And yet there is hope, people!

In a chat with the PetaPixel crew OM manager Kazuhiro Togashi said:

“The OM-3 is not a successor of the Pen series. So of course we are thinking the Pen series is an important lineup for our company. We are trying to study the success of the Pen series, but again, the OM-3 is not a successor of the Pen. The Pen series remains an important part of our portfolio, and we are actively exploring the possibility of a new Pen model, and are currently considering what Pen series model we can offer as OM System.“

When asked about the trend of manufacturers removing electronic viewfinders he said:

We are considering both sides for market demand,” Togashi says. “We want to make sure photographers actually enjoy operating the camera. We are really considering which kind of product may be better to expand to new users. Maybe they want to continue to use their smartphone but have some interest in standalone cameras. So we are now thinking about the new Pen concept [from this point of view]

PetaPixel added that they got the impression the new PEN camera is still in early stage of development. If that’s true it might take 2-3 years before this model hits the market. What do you hope to get? a new PEN-F successor, and entry level PEN or soemthing else?

Today OM digital issued an update lens roadmap that actually shows an image of the upcoming telephoto zoom lens. We learn a couple of things:

• The focal length is something like 50-200mm
• From the design of the lens this surely looks like a PRO lens
• The lens is white just like the epic 150-400mm PRO …and I guess price will be EPIC too ;)

I suspect that this could be a new 50-200mm f/2.8 PRO. But we will have to wait quite a while before we can hold it in our hands. OM Digital said the lens will be on the market by the end of 2025.

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Thanks Grytom

The french website Phototrend had a chat with Kazuhiro Togashi , Vice President of Product Planning and Brand Strategy at OM Digital Solutions. A couple of interesting statements:

The goal:

I truly believe that our current task is to create a brand for the next 10, 20 or even 50 years.

The financial status:

Our turnover and operating income are up to our expectations.

About the next telephoto lens on the roadmap:

Development of other telephoto lenses is also underway, but we cannot give you any further details at this time.

About paid firmware updates:

this option could be considered in the future for adding new features.

About computational photography:

We also believe that computational photography can contribute to the creation of new works of art and to broadening the scope of expression of photographers. Using a GND filter with live preview and image post-processing, the OM-1 Mark II produces works of art that will exceed photographers’ expectations. Computational photography plays an important role for us because it embodies a core value of our system: the ability to create works of art beyond the imagination of the photographer. Therefore, we are committed to strengthening our efforts in the development of computational photography.

About software development:

Some of the imaging technologies are developed in-house. However, for some features related to computational photography, we need to collaborate with other companies.