It appears that Micro 4/3 format is not dead.

[flamin lib]

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/olympus-still-dominates-japanese-mirrorless-market-4-of-top-10-cameras

Of the top 10 cameras sold in the Japanese market, 5 were m.4/3. Four were Olympus and one Panasonic. None were full frame.

[MichaelSoE]

1. That's great news for us Olypeeps

[flamin lib]

2. Having been an insider in Olympus and the camera industry

as well as a sales rep for major electronics components to international markets I've puzzled over this whole Olympus/JIP thing. First, the manufacturing facility for all Olympus products has been consolidated in Vietnam. One factory. Products share production equipment. Second, the imaging division has been integral to R&D for all the medical products (Oly has 70% market share on anything they make for the medical market). Third, there have been more than a few cryptic comments from upper management about "continuing to produce innovative imaging products". And finally, nowhere in any of the press releases, interviews or other official statement do the words "sell" or "sale" appear. It's always transfer, operations, management etc.

Early on I confided in a friend recently retired from Oly that I thought the whole thing is smoke and mirrors to get around employee protections in Japan. It's expensive to lay someone off there. Hand off operations to a third party to do the dirty work to "right size" the division and make it profitable by attrition of personnel and product lines while (wink wink nod nod) having a small interest in the new company ala Viao. Just recently an Olympus Visionary expressed the same thought.

In any event I am budgeting $4000 for the 150-400 PRO. If worse comes to worst this gear will outlive me anyway so who give a sh!t if the product line goes away if you've got your kit complete. There are pros shooting Lieca M series film cameras from the the '50s still today.

ETA When I take delivery of the 10-400 I'll have a 300 f4 for sale at abut $2k.

[alfredo]

3. And as long as we can get great glass, I see no reason to change.

I must plug the Laowa 17mm 1.8. Real bang for the buck.

[flamin lib]

4. I have a Samyang 7.5 fisheye that does a splendid job of producing sharp well rendered

images.

For the most part I prefer to stay with Zuiko because the camera and lens communicate to correct picayune imperfections and because my eyesight isn't what it once was so auto focus is much faster and more precise than I can do myself. And because I am insanely brand loyal That said, there is some exceedingly good glass for macro, wide angle and general use that is crazy affordable if you can manually focus and set aperture.

I was talking to a techie at Olympus who said that CAD/CAM had progressed to the point that if the front element of a lens were as large as an enclosed sports stadium the run-out (deviation from design spec) could be measured in the thickness of human hair (gives credence to the old phrase 'it's just a hair off'). It don't get much better'n that.

And frankly Alfredo, your work shows it!

[alfredo]

5. Thank you.

For me, the actual making an image is what I find appealing about manual lenses. Because I can’t get around like I used to, slow and deliberate are the daily order.