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Re: [OM] New Digital OM compatible system coming!?

Subject: Re: [OM] New Digital OM compatible system coming!?
From: Stuart Landrum <slndrm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 15:04:10 -0400
Cc: GPaul64@xxxxxxx
After reading Keppler's article, I found the following related article on the 
site's home page.  It's more recent, dated August 15, 2002, and (seems to me) 
emphasizes what the earlier article says, while casting Olympus's (upcoming) 
strategy very favorably.

<http://www.photoreporter.com/2002/08-15/features/the_way_it_is.html>

Odd that it has the same title, but it's a different article.

It still doesn't specifically rule out mounting Zuiko's onto their new digital 
camera (that I could tell), but it would seem contrary to their apparent 
philosophy--to break away from the compatibility restrictions imposed on DSLR's 
when using lenses that also work on film cameras.  Their reasoning is why use a 
lens that can cover 24mm x 36mm, when you only need to cover 4/3"?  It takes 
more glass, more metal (or, uh, plastic) and more mfg costs than a 4/3 only 
lens would.  Sounds like they want to start encourage a movement away from the 
large Can*n and Nik*n digital SLR bodies, that are so big and costly because 
they are designed to accommodate all those existing 35mm lenses.  

Can Olympus succeed in encouraging enough other manufacturer's to make 
interchangeable lenses compatible with the new Oly digital camera?  If there 
becomes enough variety of the new lenses, maybe other manufacturer's will 
choose to or have to follow suit and offer digital bodies that can use the new 
"Digi-Zuik" lenses?

If Olympus succeeds, in five years or so their DSLR owners will wonder why in 
the %&$* anybody would want to use a huge old Can*n "L" series USM lens when 
you have dozens of much smaller and (hopefully) more affordable new-style 
lenses that offer similar image quality?

And think about if that happens.  Right now, people buy Can*n (and etc) lenses 
for both film and digital photography, so there is a larger potential customer 
base.  If in five or so years digital users are buying the new-style 
digital-only lenses (that I'm pre-supposing Olympus is going to be showing at 
Photokina), that potential customer base for film lenses will shrink.  Will it 
shrink enough that Can*on and Nik*on can't or won't continue to offer such a 
robust line of top-of-the-line 35mm lenses?  How long before pro's decide to go 
digital just because the variety of (new) film lenses doesn't match the variety 
of new digital-only lenses??

I hate to say it, but from what I'm reading here, it just doesn't sound like 
Oly's new digital camera is going to have a lens mount that is big enough to 
take our Zuiko's.  Sounds like they want to get away from that restriction, and 
make pro-level DSLR's that are small and light.

These are just my thoughts, inspired mostly by what I got out of reading 
Keppler's two articles, and his foreknowledge of what Oly will show at 
Photokina.  But maybe he'll be surprised!

Sorry for the ramble.

Stuart

p.s. Thanks to whoever it was that mentioned the tip about enclosing emailed 
URL's in brackets, I've used that several times recently.


Whoo-Hoo!!! The Big Brown Truck just brought my first OM-4T (recent BIN, thanks 
again, Tom), and it looks ok.  Time to go take some pictures!  (With REAL 
Zuiko's!!)  One of those 350 f/2.8's SURE would be nice on this... Hmm, maybe I 
could trade an OM-10 for one.




At 01:10 PM 8/22/2002, GPaul64@xxxxxxx wrote:
>In a message dated Thu, 22 Aug 2002 8:05:58 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
>omtech@xxxxxxxxx writes:
>
>> > Not to trash anyone's dreams, but if this is true, why 
>> hasn't
>> > news of this appeared in the USA press?
>
>Herb Keppler writes about the forthcoming Oly digital SLR in the latest issue 
>of Photo Industry Reporter.  Check this link:  
>
>http://www.photoreporter.com/2001/12-01/features/the_way_it_is.html
>
>No word about compatibility with OM lenses, but doesn't rule it out, either.  
>
>Best,
>
>Greg Logiodice


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