At 10:45 AM 1/3/98 -0500, MR THOMAS K GROSS wrote:
>Before we decide the features of our Olympus wish list, we should
>probably ask two questions:
> 1. Why would Olympus want to design a new SLR?
> 2. Why do we want Olympus to design a new SLR?
>
>At least one answer to # 1 is that they want to make money. The
>problem here is that SLR's, especially manual focus ones are a
>declining market.
The market is somewhere around 850,000 cameras (SLR only) a year and
declining, which makes it a very difficult market to enter.
It's worth noting that Leica sells about 10f the SLRs. I have no idea
how they survive doing this, and I think that their profits are probably
somewhere else.
>My biggest concern is that Olympus is gradually exiting the SLR
>market, and I will be left with cameras which eventually cannot be
>fixed or replaced even in the used market place.
I don't think that this is an issue. Konica SLRs are still serviced, and
there is an ample supply in the used market. How long ago did Konica exit
the SLR market?
>I would pay $1,000 to $1,200 for such an improved OM-4.
In order to get any sort of market share, and the volumes necessary to
justify a new lens line, which is mandatory given market expectations of
APO long lenses, high quality zooms, etc., a range of bodies is necessary.
Earlier in this thread, Doris Fang said:
>I agree that continuing the SLR line will help sell P & S's (OM's lack
>of verve concerning P & S design at the high end continues to amaze me.
>They could easily produce something that would best the Contax T-series,
>the Nikon Tis, Leica's and to see Ricoh taking the lead amazes me.)
Canon, Ricoh and Konica have made it clear that SLR and "P&S" product sales
and prestige do not necessarily correlate. Canon in the reverse, i.e., a
very strong SLR line does nothing for their P&S line. Ricoh and Konica
have shared the prestige position along with Nikon and Contax (Leica is a
fairly small piece of this market) despite having no presence in the SLR
business. It's not well-known, but the lenses from the Ricoh GR-1 and the
Konica Hexar were both manufactured in Leica M mount and sold out instantly.
I continue to believe that Olympus could do best in the film camera market
by introducing something radical, which they thought they did with the IS
series, but their sites were aimed too low. A combination AF/optical
rangefinder with interchangeable lenses, a hybrid of the Leica M and the
Contax G products, would probably attract a lot of attention, and a lot of
sales. This could possibly restore enough prestige to enable Olympus to
re-enter the SLR market with a splash, rather than a ho-hum.
Jeff Spirer
Axiom/Material
http://www.hyperreal.org/axiom/
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