Olympus has perhaps "dozens" of factories in Japan, but a lot of their parts
are made for them by very small, privately owned subcontractors.
_________________________________
John Hermanson www.zuiko.com
Camtech, Olympus Sales & Service since 1977
21 South Lane, Huntington NY 11743-4714
631-424-2121 For Free Olympus manuals,
please call 1-800-221-3000
_________________________________
----- Original Message -----
From: "Julian Davies" <julian_davies@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, October 12, 2002 2:17 PM
Subject: Re: [OM] future OM repairs
> >William Sommerwerck wrote
>
> >The issue is Olympus's careless abuse of language. When >they said they
> would continue to provide service for ten >years, they were referring only
> to products that are >officially in production at the time the OM system
is
> >discontinued.
>
> There have been no main products officially or unofficially in production
> for some time now. Olympus' 10 year statement applies to the very explicit
> list of products still officially on sale from official distributors at
the
> time of the announcement (i.e. excluding shopkeepers stockholding of
> discontinued products). What I have read from Olympus is in pure, un -
> abused, English. I'm afraid I can't comment on what they may have said in
> Japanese.
>
> >This policy is particularly obnoxious
>
> Why? There is nothing either unreasonable or unusual in this policy.
>
> >because A: Olympus makes most of the components used in their bodies and
> lenses,
>
> Do they? I Wonder how you know what Olympus' subcontract arrangements are?
>
> >so there is no excuse (other than money!)
>
> Other than money there was no excuse for developing the damn system in the
> first place.
>
> >for not setting aside an adequate supply of service parts
>
> Olympus have guaranteed an adequate supply of service parts for 10 years.
If
> this turns out not to be true, then they may need some excuse. If not, an
> excuse for what?
>
> >andB: serious photographers (or collectors!) accumulate >lenses and other
> accessories over a period of years, >often at great expense, and quite
> reasonably expect these >products to remain usable for decades.
>
> Which is exactly the case in any walk of life. The world is full of
obsolete
> products which are used until they break. Why should the OM system be
> different just because you happen to like it? I like it too, and will be
> very sad when (and it will happen) the last of my user cameras breaks and
I
> can't find a replacement or get a repair. The market will then decide
> whether I star using a "collector" camera, or buy something else.
>
> >There are plenty of people using screw-thread Leicas >and Rolleiflexes
and
> Speed Graphics,
>
> Really? I never realised that these manufacturers had shifted such
volumes.
> Makes you wonder why people bother to collect any of it if it's so common.
>
> >and no intelligent person would ever suggest they toss >out "that old
junk"
> and get something New! New! New!
>
> Leica do this all the time. Who, precisely, do you believe is intended to
> buy M7s & R8s? The flood of digital P&S customers, maybe?
>
> >A good camera is a good camera, and the only thing that >can render it
> obsolete is not being able to get film. (You >can even have pack-film
backs
> put on Polaroid roll-film
> >cameras.)
>
> True, but that doesn't mean that every single example ever produced should
> be fully functional up to the end of film production. It's like suggesting
> that Ford should provide factory parts for Model Ts right up until the
last
> drop of oil gets burned.
>
> >I might add a C: The OM cameras were a conscious >effort to create an SLR
> Leica.
>
> No point in confusing a mix up over naming with business reality then. I
> think you will find that Leica make SLR Leicas, not Olympus.
>
> .You'd think Olympus would have adopted Leica's policy (at that time)
>
> So if it is no longer Leica's policy, why in the name of God should it be
> Olympus'?
>
> >of servicing almost everything they ever made
>
> Most of which (historically) is low tech, and very easy to hand - make
small
> production runs of parts for.
>
> Julian
>
>
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