Shoppers will soon have a tough time trying to pick up a cheap Olympus point-and-shoot compact camera. The company has said it is planning to do away with its V lineup of low-cost compact cameras, priced just under $200 at various retailers.
The move comes as the company anticipates a steep decline in its camera business, with forecasted digital camera sales this fiscal year expected to be about 2.7 million units, down from 5.1 million units last year. Olympus president Hiroyuki Sasa has put the financial loss from its camera business at about $225 million. Read more…
For those of you that were disappointed when you saw the price of Olympus’ newly-announced E-P5 earlier, the company has another camera up its sleeve to help ease the pain. Although it’s only been given a release date in Japan — lending credence to rumors that it may never sell anywhere else — the much rumored and leaked Olympus PEN Lite E-PL6 has also arrived. Read more…
After weeks of rumors and leaks, Olympus’ new PEN E-P5 finally became official today. It’s the company’s new flagship Micro Four Thirds PEN mirrorless camera, and features both retro styling on the outside and powerful specs on the inside. Read more…
Olympus has a major camera announcement day coming this Friday, but the cameras it’s planning to unveil–the E-P5 and E-PL6–have been almost fully revealed now. New leaks have revealed the full specs for the E-P5, photos of a fancy “premium” version of the E-P5, and product photos of the E-PL6 (shown above). Read more…
Last month, a rumor emerged saying that Olympus’ upcoming E-P5 flagship Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera would have a design inspired by the old Olympus PEN F. Today the first photograph of the camera leaked on the web, confirming that it will indeed carry a sleek new retro styling. Read more…
Creativity and humor score big points with consumers. That’s why photographers, camera companies and camera stores alike often employ one or both to get their customers’ attention. Some of what we’ve seen in the past includes James Hodgins’ Crappy Vs Snappy, Olympus’ ziplock bags of walnuts, and Schick’s razor photo fad.
The above video by Canada’s The Camera Store is another prime example. Instead of making a bland announcement, they decide to film this fun and funny ‘love story’ to let their customers know the store will once again be carrying Olympus brand cameras. Read more…
Former Olympus president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa may soon spend up to five years of his life in prison for his role in Olympus’ massive financial scandal that rocked corporate Japan back in 2011. Prosecutors allege that Kikukawa orchestrated a coverup of $1.7 billion in company losses, one of the biggest frauds in Japanese history and the country’s equivalent of America’s Enron scandal. Read more…
Rumors are starting to heat up about an upcoming Olympus E-P5, which would be the flagship PEN camera sitting on the highest tier (we briefly covered how Olympus’ PEN lines are organized in our recent review of the E-PM2). The latest things being said about the E-P5 is that it will have a new retro design, no viewfinder, and a relatively high price point. Read more…
Olympus first ushered its PEN brand into the digital age back in 2009 with the E-P1. Since then, the lineup has split into three distinct tiers: the E-P line for standard PEN cameras, the E-PL line for smaller “Lite” models, and the E-PM line for even smaller “Mini” models. Goldilockean photographers can therefore choose the size and feature set most appropriate to their needs (and hands).
Unveiled in late 2012, the E-PM2 is the second generation PEN “Mini”, offering pretty much exactly what the E-PL3 does except in an even tinier package, without a tilting screen, and carrying a friendlier price tag. Read more…
