And you thought the E-M5 III was overpriced...

[ijm5012]

What about the Fuji X-Pro 3? Granted, they're fully indulging the "film nostalgia" crowd, but $1800 for the normal body and an extra $200 for the "special paint" puts you at $2k.

It seems to recycle the guts of the X-T3 & X-T30, but comes with an odd (borderline useless?) rear LCD.

I know the Pen-F was a divisive camera, but the owners who had one seemed to really like it. If the plasticized E-M5 III is $1,200, maybe there's room for a $1,500 Pen F II that uses the E-M1 II's guts, a tilt-only rear LCD, and improves upon the JPEG processing. Sure, it'll be a niche camera, but if the X-Pro 3 is anything to go by, there's definitely a market out there.

 

[Pluttis]

And people think the color wheel on Pen-F is gimmicky ?

Love my Pen-F and it would be a instant buy for me if Olympus released a Pen-F with bigger EVF and the guts of E-M1 MarkII

 

[ijm5012]

And people think the color wheel on Pen-F is gimmicky ?

Love my Pen-F and it would be a instant buy for me if Olympus released a Pen-F with bigger EVF and the guts of E-M1 MarkII

I think aspects of the color wheel had merit, while other aspects of it were gimmicky.

Even though a Pen-F II wont' happen, if it were to I would like Olympus to create their own film emulations and have them pre-loaded on the camera. As for the EVF, I'd want something better than what the E-M1 II has. That panel's resolution is definitely behind-the-times in 2020, as there are far bigger and higher resolution panels out there that could be used.

E-M1 II sensor, bigger & better EVF, tilting rear LCD, improved color wheel, and offer it in that titanium finish that came on the E-M5 II special edition.

 

[Reflector]

The price will drop eventually like any modern camera release. They're there to get the crowd that's willing to throw those few extra hundreds for the additional profit from the first few months before dropping the price to whatever the market accepts as sane.

 

[TNcasual]

I think the X-Pro3 looks really interesting. It looks like something that would be fun to play with for a day or two. But I don't think it would be a good everyday kind of camera.

 

[agentlossing]

Up to $2K for a Fuji rangefinder-style (still not a real rangefinder even with the optical viewfinder!) camera that is definitely trying to evoke Leica vibes, just makes me think about how the new entry-level Leica M is less than twice the price of this one. Less than twice. That's insane given how big the gap between true German-made pinnacle rangefinders and everything else used to be.

Had I anywhere near the budget for this camera I'd say screw it, pull out the credit card and get a Leica. ... and then buy cheap M-mount lenses because I couldn't afford anything else...

 

[Tool Crazy]

$1800-2000? Good luck with that Fuji. Seems they forgot the $2k Sony A73 exists and also what happened to the X-H1 pricing.

 

[TNcasual]

It is expensive, but the X-Pros have always been expensive. The X-Pro2 MSRP was $1700US. Like the Pen-F, these are niche products they don't expect to sell in huge amounts.

 

[exakta]

Consider that the X-Pro has a unique niche...it has an OVF as well as an EVF. It's the only non-Leica mirrorless that gives you the old rangefinder VF experience. For some users that's worth paying for.

In fact it was what attracted me to Fuji in the first place (I bought an X10 because X100 and X-Pro were too expensive). I'm used to an EVF now but I can imagine situations where the OVF would be useful, shooting with flash for instance.

 

[ijm5012]

Consider that the X-Pro has a unique niche...it has an OVF as well as an EVF. It's the only non-Leica mirrorless that gives you the old rangefinder VF experience. For some users that's worth paying for.

In fact it was what attracted me to Fuji in the first place (I bought an X10 because X100 and X-Pro were too expensive). I'm used to an EVF now but I can imagine situations where the OVF would be useful, shooting with flash for instance.

If you’re shooting in a dark venue with flash (or even in good light with OCF), and EVF is still better.

In a dark venue, you turn off live exposure preview, and you’re no longer staring at a black screen. Sure, your final image won’t match what your EVF shows, but it doesn’t with an OVF either, and wih the EVF, you be able to better see your subject due to the gain applied.

In a well lit scenario, you can have your EVF replicate the scene in that you can set you exposure for your background, and then adjust your flash intensity as needed for the desired output. Again, you can’t do this with an OVF.

The only time I’ve found an OVF to be an advantage over an EVF has been when I’m shooting fast action, but that’s not likely the primary use case for an X-Pro III.

 

[hoggdoc]

What about the Fuji X-Pro 3? Granted, they're fully indulging the "film nostalgia" crowd, but $1800 for the normal body and an extra $200 for the "special paint" puts you at $2k.

It seems to recycle the guts of the X-T3 & X-T30, but comes with an odd (borderline useless?) rear LCD.

I know the Pen-F was a divisive camera, but the owners who had one seemed to really like it. If the plasticized E-M5 III is $1,200, maybe there's room for a $1,500 Pen F II that uses the E-M1 II's guts, a tilt-only rear LCD, and improves upon the JPEG processing. Sure, it'll be a niche camera, but if the X-Pro 3 is anything to go by, there's definitely a market out there.

Boy I agree with the tilt only LCD as I find the one on my M5 Mkii really unsatisfactory for photos. Maybe it good for video, but I don't shoot much video. I much prefer the LCD staying close to the body and not hanging out there for everyone to see.

 

[hoggdoc]

I think aspects of the color wheel had merit, while other aspects of it were gimmicky.

Too me a lot of the "features" of the entire Olympus line are gimmicky. I rarely if ever use the Art or Scene modes built into the camera. I prefer to shoot the image and use various tools in Post-Production to finish the image to my liking. I think the processing power and Eprom space could be better used. These so called features should be reserved for the PL line of cameras which are designed for the "consumer" market IMHO. On the OMD line with the exception of the M10 line I think they should be removed.

 

[Traceyjj]

Boy I agree with the tilt only LCD as I find the one on my M5 Mkii really unsatisfactory for photos. Maybe it good for video, but I don't shoot much video. I much prefer the LCD staying close to the body and not hanging out there for everyone to see.

I'm the polar opposite. I am buying the M5iii because I want the pull out screen. I have bad knees and I miss not being able to get the shot I want because I cant get down on the floor to compose the photo. I have a D800 and the screen neither tilts or swivels... and I have the M10ii where the screen just tilts, but I still miss the tilt/swivel flexibility I had on the Nikon 5100. Maybe after I eventually get my knee replaced I will change my mind, but for now I feel I cant get the photos I want anymore. (I hope this makes sense)

 

[saladin]

I think aspects of the color wheel had merit, while other aspects of it were gimmicky.

Even though a Pen-F II wont' happen, if it were to I would like Olympus to create their own film emulations and have them pre-loaded on the camera. As for the EVF, I'd want something better than what the E-M1 II has. That panel's resolution is definitely behind-the-times in 2020, as there are far bigger and higher resolution panels out there that could be used.

E-M1 II sensor, bigger & better EVF, tilting rear LCD, improved color wheel, and offer it in that titanium finish that came on the E-M5 II special edition.

Add weathersealing. It's my main gripe with my PenF for the price I paid when new.

 

[saladin]

Oh, and I'd be tempted to buy an X-pro3 if I was shifting to Fuji ILC. I love the design. And their jpeg film emulations look great.

 

[Photolarks]

Agree..it's a beautiful looking camera, although perhaps not as versatile as, say, an omd. I think I'd be more tempted to buy a used xpro1 at £300, seems like a bargain in comparison, but not to replace my m43 kit. Could be dangerous though.