The E-P3 is not going to be replaced soon. There are supply problems!
A couple of days ago I reported how Amazon itself is no more selling the Olympus E-P3 (Click here to check). And in other stores like Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). I have been told by top sources that this is NOT happening because of the upcoming new Olympus cameras. The E-P3 will not be replaced any time soon. The real reason is the supply problem of camera parts from the flood affected region in Thailand. Don’t know yet when those problems will be solved.
I am collecting and doublechecking the info I am getting about the new cameras. Feel free to help me by sending me anonymous messages on the right sidebox. As usual keep in mind that I try to verify rumors and it will take some time before you see it on 43rumors. If I would publish everything I get the readers would kill me after a couple of wrong posted rumors 
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Recent comments
Comment from Fan: Oh yes, certainly on top. But hopefully ...
Comment from Ro: And slower anywhere between 45 and 175mm...
Comment from Esa Tuunanen: > none of these two cameras are range...
Comment from Narretz: Well. it somehow didn't occur to me that...
ktr
2 months ago |Well, this makes sense. Why should they drop this camera as it is still a very good one?
YouDidntDidYou
2 months ago |was thinking the E-P3 was due to be replaced until about June anyway, is the Pen Pro announcement still imminent?
Berneck1
2 months ago |This is separate from the soon to be announced camera with viewfinder, right?
When I think E-P3 being replaced, I think the camera we have all been waiting for…
O
2 months ago |E-P3 is still a fine camera but interesting time coming.
MrClick
2 months ago |Correction… The flooding that affected parts supply was in Thailand, not Taiwan.
admin
2 months ago |Corrected! Thanks!
ELLIOT
2 months ago |I hope they pull it together. The flooding however was months ago and at no time did Olympus say they were effected. As a matter of fact, manufacturers like Nikon and Canon for what it is worth moved their production sites in order to be up in running at full capacity by March 2012. What was Olympus doing in that time period? Makes no sense.
Ross
2 months ago |“As a matter of fact, manufacturers like Nikon and Canon for what it is worth moved their production sites in order to be up in running at full capacity by March 2012. What was Olympus doing in that time period? Makes no sense.”
They were struggling to keep up it’s share values & survive the scandal made ever so public by a sacked CEO.
TJ
2 months ago |E-P3 was introduced not even a year ago, it is still the PEN flagship. Why should it be replaced just because Olympus is coming up with something new? Supply problems make sense for whatever reason they were caused.
Raines
2 months ago |Any idea when there will be a “body only” option?
Richard
2 months ago |You can buy body only at cyberphoto.se
Robbie
2 months ago |Looking at the E-P3 again, with the exception of the viewfinder, the new Fuji looks remarkably like it. Guess there’s not much innovation regarding the design of a rangefinder camera.
tmrgrs
2 months ago |You mean like the cookie cutter versions of the DSLR from every company in the business? Tape over the logo on a dozen of them and then stand 20 paces away – which is which?
Harold GLIT
2 months ago |Really ? I think you need glasses
and btw none of these two cameras are rangefinder cameras
Harold
Esa Tuunanen
2 months ago |> none of these two cameras are rangefinder cameras
Brick is brick regardless of new decoration if you look from far enough to see only shape, just like tmrgrs said.
kesztió
2 months ago |Dear Admin,
One of the most affordable photo stores from Europe, the fotokoch.de has no Pana 45–200 lenses in their offer anymore.
What do you think? Is this excellent value lens going to be discontinued soon or there are just supply problems too?
Brod1er
2 months ago |With the X 45-175, maybe there is little point making it? I much prefer the 100-300 to the 45-200.
Kylberg
2 months ago |Maybe replaced by the new 45-175? It is optically better, smaller and lighter than the decent 45-200.
kesztió
2 months ago |Much-much more expensive and shorter at the tele end.
Ro
2 months ago |And slower anywhere between 45 and 175mm!
O
2 months ago |EVIL
Narretz
2 months ago |well well well, so if the ep3 is not discontinued this means the new Oly is not in all departments as performant or as well equipped as the Ep3. One obvious point is absence of flash, since it has a viewfinder. But regarding sensor, this might mean same old 12 MP.
lol
2 months ago |Yea? And it might not even be a micro 4/3rds camera but regular 4/3 DSLR
Ross
2 months ago |Who said it won’t have a flash? Why wouldn’t this higher model not have RC flash control?
Fan
2 months ago |Flash might be hard to weather seal, but RC would be great.
Ross
2 months ago |The flash isn’t hard to seal on the E5, so why should it be any different on this one (even if it has a different design)? It doesn’t need weather sealing to use the external flashes because they aren’t sealed anyhow, but the pop up one should be though.
Narretz
2 months ago |Well. it somehow didn’t occur to me that the new camera could sit atop the EP-3
Fan
2 months ago |Oh yes, certainly on top. But hopefully a little cheaper than E-5.
Nic Walmsley
2 months ago |Hope the “supply problem” is plain old cash to pay the manufacturing costs.
Is the shortage affect the L and M?
Keith
2 months ago |Probably means new one will be SLR shape and Olys answerto the G3/GH2…
tmrgrs
2 months ago |Lets hope that Olympus’ Cayman Island consultant misadventures, etc. hasn’t caused them to run out of money to pay parts suppliers. That would be the beginning of the end . . .
OlyFan
2 months ago |This gives a clue about the new camera pricing.
£1000 – £1100 with 14-150 weathersealed lens kit.
$1300-$1500 in US
…would be my guess.
OlyFan
2 months ago |Sorry, I meant the 12-50mm as the kit lens
Michael Gerrard
2 months ago |I think this makes perfect sense. The E-P3, E-Pl3 and E-PM1 are the current line up of PEN cameras. From all accounts the new Oly is something different than a PEN. Therefore it will sit on top of the PEN range. I would be surprised if the new camera does not have a 16 mega pixel sensor. Oly have to catch up with Panasonic. Well I am hoping!!!!!!!!
Fan
2 months ago |I’ve got one!
juanko
2 months ago |no more interesant rumors?
CES is in 4 days and only post publicity
Mai-san
2 months ago |I still wait for my gxr order since more than a month, so I guess it’s well possible that the same applies for olympus production. ricoh was affected by the thailand floods too. But its ok to know I wait for the right camera it ticks all the boxes for me at least. And I say this even after the nex7 and the new fuji were presented. Lets hope the best for the people in thailand, they suffered enormous after this years floods, many lost everything they had
st3v4nt
2 months ago |Told Ya…..tough I’m curious why the supply problem happen now….since the flood already gone….and unlike Nikon, Olympus were made in Chinese….which parts made in Thailand?
TheEye
2 months ago |All the camera joshi must be snapping up those EP3 bodies before Oly abandons the girly cameras. :p
O
2 months ago |Manly camera coming?
Michael Meissner
2 months ago |I can imagine that perhaps the suppliers Olympus used were not in Thailand. However, when Canon and Nikon needed to replace the factories they lost in Thailand, and use the same suppliers, and offered more $$$ for the parts, and Olympus went to the back of the queue.
Another scenario might be that Olympus tends to make bodies in batches, and perhaps the E-P3 was more popular than expected. Given the rumors of a new body, I could imagine most of the factory production being devoted to the new camera.