Olympus future? Leave them now?

[Kalrog]

I am contemplating moving away from Olympus for my camera. Let me start by saying that I'm perfectly happy with my current Olympus gear and that some of the lenses are amazing. But... they aren't doing so well ethically and financially because of that. And while I'm happy with the gear NOW, I do want to maintain an upgrade path for the future and I'm starting to be a bit nervous that the E5 may be the end of the line for pro style SLR cameras for the 4/3 format. And if I need to jump brands, I would like to jump while I can still get fair value for my current gear.

So... one input I would love to have. Is how would I duplicate my current gear (approximately) and what (if anything) would be a worth while upgrade. Then I can price and truly compare things. I currently have a 12MP crop sensor body (2 of them) that are fully weather (rain) proof. They do 5fps and max at ISO6400. Lenses I have a 12-60f2.8, 50-200f2.8, 35-100f2 50f2, 30f1.4 (as well as a couple of kit lenses).

I want to stick with a weatherproof system if possible.

Crop and full frame are okay - but I think I lean towards a crop body for additional range and smaller file sizes

I don't think beating 5fps or ISO 6400 will be hard

I'm concerned about losing the weatherproofing and the f2 zoom lens as a part of this switch.

Anyone care to suggest a Nikon or Canon replacement setup? I am still in the very early stages of considering this and I would have to convince the wife it was a good idea (her SLR is also Olympus).

Or should I just chill for another 3 months and see what happens with Olympus?

[groovyone]

Pentax K-5? Sony A77? Well, the A77 would be huge files but the Pentax K-5 is killer with its sensor. For a Nikon option the D7000 is a sturdy beast and has the same outstanding Sony 16MP sensor as the K-5.

[Kalrog]

Sony's customer service/legal issues have lost me their business forever. From root kits on their CDs to suing someone who restored things they promised and then took away (PS3)... I just can't give them any money.

I appreciate the thoughts though! And I'll keep an eye on the other suggestions.

[groovyone]

Neither of which have anything to do with the seperate Photo group. =)

Check out the Nikon though. I like the Pentax a lot but the lenses are more limited and used market may be more difficult to find gear. Fanstastic camera with increadible weather sealing though. Probably one of the best out there with the sealed lenses.

[brewercm]

Agree on the Pentax and I had the K10D at one point but went the way of Nikon due to the lack of available lenses (at least at the time).

If you could hold onto the Olympus stuff it could be worth a pretty penny down the road also.

[Kalrog]

Originally Posted by groovyone

Neither of which have anything to do with the seperate Photo group. =)

Well, if you want to limit it to JUST the photo group... then what about the proprietary memory stick and hot shoe? I'm just saying...

I wouldn't mind hanging on to the Olympus stuff... but then I couldn't afford the new kit.

[lfmerrell]

I do believe, by way of being burned, Sony only supports or supported computers for the specific/exact operating system they ship with.
Example, I had a Sony laptop 505 system with Windows 98 as I recall. I upgraded to XP but lost my USB ports and some other functions. My reply from Sony was they only support with the exact operating system that was on your machine.
Things may have changed but not risking bucks to find out.

[groovyone]

Originally Posted by Kalrog

Well, if you want to limit it to JUST the photo group... then what about the proprietary memory stick and hot shoe? I'm just saying...

I wouldn't mind hanging on to the Olympus stuff... but then I couldn't afford the new kit.

Not an SLR issue and they even included the MS to CF adapter with the A100.

(I am just messin with you, it is cool either way)

[groovyone]

Originally Posted by lfmerrell

I do believe, by way of being burned, Sony only supports or supported computers for the specific/exact operating system they ship with.
Example, I had a Sony laptop 505 system with Windows 98 as I recall. I upgraded to XP but lost my USB ports and some other functions. My reply from Sony was they only support with the exact operating system that was on your machine.
Things may have changed but not risking bucks to find out.

Yet my VAIO works great with anything. Yes, things changed and they caused damage to their image with stupid decisions. I also have a Sony MP3 player that I can drag and drop MP3, WAV and pretty much everything else on with just the file manager.

Back on topic though...

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by Kalrog

ILet me start by saying that I'm perfectly happy with my current Olympus gear and that some of the lenses are amazing.

A couple "non-technical" thoughts. if you are truly happy with your current setup.

-I'm not educated on Oly's situation, but I would be inclined to see what happens. maybe they can raise capital to pump out anothe dslr body? who knows...maybe that gets them back on the map.
-If Oly does stop making dslr camera or they go out of business or whatever doom and gloom is impending, instead of the person taking the hit during the fire sale, perhaps you can be the one capitalizing? Stock up on a few bodies, get some new glass that can serve you for years to come. maybe you have to eventually switch, but it can be 10 years down the road and who knows what that holds.

I'm of the opinion to stick it out w/ Oly if I were in your shoes, as long as you are happy with how everything is performing.

Of course, I've found generally speaking, Americans like to spend money and get new things, so if this is your case, make the jump!!

[groovyone]

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

-I'm not educated on Oly's situation, but I would be inclined to see what happens. maybe they can raise capital to pump out anothe dslr body? who knows...maybe that gets them back on the map.

They had been pushing the m4/3 pretty hard. I don't know if anyone expected another DSLR.

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

-If Oly does stop making dslr camera or they go out of business or whatever doom and gloom is impending, instead of the person taking the hit during the fire sale, perhaps you can be the one capitalizing? Stock up on a few bodies, get some new glass that can serve you for years to come. maybe you have to eventually switch, but it can be 10 years down the road and who knows what that holds.

That is a GREAT point. If you do like it and do not feel limited it could be a chance to score MORE gear.

[groovyone]

I was just reading Kirk Tuck's blog and he has his take on Olympus:

Originally Posted by Kirk Tuck

Olympus. They were so close. And then the scandal. Will they recover? My money says that the Japanese government won't let them go down the toilet. They have a great brand name, a raft of new products and a profitable medical imaging business to help support them. And they have finally hit their stride with the Pen products. Sadly, the conventional 4:3rds cameras are soon to be toast. If you love the e5 I'll say you should stock up. Squirrel away the lenses you want and warehouse some bodies because my spider sense tells me that the financial dramatics are essential cover for the abandonment of a whole product line. Rationale? We couldn't survive without a laser like focus on our most profitable line....something had to go. Either that or...."

With the older line off their shoulders (and ledger) Olympus will continue their agressive march into the mirrorless space. Next up? A pro-version of their EP3 with a new chip from Panasonic. I'd love to see the well reviewed G3 sensor in the body. And I hope it hits by the Summer. I've got plans. Look also for them to flesh out the lens offerings with an 8mm wide angle and a fast 60 or 65mm portrait type lens. And count on the next implementation of their top camera to have a built in EVF.

The Visual Science Lab / Kirk Tuck: Kirk Tuck's Amazing and Obvious Predictions for 2012

[toverman]

I don't thing losing a stop or partial one in the zoom to go from f/2 to f/2.8 is a big deal, particularly because almost any new SLR is going to perform well at higher ISOs. You might evaluate your gear and how you use it, and be able to edit your kit to have fewer, but nicer, gear.

If you're going to start over, I'd recommend going with either Canon or Nikon, simply because the favor of *most* working pros, news organizations, etc., and the horse race between the two sparks innovation and excellence. Make a short list of what you "need" and go to bhphoto.com to see what the cost would be.

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by groovyone

I was just reading Kirk Tuck's blog and he has his take on Olympus:



The Visual Science Lab / Kirk Tuck: Kirk Tuck's Amazing and Obvious Predictions for 2012

Thank you for posting a link WITH a quote. Nothing is more bothersome than opening a thread w/ just a link to an article with nothing else. Is there a question? Or is there something to discuss?

Back to Oly...

[wclavey]

From a purely selfish perspective, my advice would be to dump the Olympus and switch to something else ASAP - - and I recommend that to everyone who asks... the more high quality used equipment there is on the secondary market, the faster the prices will drop. Having absolutely never been someone who owned "the current model" of anything or been concerned about an upgrade path, I have selected my equipment based on how well it supports the type of photography I do now and not "what can I move to next?" That's probably why my cabinets are full of mostly 30+ year old equipment.

However, I fully recognize that this is my own personal ethos and not representative of everyone out there, and is certainly no more valid than anyone else's ethos. I have considered this question of where to from Olympus before myself (for other reasons -- before the current financial issues were exposed) and it is a puzzlement. I have a number of manual Nikkor lenses that I use on my E-30, so my first obvious conclusion was Nikon. But then, in a workshop I went to this fall, the vast number of people there had Canons of the prosumer variety and I had the chance to see those in action and see the images they produced. I was impressed. So, in the end, the question is still open.

The one thing I will add, though, is that in the landscape workshop, the Olympus E-30's tilt-swivel LCD for live-view was the envied capability... especially for night shooting when the other participants were laying on the ground in order to see their screens.