WHATS NEXT FOR M43, after Olympus, what future is left?


if only the 150-600 was half the size... i would totally get it... hahaha... The designers in OM prob forgot why we are in m4/3 land... meanwhile... i'll stay happy with the pana 100-400 haha...
 

The Pana Leica 100-400 is the lightest weighing only 985g but it is F4-6.3.
The OM 150-600 F5 to 6.3 is a whopping 2060g! Unless you need the extra reach, it is not worth the weight.
I tested the lenses and struggled to bring it up Bukit Timah Natural Reserve.

I think OMDS release the 150-600 as a "budget version" for the 150-400 F4 and yet offer a longer reach than
the Olympus 100-400.

if only the 150-600 was half the size... i would totally get it... hahaha... The designers in OM prob forgot why we are in m4/3 land... meanwhile... i'll stay happy with the pana 100-400 haha...
 

Thanks for sharing the experience! I thought it would be too heavy and bulky...

I felt they just copied the Bigma... sadly. Its like... The main draw of the m4/3 was all the small lense which were made with the small size in mind... suddenly they lost their way. (and more than double the price... haha)

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Even the OM1 has started to feel like they have been bulking up. Soon its goner be the E-5 body type of size lmao~~ I pull my E-5 out today and that camera still feels and shoots amazing... Something about the OM grip is just off. I need to put some foam pads to make it feel better. Never have i done that before with the other EM1s...
 

We can look it from the angle that M43 (both Panasonic and Olympus) have lost their way but I think the correct perspective is both companies made a choice which branch to focus on. Both Olympus and Panasonic has both small form factor cameras eg. Pen and GX for panasonic and both of them have nice compact primes and zooms too. But a couple of years back, the market shifted and focused to chasing high megapixel with high IS using larger bodies and M43 manufacturers responded accordingly. Olympus focussed on the EM-1 and EM-1x series and Panasonic on the G9 and GH series.

Now that the market is trending back to smaller cameras, maybe OMDS and Panasonic should look at updating their compact form factor cameras.
 

AI Denoise software not a cure all solution especially for m43. You have expensive camera and lens but do you like fake detail by Denoise? How picky are you?
Tips: fill the frame and make sure focus is sharp. All the more relevant with autofocus.


Edit: Follow up on Denoise software and comparing the popular software, this person recommends doing all your edits before applying Denoise software. Specifically he recommends Topaz AI Denoise. Enjoy the video and learn. 👍

 

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I am a OM user as well as a Sony user. I remembered when OM introduced the OM-1 ii with the same sensor, there are quite a few users crying foul play and it should have been a firmware upgrade. And yet, when Sony introduced the A1 ii with the same sensor, ppl think it is not weird, it is ok and there is more demand in Japan than expected.

Anyway, my thoughts is that manufacturers are probably reaching the limit of sensor technology and it is probably not possible to improve a certain aspect of the sensor without compromising other factors (eg. Sony global sensor, Nikon Hybrid sensor etc).

Anyone heard any developments / rumors from OM Systems?

 

More of missing rumors. 50-200/2,8, PEN-Fii, OM10, something for the entry level. It's suddenly very quiet for anything to expect in 2025
 

Yep, everything very quiet. Visit OM Plaza (Olympus showroom) in October this year everything is about normal. About 20 customers in the show room and a few staff. Guess Olympus is still popular with the Japanese.

50-200/2,8, PEN-Fii would be nice. But my personal wishlist is
1) 8-25 F2.8 vs the current F4
2) 400 F2.8 (if Sony and Nikon can do it, OM can do it in a much smaller size)

More of missing rumors. 50-200/2,8, PEN-Fii, OM10, something for the entry level. It's suddenly very quiet for anything to expect in 2025
 

Yep, we need to see what OM System can do in 2025, after they have released the OM-1ii in Fen 2024?
I think OM System only has the resources to focus on 1 or 2 products at a time.

1) A Pen-F Mk2 with the OM-1 sensors with ND / GND feature will be great.
2) A 400mm or 600mm Prime

What else do you all think OM will come out with?
 

I think option #1 is the most likely. From what I've seen, investment funds are more interested in selling off parts of the business for tech and profit, not keeping the Olympus brand alive. The brand’s value isn't what it used to be, and with the market shrinking, putting money into R&D seems risky. As for Panasonic, they’re probably going to stick with full-frame and focus more on their video lineup, especially since m43 doesn’t seem to bring in enough revenue. Phones taking over m43 sensors (#3) is an interesting thought, but I’d say it’s still a ways off. Ultimately, it feels like camera companies across the board are having to adapt to shifting markets and changing tech, much like Olympus did in the past.
 

#1) This is also true, but as we see manufacturers reusing previous generation sensors (eg. A1ii, OM-1oo, ) it is a starting indication that camera technology may have reached their peal and plateau for the time being)
#2) M43 for Panasonic is basically a niche video market but likely they will continue to serve this niche they have created. (eg. by introducing the fantastic GH7).
#3) As someone who has shot more photos on my iphone than my M43 or FF system, I felt that phone not only has taken over M43 cameras but almost all type of cameras, simply because our mobile phone is always with us.

And of course, OM SYstems should introduce a Pen-F ii to continue to engage its "tiny camera" users so it has opportunity to upgrade them to the OM-5 and OM-1 later.

Just sharing my thoughts :-)
 

On the other hand, this is something which OM System should look at.....
providing lenses of various focal range like what Tamron is doing for Sony and the rest.

BUT Olympus should NOT try to port over Full Frame lenses like the 150-600 which is too heavy but keep it compact.
And Olympus MUST make it Sync IS compatible. I have tried the OM100-400, 150-400 and 150-600.
Only the 150-400 is fully Sync IS compatible and it is a huge difference, during focusing and final image quality especially when zooming in above 600mm equivalent)

 

According to current BCN statistics Sony has 49.7% of Japan market. This leaves 17.5% between Fujifilm , Panasonic , Ricoh, and omds .

According to BCN Rankings, which takes reported sales from around 40% of Japanese camera retailers – in July 2024 Sony commanded 49.7% of the mirrorless camera market versus Canon's 20.2%. Bringing up the rear is Nikon with 12.6%, and Fujifilm, Panasonic, OM, and others fighting it out for the remainder.

 

Why is omds ambassador talking about Fujifilm XM5 camera? He is obviously impressed that's why. It implies omds is lacking such an "affordable" compact camera to bridge into their eco system. Although OM5 tries to bridge the gap between EM5 MK.3 and EM10 MK 4. It did not cause excitement as it tries to be an om1 but got the compactness of the 5 series. Not enough market analysis research. Never the less no cheap compact to lure the new users who want something better than a smartphone. The only major weakness XM5 has is no ibis only eis ( electronic image stabiliser ). Well fuji does not want to canaballise it's flagship models.

NB: Not withstanding the recent EP7 reissue.

Screenshot_2024-12-12-08-08-40-459_com.google.android.youtube.jpg


 

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What he thinks he wants and what eventually materialise is another question given the resources omds can bring to bear.

 

My guess is that the staff in OM Systems are running the company on a status quo basis and no one dare to come forward to their boss JIP to request for money to fund any new ventures, for fear that it fails and affect the ricebowl of them and their colleagues. This is very sad.

The only hope is JIP itself see a new direction eg. Pen Fii and instruct OMDS to do it.
 

My guess is that the staff in OM Systems are running the company on a status quo basis and no one dare to come forward to their boss JIP to request for money to fund any new ventures, for fear that it fails and affect the ricebowl of them and their colleagues. This is very sad.

The only hope is JIP itself see a new direction eg. Pen Fii and instruct OMDS to do it.

JIP does not need to give direction to OMDS as it knows it is profitable. I am sure the people there know what camera is trending at the moment vis-a Vis Fuji XM5. The tic tok gen vlogging camera. Bear in mind Fujifilm did not come to the realisation that film simulation is the way to go but just that since it has a history of film.manufactiring it might bring back the nostalgia of colour film. Who knew that had taken a life of it's own.

What is the hype about Olympus Pen F? Old tech from 5 years ago with slow autofocus.If you want to feel emotional about it then go ahead. I have since discovered by Robin Wong in his review of EM 10 mk 4 that the penF sensor lives on in it! But with some Improvements and minus the top specs of the flagships.

I dare say by the middle of 2025 we should see something new and something old introduced by OMDS that will surprise everyone. I am not going to say what it is but the writing is on the wall. 😄✌️



 

Yes, the managers at JIP and OMDS can probably sense that Pen Fii is likely to be profitable BUT the big boss at JIP still need to nod his head for the rest to proceed as it probably involves millions for R&D and tooling.

The PenF is actually introduced 8 years ago in 2016 and at that time it was a very capable compact camera.
BUT OMDS cannot it to succeed by just rebranding the PenF and add some minor features like what it did to the OM-5 from the EM5 for the Pen-F ii.

The Pen Fii need not be as capable as the OM-1 given its small size but I felt that it still needs to have some computational features like ND & GND, and enough video features for blogging and maybe user loadable LUT like the Panasonic S9 for uses to upload film profiles etc.

The Pen Fii is actually a very attractive camera as Olympus and Panasonic already have a huge collection of fast primes with apertures of 1.2 to 2.8.
It will appeal to users who want small compact cameras and be able to change lenses.
This is the appeal of the Sony 7C series but unfortunately, the fast prime options which are also light weight and tiny pale in comparison to what M43 has.

Just my thoughts......;-)
 

One thing Jimmy Cheng cannot wrap round his head is hybrid cameras is here to stay and make perfect business sense. I agree with most of what he said but unless OMDS and Panasonic can sell cameras Sony will not think it's worth their effort to push m43 sensor technology.

Fujifilm XM5 is the one to beat , a cheap usd$800 camera that can do open gate video, what essentially that means is that camera can use the whole sensor to record and then still crop the format to suit whatever screen size a content creator wants eg. 16:9 cinema look or tik tok vertical frame.

Now I say this open gate capability is important for OMDS to put inside this cheap camera or else lose the race as Panasonic is already a generation ahead and if omds is not careful Sony will eat OMDS for lunch. It is well within omds means to cobble up such a camera. Using om1 image processor and decide what features to make such a camera attractive at that price.

@1:37:00


When it comes to video, story telling is the main thing not the technicalities. In the hands of a skilled person you can use any camera but why XM5? It provides the minimum capabilities to produce a master piece. Compare om1 MK2 open gate and Fujifilm XM5 I don't think it is not night and day between them.




 

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