150 - 400 f4.5 DELAYED HIGHER DEMAND THAN EXPECTED

[Robstar1963]

Apparently higher than expected demand for the 150-400f4.5 has led to a delay for shipping

https://www.43rumors.com/olympus-announcement-because-of-higher-than-expected-demand/

 

[PhotoCal]

According to a rumor website and some wild speculation.

I went out yesterday and spent about two hours shooting the Olympus 100-400. Life goes on.

 

[ThereAndBackAgain]

I'll never need one and I sympathise with those who've looked forward to it for so long but it's encouraging to see such keen demand in the face of the recent ownership news.

 

[The Grumpy Snapper]

Even if true it could just mean that they have orders for 24 but only built 20.

 

[RichardC]

Even if true it could just mean that they have orders for 24 but only built 20.

It's good to see that there is still plenty of optimism on this forum.

 

[amit]

Apparently higher than expected demand for the 150-400f4.5 has led to a delay for shipping

https://www.43rumors.com/olympus-announcement-because-of-higher-than-expected-demand/

Maybe Olympus will buy back the imaging division

 

[hoodlum]

According to a rumor website and some wild speculation.

I went out yesterday and spent about two hours shooting the Olympus 100-400. Life goes on.

You can never trust those rumor sites.

https://www.olympus.co.jp/news/2020/an01957.html

 

[jimr.pdx]

Hm, so the ones they did make can't go out because more people want one ..

 

[RAH]

Little Jimmy, do you have one for EVERYONE in the class? No? Then you shouldn't have started eating one - er - shouldn't have ordered one!

 

[PhotoCal]

You can never trust those rumor sites.

https://www.olympus.co.jp/news/2020/an01957.html

Remember all of the news about a year ago that Olympus was in m43 for the long run?
I do.

Never believe what a corporation says. Even if it's under oath.

 

[oldracer]

The story makes no sense. If there are more orders than expected, it simply results in extended lead times for the later orders.

Much more likely there is some kind of a production problem. Maybe as simple as a 3rd party component in short supply, or maybe failing incoming inspection, or some production processes requiring more time than expected as they are ramped up. Worst case is production yield problems leading to end-of-line QC rejects with consequent rework or (gasp!) scrap. But too many orders causing delivery slowdowns across the board? Nope.

 

[PhotoCal]

Or, it's just fiction to boost the preorders.
It's not like Olympus has a good record of disclosure.

Think about it from a corporate standpoint:
- This announcement creates a demand for early orders.
- customers who get theirs in January will be thrilled.
- customers who have to wait have been warned. Their expectations have been managed. It's always good to have happy customers. It's better to underpromise and overdeliver than vice versa.
- the demand provides a good rational to increase the price. Supply and demand.
- this could encourage more purchases of the already released 100-400. Numerous posters who, upon seeing the price of the 150-400, commented they were now ordering the 100-400.

No one who' already preordered knows if they ordered in time to avoid the alleged delay. That ambiguity is great corporate cover.

Consumers items are often marketed as "limited supplies" in order to boost the demand.

I enjoy my gear, most of which is Olympus and all very reliable. But I trust Olympus products, not its public statements.

 

[BDR-529]

Apparently higher than expected demand for the 150-400f4.5 has led to a delay for shipping

https://www.43rumors.com/olympus-announcement-because-of-higher-than-expected-demand/

Well, did somebody actually expect that Olympus was going to build a stock of $7 500 lenses just in case the new owner of their camera business is willing to purchase them?

Why should Olympus bother with something that was scheduled to launch one month after they have already transferred the entire camera business to JIP. Remember that final share transfer which will take place on 1st of January 2021.

After 2nd of January 2021, it's entirely up to JIP whether this lens will ever go into production in the first place.

 

[PhotoCal]

Well, did somebody actually expect that Olympus was going to build a stock of $7 500 lenses just in case the new owner of their camera business is willing to purchase them?

Why should Olympus bother with something that was scheduled to launch one month after they have already transferred the entire camera business JIP. Final share transfer which will take place on 1st of January 2021.

After 2nd of January 2021, it's entirely up to JIP whether this lens will ever go into production in the first place.

BDR has a great point. This could end up being a product that was teased yet never released.

It's always been strange to me that Olympus would create and market their most expensive consumer product then walk away.

It's why this lens has a metal nameplate. By the time the lens is available the JIP (or Zuiko) nameplate may be covered with a sticker of another company.

 

[BDR-529]

It's always been strange to me that Olympus would create and market their most expensive consumer product then walk away.

It's why this lens has a metal nameplate. By the time the lens is available the JIP (or Zuiko) nameplate may be covered with a sticker of another company.

Even if you can't read Japanese, open the original link: https://www.olympus.co.jp/news/2020/an01957.html and have a look at the title.

There's no need to cover anything because this lens is now officially "M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO" and not "Olympus M.Zuiko Digital..." as it is still been marketed on US sites with $7500 price tag.

So much for the "JIP will use Olympus brand for the time being" - said time being untill 1.1.2021 + 15 minutes. Launch is delayed because some poor chap has to first dremel "Olympus" out of each nameplate.

 

[PhotoCal]

Even if you can't read Japanese, open the original link: https://www.olympus.co.jp/news/2020/an01957.html and have a look at the title.

There's no need to cover anything because this lens is now officially "M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO" and not "Olympus M.Zuiko Digital..." as it is still been marketed on US sites with $7500 price tag.

So much for the "JIP will use Olympus brand for the time being" - said time being untill 1.1.2021 + 15 minutes.

I was looking for this news release on the USA site but couldn't find it.

I'm wondering if this alleged supply issue could be due to kinks in the transfer from Olympus to JIP.
The timing of the release is very strange.

 

[BDR-529]

I'm wondering if this alleged supply issue could be due to kinks in the transfer from Olympus to JIP.
The timing of the release is very strange.

150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO is by far the most complicated and expensive consumer lens Olympus has ever designed but they will never sell or apparently even manufacture it.

It's someone else entirely who is now planning to start manufacturing this contraption only a couple of weeks after they have taken over the entire consumer product portfolio and manufacturing facilities with whatever skeleton crew is left on factory floor after Olympus hand picked every competent engineer for their bread and butter business units.

Even if buyer comes from the same industry, say Panasonic or Sony who have their own experts, factories and 50+ years of experience in lens manufacturing, I would not touch anything that comes out of production lines immediately after transfer with a ten foot pole. Then again, this kind of buyer would halt all production on the spot and ramp up only selected models after (cosmetic) facelift with a new logo and so on.

BTW getolympus.com has also removed "Olympus" from the name of this lens. Only retailers still have the old name with "Olympus" in their pages.

 

[Mack]

Seeing if Google Translate will allow the English version.

https://translate.google.com/transl...ps://www.olympus.co.jp/news/2020/an01957.html

That last gray area about "End of Production" is disturbing. Could be they made X amount and that's it, and will let JIP sort out who gets them. Maybe Sigma will make something similar.

 

[The Grumpy Snapper]

Rather amusing that people think these sort of lenses are built in large numbers on a production line..

 

[RichardC]

Rather amusing that people think these sort of lenses are built in large numbers on a production line..

I agree, sort of

It's the kind of lens that historically will have been built in small numbers. However, Olympus have invested an awful lot of energy in advertising it as their flagship lens. It's also come to market at a lower price than many expected. It's not really a surprise that their first batch isn't rumoured to be big enough.