> My question to the Olympus digital users on the list is, "What combination
> of features or lack there of would have you switch to one of the other
> brands?"
>
What I need is similar to what I think is necessary to continue to be
successful in the market. I'm not sure either one will happen.
First, I don't care what anyone thinks is necessary for good photos, I'm
convinced that to be commercially successful, at least 10MP are required in
a pro camera. I'm not convinced that Kodak can produce a quiet sensor in a
timely enough manner to keep Oly in the game. I don't know what thy were
thinking with the small sensor size, but i'll bet that they were convinced
that no one else would get to 10-12 this soon, or Kodak promised something
that they haven't produced yet.
Second, I can't imagine a commercially successful pro camera without some
kind of IS. If Oly could license Minolta's sensor technology (isn't this how
the OM2 got OTF?) without screwing up the cleaning function, this would be
ideal. As the lens line grows, it is fairly obvious that IS isn't going to
be in the cards.
I'm afraid that they are going to lose the pro market just as they did with
the OM, but for a different reason. It would not surprise me to see Olympus,
Pentax, and Minolta completely out of the upper end camera business within
5-8 years.
Bill Pearce
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