"Olympus better hurry" Locked

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/50902187

Interesting thread there for many reasons. Posting cap being reached, I found interesting what the OP said considering who the OP is, but there it is, she said it

"Olympus better hurry" is exactly what I thought when the K-5 got announced right after the E-5 got announced. Even earlier than that, when Pentax announced the K-7 I remember several members of the forum including the likes of "Bootstrap" commenting on it with interest.

And before I get accused of typing "Pentax" too much in this post, we all know what Nikon is doing now.  I am also expecting a Canon surprise within the next three years as they finally wake up a bit.

Some jumped to an OMD-5 to get the "sensor epiphany/revelation" of what a good sensor with better ISO performance and DR can do for them in a photographic tool they spend money on, while many are waiting on this new technological marvel to make it to an E-5 body. Something they could have had in 2010 on a K-5 (and still have to this day).

But for some reason, back then, the E-5 was fine. Noise and DR were somehow better than the E-3/E-30, competition be darned because the E-5 is more than good enough, as it improved all key aspects of what sensors do, right? (er.. um... maybe not).

*shrugs* cest la vie, when tie your heart to brands.

For what it's worth, I think an E-7 having just an E-5 body with OMD-5's sensor, would be a really nice upgrade from an E-3/E-30/E-5. Even better- an E-1 with the OMD-5 sensor

I am beginning to think it will start to be "a little too late" vs competitors but that won't matter much as the sensor of the OMD-5 I think would bring it to a level of "reasonably good enough" for a lot of good quality photographs in a fairly wide variety of situations.  And the E-7 is not a camera that will be made to sell the 4/3rds system to new comers anyway, if it comes to exist-  just like the E-5- a nice perk for those of us who have 4/3rd lenses and want to continue to use that system.

Rumor has it the Pentax K-3 will be announced within 3 months from now, probably a sensor ballpark competitor of the Nikon D7100.  If Olympus wants to keep more of their 4/3rds market around to buy their E-7 (if it will exist), maybe it wouldn't hurt much to announce it now even if it won't be available until later this year.

Of course maybe the E-7 won't come to be and we will have a micro our thirds capable of using the 4/3rds lenses well, in which case they have to keep secret since a micro four thirds model is their current torch bearer.

--
Raist3d/Ricardo (Photographer, software dev.)- I photograph black cats in coal mines at night...
“The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” - George Orwell

By the time Olympus releases the new body (whatever it is) the EM-5 sensor will be almost 2-years old. I for one don't want to see another warmed over sensor going into the top level camera.

IMO the E-5 was 2 years behind where it should have been if Olympus had been able and willing to source the latest sensor technology for it.   Let's not go through that again please Olympus

latest 43rumours suggest it is going to be a dslr not a hybrid... Which does not mean they will not solve the swd issues on the m43 bodies (in the end) but might indicate that it is difficult. And yes we most likely will see an om-d sensor in a E-5/3 body.. and if they do the sensor magic again, not a bad and hopefully not to expensive deal.

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Olympus: E-3, 12-60SWD, EX25,EC20, FL50R, 50-200SWD http://www.flickr.com/photos/iverhaar

On one hand, yes, it's the frustration Olympus 4/3 users have to suffer: being on the end of the priority line.
On the other hand: it now seems certain, there is a FT4 on 4/3 rumors that the E5 successor is coming this year and will be a dedicated 4/3 body, so not a hybrid. Sure, it is only a rumor site, but I think it is now going to happen. And even if it will be the 2 year old Sony sensor, I think it will be a véry nice camera, because latest generations Sony sensors are tremendous in many ways, and there is not an awfull lot to improve upon them. 16mp is already nearing maximum reasonable resolution for a 4/3 sensor anyway, and it is enough.
I would hope they leave out the AA filter, and skip the " fine detail" processing or whatever, from the E5, because to me that camera had an artificial looking sharpeness.
The OMD does forbode good things though.
Main thing, is that for the first time, the 4/3 lenses are going to get a dedicated camera that is worthy of their optical excellence.
I think this is going to show the format like never before, with mature IQ.
Exiting...

OMD isnt a year old yet

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Riley
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but how old will it be when the E-5 successor comes out?

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The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

Riley, I'm not talking about the OMD, but about the sensor in it. It's got to be a 2011 design and Olympus must have had it in their hands for much of the OMD development.

So to release a brand new camera body in (say) October 2013 with a sensor developed in 2011 . .

I do realise that a sensor can't come straight out of the Sony lab into the Olympus camera, but 2 years? if I buy a new laptop I don't want it to have a chip set from 2 years ago

this is pretty silly, for some reason every time a camera has Olympus written on its sensor ages a year! OMD is competitive right now, and if as is expected E7 turns up with the same sensor it will be just as good. I dont see the problem. The technology really is so tight even 3 years wont make a great difference.

we just went through this with D7100, now its is going to be about two specificationless cameras neither of which yet realisied, if they ever are. Do you think it is perhaps just a tad over the top?

Some of the same things happened when K5 came out and suddenly it became the best thing going. Only now we hear the thing apparently couldnt focus worth a damn. The point being these discussions dont provide the full story even when the camera is a tangible item.

Look if someone wants to swap out to nikon canon pentax or whatever I cant see why I should care, in fact more joy to them for having found their nirvana. But I hope they are a little more circumspect of the artificial aging process, after all it isnt red wine

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Riley
any similarity to persons living or dead is coincidental and unintended
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I'm not sure m4/3 is such the "torch bearer" it's made out to be in some quarters. A look at the offerings of "Refurb" Olympus m4/3 and even 4/3 paints an interesting picture (and look at the prices):

Olympus Refurb m4/3 cameras at Cameta Camera

The recent offerings for Olympus 4/3 is interesting too:

Olympus Refurb 4/3 DSLR cameras at Cameta Camera

And perhaps a somewhat more sobering look at where the digital camera market is at the moment might come from looking at the Nikon offerings (and prices) at Cameta (Cameta sells Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Samsung):

Nikon Refurb DSLR cameras at Cameta Camera

Note the number of offerings for each manufacturer, nothing for Pentax, a handful for Canon.  Nikon owns the point and shoot and DSLR and Olympus owns the Compact ILC. If a company is using Refurbs to clear inventory then given this small sample one might postulate that a new Olumpus DSLR could be a good idea. In other words, holding on to a 4/3 base makes sense.

The pricing on the Refurbs is most interesting to me especially if you compare them to the prices on the Olympus site (even given the recent sale price on the e-pl5/e-pm2). And with the above as a consideration, Nikon just might be in free-fall, or the digital camera market is not a growth market any longer.

in the comments- Anything from "they have to use a new sensor as the OM-D sensor is ancient", "to why bother w an E-7, no one will buy it anyway?"

I think it makes perfect sense to use the current sensor in an E-5 body.  Being realistic it will have a limited market no matter the sensor, no point in devoting much R&D into an all new camera or sensor, just get it out there while there's still a few buyers and continue to work on the mirrorless - 4/3 bridge.

I wonder though, if they could fit the OM-D's five axis IS into an E-5 body w/o much retooling.

--
Art P
"I am a creature of contrast,
of light and shadow.
I live where the two play together,
I thrive on the conflict"

I don't get your comment I've taken thousands of pics with my E-5 and never once thought of ​artificial looking sharpness​ in fact there is not much PP at all since the sharpness is so natural.....​

Hello!  I just read that there is a very good chance for an E-7 and popped into this forum to see what people think.   If Olympus pus a PDAF sensor on the next PEN (like some of the NEX cameras have), then an E-7 would make a great pairing.

As for this topic.  Why would you buy an APS camera, stick larger full Frame lenses on it (most Nikon lenses are FF) just to get 4/3rds results?   Anyway, I also don't understand the large size of the E-5 either.  My bet is they could make an E-7 the size of the old E-xxx with a larger grip or the E-xx cameras.

Hmmm I guess you'd look at the sony 24MP sensor and chop it to four thirds and 16MP is what I worked it out to be. DR and noise are pretty much the same therefore Oly should stick with 16 MP sensor they have.

The OM_D sensor is not that good.  You would be as well with a d7100.

--
A solution looking for a problem !

Hey Art,

Logically I agree with you concerning the slight retooling and better sensor in an E-7 and they basically did that with the E-3 > E-5. Do you think that is likely considering that Olympus tends to do a ground up re-design more often then many companies? E-3 > E-5 seems to me to be the exception rather than the rule. Instead Olympus did E-1, E-300/330, E-510/520, E-410/420, E-620, E-3/E-5, E-30--and if you go further back E10/20. It seems to me like they have design ADHD and in some ways I love it and in other ways I think it's unsettling. Nikon and Canon bring incremental upgrades with basically the same user interface time and time again. It's been a successful strategy for them. It also means they have to up the ante more often. Olympus takes longer to release an upgrade and when they do it seems they take it back to the drawing board every time.

Personally, I think Olympus would do better if they designed something different from the E-5. It should be smaller (like the K5/ii), faster, with a refined retro user interface. Add a great accessory grip for increased battery life and vertical controls. If they mixed a little of the OM and E-30 DNA I think it would be better than a retooled E-5 (Because whether we prefer it or not, the majority seem to eat up retro tactile designs like the Fuji X series and the OM-D series).

Then again, I'd be happy if the E-7 looked just like the E-5 but had some good innovation and great features. The best of the E-M5 features (like 5-axis) + some of the desirable features of the D7100 (no low pass filter, crop mode, advanced AF) + the usual IQ zen that Olympus can work with when they have a great sensor and professional needs like deep buffer, sealing, and over all fast AF/operation.

What do you think?

Best,

Seth

--

What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?
--
wallygoots.smugmug.com
wallygoots.blogspot.com

Your smoking. The OM-D sensor is very good. We don't know how good the D7100 sensor will be, (I suspect very good and it is newer), but the OM-D sensor is no slouch compared to APS-C sensors currently available on the market.

I don't think this is as subjective as it might sound. All the reviews seem to concur. DPR testing in particular gives up very little between OM-D and APS-C.

Cheers,

Seth

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?
--
wallygoots.smugmug.com
wallygoots.blogspot.com

Added an OMD-5; no epiphany.

The shots I keep are shot in good light, and I prefer high contrast to high dynamic range.

The better sensor is definitely a welcome advantage, it expands the envelope of what I can shoot (a bit) and is more forgiving of mistakes.  But for me, in the conditions I like to shot, the E-5 is still good enough.

Not heart - wallet.  Seems to expensive to keep jumping to the latest best sensor, since I always expected the sensors to approach parity anyway.  I would have to give up lenses I like to get a sensor that doesn't add that much value.

I will wait to see if the also improve the AF, and would also want some of the other new features from the OMD.

Not sure I would prefer the mFT that can focus FT lenses because it would also work with some of the mFT lenses, or a larger body that works better with telephoto lenses.  Not that I will have  a choice.

I would not expect a E-7 to move anyone to four thirds as a system, but if I had moved to micro four thirds, I would consider adding a E-5/7 as an option for the telephotos. The small sensor isn't a disadvantage, the lenses are excellent, the system is weather sealed, and there is some system compatibility.

--
Jeff Taylor
http://www.pbase.com/jltaylor

I have no idea what exactly you mean by "there it is, she said it" and what you find interesting. I'd like to point out though that if after all these years you still can't get the gender right, you've no idea who the OP is. Let alone what he, OP, mean.

Now, considering our rather sad personal history, I would think you will at least be smart enough to say what you have to say about E-5 successor without engaging me personally. But no, no such luck. May I be so lucky that you at least back down from that instead of trying to tell me what I meant? Because, again, considering said history, I am pretty sure that what read in my post is vastly different from what I out in it.

didnt think there were any D7100 image samples out there
buying sight unseen doesnt reflect any particular wisdom

--
Riley
any similarity to persons living or dead is coincidental and unintended
support 1022 Sunday Scapes'

There is a set on flicker for the Nikon

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The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.