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03-07-2019, 07:59 AM   #1
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Olympus Leaving Digital Camera Market?

With a headline like that Olympus could be leaving the digital camera market, reports say - DIY Photography I find it quite surprising, especially with so many people switching to mirrorless over the past two years. I don't know, but it seems strange that with so many Olympus cameras out there now (probably 30% of our camera club has switched to Olympus)

I find it surprising that the company claims it is losing money. Perhaps they are trying to do too much too fast before Canikon catches up.

I have toyed with the idea of looking at mirrorless, but a 4 thirds format doesn't really inspire me. If I were to switch from either my APSC or Full Frame Pentax cameras I would more than likely stick with the same sensor size.

03-07-2019, 08:04 AM - 4 Likes   #2
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One of the biggest ironies in business is that over-investing and undercharging create products that succeed and businesses that fail. Customers love it when companies do too much and charge too little. But it's seldom sustainable.
03-07-2019, 08:10 AM - 6 Likes   #3
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Clickbait alert...
03-07-2019, 08:11 AM - 2 Likes   #4
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It's possibly true also that Olympus, with their small sensors, are even more vulnerable to the rise of the smart phone than most

03-07-2019, 08:20 AM - 3 Likes   #5
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I feel bad for the people who switched systems from Pentax to Olympus because Pentax was supposed to be doomed with the with mirror cameras.
03-07-2019, 08:32 AM - 2 Likes   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by luftfluss Quote
Clickbait alert...
Definitely. The 4/3 Addict's article that DIY Photography links to never says anything about the future of Olympus' Imaging Business, its headline is "Olympus FY2019/3 Q3 Financial Results: Down 19.0% Year on Year" and even that is misleading, because it only refers to the Imaging Business, which accounts for about 8% of the total revenue for the corporation. Imaging Business has an operating loss after 3 quarters of the current fiscal year; according to its financial statements, that is "due partly to the impact of constraints on supplies of certain existing products and on the number of new products in conjunction with intensifying competition for mirrorless cameras and restructuring of manufacturing locations."


Sounds like more than one other camera manufacturer is in similar circumstances. Should we believe that all camera manufacturers will be closing up shop?
03-07-2019, 10:02 AM - 18 Likes   #7
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There are times when I think the best strategy is to buy into an obsolete system from a company that no longer produces photography equipment. The benefits are compelling... No fretting over what products should or could be released and when, no navel-gazing over financials and what direction the company will take next, no heated "grass is greener" debates with folks who prefer other brands. Just buy the camera and a brace of compatible lenses (all used and inexpensive) then get out and shoot, without any of the fuss and worries.

I'm only partly joking...


Last edited by BigMackCam; 03-07-2019 at 10:32 AM.
03-07-2019, 10:03 AM   #8
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With sales development in the current market.......not all company's can survive. Remember that if 2 or 3 company's leave the camera market, there is more left over for the remaining company's.

---------- Post added 07-03-19 at 18:05 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
There are times when I think the best strategy is to buy into an obsolete system from a company that no longer produces photography equipment. The benefits are compelling... No fretting over what products should or could be released and when, no navel-gazing over financials and what direction the company will take next, no heated "grass is greener" debates with folks who prefer other brands. Just buy the camera and a brace of compatible lenses (all used and inexpensive) then get out and shoot, without any of the fuss and worries.

I'm only partly joking...
You could also stop using the internet and never be bothered again..?

Last edited by BigMackCam; 03-07-2019 at 10:32 AM. Reason: Updated quoted post
03-07-2019, 10:10 AM - 8 Likes   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by RonHendriks1966 Quote
You could also stop using the internet and never be bothered again..?
It has too many positive uses for me. But I already limit my involvement so that I'm rarely bothered. No Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram... The closest thing to social media that I use is these forums. Other than that, I read news from several sources, research topics I'm interested in, listen to and watch streaming content, buy stuff, and send and receive e-mails... and that's about it

Last edited by BigMackCam; 03-07-2019 at 01:18 PM.
03-07-2019, 10:54 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
It has too many positive uses for me
Market value and utility value are two different things.
03-07-2019, 11:21 AM - 2 Likes   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
There are times when I think the best strategy is to buy into an obsolete system from a company that no longer produces photography equipment. The benefits are compelling... No fretting over what products should or could be released and when, no navel-gazing over financials and what direction the company will take next, no heated "grass is greener" debates with folks who prefer other brands. Just buy the camera and a brace of compatible lenses (all used and inexpensive) then get out and shoot, without any of the fuss and worries.

I'm only partly joking...
I've been wondering why I like Mamiya RB67 so much... After all, it's supposed to be super heavy and obsolete...
03-07-2019, 11:28 AM   #12
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I’m not sure Olympus has recovered from the books cooking scandal. If Digicams is on the same ‘pay your own way’ directive as Ricoh Imaging . . .
03-07-2019, 12:06 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by RGlasel Quote
Definitely. The 4/3 Addict's article that DIY Photography links to never says anything about the future of Olympus' Imaging Business, its headline is "Olympus FY2019/3 Q3 Financial Results: Down 19.0% Year on Year" and even that is misleading, because it only refers to the Imaging Business, which accounts for about 8% of the total revenue for the corporation. Imaging Business has an operating loss after 3 quarters of the current fiscal year; according to its financial statements, that is "due partly to the impact of constraints on supplies of certain existing products and on the number of new products in conjunction with intensifying competition for mirrorless cameras and restructuring of manufacturing locations."


Sounds like more than one other camera manufacturer is in similar circumstances. Should we believe that all camera manufacturers will be closing up shop?
I don't think anyone thinks Olympus as a company is going under. I guess that maybe they are close to a decision point where they either need to back off on camera operations or, add additional sensor sizes (which would mean a decent further investment of money). Certainly their medical operations are doing great and can support the camera division for a long time, if that would be the direction their board would choose to take.
03-07-2019, 01:38 PM - 2 Likes   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by bobell69 Quote
With a headline like that Olympus could be leaving the digital camera market, reports say - DIY Photography I find it quite surprising, especially with so many people switching to mirrorless over the past two years. I don't know, but it seems strange that with so many Olympus cameras out there now (probably 30% of our camera club has switched to Olympus)

I find it surprising that the company claims it is losing money. Perhaps they are trying to do too much too fast before Canikon catches up.

I have toyed with the idea of looking at mirrorless, but a 4 thirds format doesn't really inspire me. If I were to switch from either my APSC or Full Frame Pentax cameras I would more than likely stick with the same sensor size.
Ridiculous. They are announcing new lenses, new cameras, putting out new firmware & enhancements periodically. Five years from now could be a much different camera-scape, given the half-life of technology. Film should be back in the saddle by then! ...or maybe not. Lol!
03-07-2019, 01:41 PM - 1 Like   #15
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They just announced the 1 MK X for $3000
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