I guess my cup is a lot fuller than yours.
I mean apart from some molds used for new body parts (larger grip for the OM-5ii, OM-3, OM-1ii without the Olympus logo on the front,...), everything that those cameras have is coming straight from Olympus R&D :
You mean apart from all the stuff they've done? All the things you list take time and money - these days, the biggest cost is usually manpower.
- the new menu system, processor and stacked sensor of the OM-1 is mostly Olympus era development. The OM-1ii is just a RAM upgrade with a new firmware.
So what? Olympus had good tech and the lead time for development in the camera world is quite extensive. Even with the largest camera company on earth (I mean Apple here - they may not actually make the most cameras but they must be up there...), we get a sense from leaks / rumours of what is coming in 2-3 years time. .
Most industrials making cameras will confirm this : the total time between the project pitch and the release of a new camera is about 2 years.
It's different with other electronics, but when it comes to Macs etc, rumours coming 2/3 years in advance are generally vaporware and not accurate. Reliable rumours are generally only coming a couple of months before release.
- the 20MP chip in the OM-5ii has been introduced in 2016
And? This is the end (perhaps not "the") entry level camera and OMS only has one more recent sensor - why would you expect that to be in an entry level camera?
The OM-5 is a successor to the E-M5 line which is not at all entry level, it's mid-range. Which is also indicated by its pricepoint, which is close to other mid range bodies on the market.
If you want an entry level camera, look at the E-M10IV and the sub-1000 USD pricepoint.
In any case, If you suffer from sensor angst, I would have thought the obvious thing to do is move to a 60+MP sensor system - I don't see M43 making you happy in the foreseeable future. Me, I'm not limited by the sensor, I'm limited by my own abilities.
You're mistaking my intentions. I'm just stating facts here. I never said I had any problem with that sensor, or that I wanted more.
- the 2.36M dot OLED EVF unsed in the OM-3 and 5 lines was introduced on the E-M5iii in 2019
- the OM-5 and OM-5ii's processor was introduced with the E-M1X and E-M1iii in 2019/20
IIRC the EM1X had 2x TruePic VIII not IX. Again, the entry level OM5 is only 1 generation back from the latest processor.
In any case, the processor doesn't actually matter that much - it's what you want to do with it and what you need from it to do what you want to do. Only 1 generation back for the entry-level OM-5; I see nothing to complain about.
Never said there was anything to complain about.
- no new battery type has been introduced since the OM-1, which as previously stated was mostly done under Olympus.
What new battery type is needed right now? The last thing I (if I were a camera manufacturer) would do would be invest valuable resources in battery development until I could see a significant benefit from it. Battery life seems OK to me.
Again, I'm not complaining, just stating facts.
I'll have confidence in OMDS' capabilities in developping cameras when they'll release a new sensor or new processor architechture. For now though, this is just overall nice hardware that isn't too outdated yet being rehoused in different forms.
I actually think they are doing quite well. It takes time to recover from the (necessary and unavoidable) upheaval of being split out of Olympus and restructured; Covid would have slowed them down too.
I suspect that we are seeing the later stages of them sorting out their camera lines (OM-5 looks like a stopgap while they sort their product introduction sequencing out. They are also continuing to introduce new lenses. I think the OM-3 is quite an interesting move.
The acid test will be the OM1.3 when it comes and what they do with that. I anticipate a next gen processor, probably the same sensor (others have said here that sensors aren't moving very fast now); might be some interesting computational stuff.
The next gen processor and sensor is what I want to see. Because so far, OMDS has been relying on what Olympus made before the buyout. A lot of people left the company and with that, competence. SO far all they have done is to rehouse the same components they already had in several different cameras (which are very good cameras, but that's not the point).
I want to see if they are capable of making a new processor (I'm less hopeful for a new sensor, the current chip is quite overkill and can still be used for a few more years).
You took my post like I was complaining. I was not. I was just stating that pretty much 100% of the hardware they're dealing with is taken from Olympus days. I want to see OMDS stuff now. Not because I need it (I don't), but because I need to be sure they are a company worth investing my beads in for future gear purchases.
I'd hate to get an OM-1II, lots of lenses then realize that they don't have the ability to go beyond that, leaving the OM-1II with no upgrade path unless I'm switching systems.
