Ok, maybe I need to beg forgiveness for trash-talking Olympus
these past few days. I would hope that you all understand that
this is out of supreme frustration with my current situation.
I'm not a hobbyist. Photography is an "interest" but also a
"business". Cameras, such as the OM-2S and E-1 satisfy most of
my "interest" side quite well, and for *MOST* of my business
side too.
However, I am losing money here. I'm running into restrictions
with stock agencies and for high-detail art shots, I have a
maximum print-size I can go up to with 5MP. A year ago, 11x14
was an acceptable "large" print. Nowadays, 20x30" is. The
average sale prices haven't necessarily gone up, but the
quantity of sales of the smaller prints have gone down. The
price I got for an 11x14 two years ago is now the average price
for a print with double the surface area. Smaller 5x7 sized art
prints (with big matting) are still the same, and any camera
will suffice.
The Canon 5D has completely changed the "landscape" here. In
the stock world, I'm now competing against these. The 20D/30D
with 8MP is now no longer acceptable. What totally flipped me
out this week was getting a rejection on over 125 images which
were carefully worked to get absolutely the best quality on.
The total time-loss on these images was around two man-weeks.
They were not rejected for any reason other than "interpolation
artifacts" and "lack of clarity/detail". Previous submittions
with lesser quality were easily accepted, but no more. When I
inquired about it, I was told that they were no longer going to
accept any images taken with a camera less than 10MP.
Now, YOU TELL ME what I'm supposed to do? If this is a source
of income required to buy food, it pretty much defines my
minimum equipment needs.
I've been eyeballing used 1Ds cameras. I've considered getting a
loan for a 5D. I've even considered bailing totally out of my
current equipment and going Nikon. However, I choose to keep my
business as close to debt free as possible as I already have too
many other debts to worry about. I know, run the numbers... I
am, and I might have to bite the bullet, however, I can't until
after taking care of $70,000 in other business purchases.
Olympus announces the E-400. A camera that *could* meet my
needs for the 20% of the business which I need the extra
resolution for, but doesn't have to be an ergonomic masterpiece.
I get all excited because it's also relatively affordable. Then
the announcement that they'll not be making it available in the
USA. "Livid" doesn't even come close to expressing how I felt.
Olympus shows a block of wood. Not unexpected, but then the
unofficial-official statement that sometime in 2007, probably
late, is made. Ok, for the E-1 replacement, I can handle that,
but what am I supposed to do between now and then? Khen says
"sooner", but there is no promise.
When compared to the 8MP cameras, my E-1 could hold its
own--because of user-technique and workflow. But, 10MP is a
much bigger dragon to slay. I was hoping that my images would
all slide through this time, but these didn't. Not only did I
lose two-weeks of productivity, but I lost the revenue those
images would have generated. A double-whammy.
As a professional photographer, I'm required to have the tools
needed to handle the market demands. Olympus "claims" to have
an interest in serving the professional, but without a valid
tool, this is just so much noise on their part. I don't need
something in late-2007, I need to start shooting stuff with
10MP+ now. Unless I buy a Canon, I'm stuck with shooting film.
This is my story, and why I'm ranting.
AG
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