Olympus CEO Backtracks, admits Camera Business May Be For Sale

[robcee]

via PetaPixel, https://petapixel.com/2019/11/19/olympus-ceo-backtracks-says-camera-business-may-be-for-sale-report/

(Olympus CEO Yasuo) Takeuchi also backtracked on some of his comments in the past that the camera business was not for sale, saying that may not be the case anymore.

I’ve often wondered how much actual technology the rest of Olympus is able to gain from the Camera business. Medical Imaging, must be almost entirely different technology. There may be some trickle-down from Medical into the Consumer lines, but since they’re not really building their own sensors...

Anyway, time will tell. I am accepting Olympus PRO primes if anyone‘s looking to liquidate.

 

[WT21]

I have to admit, I fell out of love w/Olympus gear (which I started m43 on) some years back, and I prefer Panasonic. No idea what the future might hold.

Though, if timed right, gear prices might get a dead cat bounce

 

[agentlossing]

Is Cosina/Voigtlander still around? Here's our chance for a micro four thirds actual rangefinder camera!

 

[demiro]

Oly and Sony have played footsie for years, it seems. Maybe Sony will write a check. I'd like to see the full capability of Sony's sensor group available to Oly.

 

[retiredfromlife]

Maybe some good Christmas specials, and not a good way to end your 100 year celebration admitting you may sell your company.

 

[agentlossing]

Maybe some good Christmas specials, and not a good way to end your 100 year celebration admitting you may sell your company.

I worked for a small bank which had a 40-year anniversary in 2017 and then was acquired by a different bank the same year! I keep the 40-year plaque for the irony of it.

 

[Robstar1963]

https://photofocus.com/news/olympus-addresses-rumors-of-sale/

 

[robcee]

and apparently Olympus is responding to the (original Bloomberg) article in question:

https://www.43rumors.com/official-olympus-statement-we-currently-have-no-plans-to-sell-the-business-and-have-already-established-a-clear-and-exciting-product-roadmap-for-the-coming-months-and-years/

edit: Oops! @Robstar1963 beat me to it!

 

[Trinurse]

Well, whether they sell it or not they'll have to pry my E-M5 mii and E-M1 from my cold dead fingers before I give them up.
Might have to pick up one of them nice shiny E-M1X too...:>)

 

[hoodlum]

The original Petapixel article in the OP has also be updated with the statement from Olympus.

For Imaging, however, we currently have no plans to sell the business. The task is therefore to stabilize and strengthen its market position. To achieve that, we are actively running marketing activities, and have already established a clear and exciting product roadmap for the coming months and years. We are actively pursuing future technology developments that will enhance photography and video for creators. Furthermore, Imaging is and will continue to be an important technology and innovation driver for our other businesses.

 

[Eirik]

Yes, might have to stock up on an extra couple of camera bodies just as an insurance, I really don't want to switch...

 

[MarcioK]

Oly and Sony have played footsie for years, it seems. Maybe Sony will write a check. I'd like to see the full capability of Sony's sensor group available to Oly.

Sony sold the rest of their Olympus shares some time ago: https://www.dpreview.com/news/5028345639/sony-sells-entire-5-stake-in-olympus-but-continues-its-business-alliance

 

[retiredfromlife]

I worked for a small bank which had a 40-year anniversary in 2017 and then was acquired by a different bank the same year! I keep the 40-year plaque for the irony of it.

I have worked for two companies that closed their doors. Both right up to the announcment said they were in it for the long term.
Company assurances are worth as much as election promises. [not ment to be a political statement]

 

[Gillymaru]

Rule 1
Never tell your customers you are selling or stopping production until you make an offical announcement

 

[PakkyT]

until you make an offical announcement

... right after you actually have sold or stopped production, never before.

 

[Holoholo55]

Dang, when they close their camera division, I planned to buy all their great stuff at clearance prices and use them until they all died (or I did). Now, I'll have to pay regular prices.

 

[agentlossing]

I have worked for two companies that closed their doors. Both right up to the announcment said they were in it for the long term.
Company assurances are worth as much as election promises. [not ment to be a political statement]

My favorite part was the golden parachute that the CEO got upon successfully brokering the sale.

 

[red_zergling]

I wish Samsung would pick up one of the camera companies in these scenarios and continue their research and development from where they left off. A camera with some thorough phone integration would be a great competitor to the iPhone smartphone camera.

 

[Armand Di Meo]

Nearly all camera manufacturers, with the possible exception of Sony, are in the same boat because of smartphones. The challenge is to convince people of the advantages of using a "real" camera. Every time I see someone snapping a picture with his or her phone, I think of another loss to the camera industry. Interestingly, "Consumer Report," hardly a photo enthusiast publication, recently advocated the purchase of digital cameras because of the superior image quality. The problem is that most people value convenience over quality. The camera industry will always exist in some form but it is unclear how many players it can support in what is becoming more and more of a niche market.

 

[KBeezie]

If you look at some of the other Japanese companies (such as Sony for example), it's not unusual for them to be spread across so many varied types of businesses. Sony for example makes most their profits from their life insurance division rather than cameras or games (whether or not that has changed much in the last few years it's not uncommon to see so many varied markets for a single brand)

It also reminds me of how Konica-Minolta (despite their exit from the consumer imaging market) is still around... mostly in medical and business machines (such as most of the copier/printer combination units we have at the school currently that gets a regular visit from a Minolta technician).

As opposed to some western-based brands which seem to feel the need to create subsidies or completely different names for various divisions to "avoid confusion" with the brand.

The main issue I have with smartphones right now, is not that it's not as intuitive to my manner of photography and still lacks a lot of control. But rather that in a couple years you're going to *need* a new one as it's dependent on software, data, your carrier, etc. I'm still using a couple E-M1 Mk1 for most of my photography work. I can't really say the same of using a smartphone from 2010~2013, Especially when they're priced similarly to a lot of the camera bodies we desire.

Far as Olympus statements go... I feel like they're really slacking on tackling such news in a timely and clear manner, and their delay and inconsistency hurts them just as much as the rumors.