Reuters reports that: “Olympus Corp is preparing to issue about $1.28 billion (100 billion yen) in new shares to bolster its depleted finances, with Japanese high-tech stalwarts Sony and Fujifilm seen as possible buyers, the Nikkei business daily reported.” Reuters also says that Panasonic could join the “share shopping” too. This really sounds like a very vague rumor. Before Reuters and Bloomberg reported that also Samsung and Hoya may be interested in an Olympus acquisition. Such news are no-news anymore :)

All I know from my sources is that Olympus has a very close relation to Fuji, and there are rumors that Olympus is talking with Fuji a way out of the financial mess. But that’s just a rumor. I think it will not pass a lot of time that we will see Olympus real steps.

UPDATE: BBC reports that “Japanese prosecutors have raided the headquarters of camera and medical equipment maker Olympus as part of an ongoing investigation.”

P.S.: Olympus gives us some nice new m43 cameras and lenses soon so that we can help you out with our money!

We are close to a new year that I am sure will bring us many more innovations and cameras than the finishing 2011. And you already know most of what’s coming. Nikon will release their new FF cameras which as usual will bring a bit better image quality, a bit more features a bit more of everything. We can expect the same “slow advance” approach from Canon. Fuji is going to introduce a revolutionary new sensor made by organic materials that can surpass the quality of any other FF sensor. Sony will very likely introduce a fullframe NEX-9 camera and sensors with more Megapixels (there is already a working 100 Megapixel sensor prototype). Pentax plans to make both a fullframe and a medium format mirrorless camera. Panasonic will bring global shutter, and a new GH3 with top video quality.

But there is one technology that will probably be the ONE BIG THING of the year 2012. It’s the upcoming new Olympus viewfinder technology. I explain you my reasons:

I am pretty convinced (like many others) that mirrorless is the future. But there is one thing I really cannot fell in love with. It’s the electronic viewfinder. While I understand the advantages of such technology (What you see is what you get in terms of framing, depth of field and so on) I still think it will always miss that “special close to reality feeling” I have when I look through an optical viewfinder of a real rangefinder or DSLR camera. I prefer the use of the 3 inch LCD any time over the external viewfinder from my [shoplink 14830]Olympus E-P2[/shoplink]. And it’s not because of the poor quality. I also used the super high resolution viewfinder from the [shoplink 26379]NEX-5n[/shoplink]. It’s a bit better but it doesn’t change anything to the missing “reality feeling” I am looking for. It’s an unnatural process to look at a digital screen with a linear pattern of pixels that is placed at a couple of millimeters from your eye. It’s completely a different experience to look at the  direct stream of light coming from the real subject in the distance. And I believe that’s the real big gap between the current mirrorless cameras and the classic DSLR (or rangefinder) cameras. Neither a 100 megapixels sensor nor a super OLED technology can replace the ONE thing I need.

The [shoplink 19929 ebay]Fuji X100[/shoplink] hybrid viewfinder has been the first camera that made step in the direction I want. But it has on big limitation (it doesn’t work with interchangeable lenses). I know the new LX cameras from Fuji will use an optical (non-hybrid!) viewfinder. That sounds damn intriguing but what I heard about Olympus technology sounds far more advanced! It’s a sort of “semitransparent viewfinder“. You will have all the possible advantages. The optical “feeling” and when needed the digital “perfection”. Plus it works on a camera that can take interchangeable lenses. I still don’t know the details of the viewfinder. I only heard about a prototype having an invisible OLED layer on the optical viewfinder. I hope some of my sources can help me to figure out how it works. But all I know is that the camera is coming soon.

So dear Olympus, let others run the Megapixel race, the super fake perfectly boring specs war. What I need is to feel photography, to feel a camera that stays well in my hands, to feel a camera that brings me emotionally as close as possible to the moment I intend to capture. If Olympus will make that camera my little savings will be spent for them. No matter how many Megapixels the camera has.

P.S.: Thanks for all the positive energy you gave me today with your comments on my previous post. It really gave me the kick to write that post about the Olympus viewfinder!

P.P.S.: My favorite camera is still the [shoplink 27849 ebay]Mamiya 7 (Click here to see it on eBay)[/shoplink]. An absolutely non(!) perfect camera that makes me take superb pictures!

I long thought if I should write this or not. But there is no way around than be direct with you and tell you something personal.
No matter if you like 43rumors or not, no matter how many mistakes I may make or not, I am giving 100% of myself behind that website. I spend my time while I have breaks during my regular work, I spend my time while I am travelling around the world like I did in the last six months. I am the only one working on it, and I somehow managed to post daily news (even if it meant to work deep into the night). And looking back, I realize I am always on the extreme limit of my forces. As long as I am full of energy this hasn’t been a problem.

But recently I had some bad news in my life. I am going through tuff times since months (UPDATE: I am not ill, it’s something else). I guess you all understand what that means. These are the times when you fight against something that looks like you cannot beat. It’s amazing how life is so much bigger than our actions, hopes and fears. And in these last days I am feeling like I need to rest, slow down a bit. And that’s why I am writing this post. I cannot cheat on my energy and on my readers, I ask you to be patient if for the reason I mentioned to you I will be late in answer your emails, if I will not post 3-4 news per day as usual. I really need to take a deep breathe.

It may sounds like I am bit hopeless but I am not. For some reasons this is a healthy time. Sometimes life reminds you how stupid our thoughts, philosophy, and daily lies are. Life can be so tremendously honest and hit you with a big kick in the ass when you absolutely do not expect it. I am going damn close to what I am, more simple and with less waste of thoughts and actions.

And to end this post, I wish you that for Christmas: Don’t fear life, don’t lie to yourself, don’t waste time. Face the deepest and simplest part of your life, it may scares at the beginning, but once you are there you will feel much better than you think!

Merry Christmas
Ale

P:S.: A special thanks goes to the guys that created this: Cubestories.com. Thanks for the awesome experience!

P.P.S.: Wrote that post at 3.46 in the morning. Don’t care about my terrible English ok? ;)