>From the sounds of it at the Olympus booth at the Las Vegas PMA show,
there have been quite a few inquiries about the future of the OM
System. Forgive me if someone has already posted fresh info on this.
I asked to speak with someone in the know about the OM System and was
referred to Barry Roth. Barry assured me the OM System is not being
discontinued. I asked him about another round of price inflation and he
said there hasn't been any and none that they are predicting. But there
weren't any consumer or dealer prices lists supplied to confirm or deny
this with actual prices.
As far as the Canadian connection with Carsen (if I spelled that right),
they have an "association" with Olympus America and get their goods from
Olympus America. I mentioned the "limited availability" in Canada and
the only explanation offered on this was that orders on some items (from
Canada or the USA) go to Japan quarterly and there can be up to a 3
month wait before goods are supplied.
On the subject of discontinued components, the OM-2000 with 35-70mm kit
has been a lackluster seller and the camera will only be sold as a body
in the future. The 35-70mm f/3.5~4.8 will be discontinued. I asked
others about the same discontinuation logic being applied to the S Zuiko
70-210mm, but no one knew the future of that lens. I asked about the
availability of an all gold version of the OM-2000 (recall Popular
Photography's first report on release in late 1998). No one was aware
of any such cameras being produced for distribution in countries with
tropical climates. Anyone ever seen one?
Mr. Roth's take on the longevity of the OM System was that sales are
supported by orders in their other divisions (like microscopes?). He
didn't disagree with my take that it also acts as a showpiece of
technical accomplishment.
Regarding presentation: the equipment got half a case (vs. a whole case
last year), sharing it with Pearlcorders. There was no literature
available on the OM System, not even last year's very outdated "silver
brochure" (which I've seen people spend more than a few bucks to buy).
On display: OM-2000, OM-4Ti, OM-3Ti, 35-80mm, 35-70mm f/3.5~4.8,
70-210mm, one of the fast wide angles (24mm?), 50mm f/1.2, 16mm Fisheye,
a T-32, some focusing screens in their boxes. In contrast, Contax had
three times the display area (nearly their full system) and Minolta
still had a full case of flashes, lenses, bodies, motor drives, with an
X-700, despite reports of its discontinuation.
In my understated manner (yah, right Gary!), I told Barry that IMHO they
have done a poor job of marketing the OM-2000, and added that I chew out
dealers who fail to carry it. As if that makes any difference.
At the C.R.I.S. booth, I inquired about the 1.4 volts that the MR-9
adapter puts out and the meter errors I've encountered using it. I was
told I needed to test the voltage under a load and that it shouldn't
differ from using a mercury cell. Based on MR-9 sales, I'd say that use
of old cameras using 625 batteries is still alive and well in the USA.
There is supposedly an independent repair firm in Georgia with a fine
supply of OM System parts.
Nikon has an N80 that looks like a Canon Rebel G (gee, just what the
world needs) and they have finally released an image stabilization lens.
Tamron said the first SP lens showed up in an Adaptamatic mount - a
180mm. They had a cool display of all their milestone lenses through the
years.
New authors published in Shutterbug get about $200 for an article :-(
End of notes . . .
Gary Reese
Las Vegas, NV
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