OM System news and personal speculation.
The OM5 has been delayed until late October. Chip shortage. Also major shortage of details and features so we don't even know what we're waiting for . . .
New lens announced: 90mm f3.5 macro capable of 2x life size, IS, IP53 weather sealing PRO level. Sometime in '23. Chip shortage.
New lens roadmap that shows two new mid range PRO zooms in the ~40-200ish mm range. Pure speculation on my part but perhaps a replacement for the 40-150 2.8 with IS and IP53 sealing?
Some of the tech types have been quizzing people at events about the popularity of the Pen F. Possible Pen F mk II in the future? With the chip shortage that'll a '25 introduction . . .
The 150-400 is down to a two year wait list on pre-paid orders. It's a hand made product, each one assembled and tested before shipment. Just as well, I can't justify the $7,500 outlay.
I'm of mixed emotions on the chip shortage. On the one hand it's depriving us who suffer from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) of much needed relief from the monkey on our back and on the other it is bringing the demand for instant gratification of NEW! MEGAPIXELS! SHINEY! Development-for-the sake-of-marketing back to a real world design cycle.
The topic of product development makes my industry-insider-marketing/sales-spideysense tingle. If we users want new stuff the makers have to pay for all that R&D and if the product design cycle slows (as I hope it does) how can both needs be met? It has become routine for product to be 'over built' in that it has more potential capability than it is introduced with. We are all accustomed to firmware upgrades that add new features. We have also become accustomed to buying equipment with way more features than we are interested in. I personally have to weigh a new purchase against what it brings to my shooting style so I look at cost vs features that I need/will use. What if the camera industry follows the auto industry and has the buyer order just the features they are willing to pay for? For instance the OM1 has electronic ND filters, starry sky autofocus, composite exposure, high resolution and 120 fps speed none of which interest me or fit my shooting style. So what if the makers offer a product with a basic set of features at a price that will attract buyers and then offer upgrades to the features at an add-on price? Unlike cars we could buy these firmware upgrades at any later date as they and we develop. So we pay $1,800 for a body (gotta' pay for the capability) and then add the features via internet upgrade just as we do with post editing software? Users get a simplified experience (no extraneous menu and feature complexity) and the makers have a more constant cash flow. It's a thought.
Until then I'll just buy the OM1 even with the features I'm not interested in. It's what started me down this road in the '70s and the last chance to own a camera with Olympus OM1 written on it. A final homage to Mr. Maitani, so much more than an engineer; a visionary, an artist, a mystic and a human being in all the best senses of the word. Link
= new reply since forum marked as read
It carries an M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 zoom. With a used Olympus E-M10 MkII and M.Zuiko 12-45mm f/4 I have all I need.
Somehow the syndrome of Gear Acquisition has eluded me. It succumbed to another syndrome — no extra income . . .
from Wikipedia: "The name Zuiko (瑞光
means 'Light of the Gods', using a character from the Mizuho Optic Research Laboratory (瑞穂光学研究所 , where the lens was developed, and a character from Takachiho Corporation (高千穂製作所 , which would eventually become the Olympus Corporation."
