Will there be an E-PM3?

I would really like a small and light camera like the E-PM2, but with updates like electronic first curtain shutter, custom modes on a mode dial, and other new stuff Olympus had added since back when.

Can multi-axis IBIS fit in a small light body or would it be stuck with the old 2-axis IBIS?

And it would be nice if Olympus could also come out with a super small and tiny 14mm pancake lens that doesn't have the massive purple fringing of the Panasonic lens. Don't care if widest aperture is very modest like f 2.8 or even f.3.1, just want it to be super sharp.

sigala1 wrote:

I would really like a small and light camera like the E-PM2, but with updates like electronic first curtain shutter, custom modes on a mode dial, and other new stuff Olympus had added since back when.

Can multi-axis IBIS fit in a small light body or would it be stuck with the old 2-axis IBIS?

And it would be nice if Olympus could also come out with a super small and tiny 14mm pancake lens that doesn't have the massive purple fringing of the Panasonic lens. Don't care if widest aperture is very modest like f 2.8 or even f.3.1, just want it to be super sharp.

Considering the PM2 came out in 2012, and I don't think it did that well...I would be highly surprised if Oly came out with a PM3...or an ultra-small Pen either. Seems most things coming out of Oly these days is pointing towards higher quality 'bigger' items. I.e. pro lenses, Pen F. etc..all 'not' small. On the other hand, the Panasonic GM series is getting mostly high praise so Oly 'might' try their own hands? Still doubtful though, and definitely not if they can only put in the old 2-axis IBIS into it.

sigala1 wrote:

I would really like a small and light camera like the E-PM2, but with updates like electronic first curtain shutter, custom modes on a mode dial, and other new stuff Olympus had added since back when.

Can multi-axis IBIS fit in a small light body or would it be stuck with the old 2-axis IBIS?

4 years is a long time without an update, so probably the PM line is dead. It wouldn't even be too hard to do--just getting rid of the tilting LCD of the EPL7 would probably save 40g and 3-4mm thickness.

The EPL8, if the rumors and photos are real, is quite a small camera. Easily no bigger than the PM2. The problem will likely be the pricing. This is the real issue with wanting a really compact entry level m43's camera. Panny and Oly are chasing a higher end niche now, and their attempts at entry level cameras were only successful when those cameras dropped to proper entry level prices (needs to be below $400 with a kit lens). I doubt this new EPL8 will be less than $499 with a kit lens at retail, and it will therefore already be priced too high for the entry level market.

The rumor site 43rumors has an article that evidently an E-PL8 will be announced soon: http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-first-pictures-of-the-new-olympus-e-pl8/#disqus_thread

From the pictures, it looks like the E-PL8 will be similar in size to the E-PM2.

Hopefully, Olympus will price it like an E-PM2 and not like they did for the E-P5.

They'll price it like the all the other EPL cameras... basically $50 cheaper than a retail priced EM10ii. It will likely do OK in Japan, but the price will be perceived as too high in the US.

sigala1 wrote:

I would really like a small and light camera like the E-PM2, but with updates like electronic first curtain shutter, custom modes on a mode dial, and other new stuff Olympus had added since back when.

Can multi-axis IBIS fit in a small light body or would it be stuck with the old 2-axis IBIS?

And it would be nice if Olympus could also come out with a super small and tiny 14mm pancake lens that doesn't have the massive purple fringing of the Panasonic lens. Don't care if widest aperture is very modest like f 2.8 or even f.3.1, just want it to be super sharp.

I have an E-PM2 and first off it doesn't have a mode dial, everything must be done on the touch screen, it's okay if you know the Olympus menu but there isn't option for a custom modes as their is no dial. The other downside to the E-PM2 is the non-tilting screen which makes it very hard to use in bright light or held really high or really low, it's great as a second camera but it is flawed as a primary camera.

I also had the Lumix 14mm f2.5 for several years and shot it on an E-PL2, E-PM2 and E-M1, and while there is some purple fringing in areas of high contrast I would never describe it as massive.

Now I use the Lumix 12-32mm kit lens from the GM-1/GM-5 on my E-PM2, it's a great compact combo and unless I'm looking for it I never see a problem with purple fringing.

Anyhow the E-PL8 looks like it will be the entry level model and will probably fill your needs plus having the tilt screen is really necessary if you don't want to use the VF-2/VF-3/VF-4.

Olympus hasn't really done pancakes since they released the 17mm f2.8 back in the day, you can find those for a song on ebay now, but frankly it's no where near the performance of the Lumix 14mm f2.5

Bhima78 wrote:

The EPL8, if the rumors and photos are real, is quite a small camera. Easily no bigger than the PM2. The problem will likely be the pricing. This is the real issue with wanting a really compact entry level m43's camera. Panny and Oly are chasing a higher end niche now, and their attempts at entry level cameras were only successful when those cameras dropped to proper entry level prices (needs to be below $400 with a kit lens). I doubt this new EPL8 will be less than $499 with a kit lens at retail, and it will therefore already be priced too high for the entry level market.

very successful? Well, in Japan in any case?

sigala1 wrote:

ramcewan wrote:

I also had the Lumix 14mm f2.5 for several years and shot it on an E-PL2, E-PM2 and E-M1, and while there is some purple fringing in areas of high contrast I would never describe it as massive.

...

Olympus hasn't really done pancakes since they released the 17mm f2.8 back in the day, you can find those for a song on ebay now, but frankly it's no where near the performance of the Lumix 14mm f2.5

Maybe I got a bad sample, but my experience is that, although it's very sharp in the center, it has a very large area of corner softness no matter what f-stop you use, and the purple fringing in outdoor photos is indeed too massive to be corrected in Adobe Camera Raw. A Tiffen Haze 2A filter (52mm with a 46-52mm step-up ring) fixes the PF problem, but at the expense of making the lens quite a bit bigger and introducing problems associated with using uncoated filters.

Yeah idk maybe bad example slrgear says it is fairly high in CA. Like I said I've never found it to distract from the image, I also used a CPL on it fairly frequently so maybe that explains my satisfaction level.

Anyhow what about the Lumix 12-32mm OIS? it's nearly the same size as the pancakes and according to SLR gear has better controlled CA. It's also around $135 grey market. I've been very happy with mine on the E-PM2.

peppermonkey wrote:

Bhima78 wrote:

The EPL8, if the rumors and photos are real, is quite a small camera. Easily no bigger than the PM2. The problem will likely be the pricing. This is the real issue with wanting a really compact entry level m43's camera. Panny and Oly are chasing a higher end niche now, and their attempts at entry level cameras were only successful when those cameras dropped to proper entry level prices (needs to be below $400 with a kit lens). I doubt this new EPL8 will be less than $499 with a kit lens at retail, and it will therefore already be priced too high for the entry level market.

very successful? Well, in Japan in any case?

Though Japan, per capita, buys a whole heck of a lot more cameras (especially mirrorless), they only make up between 14-20% of the total mirrorless cameras sold and even less when you factor in DSLRs/compacts. At this point, Oly and Panny are just selling to their base, as they have yet to find a way to break out of their humdrum sales outside of Japan. An entry level camera is normally a pretty solid way to do this, but I think the lack of proper marketing/support combined with a relatively high price to feature ratio makes it a much harder sell to a new budding enthusiast in especially the United States... much moreso than say, an A6000 (even though I personally dislike that camera).

Though Japan, per capita, buys a whole heck of a lot more cameras (especially mirrorless), they only make up between 14-20% of the total mirrorless cameras sold and even less when you factor in DSLRs/compacts. At this point, Oly and Panny are just selling to their base, as they have yet to find a way to break out of their humdrum sales outside of Japan. An entry level camera is normally a pretty solid way to do this, but I think the lack of proper marketing/support combined with a relatively high price to feature ratio makes it a much harder sell to a new budding enthusiast in especially the United States... much moreso than say, an A6000 (even though I personally dislike that camera).

The A6000 also benefits from being sold in most big box stores in the US, where Olympus and Panasonic don't.  Further even those willing to shop at a camera store or online only fall for the spec monster with the A6000 ticking more boxes than others.  It's hard to convince people that they need to look beyond the specs of the body and consider the system when they're buying that entry level camera.  I found this to be true of a coworker who even though I counseled against the A6000 on strength of it's available lenses in terms of bang/buck of the whole system as compared to MFT, still was sucked into the A6000 two lens bundle by the camera store salesman. Now he's got the compact kit lens which is known to be dodgy instead of the GM5 and it's excellent 12-32mm I recommended for less.

I'm sure 75% of the A6000s sold never see another lens outside the kit and sit with low shutter counts in the closet while the owner reverts to using their smartphone.  On the other hand I think the majority of MFT gear gets used.

ramcewan wrote:

Though Japan, per capita, buys a whole heck of a lot more cameras (especially mirrorless), they only make up between 14-20% of the total mirrorless cameras sold and even less when you factor in DSLRs/compacts. At this point, Oly and Panny are just selling to their base, as they have yet to find a way to break out of their humdrum sales outside of Japan. An entry level camera is normally a pretty solid way to do this, but I think the lack of proper marketing/support combined with a relatively high price to feature ratio makes it a much harder sell to a new budding enthusiast in especially the United States... much moreso than say, an A6000 (even though I personally dislike that camera).

The A6000 also benefits from being sold in most big box stores in the US, where Olympus and Panasonic don't. Further even those willing to shop at a camera store or online only fall for the spec monster with the A6000 ticking more boxes than others. It's hard to convince people that they need to look beyond the specs of the body and consider the system when they're buying that entry level camera. I found this to be true of a coworker who even though I counseled against the A6000 on strength of it's available lenses in terms of bang/buck of the whole system as compared to MFT, still was sucked into the A6000 two lens bundle by the camera store salesman. Now he's got the compact kit lens which is known to be dodgy instead of the GM5 and it's excellent 12-32mm I recommended for less.

I'm sure 75% of the A6000s sold never see another lens outside the kit and sit with low shutter counts in the closet while the owner reverts to using their smartphone. On the other hand I think the majority of MFT gear gets used.

The big box store presence is exactly the marketing/support I was referring to. And, of course the A6000 is basically glued to its kit lens because, there really isn't many options outside of a couple of sigmas or expensive full frame sony glass.

I'd like to see a shared marketing support from Panny/Oly that just sells the m43's system. One kiosk with the cameras in the middle. The left kiosk has all the Oly lenses the right kiosk has all the panny lenses. You can test each camera with any of the lenses. Then have signage that promotes m43's and both companies, with a focus on the comprehensiveness of the system through marketing taglines primarily aimed at focusing on the creative flexibility of such a great lens library. "How do you like to see the world? See the world through different lenses, try a wide angle, or a super telephoto lens right here. M43's offers the most comprehensive library of lenses for any mirrorless system." Should also have a few large posters from great m43's photogs with the exif data on them.

So now you have a clear choice... an A6000 with a kit zoom, or the entire m43's system.

Michael Meissner wrote:

The rumor site 43rumors has an article that evidently an E-PL8 will be announced soon: http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-first-pictures-of-the-new-olympus-e-pl8/#disqus_thread

From the pictures, it looks like the E-PL8 will be similar in size to the E-PM2.

Nope. It's almost exactly the same size as E-PL7.

Looks like Oly gave up on the idea of a really tiny ILC. And after Panasonic raised the bar so high with GM series, I really doubt Olympus would have anything to offer. And I'm not sure if the market for that is big enough to sustain two competing makers. I guess we'll know soon enough. If GM5 is the last of its line, then that means the market was too small for even one player. And all we'll have will be those GF type point and shooty bodies. Which will be sad.