What’s happening with oly 100-400 production

These seem impossible to get hold of in the U.K.

any clues as to when the hype actually produces a reasonable supply of product

Wookie65 wrote:

These seem impossible to get hold of in the U.K.

any clues as to when the hype actually produces a reasonable supply of product

According to SRS Microsystems they were 3 weeks in backlog when I called them 1 month ago. I think we have many pre-orders not yet fulfilled so are doing those before putting it on the market

All major U.K. dealers that I’ve checked have no stock, showing as back order or showing as regular supplies coming in - please call for availability.

it seems as though any stocks arriving at these stores are still being allocated to existing orders

Olympus seems to have been surprised by the demand for these lenses

Robstar63 wrote:

All major U.K. dealers that I’ve checked have no stock, showing as back order or showing as regular supplies coming in - please call for availability.

it seems as though any stocks arriving at these stores are still being allocated to existing orders

Olympus seems to have been surprised by the demand for these lenses

Olympus does not understand consumers, this time we have a demonstration in the opposite direction.

This company has stock two years old on promotion and at the same time  backorders for a new product worth 3 months..

I didn't pre-order it. Just walk in to a store, turns out they have it in stock, so pretty lucky then. However, I did ask another shop two weeks ago which says their orders are backing up to December because a lot of people are still waiting for delivery. I guess supply is still lower than demand.

One thing I found interesting is mine was made in Japan, one of my friend found his made in China.

Coldpaw wrote:

Robstar63 wrote:

Olympus seems to have been surprised by the demand for these lenses

I think Olympus mentioned they have been overwhelmed by the demand and they can't cover the (pre)orders on shorter terms.

Yes, that's what I've heard from Olympus UK staff on Facebook live sessions.  It seems that the publicity from Oly and their ambassadors was a little too effective this time around. It's good that the demand is there, but let's hope they get the stock flowing before too many give up waiting.

when the PL100-400 came out there was a similar shortage.  I think the manufacturers understimate the demand for this sector of the market.

Po Sen Tsui wrote:

........

One thing I found interesting is mine was made in Japan, one of my friend found his made in China.

But the China factory was closed years ago? They could be using up old stock of the mount part that bears the "made in China" script. It likely fits for different lenses.

Will they invest to ramp-up production capacity for this lens, just 11 weeks before the ownership change takes effect? They may possibly wait for the new owner to place firm orders for next year. Olympus may keep manufacturing this lens in Japan for the new owner, or the lens may be manufactured by Sigma, or another contractor, it's up to the new owner to decide. And they may only want to decide and commit, once the handover of the business is complete. So this lens could remain in short supply for a while.

cba_melbourne wrote:

Po Sen Tsui wrote:

........

One thing I found interesting is mine was made in Japan, one of my friend found his made in China.

But the China factory was closed years ago? They could be using up old stock of the mount part that bears the "made in China" script. It likely fits for different lenses.

I don't think so, as this will cause them legal issue. You can't really fake the "Make in xxx" claim as it is required by the laws of many countries to be accurate.

We think the most reasonable answer is that the lens is made by Sigma, as it is designed by them. And Sigma got factories in both Japan and China.

Po Sen Tsui wrote:

cba_melbourne wrote:

Po Sen Tsui wrote:

........

One thing I found interesting is mine was made in Japan, one of my friend found his made in China.

But the China factory was closed years ago? They could be using up old stock of the mount part that bears the "made in China" script. It likely fits for different lenses.

I don't think so, as this will cause them legal issue. You can't really fake the "Make in xxx" claim as it is required by the laws of many countries to be accurate.

We think the most reasonable answer is that the lens is made by Sigma, as it is designed by them. And Sigma got factories in both Japan and China.

Correct. They are scaling up production and using both Sigma factories. This lens is not made by Olympus and am not aware of a single copy with the Made in Vietnam tag

Wookie65 wrote:

These seem impossible to get hold of in the U.K.

any clues as to when the hype actually produces a reasonable supply of product

I believe we can expect many delays for camera equipment and other products in the near future  due too delays caused by corona.

And-roid wrote:

TorsteinH wrote:

Wookie65 wrote:

These seem impossible to get hold of in the U.K.

any clues as to when the hype actually produces a reasonable supply of product

I believe we can expect many delays for camera equipment and other products in the near future due too delays caused by corona.

I wonder if there is also some modification going on with the stabilisation, it's not the best. I returned my first copy, wish I hadn't now, as I suspected it was faulty, apparently not, anyway they refunded me and now I can't buy another

I doubt it. The lens is based on Sigma lens IS that actually is one of the best for performance out there. Improvement would only be possible with a dual/sync IS and that would mean a total lens redesign

This lens is still expected to be for small wildlife so you should think 1/100 is the minimum you would use it for handheld. Could it manage that?

And-roid wrote:

Interceptor121 wrote:

And-roid wrote:

TorsteinH wrote:

Wookie65 wrote:

These seem impossible to get hold of in the U.K.

any clues as to when the hype actually produces a reasonable supply of product

I believe we can expect many delays for camera equipment and other products in the near future due too delays caused by corona.

I wonder if there is also some modification going on with the stabilisation, it's not the best. I returned my first copy, wish I hadn't now, as I suspected it was faulty, apparently not, anyway they refunded me and now I can't buy another

I doubt it. The lens is based on Sigma lens IS that actually is one of the best for performance out there. Improvement would only be possible with a dual/sync IS and that would mean a total lens redesign

This lens is still expected to be for small wildlife so you should think 1/100 is the minimum you would use it for handheld. Could it manage that?

Imo, no it was probably 1/150 sec minimum but that was 400, will dig out my files I did a lot of tests. The Fuji 100-400 on a non ibis body was like 1/50 at 400 but you could feel the stabilization was superb on the 100-400. Interesting the x-t4 with ibis and ois felt less confident than ois only on a non ibis body, go figure! The em5iii could do ibis only, ois only and in auto presumably ois and ibis together seemed the best but it was always less effective than Fuji 100-400.

400mm = 800mm equivalent OIS rating 3 stops 800 400 200 100 it should work at 1/100 provided you keep the camera and lens reasonably steady

At long focal range you easily get motion blur at 1/100 even if the lens is steady so you need to test it on a static subject i.e. aiming to a wall