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I hate that company policy where they don't say anything about next and future plans or goals.
I am starting to spend some serious money in Oly gear and so far I am satisfied but it would be even nicer if I knew that there is future developments and commitment.
The reason for this topic is that I have seen another store ditching Olympus and I am wondering if they know something I don't ?
This time it was MemoryExpress, which is general electronics store with probably the best prices in the region. Before them it was Black's Photography which is a photo store that you can find in any strip mall or any other bigger mall. So those are two for sure and it looks like that future shop is limiting their choice to only 2 different models.
On the other hand, I went to Edmonton (3 hours drive) to pick up the transmission replacement (my brother's blew up) and while there I went to see what memoryexpress has in their clearence center and gotr myself a FL-50r for $380 (normal price is 550), so at least some advantage in all this. They had sigma 1.4 for $200 less then what it usually cost, but I had no more money to spend.

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E-5; E-1; E-620; GH-1
12-60; 50-200; 70-300; 40-150; 25; 35; 50;
14-140;
FL-36rx2 ; FL50r; FL50
www.facebook.com/maksimimages
www.maksimimages.com

That's the biggest risk with buying anything that's not Canikon. If a clearly defined upgrade path is important to you, that's the route you have got to take.

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PhilipGoh.com

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To be fair, I don't remember Canon tipping off the opposition about its future plans either, at least not in any significant way. For instance, who saw the 7D coming until the rumours surfaced pretty close to the actual announcement?

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

None of the companies give a very long range outlook on direction, probably for fear of tipping off the competition on what they're planning.

If anything, Olympus are more relaxed as they often drop hints as to upcoming lenses, more so than Canikon anyway.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

The future of Olympus will be largely about micro four thirds. It fits their core philosophy and tradition, small and beautiful.

So expect the future development will be 80% about micro four thirds, either the camera or lenses.

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RadiantLite - Cameras and Lenses Comparison Reviews, buying guide, photo taking techniques and other tips
My Portfolio - Some photos from my work

Giving away hints too early kills immediate sales. Creating buzz is important, but keeping sales going is also necessary to have the funds to develop the new gear.

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E-3!
12-60 2.8-4.0
12-60 2.8-40 [Also going]
40-150 3.5-4.5
70-300 4.0-5.6
Fl-48

Now I am seeing that even Amazon is selling some lens for 50% off (70-300).
And 12-60 is only $700. Considering that in Canada this lens always goes for over $1100 I would assume Amazon is also clearing their Oly inventory.

Who knows...

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E-5; E-1; E-620; GH-1
12-60; 50-200; 70-300; 40-150; 25; 35; 50;
14-140;
FL-36rx2 ; FL50r; FL50
www.facebook.com/maksimimages
www.maksimimages.com

The 70-300 has been in the $350-$400 (US) range for a while. The 50% off thing at Amazon is a tad misleading since everyone has been selling it at that price point for a while. B&H just replenished their stock of some Oly equipment that sold out over the holiday. It speaks more to market price pressure than anything else. Considering how well Oly equipment seems to have sold (granted with mush less inventory than the big names), it seems to be a good sign.

While I agree that m4/3 is the biggest upside for Olympus and Olympus surely recognizes that and responds accordingly, they will likely always have higher end models and technology. They need that toe hold for reputation and because it's been a proving ground for technologies that trickle down to the prosumer/consumer space. The e6xx series might eventually go away (I doubt it as it's an easy gap filler between formats/capabilities), but I think Oly will continue to have successors to the E-x though not on a yearly schedule.

Have a look at this article on the EP1 / EP2 :
http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/43/ep1.html

the quote that struck me the most:

"In 2005 (see Cameras: the Next Ten Years) I predicted that electronic-viewfinder (EVF) cameras of type [1] will replace most of SLRs on the market, outside high-end and niche applications (think: medium format), within ten years. This will probably happen: we are seeing the first steps. Just wait until 2015."

Olympus is clearly on an innovative path. If memory serves Oly took a significant hit back in the days of film cameras after failing to adopt an autofocus system for the OM series. Surely they are not making this mistake again. Unlike other major manufacturers Olympus is innovating as opposed to "leveraging" aka recycling APS film era mechanical designs into current products. Oly also introduced newly designed lenses to match the 4:3 standard which were designed from the ground up while other manufactures again recycled the mechanical designs from the 35mm film days. The resulting Olympus lens quality is apparant from their consumer to the pro lines .. who else has an f2 zoom??

Other key advantages of the EVF cameras is the use of a true focal plane shutter which differentiates the EP1 / EP2 sytem from the DSLRs and offering significantly more versatility for flash photography. The other advantage is the short back focus distance in the EVF design which enhances the wide angle capability.

if anyone hasnt guessed by now I am a bit biased .. appologies to any offended.

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Japhy

Since I have gotten my e-510,....I only have the 14-42 kit,70-300,and two adapters(Minolta to 4/3) for my 45mm prime and 500mm tele.

So I'm done with them.

Next kit build is Nikon,...but the D90 I want is gonna be a while in waiting(in fact I may even wait till the next gen).

IMHO,...if you can wait,...it pays to....in any field of retail electronics.

Next year's stuff is always "better".

My main reasoning though for going to Nikon next,....bigger sensors,...and lots of lenses.

4/3 is great,....but I like low light shots and I can't see Oly getting much better than present with that size sensor.

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Nikon D90,SB-600,50mm f/1.8,55-200mm,18-105mm,300mm f/4 AF-IF ED
Flickr page

I can understand that they don't disclose plans too early. When they announce for example the new E4 or E5, who still wants to buy an E3? Unless of course if you're out for a bargain.

I'm waiting for an E40 or something like that, but as long they don't announce anything, there is still (a small) chance I will buy the E30.

Hans

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Olympus E-500, 12-60, 40-150, 70-300

I am not in a new-camera-buying mood. I think the E-520 is way beyond what normal-not-pro shooters like me need. If I ever hit it's limits then I would consider upgrading it. So far most of the hurdles I had was releated to ISO100 -> slow shutter required = blurry output. I got 50mm macro so with f/2 and image stabilization numbers of keepers skyrocketed (comparing to E500+kit). Therefore I am totally satisfied Oly shooter. And for learning of basics of lighting setups and flash/studio photography even E-500 is great (except it doesn't have the wireless trigger) so I figure I can wait for E-x.

But what bother me and why I started this topic is my concern that the new model might have never been released. I am building and investing in Olympus brand consistently so it would really hurt if they abandon upper market or really lag behind the competition. That would mean I threw a lot of money hoping for the better future.

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E-5; E-1; E-620; GH-1
12-60; 50-200; 70-300; 40-150; 25; 35; 50;
14-140;
FL-36rx2 ; FL50r; FL50
www.facebook.com/maksimimages
www.maksimimages.com

Actually you are right, the E520 would do just fine for me as well and it's really cheap now too (299 euro), but my plan was to buy 1 more new camera and then keep that one for some years (at least 5). The E520 would probably be replaced within 2 years, but considering the price, that might be ok.

I surly hope they won't abandon the 4/3 system, but considering the lenses they have, that seems not so likely.

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Olympus E-500, 12-60, 40-150, 70-300