Olympus will not announce any partnership soon (and may not need it after all!)
As you know for months now rumors are floating around about possible alliances between Olympus and Sony or Samsung or Fuji or whatever else 
Olympus is seeking a way to get some cash in the company. But today Reuters reports that “Olympus will not unveil an equity alliance at its major strategy briefing next month, despite speculation it might do so, sources said on Tuesday.” And there is also a surprise: “An investment banking source added that Olympus management hoped it could eventually raise capital on its own.” This would of course the best news if Olympus can stand on his own feet!
From a financial point of view the medical department is the one that matters but I hope their recent E-M5 release and upcoming 75mm portrait announcement will help them to earn some money with the camera division too! That said I know from my top sources that Olympus didn’t expect that kind of success form the E-M5. particularly the Silver model is selling as good as the Black E-M5. That’s why it’s hard to find it in Stock. Here are all my search links to the E-M5. Links I check a couple of times per week to see where the E-M5 is in Stock:
Australia: Amazon, BHphoto, Digitalrev, eBay.au
Austria: Amazon.at, eBay.at
Belgium: Amazon.co.uk, eBay.be
Canada: Adorama, B&H, eBay.ca
China: Amazon.cn, Digitalrev, eBay
Denmark: eBay
Finland: eBay
France: Amazon.fr, eBay.fr
Germany: Amazon.de, eBay.de
Hong Kong: Digitalrev, eBay, Amazon, B&H
Ireland: Amazon.uk, eBay.ie
Italy: Amazon.it, eBay.it
Japan: Amazon.jp, DigitalRev, eBay
Netherlands: Amazon.co.uk, eBay.nl
Norway: eBay
Poland: Redcoon.pl, eBay
Singapore: Digitalrev, eBay
Spain: Amazon.es, Redcoon.es, eBay.es
Sweden: eBay
Switzerland: Amazon.de, eBay.ch
United Kingdom: Amazon.uk, eBay.uk
United States: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay
Via Xataka
Renato S.
12 months ago |I thought that the Panasonic G5 would be announced with the X 12-35mm f/2.8, any news on the G5?
Ross
12 months ago |An Australian would have to be desparate to buy from DigitalRev at that price.
It is good news if Olympus can do it alone.
JimD
12 months ago |Yes the HK companies are way way out on their pricing, not only on this but other items as well. EG most Voigtlander lenses and some panasonic lenses are cheaper from the UK than HK or Taiwan. Some UK companies sell less UK VAT and are very reasonable on post. (http://www.robertwhite.co.uk). US prices are often well below the HK prices but the US companies seem to make that up with inflated post charges.. (inflated because other companies seem to be able to post with the same postal service at a quarter of the cost).
physica
12 months ago |IN MY VIEW , AFTER THE 12-35 ANNOUNCED , THE SALES OF E-M5 BLACK MODEL WILL RAISE
(at least I’m interested in black model now)
when will OM made some black version of their 12 prime and other silvery lens…… I hate silvery…… (I my opinion only…)
bbking
12 months ago |Good news!
MrKal_El
12 months ago |GREAT news!
lnqo-M
12 months ago |Yes absolute the best news for Olympus.
YouDidntDidYou
12 months ago |Hate to say this, but I said Olympus could and should go it alone. I imagine that the camera division will return to sustained profitability from here on….
I find it hard to believe or maybe they won’t admit that Olympus didn’t realise what a success the E-M5 would be….
bli
12 months ago |Hate? Well, many of us said we hoped they would continue alone.
Of course, they need to carefully think through their strategy regarding the way smartphones “eat” into the camera market:
* people used to smartphones have a different concept of user friendliness and connectivity for uploading to Facebook, Youtube, etc
* it may be necessary to stay in the “smartphone” market for brand name recognition. But is so, they need to offer more (better image quality, longer zoom, etc) AND connectivity = seamless connection to Facebook, Youtube, etc.
Connectivity should to some degree also be included in their more pro models, as this will be expected for those who upgrade from the smartphones. In my view, this does *not* imply a general OS in the cameras.
MichaelKJ
12 months ago |@YDDY
This news was reported by Reuters. Why do you believe it is accurate?
YouDidntDidYou
12 months ago |@MichaelKJ
…had already seen this “news” regurgitated elsewhere!
st3v4nt
12 months ago |In order to maintain the profit Olympus should respond with updating OM-D firmware and solve all the problem as soon as they can. For much better respond they also could let user hackering with the firmware on their own thus releaving the OM-D division to design and focus to next iteration. Creating much needed m4/3 constant aperture zoom and other lens. It should makes them have more profit than currently they have.
mert
12 months ago |@st3v4nt
“…solve all the problem as soon as they can”
What problems are you referring to? I have an EM5 with the latest firmware and have nothing to complain about. In fact I am still extremely satisfid with this body…
“…much better respond they also could let user hackering with the firmware on their own”
Encouraging users en masse to start hacking their firmware would send returns and warranty claims through the roof. The software and hardware are a single product that are designed to work in unison by well qualified engineers. People hacking their devices is not a bad thing per se, in fact for the user with the right knowledge and risk appetite it is great that they can obtain the extra benefits they desire, but, I would not be encouraging it for the average consumer or professional.
Jo
12 months ago |I’m devastated by the omd banding with the Panny 20mm. That was the primary lens I use.
Jesper
12 months ago |Is this a reported issue? In that case i’m interested. But i have yet to notice this banding issue, been using the 20 heavily since i got my om-d
Ross
12 months ago |It appears that certain lighting equipment can have an interfering effect in certain circumstances when using this lens. Perhaps there isn’t the same electrical shielding in this lens compared to others. This is not a concrete observation & it might be something else. It was discussed in DPReview with sample photos from the complainant.
JP
12 months ago |The only issues I’ve noticed are when using the 20 mm with a filter – so I no longer use a filter. I use EPL2 and E-M5 and I see no issues now…
bli
12 months ago |It has been reported by users that the 20/1.6 *may* give some banding at high ISO numbers (>1600, or so).
rrr_hhh
12 months ago |It won’t give you anything at F1.6, for the good reason that the 20mm max aperture is 1.7.
JimD
12 months ago |Not even if you squeeze it? or bribe it?
JimD
12 months ago |Some one suggested that Olympus should fix the problem. However as it is only one Panasonic lens with seemingly a problem, it looks as if it is a pany problem to fix. If so don’t hold your breath.
Geoff
12 months ago |I have a feeling I have read somewhere else that this lens (20mm Panasonic) has had problems with other bodies in the past, both Olympus and Panasonic, I am sorry I don’t remember where but feel sure it is correct.
Bob B.
12 months ago |The 20mm is a relatively slow focusing lens…but I think mine is slower on my OM than my GX1. For now I am keeping the GX1..there is something quite svelte about that camera. I will look for banding….
So I guess I was lucky to get a silver body by now with no pre order. Cool.
dau
12 months ago |In australia foto riesel camer house in sydney is a good bet. They have all kinds of specialist gear. The last time i went in i was surprised to see the nokton 17.5mm on display!
Frank
12 months ago |btw. Apple just released the RAW Compatibility Update for the E-M5. Good stuff.
mert
12 months ago |Fantastic news! Would still be a better outcome if they just supported DNG on camera.
Miroslav
12 months ago |The only reason I would like to see some new partnerships in the photo industry is to reduce the number of different mounts.
So, if that potential partner of Olympus does not want to join m4/3, this is good news.
Esa Tuunanen
12 months ago |Partner without interest to advancing m4/3 could be lot bigger risk than advantage.
Especially those who compete in same areas:
Even if they don’t seem to know what to do with NEX Sony has their Alpha system whose A77 would directly compete with real high end mirrorless bodies of that one beautiful system of Olympus. And NEX is competed by smaller m4/3 bodies.
Samsung has their own APS-C system and while they haven’t exactly gotten much success with it they might not want to change it to m4/3 with all the money they’ve invested.
JimD
12 months ago |Great.
I am glad I predicted it.
DingieM
12 months ago |I got me one of those silver bodies last saturday in Amsterdam, it was the last left in stock with the premium Olympus dealer.
Really hard to get.
But already worth it!
IBIS is really great with zoom lenses.
NelsonC
12 months ago |EM5 needs a new firmware for its mmf3 to eliminate the AF hunting on the 4/3 lenses. The rest is perfect.
Glad to hear that Olympus is on good fitness mode.
Breen
12 months ago |I hope Olympus will remain independent. Partnership with Sony or Samsung will be very bad for company in long term. Sony would propably try to take over whole company, rebrand Oly to Sony Medical. It would mean the end of Olympus Imaging division. These parasites only sharpening their teeth for Olympus Medical Division.
jevfp
12 months ago |The success of E-M5 may have been a very good lesson and example for Panasonic Imaging ,.stop making a toy camera ,.GF3-5 alike and please consider the higher /more enthusiast m43 user,.If you still want us to appreciate your camera,.so we will not complain, criticize ,and ridicule your product again,.REBIRTH THE PANASONIC L1 ,.alike with integrated View finder,.and Image quality of OM-D
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |Panasonic should stop making entry-level bodies? Or stop making cameras YOU don’t like?
The GF-series does sell rather well. I see quite a few around NYC. I saw a guy in Central Park the other day with a GF3 on a 100-300mm. It was pretty comical.
Maybe Oly should learn something from Panasonic (and Apple) and make PENs with clear differentiation between models and logically deployed feature sets. Having a TiltyScreen on the mid-range model and not top-of-the-line? Making an entry level camera without a built-in pop-up flash? WTF?
Have you ever looked at the number of separate P&S cameras Oly sells? 24! They still list the EP2, EPL1 and EPL2 as new cameras on their web site. HUH?
When you’re forced to read spec sheets to get a clear idea of feature sets, that ain’t good.
Pooh_bear
12 months ago |Totally agree on simplifying the line up. A core set of well branded models…
P&S use tough brand
Entry level csc use pen brand
High end csc use omd brand
Wtf is ‘omd em5′? Why not just omd?
MichaelKJ
12 months ago |GF3 is currently the best selling mirrorless camera in Japan and 3rd among all ILCs behind the Canon X5 and D3100. The GF5 is 4th among mirrorless and 9th among all ILCs. The GF5 is also the most expensive mirrorless among the top 10 ILCs.
http://bcnranking.jp/category/subcategory_0008.html
The E-M5 is a fantastic camera and could well be the model that saves Oly’s camera division. However, I think most of us would agree that a single successful camera is not sufficient. The challenge for Oly is to build on the success of the E-M5.
JimD
12 months ago |Why? its bread and butter. The more they sell the more likely that you may have your fantasy fulfilled. But without them it never will be.
Nawaf
12 months ago |Lets all raise an E-M5 fund to help Olympus make enough cameras. On a serious note, awesome!
Elliot
12 months ago |I am not sure I understand the back order situation on the EM-5 either silver or black. By now they should have filled the pipe line. I have pretty much everything Olympus and Panasonic have made but I am finding the inability to deliver timely with quantity is more a ploy than anything.
I have since moved to the Fuji X pro 1 and x100, both with exceptional imaging. The new Olympus is most certainly more featured but I have to question the need to make it look like an SLR.
JimD
12 months ago |They can only make so many in a week. They have not even started on the filling of a pipeline. Its just filling orders.
Put on more people you say. No, I say, do what you can with your trained builders, bring in casuals and the quality goes out the door. Made in China by casual and temporary labour is something you must never consider if there is a quality standard with a product. (Some contract suppliers themselves even put in very cheap non standard/specified components from a mate, if you you don’t watch them. Yes! been there done that. Not all, that is, but not uncommon or unusual. Large western/international companies often have their own quality people assigned to production facilities to counter this.)
Al
12 months ago |I’m so happy to hear that. I’ve been a fan of Olympus for a long time, even before I bought my first Oly.
rrr_hhh
12 months ago |So they didn’t expect the success of the silver model ? did they forget that their best primes are only available in silver ?
Me ? I prefer the all black model, but since I have those silver primes I ordered the silver model. I ordered it on the 5th of March and I’m still waiting for it. The dealer was supposed to ship it on week 21, aka this week, but I just received a mail telling it won’t be there before week 25, aka near the end of June.
lnqo-M
12 months ago |rrr_hhh @ Why not Olympus come by, a white model.
Wendley
6 months ago |A Panasonic fagy tűnik sosem adja a ze1szlf3shajf3 szenzore1t me1s mobellekde. Csak ők tudje1k, hogy mie9rt, de mivel feltehetőleg nem hfclyegyerekek fclnek az vezetői sze9kekben, edgy nyilve1n meg van re1 az okuk.A GH1 szenzora se kerfclt e1t me1s ge9pekbe, a GH2-e9 sem fog.