What would help sell more Olys?

[Phocal]

Take someone who is not a photographer into a camera shop, and they simply cannot believe the prices...

The same can be said for any thing........................

Bikes
Kayaks
Backpacks
Tents

 

[John King]

The same can be said for any thing........................

Bikes
Kayaks
Backpacks
Tents

Yeah. It's known colloquially as 'sticker shock'.

 

[Danny.]

I have an E-M1 and an E-M1 MKII, so I don't need any more I do however need to replace my older Sony bodies, so that's where the money will go. Sony A series are bargains for what you get.

Obviously cost will sell more, that's very easy to see. Something like an E-M1x seems to be trying to compete with top end Canon and Nikon cameras and that IMO is a mistake. Never thought I would say this, but go back to their roots. Small, simple and superbly made will help a lot.

All the best and just in my opinion is all.

Danny.

 

[jimr.pdx]

An e-p5ii with contemporary interior and integrated VF would have been a good idea..

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[Aristophanes]

An e-p5ii with contemporary interior and integrated VF would have been a good idea..

That was the PEN-F.

Also why the only real remaining PEN is E-PL.

 

[minds-eye]

sell more Olys...
a relative thing. Price/Technology-functionality/Quality for long term use - you get only 2 of the 3.
Oly Imaging is within the framework of the overall Photo world/industry; which as everything else, continues to change/evolve.
Smart Phone photography has taken over/overtaken a large segment of consumer still and even video photography.
Dedicated camera sales shrink. Likely Point&Shoot/Compact iAuto 'Program' mode cameras will become almost non-existent, except for very specific niches like 'waterproof' and 'self-action' cameras like GoPro. I would suspect that under-30 does not even consider a dedicated P&S camera.
With that, ILC cameras also suffer dramatic declines, and some companies may not make the cut (or choose not to...).

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The good news is that ILC cameras have dropped less than P&S.
There are many factors for this. Ultimately, even though computational phothography in conjunction with more progressive small sensors continue to help smart phone tech to progress, it is still more limited (for many reasons) than the overall package of ILC higher end cameras. Glass still matters, as do good controls placed in the hands of photographers; be they Pro or Enthusiast.
ILC Higher End cameras and their systems will need to bring some consolidation. How that will happen will be interesting to see. I do hope M4/3 is able to succeed in that aspect. To that end, I believe ILC will still hold the top end, at least for the near future. After all, computational improvements will benefit ILCas much and possibly even more than small sensor smart phones.
Given the current crop of ILC, I believe making decisions on what is important to each user, will provide satisfaction over the coming years - there are always trade offs. Price? Size/weight? Glass? so many factors. Pick the factors most important to each of us, and don;t expect everything.
New enthusiasts/pros will come; current users will desire to make changes - all as currently happens - just on a smaller scale. Which systems emerge are dynamics yet to play out.
There is no 'perfect' everything in our imperfect world - which is what makes life so very interesting.
...For me, my current Oly gear is more than adequate to fulfill my needs, even if I don't buy another/newer body or add any additional glass.
Don't Worry, Be Happy!
Yuri

 

[thazooo]

IDK, maybe not announce that the company is being Sold.

 

[Jeroen81]

Buy some influencers time and let them praise MFT and trash talk alther formats. Just like the FF snobs doe.
Or bring trash talkers like Tony N. for court.

But that aside, I think Olympus in my country (Netherlands) is doing just fine. Maybe dubbele the marketing budget and be more aggressive.
BTW, got a mail from Olympus Netherlands with a new bunch of free webinars. Nice fan service.

 

[Cederic]

Getting modern sensors into small bodies with lots of features would have been helpful.

Pro-capture is awesome. 7 stops of IS is awesome. Twin cards are awesome. But a lot of people don't know what those are, don't need them, don't want to carry a DSLR sized camera around.

The E-PL range was my entry point to m43 and since I bought my e-pl5 there's been nothing under the em1 series that's felt competitive in the market. Panasonic haven't exactly wowed everybody with their latest gx models either, so there just hasn't been a low end to the market, and that's a key route towards the top end.

People in this country can't walk into camera shops and see those entry level system cameras, the sheer volume and range of lenses for them, hear about the things that give them a niche in the market amongst their larger brethren.

That's a mix of market presence, stores prioritising higher selling competitors and recently the lack of attractive low-end options. If I was picking up Olympus right now I'd be looking at reinvigorating sales to people that know they need something better than a phone but still don't want a full DSLR and the weight (and perceived cost) that brings with it.

 

[Mack]

With cellphones hitting $1,500, it's hard to justify a $1,500 camera to a millennial. If I were still selling cameras today, I'd be looking to switch careers to selling cellphones.

Most millennials do not own a printer, afaik. Printing was part of owning a camera, but not so much with the cellphoners as they took it to the web instead. I expect some printer manufacturers may be hurting as well and may get out of that business soon. I can't even find photo printing paper at Costco anymore (Kirkland brand) and their camera section is gone here too. The wet lab equipment manufacturers are almost gone too.

Local Best Buy is down to one shelf too for cameras where they used to have a couple of rows, and same for drone section which used to be huge (Restrictions, and general public distaste for aerial spying machines much like the lampooning of Southpark's "The Magic Bush" episode made on them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Bush .). However, the part of Best Buy that has grown, maybe to the point of overkill, is anything to do with cellphones and that seems to take up much of the Best Buy store.

Aside, I'd be surprised if Leica doesn't close some of its retail stores due to Covid, which may be a good excuse for them too. Microsoft announced they will close all of their retail stores since the Covid.

Then Leica has to deal with the rioting and looters in NYC.
https://leicarumors.com/2020/06/02/leica-store-soho-was-looted-last-night.aspx/

 

[ashburtononline]

I think in the current climate it would be unwise to purchase one.

But to answer your question; a "miracle" at this stage till we hear any positive news.

There are a lot of good suggestions but no doubt as photographers we will be thinking along different lines than someone thinking of potentially purchasing Olympus cameras.

Since I have recently purchased the EM1.3 and 12-100 I hope something positive comes out of the negotiations, but I have been laid off a few times now over my working life when organisations close like this. All the talk and promises has no bearing on the final outcome.

LOL ... I just spent NZ$ 4179 on a brand new EM1X .... Yes, I feel a little sick but I've been testing the demo version all weekend and I love it. Too heavily invested in Oly to jump ship. Batteries will be around for a fair few years I hope .... then, I can always just look at it, on my shelf, with my OM4