Posted by Jim DeWitt on January 31, 2013 at 7:24 PM
Dear Olympus:
I'm a loyal Olympus 4/3rds DSLR customer. I've owned an E1, E500, E3, and E5. I also own a 300mm f2.8, a 90-250mm f2.8, a 50-200mm, a 12-64mm, 1.4X and 2.0X teleconverters, a Macro 2.0 and a host of other products. I've taken nature photographs with Olympus products in a dozen or more countries on three continents. Up until the last 1.5 years, Olympus has taken pretty good care of me. That's no longer the case.
I just spent two weeks in Costa Rica photographing birds. Two friends were with me. One had a Nikon rig; the other a Canon rig. Both were using 300mm f2.8 lenses, as was I. Both were able to photograph under low light conditions where the E5 could not. Both could acquire focus in those conditions; the E5 could not. My colleagues returned with photos I do not have because the E5 could not capture them. In the case of a few birds, that has cost me sales.
I was embarrassed for myself and for Olympus by the inadequacy of the E5 in comparison with my friends' cameras.
The simple fact is that the E5 is badly outclassed, and Olympus has failed to offer a new E-series product to match the features of similarly-priced Nikon and Canon products.
Olympus has completely failed to announce or commit to a new 4/3rd DSLR. Yes, there are rumors, but rumors don't take photos and don't pay the rent.
I'm not enthusiastic about waiting a few months for a better-performing camera, but I will. What I am not willing to do is wait any longer in the face of silence from Olympus, let alone a firm shipping date. Has Olympus abandoned the E Series cameras? Do you appreciate that is what it looks like to your loyal customers?
I really need a response. In the absence of a commitment from Olympus to a new E series camera in the near future, I will regretfully shift to one of its competitors.
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I sent this email to Olympus on January 28. I haven't had a response. I'll hate giving up that great Zuiko 300mm f2.8, but not as much as I hate missing important shots.
Posted by David Bostedo on January 31, 2013 at 8:32 PM
Jim - Given the size of the photography division of Olympus, and their recent financial issues, and perhaps especially their focus on m43 camrea, I wouldn't count on the 4/3rds E-system being as supported as it has been in the past. But, as far as bodies go, that doesn't really change too much.
The fact is, Olympus has rarely kept up with Canon and Nikon (at least in the last decade) across the board for camera bodies. Even when the E3 and E5 came out, they definitely lagged in certain areas of IQ or focus system. (I personally think the in-body stabilization is something they continue to be ahead on, but that's just me.) I shoot an E-520, and I guess it's somewhat comparable to others from Canon and Nikon that were available then, but even at that time, Canon had much better autofocus and noise performance. I chose Oly because of the zooms, and 4/3rds reach, and in-body stabilization.
If Olympus isn't meeting your needs, I wouldn't say you need to beg them to meet your needs - I suggest you look at what your alternatives are. You'd have to give up the glass and some reach - but if you gained much more, perhaps it would be a wise move? I know that's painful - and as a real amateur I can't relate - but it might be for the best.
The only thing, personally, that would make me wait would be the recent shift to Sony sensors in the EM-5. If that holds for the next E camera, then it could go a good way to closing the gap with Canon and Nikon.
Posted by Luke Ormand on January 31, 2013 at 9:21 PM
Jim - is this partially a result of the book cooking scandal that happend? I think that really screwed Olympus up bad and meant they could no longer have "fun" (read: less profitable) projects such as photography
Posted by Charlie Baugh on February 1, 2013 at 1:02 AM
Olympus from this amateurs viewpoint has wonderful equipment in their Zuiko lens and the E-5, BUT noise and the need to stay very low ISO has been a heavy price to pay for staying with them.I've few years left at photography so I'll keep at it with them, but as a professional... well it has been obvious for some long time.
What you wrote is so true, I, too, have been an Olympus user since 2000. I was tired of waiting. I've been using and learning to use a Nikon D4. I use my E5 and yes, the noise is a problem. It's sad because I love my Olympus cameras and lenses, but it's time for an upgrade. I felt the regret, too, but there was no other choice. Still learning the Nikon and still missing my Olympus.
Posted by Lorna Taylor on February 1, 2013 at 11:43 AM
I had been a user since 1998 and I loved my Olympus gear and the colour it gave , but when my camera and 300 took a spill 16 months ago down a steep hill and nothing looked good for the company on the horizon I sucked it up and when to Nikon. It was an expense switch as I have had to re-buy everything ,but I am so much happier with the noise levels though I miss the colour !!
Posted by Charlie Baugh on February 1, 2013 at 2:09 PM
Bird photography is the area of photography I feel Olympus is most lacking. The noise is very limiting as to the amount of cropping possible before noise gets just prohibitively blatant. Olympus limitations of longer lens also is lacking. Except for bird and wildlife and any other need for reach and cropping, Olympus is sweet to use and work with. If those limitations can be accepted and lived with it is wonderful AND that allows for a lot of photography.
Posted by Mark Seaver on February 2, 2013 at 10:03 AM
Jim, I feel your pain. I was an Olympus film camera user from 1980 - 2006 largely because the small size and light weight meant that I could carry a lot of equipment while backpacking without giving up space for camping gear or food. In the mid to late 1990s I became convinced that Olympus was neglecting/ignoring their film users so when I finally switched to digital I chose Canon. I still miss the small size and light weight of the OM system and replacing an extensive lens collection is expensive but I'm happy with my Canon system and it does offer significantly more versatility.
Posted by Ingrid Taylar on February 2, 2013 at 5:31 PM
(new to NPN here) -- Jim, I'm in the same boat (as a hobbyist, not pro). I have an E-3 and 50-200mm + EC14 I use for wildlife photography. My husband bought the OM-D + Lumix 100-300mm lens, and I find myself using it often because of the great high-ISO performance. But, the lens quality can't match my 50-200mm, and BIFs are challenging to say the least. So, although this is clearly a first-world problem I'm dealing with, it's like we're straddling the perfect solution with no resolution. It would be nice if hybrid-four-thirds rumors were to materialize in an official statement by Olympus. I can't afford to switch platforms right now so my only option is to wait for that purported late-2013 release of a four-thirds-friendly body. The waiting wouldn't be the hardest part if I knew we were actually waiting for something tangible.
Posted by Fred Stearns on February 4, 2013 at 1:04 AM
Deja Vu all over again. I bought the OM-1 back in the dark ages. I loved the camera and the lens. It worked wonderfully for me. Then the light meter went out and I had it replaced. It went out again and there was no replacement. Kids came and I was out of the market for a few years. In the mean time, Olympus had abandoned it's SLR users completely. When I got back into photography, Olympus was not even in the picture. It looks like they are doing the same thing all over again. I wish you better luck than I had.
Discussion
9 repliesI'm a loyal Olympus 4/3rds DSLR customer. I've owned an E1, E500, E3, and E5. I also own a 300mm f2.8, a 90-250mm f2.8, a 50-200mm, a 12-64mm, 1.4X and 2.0X teleconverters, a Macro 2.0 and a host of other products. I've taken nature photographs with Olympus products in a dozen or more countries on three continents. Up until the last 1.5 years, Olympus has taken pretty good care of me. That's no longer the case.
I just spent two weeks in Costa Rica photographing birds. Two friends were with me. One had a Nikon rig; the other a Canon rig. Both were using 300mm f2.8 lenses, as was I. Both were able to photograph under low light conditions where the E5 could not. Both could acquire focus in those conditions; the E5 could not. My colleagues returned with photos I do not have because the E5 could not capture them. In the case of a few birds, that has cost me sales.
I was embarrassed for myself and for Olympus by the inadequacy of the E5 in comparison with my friends' cameras.
The simple fact is that the E5 is badly outclassed, and Olympus has failed to offer a new E-series product to match the features of similarly-priced Nikon and Canon products.
Olympus has completely failed to announce or commit to a new 4/3rd DSLR. Yes, there are rumors, but rumors don't take photos and don't pay the rent.
I'm not enthusiastic about waiting a few months for a better-performing camera, but I will. What I am not willing to do is wait any longer in the face of silence from Olympus, let alone a firm shipping date. Has Olympus abandoned the E Series cameras? Do you appreciate that is what it looks like to your loyal customers?
I really need a response. In the absence of a commitment from Olympus to a new E series camera in the near future, I will regretfully shift to one of its competitors.
----------
I sent this email to Olympus on January 28. I haven't had a response. I'll hate giving up that great Zuiko 300mm f2.8, but not as much as I hate missing important shots.
The fact is, Olympus has rarely kept up with Canon and Nikon (at least in the last decade) across the board for camera bodies. Even when the E3 and E5 came out, they definitely lagged in certain areas of IQ or focus system. (I personally think the in-body stabilization is something they continue to be ahead on, but that's just me.) I shoot an E-520, and I guess it's somewhat comparable to others from Canon and Nikon that were available then, but even at that time, Canon had much better autofocus and noise performance. I chose Oly because of the zooms, and 4/3rds reach, and in-body stabilization.
If Olympus isn't meeting your needs, I wouldn't say you need to beg them to meet your needs - I suggest you look at what your alternatives are. You'd have to give up the glass and some reach - but if you gained much more, perhaps it would be a wise move? I know that's painful - and as a real amateur I can't relate - but it might be for the best.
The only thing, personally, that would make me wait would be the recent shift to Sony sensors in the EM-5. If that holds for the next E camera, then it could go a good way to closing the gap with Canon and Nikon.