The end of Olympus E-M1X 2021

[tommyk]

Would the professional photographer in you pay $5,000 for a m4/3 camera?

As you know the new E-M1x has some good professional features but it is still struggling with competing with FF pro cameras from Nikon and Canon. (Also See the latest DPReview article on their website)

Can it be a success in Singapore ? Any of you have bought it?

If I may make a humble prediction, I predict this professional grade item and it's planned replacements will be pull completely from the shelves by 2021.

But I look forward to the next m4/3 camera who can serve Oly's loyal customers.

What do you all say?

 

[Castor Troy]

Jpegs from MFT have a compact camera look.
Excessive sharpening, limited dynamic range.
The sensor is the Achilles heel.
Now size is too big too.
I had a GM5 but sold it as it had no image stabilisation.
Still have an EM1, but use it rarely...
Love the lenses though, especially the 12-40/2.8 and 45/1.8... razor sharp!

 

[tommyk]

Olympus did give these pro-camera users a free preview and 1 day usage when they launched the E-M1X a few months back.

Is the Em1X a good replacement for professional grades Nikon D5 or Canon 1Dx series?

Does the huge lense collections of Nikon/Canon prevent switching systems to E-M1X?

 

[ricohflex]

Maybe not. 2021 is so soon. In 2011 Olympus was exposed to have executives fraud of US$1.7 Billion. In 2012 Sony invested US$645 million in Olympus for 11.5% share ownership. Presumably to save the company. In 2015 Sony sold half of its shares in Olympus. In Oympus 72% of sales are from its medical scoping equipment business. Canon, Leica, Nikon, Lumix have full frame mirrorless models. Fuji sticks with APS-C or jumps to medium format.
In the 2019 climate in view of what rivals have to offer, if Olympus wants to survive as MFT mirrorless, then it must have something special.
Lower price? Ease of use? Lighter? Smaller? More beautiful colours of its photos? Sharper lenses? More durable?
Recently Olympus denied rumours its new US investor pressure it to sell the camera division.
No one with a big investment in lenses in Canon or Nikon will switch systems impulsively. To pros, the camera is just a tool. They do not fall in love with it. I guess few or none will switch to EM1X.
It may not be meaningful to compare the MFT sensor in EM1X with the full frame sensor in Canon 1DX Mk2 or the future 1DX Mk3; or with the full frame sensor in mirrorless Leica SL.

 

[tommyk]

None or few professionals will switch to E-M1x.

So who's this $5,000 camera for?

 

[richiemccaw1]

I remember reading dpreview's interview with a Olympus representative saying that they designed the EM1x in response to demand from their pro user base. I'm sure there's a lot I dont know about.... cause this camera's pricing does not make much sense to me too.

 

[tommyk]

Yes, I am also confused what Olympus representative meant about their pro user base.

Before E-M1x came out, Olympus has no pro user base because they don't have a pro camera (e-m1 does not count). But they want to get new pro users from existing Canon and Nikon shooters.

So, I do think they want to Target these pro users. Will they switch to Olympus or get Olympus E-M1X as an additional body system?

Any pro users has comments?

 

[ricohflex]

But any camera model of whatever brand probably cannot survive if only the professional photographers buy it.
To be a commercial success and justify its existence in the production line, the camera must appeal to a wider market, i.e. the ordinary buyer.
In the EM1X case, it has to appeal to an ordinary buyer with deep pockets.
Professional photographers would be deeply invested in their respective systems and they won't change impulsively.
It is about dollars and cents.
In the end, the Achilles heel of EM1X is the MFT sensor size.
One can argue that 20.37 MP is pretty good. Until you look at the competition.
Do hark back to the days when cameras were 3.2 MP and they gave quite decent photos. Consumers were happy.
Until cameras with bigger MPs were sold. The bar gets raised and consumers adjust their expectations.
Especially expectations about Noise in low light photos taken with a camera with a small sensor.
Now in 2019 (excluding medium format digital cameras) there are:
Nikon Z7 has 45.7 MP full frame sensor.
Leica Q2 46MP.
Sony 7RIII 42.4MP.
Lumix S1R 47MP.
Nikon D850 45.7MP.
Canon 5DSR 50.6MP.
The next generation in 2020 will see a further jump in MP quantity.
There will be a design limit as to how much MP a MFT sensor can offer.
Everyone is familiar with the old argument that MPs do not matter, it is the photographer's skill that matters, blah blah....
But an ordinary consumer at the camera shop plonking down his hard earned money will probably consider this basic parameter.
The point is that he has many alternative choices.
So why should he walk down this expensive EM1X road when the future of the genre is not rosy?

 

[tommyk]

I agree with your views.

It's just that Olympus is making statements referencing that " for most situations, you cannot differentiate Image quality from a MFT sensor and a FF sensor.

I can imagine how are the pros are going to react and how they are going to capture nice bokeh of footballers with a MFT sensor even with a very fast lense ie 300mm f4.

Not many high end consumer will pay $4-5k for a camera body and especially small sensors like MFT camera, hence a very straight forward case that E-M1x was created not for them anyway.

During early days of mirrorless, Olympus was so good at marketing their cameras and so successful with EPL, EPs, EM5; what is going to happen to them now?

 

[An drew]

While I am not a professional photographer, the whole purpose of MFT for me is the lightweight and compactness. So while I am attracted to a 500g EM1, a 1kg body is a turn-off for me.

 

[tommyk]

If you are the typical consumer and professionals won't buy E-M1x,

its end of the road ?....................................................

 

[tommyk]

Olympus has reduced the E-M1X body only to ONLY $4488 now.
Anyone thinking of getting one?

 

[ricohflex]

Panasonic announced Lumix S1H full frame cine camera that can take 6K/24p video. V-Log/V-Gamut with 14+ stops of dynamic range. PetaPixel says expected price is about USD$4,000. So what does this have to do with Olympus E-M1X?
It highlights to consumers that "Hey, your competitor can do THIS."
It makes people compare what the other manufacturers can do at a certain price point.
It makes consumers wonder which direction Olympus is going, in the future.
And if the consumers are not already heavily invested in Olympus MFT system equipment now, should they get on to this boat (which looks about to sink).
The Lumix S1H announcement does make Olympus MFT look stagnant and un-progressive.

 

[tommyk]

Yes I agree that the Olympus boat is already sinking, but you have to give them credit for putting in lots of marketing efforts like arranging regular shooting events to promote the EM1X.

Marketing alone will not save a grossly mis-priced product and insufficient specs (vis-a-vis competition) for a target audience that they want to capture.

For consumers like most of us, it does not matter because we have so many choices now.

 

[felixcat8888]

EM1X may not be popular in SG, but may well be liked in other countries.

My $0.02

 

[tommyk]

Fair comments.
But if you dig a little deeper, you would realise that consumer and pro camera trends in Singapore mirrors somewhat other major countries in general.

With Sony's 200-600 fe and 600mm f4, pro users would see it as a good option to switch from Nikon and Canon rather than Olympus system with far more limited pro lens.

Hence, the impending demise of Olympus EM1x is not a difficult to imagine outcome.

 

[An drew]

The film market may allow many niche players. The digital market seems to be very brutal, you have to be No.1, 2,or 3 unless you are Leica. I could be wrong though.

 

[Blu-By-U]

Electronics change so fast that it may not matter. Let it die, then I can get to pick up some cheap stuff to keep me happy till I no longer can use a camera. I am happy with the lighter weight and smaller built BUT as mentioned, the Em1x is way too heavy.

 

[An drew]

Haha yes, I love to bring my EM1 out during holidays instead of my heavier and bulkier Canon and Nikon bodies. "Big and bulky micro 4/3" sounds like an oxymoron.

 

[felixcat8888]

The thing about the m4/3 system is that it is meant to be lightweight, BUT Olympus did something that no one will fathom. Developing the EM1X. In SG, this might not sell that well, but in its home ground, Japan, there could be a market for such a camera.

Just like Pentax, it is not that popular in other parts of Asia, but it is very popular in Japan. It is also popular in Europe and North America as they have established Head offices in the respective regions.

So, if the model is not that popular, the company will just pull it off the market and sell it in other countries.

My $0.02.