Oh My Goodness (digital OM)

[gavinlg]

Back page of amateur photographer magazine...



Apparently will be unveiled early feb.

[gavinlg]

Note the O and M are in bold...

annnnnd let the speculation begin!

[rover]

Hopefully it has a new sensor. The sensor Oly has been using is getting a bit tired and there has been some exciting advancement in sensor performance recently.

[benlees]

I assume dSLR if OM? If so, not interested. I'm not going to buy any new Fuji stuff, but at least it has no mirror and an OVF.

[Spyro]

I dont buy it. Why would oly do something like that?

They dont make bigger than 4:3 lenses anymore, and they certainly cant make any money from people using original OM lenses. So, a tonne of R&D costs for them, and no revenue from lenses. Unless of course it's a crop SLR, in which case the VF will be small and dark, which kills the OM's biggest advantage.

So what would the VF be? EVF? Why have a mirror then...
No mirror? It would cannibalise M4:3.

I dont see anything in it for Oly.

[Mackinaw]

I just hope Olympus stays in business long enough to produce new cameras.

Jim B.

[nighstar]

this isn't really "breaking news", the rumor about a digital OM has been going around for a while. the unveiling date of February 8th ahead of CP+ in Japan has already been verified. i'm really excited.

i see no point in speculating what it may or may not feature until some valid info is leaked or the new product line (and there will be a new product line supposedly) and camera themselves are unveiled.

[dreilly]

Far as I understand it, this will be a m4/3 camera with a built-in EVF. I don't think anyone is expecting it to be a DSLR. If you compare the E-P1 and other Pen digitals to the original Pen series, the resemblance is pretty much style and size...there really aren't many other similarities. As I found out using my old Pen FT lenses on the Nex 5n...that camera with it's nearly half-frame size sensor is in some ways closer to the old film Pens. Not a knock on the E-P1 or the digital Pens, I actually love those cameras. But really the lineage back to Maitani is a bit of a stretch.

So what I'm expecting here is a new Pen in the shape of an OM. Could be cool if they had a shutter speed dial around the lens mount like the OM, and a dedicated ev compensation wheel, etc, but I'm not sure they are that cool. Probably it will be a typical digital control layout...nobody veers too far from this except Epson and Leica (and briefly, once, Panasonic with the L1). Again, nothing wrong with this, but nothing Maitani-esque either. Might be a great camera. They really do need a new sensor...that might bring me back to the m4/3 oly line...I do love their JPEG engine and metering system...as perfect as I've found.

[Trius]

Hope and fantasy will always surpass reality in the minds of "true believers." Yes, I am a true OM-believer, but cannot, for the life of me, find any reason this rumour would materialize into reality. Hope I'm wrong.

[shadowfox]

I'll take an m4/3rd camera that looks like an OM-1.
No mirror, who cares.
BIG viewfinder, be it an EVF, now that counts.

Olympus, don't let us and Mr. Maitani down.

[celluloidprop]

Pro micro-4/3 body with their rumored excellent EVF, I assume. I'm on the waiting list for the new Fuji, but I really like the m43 glass that's available - the 12mm Olympus and 20mm Panasonic are fantastic.

[dreilly]

Apparently the 45/1.8 is also very good, though that's not not my most-used focal length by any stretch. I've been on and off with 4/3 and m4/3 over the years and image quality has always been excellent.

[zuiko85]

A digital OM is when I can unclip my film back from my OM-1 and clip on a digital back with the power supply and electronics fitting on the bottom about the same size and weight as a motor winder.

That is a 'digital OM' and will be available about the same time I flap my arms and fly to the moon!

[ruby.monkey]

A digital OM-G? This is a good thing?

[Trius]

Originally Posted by shadowfox

I'll take an m4/3rd camera that looks like an OM-1.
No mirror, who cares.
BIG viewfinder, be it an EVF, now that counts.

Olympus, don't let us and Mr. Maitani down.

Me too, Will. But do you really think it will happen? Especially with the current troubles?

[keytarjunkie]

I think all the othe companies saw the X100's success and are going to go back to "retro" design...hey why mess with a good thing.

[Nelson Tan]

I'm a fan of the OM-series of SLRs, being the owner of OM1 and OM4. If they can truly produce a OM-series DSLR while keeping the spirit of Maitani, and develop a compact sized DSLR like the original series, I'll be very intrigued! Especially if it can be a full-frame sensor...

[Adanac]

I keep hoping they'll return to their full frame tradition but in digital of course. If they do, I can finally buy another Oly. I stopped buying 4/3 cameras after my last Evolt (which I still have and use... but not often).

[jarski]

its just another m4/3, even if retro styled. no interest here.

[Brian Legge]

So the real message here is buy your OM glass now before prices go up?

[nighstar]

Originally Posted by keytarjunkie

I think all the othe companies saw the X100's success and are going to go back to "retro" design...hey why mess with a good thing.

Olympus was doing retro with the E-P1 long before the X100. everyone, including Fuji, copied them.


this is the full image of the back page of Amateur Photography Magazine... http://minus.com/mxvrbfbS1#1

am i the only one who thinks it's cute that they made it in the design of the manuals for the original film OMs?

[Richard G]

Indeed, nightstar, no you are not. Nice touch.

[Archlich]

A 4:3, OM-look-alike E-5 successor is most likely.

[f6andBthere]

Whoa ... stop the presses ... cancel my order for the new Fuji!

[Liquid-Sky]

and if they did it Om alike i'll get it!!