass, it feels like you get the same kind of judgement that Android users experience when they show up with green texts in iMessage. As a matter of principle, I…

I see photography gear and companies as more diverse than when I first started getting into the hobby 10 years ago. Maybe I just didn't see other companies, but when I got into it, only Nikon and Canon were doing prosumer DSLRs. Now that technology has moved on and DSLRs aren't the One True Camera, I would say that Sony, Pentax, Canon, Fuji, Olympus and Nikon are all squarely in the prosumer market with a good range from low to high end. I sold all my Canon bodies and L glass to switch to the Sony mirrorless ecosystem, and haven't looked back once.

Re: Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

#300

Post by 127 »

_ph_ wrote: post #165

One thing to notice is: Olympus is NOT shutting down the camera business. It gets split off the Olympus coproration and is supposed to run as an independant company. Of course that could mean a later death, but it can also mean that it continues to prosper as management might take new directions. Also, while still producing a deficit, the camera division managed to improve the balances quite a bit over the last year.…

I think a lot depends on how well they can keep up with the sensor technology. Sony seems to have the market cornered on that front.
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