4 Reasons Why the Olympus EPL-2 and XZ-1 Will Dominate in Sales

Let’s face the facts, the 4/3 sensor is a small sensor. Someday,[ and it will happen] cheaper full frame sensors will be on every camera. And when that happens, aps-c size sensors will be considered puny, and the smaller 4/3 sensors will be the straw that will break Olympus and Panasonic’s back.Guess what Olympus will do once ppl stop buying their cameras? Remeember the Pen F? The om series? The 4/3 cameras? Yup, Olympus will abandon the m4/3 lines and leave all their users for a 4th time.By that time, if they still want to be in the camera business, i foresee that they’ll start buying ff sensors from Sony and create yet another gimmicky line. Too little , way too late.

Pessimistic, Thomas? No, I prefer the word realistic. If sensor size is not the future limitation of quality? Then why make any sensors larger than that of a compact digital point n shoot? I mean, if the sensor remains the same, then I suppose they can keep cramming more and more and more pixels into it. How many more apples can one stuff into the same size barrel? Another thing to note is the 4/3 bodies.They are going to be GONE. Do you trust Olympus now with the m4/3 system? They want consumers to plunk down money on yet another system with just a few lenses in their lineup? And then what? what’s going to happen when Canon and Nikon come in the market with their mirror-less cameras? Panny will go back to making tv’s and Olympus will be making nick knack cameras for woman’s purses. Many things in regards to digital cameras and sensors may be “relativistic” Thomas but money and lost investment are brutal realities paying consumers must face.I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in giving money to companies who charge a premium for their stuff and don’t even give me the equivalent of competing companies such as Samsung, Canon, Nikon.ie a larger sensor amongst other things. Oly and Panny should give consumers what they want, don’t tell them what they need and send them down the river once the jig is up. It’s all fun and games, hopes and dreams until your considerable investment get’s abandoned by the company you supported. Me, no thanks, I’d rather buy a Samsung NX system. Larger sensor, small camera and with at least 3 pancake lenses at reasonable prices and excellent quality [ 2 of them are already out ]. Funny how Oly and Panny cameras came out so much earlier and yet Samsung has a more interesting lens line up.

Oak;
I agree that if one isn’t going to blow up a pic to 18 by 24 then image quality and sensor size shouldn’t be a factor but if that is the case then the NX will do just fine over Oly and Panny. Let’s not forget that the nx10 is Samsung’s first camera.And though it may have slightly lower I.Q. at higher iso’s, there is much room and space for improvement in the future.
Not to mention that when the sensor is aps-c size, the biggest pro is when users opt to use legacy lenses with adapters. Now, sure the Samsung sensor has a crop factor of 1.5 but with Oly and Pannys m4/3 sensors its 2-times. I don’t know about you but 1.5 crop factor was painful enough , 2 times is just plain sadistic.And no, I don’t wanna spend 1300 on one of their premium dinky little zooms when I can spend the same amount on a better Canon L lens.Then again, who would? I’ve seen a lot of cameras around the street, but I’ve never seen a Panny or Oly m4/3 with a 1000 dollar zoom. Not once.
Also, it’s never just the camera but the lens line consumers look for when deciding on a system.If I was gonna take a chance, I’d go wit Samsung only for the lens line.They have 2 and one more pancake lens coming out, with Oly and panny with just one a piece. When a company touts the small size of their cameras, they’d better comes up with small lenses to go with it.But no, Oly and Panny decide to make 900 dollar zooms. The Samsung pancakes retail for around 350 usd, with a 60mm macro, a 85mm 1.4, a mega zoom lens as well as other lenses that were recently announced.
Iam not an I’Q fanantic, or else I would have gotten into ff cameras or medium format. What Iam saying in general is that I don’t trust Oly or Panny by what they have done so far.Sure they have made the mirror-less format somewhat popular, but they were the only two to have made them.And by the way, taking the mirror out of cameras is not a new technology.Neither is making a lens mount capable of accepting other lenses. Neither is having contrast AF on cameras.And yet they charge the same amount if not more than let’s say a Canon T2i, which has faster AF and superior I.Q.So why the cost? The truth is I would buy an ep-2 if it wasnt a grand here.I’d buy it if it had more than just one pancake lens [which the Samsung's 30mm pancake got better reviews] and I’d definitely buy an Oly if their better lenses don’t go for around 1000 usd.
I have seen the Pen F, the om, the 4/3 system, I’ve see their track record, and it is not good. Camera companies are like crap sports teams, you know.The more you give money to support them, they more they have the ability and excuse to disappoint. Everyone knows that companies only listen to one thing, their bottom line, and as for myself, I would say the same thing.I’am only interested in my bottom line.And so far from what I see from Oly and Panny are good decent small size sensor cameras but way over priced. I don’t know about other consumers, but I personally don’t see a need to make wealthy companies [who won't give me what I want] any more wealthier.

Oak, Ive read the reviews on the Samsung 30mm pancake and it is very good.in fact the 20mm pancake is very good as well.They also have a 24mm pancake coming up.Samsung has delivered on every lens they said they will bring out or make.Their lens line for 2011 is smart and in tune with what mirrorless camera systems should be.That is, ppl who buy small cameras also want small affordable prices.I have only seen the 30mm pancake for the Panny and Oly system, and I don’t see any more on the horizon.Samsungs upcoming lenses are the 60mm macro,16mm pancake,18-200mm movie lens, and the 85mm 1.4.

I would be happy with just 2 pancake lenses and the 60mm macro, but for a company who’s come to the game late I’ve got to give it koodos for such at least bringing out a thoughtful lens line.The 5 samsung lenses already out are all within 400 usd or cheaper and all have gotten good reviews.I can’t say the same for Oly or Panny’s lenses..esp in price.I also suspect that Samsung lenses may even have even had the help or contributions from either Pentax or Schneider but I’m sure Samsung will publicly dispute my hunch.Either way, good lenses designed by whomever is a plus for consumers, not a minus.

Now I’m not bashing Oly or Panny, i mean, is the epl2 better then the Samsung nx10? It probably is, at higher iso’s and perhaps elsewhere.But again, consumers like myself don’t get a camera for just a camera, we get cameras for the lens system and of course, price.And with price, if you’re [ oly and panny] going to charge 700-1300 dollars for a lens, it better be damn better then the Canon and Nikon equivalent.No on I know if going to fork out 1300 on an oly or panny lens when they can get a Canon or Nikon, with better I’Q. and build and resale value.

Having mentioned Canikon, it is widely rumored that they will also come out with their own mirrorless cameras.Canon has also stated that their camera may or may not have a mirror.Which is smart, because Canon has a history of making smaller cameras.It’s also an indicator that Canon probably does not feel that mirrorless contrast AF is still not up to snuff.It wouldnt suprise me if Canon introduced a small crop sensor camera with a small type of relfex mirror which will run miles in terms of Af speed over anything oly and panny can do.

Summing up, if I was a panny or oly user,I would be very concerned about Canikons plans to make their own smaller E.V.I.L cameras.All Canikon has to do is make a smaller camera with better I.Q.and faster AF [ which they are easily capable of] , price it a bit lower, and it could spell the end for oly and panny.And if they cut and run from the m4/3 market, where else can they go? Olympus has no other place to go, they’ve already abandoned their om users, their 4/3 camera line.I, too, am concerned about Canikon, if I were to buy a Samsung, as the market share will probably once again be held by Canikon and the rest will be fighting for scraps like in the dslr market.Going back to Panny and Oly, do they make good equipment? Yes.Are they over priced? Yes.Have they done enough during all this time they have the market to themselves? NO.Will they be in trouble once Canikon invade this market? You can bet on it.When a company like Samsung comes late into this market with comparable cameras and a smarter lens line, you know oly and panny have had their foot off the pedal for a while. Look what happened to Minolta. Lack of direction killed Minolta and now they’re doing the same to Sony.

I don’t mean to burst any panny or oly fan’s bubble, but any sane person can see the big shark looming on the horizon, and that is Canon and Nikon.I personally do not plan on spending a tonne of money on Samsung if I were to buy into the nx system, because even if you dont like Canikon, you have to respect it’s might, its technology, its resources, its brand and it’s marketing..it will devour oly and panny. If I wan panny-oly i would be very worried. When the new mirroless Canikons come out, the days of oly-panny charging 1000 for m4/3 cameras may be over.

Oak,In regards to Canikon joining the 4/3 line it was no surprise to me that they did not.The fact is that there was no way that Canikon would anger all their users by dumping them and adopt someone elses idea or system. That would have been the greatest mistake in the history of business and absolute suicide. Canikon have too many users. Imagine the headlines- “Canon and Nikon to dump millions of it’s users to adopt Olympus and Panasonic 4/3 system.” It would have been the biggest business mistake known to man.

Iam leaning on the Samsung only because of the lens line and of course the aps-c 1.5 crop factor sensor.I like the 2 pancakes out and the 3rd coming soon.I also like their prices.But if I were to be forced to jump ship someday after I invested in Samsung, it would not be to oly and Panny.

To digital Nomad.
Sorry, I’m late. Anyway.
I think micro four-thirds have come to stay for a very long time. The competition from all the others might be a challenge in the future regarding downsizing which is what m4/3 is all about. Travel-and-keep-it-small-easy-and-light-weight. But Oly and Panny has a mega-feature up the sleeve. Their lens-mounting. The world is wide open. Almost any 35 mm high-quality lens from the past and from today will fit via adapters. Around 500 pieces. What an experimental field for millions of photographers to explore. Most of them already are in the possession of several lenses of both the past and today that will easily fit the m4/3 system. The esteem of Leica, Contax, Voigtländer and others make the m4/3 shine despite Canon, Nikon, Samsung and all the others and their possible capabilities.
What really counts in the market not being a full-time pro is portability and high-quality lenses from the best lens-makers in the world at a fraction of the price of another highly portable – the Leica M9-system.

Finally, consider the size and quality of the prints possible. Which is best – the mega-file or the print you get from your printer? If professionally made – how much are you willing to pay to match the quality from the m4/3 – and what size do you prefer?

To digital Nomad. III.
Besides: the m4:3 system has a crop factor of 2.0 in relation to full frame sensors. – So, the crop factor relates to sensor-size only and not neccesarily to quality! Sensor-quality is simply a matter of the quality as far as manufacturing goes. Image Quality or the lack of it surrounds the sensor (surroundings including you and me).
Again, My full frame 50mm. Summicron from Leitz is a normal 35mm rangefinder M-lens. But attached to the EPL 2 it turns into a small tele – the perfect portrait lens. Used strictly as such EPL 2 should produce excellent to outstanding full frame Leitz quality all other factors equal! If I am shooting like full frame all the time though – while the sensor is simply cropping my shots by its factor of two I’m missing the whole point and not respecting the limits of print-size, pixel-size and full frame.
- If the case is simply point-and-shoot, why bother?
With kind regards

Back in 1976 I was one of seven photographers documenting the state of North Dakota. While the other guys shot Nikons and carried big camera bags, I could travel light with my OM-1, keeping my lenses in my coat pockets. It made me less obtrusive and allowed me to approach shy farmers and get the natural photo I was looking for.

Olympus has continued that tradition of small lenses, and that’s why my next camera will most likely be an EPL2. My favorite lens of all time is the Zuiko 24 mm. f2.8, which when placed next to a Nikon looks like a midget. Now if Olympus would make a 12 mm. version of that, I would be happy.