The demise of OLYMPUS camera business

[BrianShaw]

Calling it quits:

https://apple.news/AWjGuac8FS3CEheHWQw-R8A

 

[AgX]

"The Olympus camera business had recorded losses for the last three years."

Agfa lost on their camera plant money for 18 years before they closed it....

(Well, they hoped to cross-fund it with their film profits.)

 

[Kodachromeguy]

It may not be quits. That sounds so final. According to Mike Johnston at The Online Photographer, "The Olympus Imaging business will be sold to a private equity firm called Japan Industrial Partners Inc. (JIP) in a deal planned to be signed on September 30th and closed on December 31st. JIP is the same firm that bought Sony's Vaio Group and turned it in to Vaio Corp. six years ago, so it's likely that the former Olympus Imaging will continue independently." I bet we will see even more of a shakeup in the camera business over the next year or two.

Oops, update: Kirk Tuck wrote about the Olympus transition in his VisualScienceLab blog. He was an Olympus fan as well.

 

[Ariston]

This is too bad. I'm always wondering how long film will survive, and here we have even digital camera companies fighting to survive against the camera phones.

 

[Auer]

This is too bad. I'm always wondering how long film will survive, and here we have even digital camera companies fighting to survive against the camera phones.

Very different situation with no marketshare competition worth mentioning. "Film" Is just some chemicals and the film itself made on mostly obsolete machinery and requires no innovation to stay competetive.
Phones have no impact on the tiny film market.

 

[Sirius Glass]

A sad sign of what the future for film may be facing. At least film sales are up.

 

[BAC1967]

That's too bad, I've been a fan of Olympus cameras for a long time, film and digital. I recently purchased a Pen F digital camera, mostly for scanning film.

 

[Billy Axeman]

That's too bad, I've been a fan of Olympus cameras for a long time, film and digital. I recently purchased a Pen F digital camera, mostly for scanning film.

Did you select this camera for scanning because of its Hi-Res mode?

 

[Paul Howell]

Time will tell if the new owners are buying to gut it, or reorganize, maybe outsource production. After Panasonic jumped on the L mount bandwagon, seems that the 3/4th mount might be near of it's end of it's technical development, you can only do much with such a small sensor? e .

 

[David Lindquist]

OK, good, they are continuing to make microscopes. Back when I was working as a bacteriologist we had one, nice instrument. I still had a preference for Zeiss but this was a state lab and so such stuff had to go out to bid and Zeiss couldn't come down far enough.
I remember when the OM-1 first came out, I lusted after one but since I was mostly large format and already had 35mm cameras I was able to resist.
David

 

[NortheastPhotographic]

A sad sign of what the future for film may be facing. At least film sales are up.

On the contrary, just shows that many people were not interested in an odd, small format digital system. The costs of the camera and lenses were as much as Nikon full frame. Their efforts at 'vintage' looking Pens were half baked. Their high end models were only exciting to die hards, while Sony was releasing real game changes for digital shooters. Meanwhile 'think different' photographers were returning to film.

If Olympus stopped making digital cameras today and put the OM-4 back into production tomorrow they would sell every single body and lens that came off the line. If they really wanted to impress somebody they should use their technology to make a m4/3rds based film scanner that employs their pixel shift tech.

Failure of imagination.

 

[Auer]

On the contrary, just shows that many people were not interested in an odd, small format digital system. The costs of the camera and lenses were as much as Nikon full frame. Their efforts at 'vintage' looking Pens were half baked. Their high end models were only exciting to die hards, while Sony was releasing real game changes for digital shooters. Meanwhile 'think different' photographers were returning to film.

If Olympus stopped making digital cameras today and put the OM-4 back into production tomorrow they would sell every single body and lens that came off the line. If they really wanted to impress somebody they should use their technology to make a m4/3rds based film scanner that employs their pixel shift tech.

Failure of imagination.

Pretty much, Some folks invested heavily in to that system and frankly I never personally understood the appeal that M4/3 has besides possibly a affordable "digital back" for older lenses of various mounts thru adapters.
But these days you can get a Sony Full Frame to do that for under a grand...

 

[Paul Howell]

Which is why I'm sure if the new oweners are planning on gutting the company, or turn into a bargain brand, outsource production, stop development, and ride it to the end, then sell the plant.

 

[BAC1967]

Did you select this camera for scanning because of its Hi-Res mode?

That’s one reason but I don’t use it very often, I mostly scan in 20MP. I like the controls on it, it’s a little smaller than my EM5 was and it kind of looks like my Barnack Leicas. Plus it was on sale at my local camera shop.

 

[BrianShaw]

https://www.olympus-global.com/ir/data/announcement/2020/contents/ir00013.pdf

 

[MattKing]

Micro 4/3 seems to have the greatest potential for growth in the video world.
All I can say is that my OMD EM10 Mark II seems to work exceptionally well in a body that is truly consistent with the philosophy of my OM film bodies.
I just wish I could simplify the menus.
Excuse the required resizing.

 

[markjwyatt]

You should have titled this OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN

When I was a young guy, I really wanted the Olympus OM-1 or 2. I think my dad ended up getting one and I bought his Zeiss Icarex 35S. Camera kind of sucked, but the Ultron lens is still a treasure.

 

[StepheKoontz]

Olympus has made some bad decisions over the years. The E1 was a great camera but the Kodak CCD sensor was noisy. Then they chose to partner with panasonic for their sensors, which were just really bad. They then designed these insanely large/fast/expensive f2 4/3 zoom lenses trying to overcome a bad sensor, which defeated the whole purpose of the original 4/3. Then, right as they finally got a good sensor, they orphaned that lens mount for m4/3 and pissed off a lot of loyal users (myself included). When they ditched the lens mount, they should have ditched the 4/3 sensor size as a mistake too, but they didn't. Then they repeated the same mistakes with m4/3. Had to design and manufacture a whole new lens family. The reasonably sized optics were just OK, they focused their quality into lenses as large as FX. They crippled the small compact models (no input for ext microphone, slower AF etc) and forced advanced users to buy a camera as large and as expensive as an FX canikon but without the IQ.

Olympus always seemed to dream of getting into the "Pro" market but had nothing for it. Making the OM-D EM-1X was absurd. A D4/5 size body with a tiny sensor. They should have focused on their market segment (high quality, small form factor camera) and they could have owned it.

 

[wiltw]

Olympus prospered as a result of the genius of Maitani. Unfortunately that genius ended with his retirement, before digital became mainstream.

 

[Agulliver]

I know a couple of people who prefer M4/3 over larger cameras because they have muscle issues and literally cannot hold a DLSR or film SLR for long, and not on a neck strap at all. Otherwise the format seems costly and was always likely to be a niche. In a world where Mr. Average simply isn't buying cameras any more, some companies are going to put their eggs into the wrong basket and not make it through....or make it through in a very changed form. Hopefully the organisation buying the camera business from Olympus has plans to breathe life into it.

What cameras are selling now? I bought a Nikon DSLR coming up to 3 years ago but since then my only acquisitions have been vintage film cameras - most of them given to me by acquaintances who know I'm into film. Like it or not, most people never used cameras to their full potential and are therefore happy with their phones....and let's face it, modern phone cameras are adequate for most uses. I am fully aware that I am the outlier....taking my lockdown walks in the countryside with a Kiev 6...

 

[Billy Axeman]

That’s one reason but I don’t use it very often, I mostly scan in 20MP. I like the controls on it, it’s a little smaller than my EM5 was and it kind of looks like my Barnack Leicas. Plus it was on sale at my local camera shop.

Thanks @BAC1967, I actually overlooked the Hi-Res mode from the Olympus cameras as a way to get high resolution scans, despite having a Pentax with pixel-shift which I use exactly for this purpose.

 

[Billy Axeman]

I did some extensive research lately to determine which camera to purchase as a replacement for my aged Pentax, and what amazed me most is the relentless and consistent efforts of so many people to predict the demise of Olympus, including some rumor sites. It probably attributed to the unfortunate events we are facing now. Thank you very much.

Despite this negative behavior I came to the conclusion that MFT is a very attractive system and decided to purchase a beautiful Olympus camera, including some lenses and accessories. I can tell you, all my expectations became true, and I don't regret it for a second. I actually also purchased a 12mm M.Zuiko after the news broke, to complete my system, and I intend to enjoy my camera for many years to come.

I wish all the people from Olympus Imaging good luck and I hope they can retain the strength pushing their brand, to keep up their good service for now, and perhaps to work out a new future for the MFT system next year.

 

[baachitraka]

I may get a digital Pen, just to keep it.

 

[AgX]

Olympus prospered as a result of the genius of Maitani. Unfortunately that genius ended with his retirement, before digital became mainstream.

The title of this thread already is misleading or ambiguous at least.
Olympus even after selling their camera business still is a major manufacturer in the field of optics, to my impression even market leader in some fields.
Maybe someone sorts out their revenues from the various fields and puts them into relation to their camera business.

 

[baachitraka]

Or may they come with one nice camera and set of lenses...but I don't know how it can go.