Ken Norton wrote:
>Will Olympus become another Leica? Already happening.
its change to semi-collectable status was anticipated by David Kilpatrick in
UK mag. Photon early 1998. While many users are, for whatever reason,
switching to AF and the styling of "wonderbrick" 35mm cameras becomes the
norm, then the classic looks of the OM series remain attractive to a
smaller, but dedicated group of users/collectors. Hence the increase in
private trading, mentioned in an earlier post.
in another post the inimitable Frank Ernens wrote:
>> Regardless of one's feelings towards Nikon and their
>> equipment, it is a fact that there is a healthy market in
>> Nikon lenses.
the market in *MF* Nikon lenses isn't what it was. In years gone by a
dealer could ask premium prices for what everyone considered premium
hardware (members of this list and other enlightened forums may or may not
agree). Now there is much less interest in them, the prices have had to
drop accordingly. Canon FD lenses are even worse - they are not compatible
with any EOS cameras.
No matter what is said on this list, Olympus *still* have two pro-spec
titanium-bodied cameras and a large range of lenses for sale. Whether the
OM3Ti and OM4Ti are to one's requirements is not at issue - Olympus are
still selling all this stuff (I hope), so it's not about to roll over and
die. The cameras are *not* obsolete.
>It seems to be Olympus's position that their
>camera is so good, so perfect, that it has needed no improvement for
>nearly a decade, they can charge what they like for it, and
>give customers practically no choice of OM bodies
Could it just be that Olympus can't justify doing more with the OM line
because of the changes in the 35mm SLR market? Just because these models
haven't changed recently doesn't mean Olympus is happy with its market
share. One shouldn't make assumptions like that. Niche-market precision
cameras are not mass-market bolt-together products, so mass-market economics
don't apply.
Simon E.
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