Olympus admits a try at "pro" would gut their 4/3rds system
 

RichA wrote:
I think that pretty much sums up what it would cost Olympus if they
made a go for the professional market in meaningful way. The end of
4/3rds as a viable sensor format.

But it also means the end of Olympus as a viable digital camera company.

While it seems like it's far too late for them to try to catch up with
Canon, Nikon, and Sony, the no-go scenario is even worse, they clearly
can't build a viable business on 5% market share of 4:3.

By stopping at 12 megapixels, they're essentially going into harvest
mode. They'll make minimal investments in new products, with just minor
tweaks for new models, and sell what they can. No big investments in
sensors or development of a professional system.

Olympus admits a try at "pro" would gut their 4/3rds system
 

SMS wrote:
RichA wrote:
I think that pretty much sums up what it would cost Olympus if they
made a go for the professional market in meaningful way. The end of
4/3rds as a viable sensor format.

But it also means the end of Olympus as a viable digital camera company.

While it seems like it's far too late for them to try to catch up with
Canon, Nikon, and Sony, the no-go scenario is even worse, they clearly
can't build a viable business on 5% market share of 4:3.

By stopping at 12 megapixels, they're essentially going into harvest
mode. They'll make minimal investments in new products, with just minor
tweaks for new models, and sell what they can. No big investments in
sensors or development of a professional system.

As Lee Iacocca used to say:

"Lead, follow or get out of the way."

Looks like they've picked the third option. They are no longer in the
35mm format world and can't grow much further within their 4/3 world.

Honestly, they could make a strong push for the news photojournalist
world (web, newspapers, magazines) as the more compact system (and
perhaps esp. micro-4/3) should make that set of pj's happier and 12 Mpix
is 3 - 4 times what is typically needed for web and newspapers and
adequate (and then some) for most magazines.

--
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Olympus admits a try at "pro" would gut their 4/3rds system
 

Alan Browne wrote:

Looks like they've picked the third option. They are no longer in the
35mm format world and can't grow much further within their 4/3 world.

Hence the term "harvest mode." A lot of semiconductor companies have
lines of products that they make no investment in in terms of updated
products, or sales and marketing, but that provide steady revenue long
after the initial investment has been paid back. You can sometimes build
a pretty good business on these products, there just isn't any growth
opportunity.

Honestly, they could make a strong push for the news photojournalist
world (web, newspapers, magazines) as the more compact system (and
perhaps esp. micro-4/3) should make that set of pj's happier and 12 Mpix
is 3 - 4 times what is typically needed for web and newspapers and
adequate (and then some) for most magazines.

They don't have the necessary lenses for many photo-journalist tasks.

The wonderful thing about a full-line manufacturer is that you're not
constantly being constrained by "well most users will rarely need such a
lens (or other piece of equipment)." If you need an odd piece of
equipment it's out there, either to buy or rent. There's no
rationalization necessary.

Olympus admits a try at "pro" would gut their 4/3rds system
 

SMS wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:

Looks like they've picked the third option. They are no longer in the
35mm format world and can't grow much further within their 4/3 world.

Hence the term "harvest mode." A lot of semiconductor companies have
lines of products that they make no investment in in terms of updated
products, or sales and marketing, but that provide steady revenue long
after the initial investment has been paid back. You can sometimes build
a pretty good business on these products, there just isn't any growth
opportunity.

Honestly, they could make a strong push for the news photojournalist
world (web, newspapers, magazines) as the more compact system (and
perhaps esp. micro-4/3) should make that set of pj's happier and 12
Mpix is 3 - 4 times what is typically needed for web and newspapers
and adequate (and then some) for most magazines.

They don't have the necessary lenses for many photo-journalist tasks.

The wonderful thing about a full-line manufacturer is that you're not
constantly being constrained by "well most users will rarely need such a
lens (or other piece of equipment)." If you need an odd piece of
equipment it's out there, either to buy or rent. There's no
rationalization necessary.

Generally true, but newsies are not like that. A general assignment
photographer for a large city daily can do pretty much all of his work
with three holy trinity lenses.

For 4/3 that would be the 7-14 f/4, 14-35 f/2 and the 35-100 f/2.

Many combat PJs preferred systems like the Leica M (except the M8)
series. Fixed focal length lenses, limited long lenses. Very reliable,
compact, unobtrusive.

I have little doubt that Oly can make such a system (reliable, compact)
with micro 4/3.

Whether they would get the pj's to buy in is another matter.

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.