Olympus Q&A About The Future Of Olympus, E-M1 II, E-M1 III, E-M1X, and More

By Louis Ferreira | Published: May 6, 2020


Imaging resources interviewed Senior Manager of Global Marketing Strategy for Olympus Imaging Division Masanori Sako about the new Olympus E-M1II and more. You can read a summary below of the lengthy full interview here.

  • Olympus has no plans to sell their photo business
  • The imagining division leads technological development for the company
  • The official position is that it is not for sale, but it isn’t possible to guarantee anything forever
  • The factory transition to Vietnam slowed them down, but now that is complete
  • COVID-19 has caused the supply issue, but demand is also down so they do not have shortages at this point
  • Olympus will continue to introduce new products at a time of their choosing
  • Wouldnt be specific about how badly demand has been affected
  • Olympus intends to continue the E-M1 II alongside the E-M1 III in most countries to provide a more affordable camera option
  • The Olympus E-M1 III has an all-new AF algorithm that improves performance overall
  • The new AF can recognize eyes at 1/5th the size they previously could and faces 2/3 the size
  • There is also human recognition and pattern recognition
  • Olympus Starry Sky AF works by utilizing several defocused images, and by using estimated values from those, the camera finds the image that has the highest brightness
  • Starry Sky AF is a unique new AF system
  • It looks at, Maximum brightness value, Number of pixels above the threshold, Pixel integration value above the threshold, and Average pixel luminance value above the threshold
  • Can’t give details about swapping in and out smart subjects AI AF for the E-M1X
  • Olympus is studying what additional smart subjects users might want
  • The E-M1X requires two quad-core processors for its AI AF
  • Olympus still needs two chips for AI AF, but they are working to reduce it to one
  • The new TruePic IX processor can do some of the things that the dual TruePic VIII chips could do like LiveND
  • No comment about when the Olympus 150-400mm f/4.5 Pro is coming beyond hopefully 2020, but they announced it very early because all the attention is on full-frame instead of what smaller sensors can do
  • The TC in the 150-400mm provides 300-1000mm of coverage
  • They are making more Pro lenses like the 12-45mm PRO that are more compact and lightweight
  • There are plans to do a 12-45mm f/4 PRO EM1 III bundle
  • The Olympus E-M5 III is doing well and is almost perfectly matching expectations
  • Olympus prioritizes Compact, lightweight, IBIS, and great glass
  • Olympus wants to grow its customer base, which is why they are trying to make their stuff more affordable and competitors are aggressively pricing their cameras and lenses
  • It is hard to get value across to consumers and some feel small sensor cameras should be cheap, but Olympus wants to stick to its values
  • Olympus cameras are good for bird, wildlife, mountain photography and more

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Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Olympus OM-D E-M1X: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

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Panasonic US camera rebates for May

By Admin | Published: May 4, 2020


The new Panasonic US camera rebates for May can be found here – they include both MTF and L-mount cameras.

The Olympus OM-D E-M camera is now $200 off:

The Olympus OM-D E-M1X is now $600 off:

Also: the Olympus OM-D E-M1X is now $600 off


Update – Olympus introduced new price drops on 4 different cameras in the US – see Adorama and B&H for details:

  • OM-D E-M1X: $2,399 ($600 savings)
  • OM-D E-M1 III: $1,599 ($200 savings)
  • OM-D E-M1 III + M.Zuiko 12-40mm: $2,299 ($200 savings)
  • OM-D E-M5 III + M.Zuiko 14-150mm: $1,399 ($400 savings)
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Platypod tripods with LED lights for MFT cameras

By Admin | Published: May 3, 2020



Check out the new Platypod tripods with LED lights for MFT cameras (available at Amazon and B&H):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FsvcwwDu0c

Additional pictures:

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Micro Four Thirds: what else is new?

By Admin | Published: May 2, 2020

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Topaz Labs Mask AI sale ends on Monday

By Admin | Published: May 1, 2020


The new Mask AI software from Topaz Labs is on sale for $79.99 (regularly $99.99) through Monday, May 4. The new version 1.2.0 includes new tweaks and improvements, like improved processing models for a better masking experience. There is no additional purchase required for this update for current Mask AI owners.

The Topaz Labs bundles are also on sale.

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Latest Viltrox lens roadmap reveals new MFT lenses

By Admin | Published: April 30, 2020


Viltrox released an updated lens roadmap with several new MFT lenses:

Read More »

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ON1 Photo RAW 360°

By Louis Ferreira | Published: April 28, 2020


ON1 Photo RAW 360°

Portland, OR. April 28, 2020: ON1, creators of ON1 Photo RAW, announces ON1 360° will be available in late June. ON1 360° is a new end-to-end photography workflow solution for capturing, editing, and accessing photos seamlessly between multiple computers and mobile devices. ON1 360° connects ON1 Photo RAW 2020 on macOS and Windows computers with the new free ON1 Photo Mobile on iOS and Android devices. ON1 360° is the complete photography ecosystem that photographers have been waiting for; giving them more choice and more control. Multiple options for syncing files, control in file storage methods, and new capabilities for managing and editing across devices no matter where files are stored are available in ON1 360°.

At the core of ON1 360° is ON1’s new cloud storage service and sync technology, which allows photographers to sync photos, metadata, and edits, as well as albums, cataloged folders, and more between all their computers and devices, external hard drives, or even network drives. Unlike other cloud service offerings, ON1 360° will allow customers to choose which files or folders to sync, where the files live, as well as their preferred storage format.

“Our focus is on giving photographers control. Control of where they store their photos, what they want to sync and how they want to edit. There isn’t another solution out there providing this flexibility or functionality. We are still going to offer customers perpetual license options where they keep the software, even if they choose not to continue with this service. Of course, the subscription plan will be a good option as well and is ultra-competitive when it comes to price and features. The ON1 360° subscription plan includes 10x the storage at 20% less cost compared to other plans. Plus, the optional ON1 compressed-raw file format requires significantly less storage to have access to all your photos from all devices,” says Dan Harlacher, VP of Product.

With ON1 360°, customers can choose between syncing their original raw files or syncing their photos using ON1’s compressed-raw file format, which is 75% smaller than the original RAW file while maintaining the same tonal and color range. They are perfect for remote editing, sharing, and even printing common sizes, without noticeable loss in quality, saving the customer additional storage costs.

“Some people like using external drives, and some people like storing photos in the cloud. And some like both. The great part about ON1 360° is that you get to choose where photos get stored while still having access to them on all of your devices so you can share from anywhere,” add Matt Kloskowski, ON1 Educator and Guru.

“These all-new technologies that are the foundation of ON1 360° have been under development for some time and we are very excited to deliver them in June. This complete photography solution allows our customers to incorporate ON1 in every stage of their photography. With the technical foundation in place, we will start integrating new AI tools and features into all our products. There has never been a more exciting time at ON1.,” President and CEO, Craig Keudell adds. Read More »

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