Anyone else interested in the New Olympus OM Digital?

[ssssnake529]

I've got an Olympus PEN E-P2 and a bunch of Micro 4/3 lenses. Although I've been pretty pleased with my E-P2, I really like the sound of this new camera. Hoping it has nice analog knobs for exposure controls.



"The OM-D is expected to feature a magnesium, weather-sealed body that weighs 373 grams for just te body. It will sport a 16-megapixel sensor optimized for High Dynamic Range, FAST AF, 3D tracking, and a five-axis image stabilizer inside the body. It offers ISO options of 200 up to 25,600, a built-in digital viewfinder with 1.44 million dots resolution, and a 3-inch 610,000 pixel OLED tilting preview screen.

The camera will likely be unveiled at Olympus’ February 8 press event."


http://www.slashgear.com/olympus-om-d-camera-surfaces-in-first-leaked-image-20210255/

 

[Lost Canadian]

Sounds cool for anyone already invested in the micro 4/3rds format,...but.

With the imminent demise of Olympus though, at least as a camera maker, I think it's going to be difficult to convince anyone not already invested in micro 4/3rds to lay down their money for high end Olympus imaging products when other options like the new Fuji X-Pro 1 and Sony NEX 7 cameras exist for around the same price. With Sony or Fuji also looking to gobble up the remains of Olympus, primarily to take control over it's lucrative medical devices division, some are even saying this could spell the end of the micro 4/3rds system, at least from anyone other than Panasonic once the dust clears, which is a real shame.

 

[ssssnake529]

I don't know if Olympus is actually going to go away as a camera maker. Someone will step up and provide financing:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/13/us-olympus-idUSTRE80A2EC20120113?type=companyNews



I've had my eye on the Fuji X-Pro 1 and the Nex 7 too.

I like the Fuji. I am willing to bet that the image quality is going to be phenomenal. IQ will likely rival full frame sensor cameras. I like the analog controls. However, I wish it had in body image stabilization. It's really nice for landscape photos. I've gotten used to it.

NEX 7 is really cool. The lenses are massive, however. Kind of defeats the purpose of having such a small camera body.


You may be right, however. If I weren't already the owner of a whole bunch of really good Oly lenses, I might not be so excited about the OMD and would maybe go with the Fuji or Sony. However, I've been happy with my micro 4/3 set up and hope that Olympus keeps improving the bodies. It's a really nice mix of good image quality and reasonably small size that's hard to beat for the kind of photography I like.

Sounds cool for anyone already invested in the micro 4/3rds format,...but.

With the imminent demise of Olympus though, at least as a camera maker, I think it's going to be difficult to convince anyone not already invested in micro 4/3rds to lay down their money for high end Olympus imaging products when other options like the new Fuji X-Pro 1 and Sony NEX 7 cameras exist for around the same price. With Sony or Fuji also looking to gobble up the remains of Olympus, primarily to take control over it's lucrative medical devices division, some are even saying this could spell the end of the micro 4/3rds system, at least from anyone other than Panasonic once the dust clears, which is a real shame.

 

[Lost Canadian]

I don't know if Olympus is actually going to go away as a camera maker. Someone will step up and provide financing:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/13/us-olympus-idUSTRE80A2EC20120113?type=companyNews

If it's Sony or Fuji, they would have no need for Olympus's imaging division, which has been losing money hand over fist. Bets are imaging would simply be dissolved upon purchase. Olympus is huge into diagnostic endoscopes though and that's the portion of the company that is very lucrative and very much salvageable.

The most recent news.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/23/olympus-sony-idUSL4E8CN1HG20120123

 

[ywen]

I can't judge by a tiny crop of a few buttons.. I agree w/ previous posts, I would not invest significant money into Olympus equipment without more stability with the company.

 

[ssssnake529]

Camera has been released.

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/olympusEM5/

It really looks like exactly what I've been waiting for; compact, rugged, weatherproof, with a high quality built in viewfinder. I've been pretty happy with the image quality of my PEN, so the image quality of the new sensor is a bonus.

I just pre-ordered on Amazon. Can't wait to get it. (took the Fuji X-1 Pro off of my wish list.)