Lens Olympus NEEDS to release

[strayphotos]

Hi all, my first post and in no way meant to be inflamitory. I am a 20 plus year OM user and waiting anxiously for an E1 replacement to make the jump into digital. I am very excited at the current and upcoming 4/3 lenses but had an observation to make that I did not want to keep to myself. Here is hopeing Olympus do scan these forums.

The current 14-35 f2 and 35-100 f2 are simply amazing looking lenses (from what I can see reading reviews and specs - I plan to get the 14-35). Canon and Nikon do not have equivilents. So what is the issue? I am a well healed self proclained (and successful) marketing focused individual (who can't spell, so my apologies)and I see this problem as such:

The Olympus f2 lenses will be seen as competitors for the Canon and Nikon f2.8 lenses of same focal leangth. They may be seen as better but this is a waste! They are absolutely a step up and need to be CLEARLY portrayed as such.

In my opinion Olympus needs to make a 14-45 (aprox) f2.8. The 14-54 f2.8-3.5 is excellent but I do not think is seen as equivilent in quality to Canon/Nikon ex&les.

By introducing this lens Olympus will clearly show that their equivilent lens (14-45 f2.8) is smaller than competition and that the 4/3 system does have some advantage (and I think they could do for lower price - at least same as Nikon) This would place the f2 lenses as a clear step up from the f2.8's which I think might start to be viewed as the 'past' benchmark pro apurature.

Adam

 

[bdcolen]

The reality, Adam, is that Olympus is not competing with, and never will compete with Nikon and Canon. Either one 'gets' the Olympus advantage, or one doesn't - the E1 body is as quiet as a Leica M and is built as well; the glass is terrific and is compact; the fast zooms are unparalleled. But those who are already invested in Nikon and Canon systems are not about to chuck all their lenses just because Olympus produces a 14-50 2.8, or whatever else you're dreaming of.

 

[strayphotos]

"The reality, Adam, is that Olympus is not competing with..."

Good day mr. Colen. I do agree that Olympus march to a different drum (I am one of the few marching to that drum and you are preaching to the choir) however to say Olympus are not competing with Canon/Nikon is not 100% true.

ANY time a Film user looks to move to digital, or a digital point and shoot user looks to move up to an SLR (very likely digital) they have a choice. Olympus is one of the choices and there is competition!

It is my belief that a 14-45 f2.8 would better enable Olympus to be seen not just as different for what they bring to the table, but also better for what they do the same.

Adam

 

[bdcolen]

Well, I've been shooting with the E-1 ever since it first came out, and I have to say that I've never stopped in the middle of a shoot and thought, 'Damn! If only Olympus had a 14-45 f 2.8...' I've sure thought 'Damn! Where is that 17-35 f 2 they've been promising for two years?' though, because I want fast glass. The 35-100 f 2 is terrific, but I need the shorter fast zoom.Given that all the zooms except the super wide have 2.8 at the fast end, it's possible to mix-and-match and live without a lens that's 2.8 throughout its range.

I seriously doubt that anyone is saying 'I'd switch to Olympus tomorrow if they only had a 14-45 2.8 like Nikon.' And, by the way, a 14-45 on a 4/3 body is most definitely not the same lens as a 14-45 on a camera with a 1.3-1.6 magnification factor.

 

[strayphotos]

"a 14-45 on a 4/3 body is most definitely not the same lens as a 14-45 on a camera with a 1.3-1.6 magnification factor"

Sorry - should have been more explicit when I said 'equivilent' I meant 28 - 70 range.

Sad to say I live in Portland Oregon (not a big city, but certainly not the smallest) and the closest Olympus dealer to carry the E1 is Fry's electronics. Camera World and Shutterbug and Wolf do not have one, nor do some of them even carry Olympus. Camera World is a BIG store! It is fine for Olympus to be 'different' but too different and they seam to be uncompetative to the point that potential users do not even get a chance to concider them when looking at the competition.

I appretiate your views ("I've sure thought 'Damn! Where is that 17-35 f2 they've been promising") I will be one of the first to buy one myself and it is a good part of the reason I think I am ready to move from (28 f2, 50 f1.4 and 90 f2 lenses), I am however thinking not just of my own user habits but others (something I need to be able to do when marketing products, as I understand that my needs are not the only ones!

Here's hopeing you get your 14-35 f2 this christmas when I hope to be getting mine along with whatever replaces the E1.

Cheers

Adam

 

[bdcolen]

My guess, Adam, is that we won't see that E-1 replacement until well into '07 - but I could be wrong, and certainly hope I am.

Best B. D. www.bdcolenphoto.com (Almost everything on the website was shot with Olympus digital, primarily E-1, and some E330 and E500)

 

[dirk]

I would maybe consider to switch if Olympus would offer more fast primes. So If I am thinking like this, why not other who would switch, if their preferred lens combination would exist in the E-Sytem?

I think everybody has its own preferences in which lenses you like to use. This is why it is so important to see a complete "lens sytem" to be able to attract new buyers. It is not only film users, teher are millions of users, who never used film bodies or Canon, Nikon et allii DSLR bodies before. People who just start in SLR photography.

This is a very intersting target group and the only chance to change significantly the market share in the long run. So IMHO Olympus should look into this very seriously...

 

[bdcolen]

That's very interesting - however, if someone has not used film cameras, it's pretty unlikely that they know the value of using primes, let alone fast primes. I'd love fast primes - in fact, this weekend I used the old 55 1.2 on my E-1 while shooting a wedding. But I've learned over the course of the past three years how to photograph without them.

It strikes me that Olympus is in a bind - in order to invest the kind of money necessary to design and produce fast prime lenses for the E system, they have to be convinced that there's enough of a market for the system to keep it going for many years to come. And in order to create that market, they have to produce a camera and lenses that will attract enough buyers to keep the system alive....and so it goes.

 

[strayphotos]

I think Olympus is on thier way to doing pretty well with fast primes. The 150 (300mm film equivelent) in an f2 sounds pretty rocking! But there has been more of a general move towards zooms over the years for sure.

However I would not be suprised to see a 25mm (50mm film equivelent) with an apurature of f1. Looks like the 4/3 system will eneble this to happen looking at the other offerings! Exciting times for bright and light lenses, which is actually what Olympus has been about in the past!

Adam

 

[gjames52]

"The reality, Adam, is that Olympus is not competing with..."


My observations of Olympus over the last 40 years is that they paddle their own canoe and have held to the initial premise of a 35mm camera (a small camera). The OM series was pure genius at a time when the others were producing large bodies with an exurbanite number of buttons and switches, they were producing small functional state of the art cameras and lenses.

With that same philosophy the set forth on their own developing the 4/3 system. They could have taken another, perhaps more profitable path by following the others, but they did not, and now many companies including Leica are making lenses for the Olympus system. Now that is something to think about as it was reported that during the 70's that Leica felt that Olympus was their competition.

If Olympus agrees with you perhaps they will produce fast lenses to your liking, but don’t hold your breath. I know I have been waiting for an OM 6 among others items for a long time!

Best Regards:

Gilbert