Who understands Olympus prices?

Pixnat2 wrote:

It's a fashion item.

I don't think so. It's an entry level camera made to attract P&S upgraders.

That's what you claim, maybe. I doubt it, personally. Some reviewers seem to agree:

"Whereas the OM-D line of mirrorless cameras is targeted at the enthusiast and professional photographer, the PEN range has always been designed to appeal to the more fashion-conscious snapper, and those who want to take nice-looking images without getting too bogged down with a host of settings."

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/olympus-pen-e-pl9

Or if you read Olympus's press release, it's cleaar they're aiming at smartphone owners upgrading, not people with P&S cameras. See the last part of https://www.ephotozine.com/article/olympus-pen-e-pl9-announced-31926

Except that Olympus is not Apple and that iPhones are eating the market of that kind of camera.

True, but not relevant to my point. It's about being design/looks-led, not specification-led, not about the size of the company.

Olympus presumably feel the alternatives you list aren't really competitors in the minds of actual likely purchasers - and who knows, maybe they are correct.

I don't see many cosmetic differences between the E-PL9 and X-A5, for example.

Also true, they're quite close (I think I mistook which Fuji it was before). In the UK at least, also quite close on price. As I suggest above any spec differences will probably be lost on prospective purchasers and it will come down to how it looks/feels. Although the actually usable 4K of the E-pl9 might swing it for some

I assume they know more about pricing and marketing cameras than me.

I really wonder if they do

It's easy to be an armchair marketeer. I'll go with the people whose livelihood depends on getting it right.