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I am now gathering info about the next Olympus camera. I hope to get solid info soon. In the meantime let us all know:
[poll id=”274″]
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111 Responses
a 2015 e-m1ii would win camera of the year
I think E-M1II will coming in 2016.
Sony A7Rm2 is the camera of the year. I love/hate Sony cameras (having owned a horrid NEX7) but even I have to give them this one
The Trip 35 sure is cool. My father used to have one back then, and images usually turned out nice. The Trip was a full frame, but still a nice size camera, so why put a 4/3 sensor in it today?
I voted E-M1 II….. but that most likely will not happen until 2016….if there is a camera before that could it be an E-P6? Have not heard anything about a successor to the E-P5…I actually thought Olympus might abandon that line as the E-M10 line seems to have taken over that segment and also falls in line with Olympus’s design philosophy…(central VF). I think admin is alluding to an impending camera announcement? Not sure.
I would like to see Olympus make a small rangefinder style body with a viewfinder aimed at enthusiasts to compete with the GM-5. Something with a better viewfinder than the GM-5, a tilt screen and IBIS, although 5 axis IBIS might be too bulky. Such a camera would be closer to the discontinued GX-7 in size than the GM-5 but that would be fine with me. There is a pretty big gap in size between the GM-5 and the GX-8/OMD bodies.
Except for the EVF (add the VF-4) you’ve just described the E-PL7
GX7 is much too large for such a camera. However, I agree that Olympus needs to get back to the roots of m43 being a smaller camera with excellent IQ.
I agree with you about the specs except that I would prefer the camera to be no bigger than the older PL5 in size: preferably no wider than 110 mm. This should be easily achievable.
the next Olympus is the em1 mk2 …..coming at the beginning of 2016!
I am assuming the next Olympus camera will be a Pen. It will be announced in Febuary 2016 and will be the grand prize for the contest Olympus is having. The order of prises are:
3rd place: E-M10 Mkii
2nd place: E-M5 Mkii
1st place: E-M1
Grand place: New Pen plus cash.
Now I have no details.on the new Pen, but it does look like one will be announced a week or so before CP+ show in Febuary 2016.
The E-M1 replacement should be announced at Photokina in September 2016.
they should make an trip camera with fixed lens eq. 28mm or 35mm with 4/3 sensor.
EP6 with viewfinder please!
I would like to see a small and simple picture taking cheap camera with good solid physical controls. I would really like to see something similar to the e-m10 II but without the built in viewfinder and some cost cutting to make it cheaper. Just don’t cut good physical controls.
Get an EP5.
Only that’s way more expensive than the EM-10 II for less camera. What I really want is a dual dial E-PL7. Cheaper, Simple Features, Great Pictures.
E-P5 with 14-42IIR is selling for 499 Euros now. That is cheaper than E-M10II body
That’s not how it is here (Canada). The E-P5 body is 999 while the E-M10 II is 749 at Henrys at least. Even then it’s about out of my price range. An E-PL7 is more like 549 which I find much more reasonable, if only it had 2 dials.
2 years ago this would have had hundreds of excited comments.
18 months ago it would have generated 100.
6 months ago, lots of us would be excited.
Personally, I’ve given up hope on Olympus making a Pen shaped body with an integrated EVF and high end features.
They are focused on the OMD lineup. I love my EM1 but my next body will likely be a Panasonic if I stay in M43.
Oly is making great lenses. So if sensors continue to be stuck at 16mp and the current ISO quality (which is fine), I hope they do some AF f/1.0 weather sealed primes.
But it is time for a second format along with M43, which is fully mature.
Forget TripD. Give us a medium format X100t style camera.
You left out the EPL8.
E-7? Can it be the E-7? There’s still a need for a pro camera, and not a dinky little matchbox-sized toy.
Well that’s a reasoning I haven’t heard for a long time. Probably because everyone has moved on. Or are you still using your E-5 for professional work?
Nah, he’s just having fun.
That’s right – I’m having fun with my E-series camera. I can’t have fun with tiny u4/3 stuff. It’s very small, and I’m a Man, with Normal Hands, who requires a battery grip on the E-5 to make it comfortable to use.
??? The E-series have the same 4/3 size sensor as mft except they’re old tech.
Why does it have to be the size of a shoe box?
Really? That thing again?
Just buy one on eBay, with a few boxes of film and gave a ball.
You’ll get over retro madness soon enough.
Must be a no news day…
Just bought a Rollei 35S black on ebay coming on Tuesday. Now need to buy film. Any recommendations for b&w and color?
Cool!
Sheesh. I haven’t shot film in ages.
I loved Kodachrome 200, but alas, it is no more… ?
I keep thinking about digging out my Nikon FM2 or Pentax Spotmatic…
that’s as far as it gets.
Available – Kodak ColorPlus, Fujifilm Superia, Fujicolor, Kodak Ektar, and that’s just a quick look.
Just do it, you could have some interesting conversations. 😉
Here’s something that’s waaaaaaay more interesting…
http://photorumors.com/2015/10/08/voigtlander-is-considering-to-start-a-new-line-of-digital-cameras/
Indeed it is.
That would be fun!
It is. Thanks for telling us. 🙂
That sounds more like “Hey, you know what would be cool?” kind of speculation. Kinda doubt there’s anything more to it.
They did however announce that they will bring their wide angle VM lenses to Sony E-mount. And unlike their MFT lenses, those will actually talk with the camera. More here: http://voigtlaender.com/news.html
Looks like Sony is starting to get some more traction with third party lens makers. I wonder if by the end of next year they might end up having a better lens line-up than MFT.
Fixed lens seems such a waste of the advantage of the smaller sensor. They can easily make something like a 24-50mm lens and still end up with a camera smaller than, say, the X100.
Agreed.
Instead, why not release a few high quality pancake lenses like the Panasonic 20mm or 14mm. AND upgrade the 17mm f2.8… faster and better image quality.
I have the feeling Olympus does not have the same manufacturing technology as Panasonic for aspheres, and that’s why they don’t have pancakes and some of the comparable lenses are larger than panasonics.
Since you mentioned 24-50mm zoom, I assume that you mean zoom lens by fixed lens. I think size and weight of fixed zoom lens camera heavily depend on lens specs and quality. Look at RX10 which has 1″ sensor in it. And it’s lot bigger than X100 or GR. I hardly think 4/3 sensor can be said “small”, when it comes to fixed zoom lens camera.
? The RX10 is a 24-200 equivalent; of course, it is big. Rather check the RX100, which has the same sensor and either a 28-100 or a 24-70 zoom and is significantly smaller than a X100.
I’m not teaching you, sorry. I’m just not sure that it can be absoultely smaller when sensors being smaller and zoom ranges being reasonable, because LX7 is bigger than RX100 mk III. But there’s claim that LX7 has better corner-to-corner IQ than RX100, that’s why I’m telling about lens quality for size of the camera, not absolute sensor size.
Oh, absolutely no problem, I am not a lens designer; but a short zoom certainly seems feasible. if it isn’t a 24-50, then a 24-35. For example, the 12-32 Pana is tiny and longer than what I am suggesting (albeit not excellent or fast). Cameras like the X100 are big because of ergonomic considerations and the optical viewfinder.
The x100 lens is pretty compact. I’d prefer something between the x100 35mm and 40mm or maybe 45mm equivalent field of view. They could make it a bit faster, 1.8 or 1.6 or even 1.4 and still keep it about as compact as the x100 lens. A zoom would be boring and slow if it’s compact, or big and heavy if it’s fast.
And a fixed prime, dedicated to sensor and body, could be compact, fast, sharp: a perfectly matching all in one lens.
The Yashica T4 could do it on full frame. The Trip could do it. Surely a modern day high tech m43 sensor compact fixed prime camera should be a reason to pour champagne?
“The x100 lens is pretty compact.” That’s precisely what I meant, the camera is big for other reasons; plenty of space to play around. Why would a, say, 12-18mm f2.8 lens be more boring than Yashica’s 35mm f3.5?
Haha! Yes, that’s a tricky question.
A back digital faceplate for my iPhone with a retracting zoom lens
OM-16 full frame camera….. (film)
E-PM5 with an EVF (kind of a GX8 but smaller and as good if not better, especially c-AF wise)
None, Oly needs to wait for a major breakthrough in sensor technology like 14bit, global shutter, 20mp+, handheld Pixel Shift Resolution, native ISO 50-100, 1-stop improvement in DR and high ISO, before releasing the E-M1II. Another 16mp or GX8 sensor are a waste of time, the current cameras are good enough to hold on to until then, just keep improving them via firmware.
as a user, I agree – that’s my wish list pretty much – but this has close to zero chance of happening. remember, they want your *repeat* business.
now if they would offer substantial new features through paid firmware…
would you pay 300 bucks for (most of) the top features on the em10II/em5II on your current cam? I know I would.
E-M1 II at half the price of the E-M1 thanks to ‘made in Vietnam’!
Joking aside, I paid more for the E-M1 than I ever planned to pay for a camera, and after one year I’m still so happy with it that I expect to use it for at least as long as I used its predecessor, which was the E-30 that I used for five years…
“Made in Vietnam” means more money for the yakuza! ?
There’s zero need to for a new model. We just need better versions of existing products. Sensor leap is more important if you ask me.. Better ISO and way better DR. Having stupid number of models all basically the same. 1 pen, 2 EMs is plenty, and 1 fixed lens variant and just make better sensors.
Haha, it’s funny, it looks like I was the only one to vote for an E-PM5. I was thinking it would be great to have a camera comparable size to the GM5 / GF7, but with 3-axis IBIS and a reasonable price tag and the recent software improvements that debuted on the E-M10 II. The E-PL7 is much larger…
Doesn’t really matter what is Oly’s next camera but it’s the matter if it will have
new sensor for it’s next camera . No New Sensor , No Camera please !
Well! That’s a very refreshing viewpoint!
They sell more cameras to newcomers to m43 and most people won’t buy an old camera. If Olympus don’t release any cameras until they have a new sensor, they will go out of business. Is that what you want?
What they really need to do is release the camera which they think will get them most sales (or rather, profits) while using the components they can get now. This generally means replacing something old which isn’t selling well any more.
I know that theory .
Just wonder how long again for Oly to keep recycle that 16MP sensor ?
Maybe another 1 year more since sales still quite good .
Eh, you said Panasonic G7 is OK to use the same old sensor when it was released.
Hypocrisy exposed.
Hello there , now is almost end of 2015 & coming to 2016 , about 2 months away .
Still that 16MP sensor in 2016 ? Think about it .
Sensor breakthrough will come in due time. Until then, Olympus needs to offer something new, up to date and marginally improved at best: if not for me or the forum dweller, for the new customer. That’s how Canon and Nikon stays on top.
Well of course an E-M1MKII makes the most sense however, resources permitting, a full frame version that would compete with the A7 series would be delightful. I have always preferred Olympus styling and haptics over Sony.
Hope for an E-P6 and that it is equivalent to an E-M1 in a premium RF style body.
Anything that has decent sensor video readout.
And I want something GM1 sized with IBIS.
GM5+IBIS for me. Need the EVF
Wasn’t E-PM2 pretty close? You gotta have some space for IBIS mechanics, so…
They should make something with a lens at the front, a user at the back and profits in the bank.
Gimmie new E-M1 with new sensor. I’m still rocking my E-M5, and only reason I haven’t upgraded: It has pretty much everything I want, and only a new sensor (with meaningful changes) will get me to upgrade.
The best hope in 2016 is Sony’s BSI sensor or whatever secret sensor they have. still no positive news about Fuji/Panasonic organic sensor.
EM-1 and EP6 should come out together. I personally prefer an EP6 but I get that I’m the minority. At I’m assuming 1k it’ll be a hard sell anyway given the EM5 II and EM10 II which have really made the OMD line-up quite compelling now.
Olympus has to many similar products spec. wise. This becomes more a matter of personal taste over any really performance increases. If they do come out with an EP6 I prefer it NOT have an EVF bulge on the side.
loved my ep1, ep2 and still love my ep5, so yeah I’m looking forward to the ep6.
but it needs to move the pen series forward, all the while, being priced competitively.
an rf style evf + all the fancy multi shot techniques (hdr, stacking, hires,…) is what I am hoping for.
ep1: 899$ (with 17mm and vf1) 749$ (body only)
ep2: 1099$ (with 14-42 and vf2)
ep3: 899$ (14-42 no vf)
ep5: 1449$ (17mm and vf4) 999$ (body only
incomplete info, and hard to compare – but it seems the EPx has been going up in price every single release – with a real jump for the ep5. if the ep6 continues that trend, without delivering something groundbreaking (new sensor, or new headline feature) it’s going to be a very tough sell.
Improved IBIS and High Res capture would do it for me.
“it seems the EPx has been going up in price every single release – with a real jump for the ep5.”
All while yen and prices of comparable competition were falling. Just shows complete incompetence of people responsible for setting prices at Olympus – and loss of market share to Sony and even half-baked EOS M was the expected consequence.
Well, you’re not alone, but still a minority. I also voted ep6, because that epx wasn’t really a lesser line of cameras, it shouldn’t just be forgotten.
EVF bulge on the side? You mean like the Olympus Trip? That’s not that much of a bulge? I’d say use the space they used for the ep5 flash and put a nice (tiltable) EVF in there. Get the rest of the specs as much up to date as possible, okay, add some olympus style unexpected surprises, and there’s the ep6.
But an E-P6 without viewfinder is not attractive enough. The E-P5 wasn’t very successful, because it was basically the e-M5 without the viewfinder in an expensive package.
Anyway, you are spot on, Olympus’ line-up has no place for an E-P6 with or without viewfinder. Without, it’s too similar to E-PL, with viewfinder, to similar to E-M5
First wish, make Trip Camera Fever go away. We have LX100 and RX100 type cameras to fit the role. No cure? Put the 20mm f1.7 Panny on a closeout E-M10! Just wait.
to me, a fixed lens camera like that, would be a camera I always carry with me to make great snapshots – so I would want it to deliver instant perfect images (jpgs) straight out of the camera. I do prefer Olympus for precisely that, and I don’t think I’m alone.
So yeah, for a fixed lens camera, I would like an offering from Olympus. It’s not Trip fever, never had one, don’t know it.
It is true. The Olympus JPEG engine is one of the best in the business. Lots of folk like the Olympus take on the perky color palette. The recent change of color space direction from Panasonic goes straight in the direction of Olympus, so if that were my priority for a snapshot camera, I would wish for an XZ-3 brick, including recessed viewfinder and one-inch, a la RX100, to fit the bill. The thing I want worse, however, is the stacked, BSI sensor mentioned in recent Olympus patent that looks like a FourThirds take on the stacked, BSI full frame sensor Sony is putting at the top of its full frame line. Put it in another OM-D!
But why would you need it from Olympus? A trip remake would have a fixed focal length lens, making it less versatile than most other big sensor compacts. Not to mention that you can actually buy such a take-everywhere camera right now. It’s not something Olympus can innovate with.
They should give Sony RX1 a run for its money with a stylish FF fixed-lens camera. 🙂
But I doubt they would take that kinda risk.
Big problem — other brand lenses would have to be adapted, retooling would be enormously costly — so, not gonna happen. Sony’s Ace is the best sensor tech and they’re not about to give away that advantage.
Why would you need to adapt lenses? He’s talking about a fixed lens FF camera.
Not only would it involve yet another competing camera line in an already crowded market, but it would involve yet another lens line for end users to acquire. I don’t think the users would buy into making their existing investments obsolete (thus I don’t think the manufacturer would make such a decision). One of the big pluses of the existing m43 system is that it allows the use of so much existing fine glass due to the short distance of the mount. So many different adapters have been developed. We are even seeing some adapters for other brand digital lenses 🙂
How is that market crowded? Up until 3 months ago, there was just one fixed-lens camera with Full-Frame sensor. And that was Sony RX1 (not counting the R variant). Just recently, Leica entered that market with their Q. So there was a decent period of time when there was pretty much no competition. Now that Leica entered the market, it might indeed make it futile for any other company to enter that niche. But still, I think Olympus could come up with something very interesting in that segment and undercut both Sony and Leica. Not that I think they would.
As for lenses, none of the things you wrote are even relevant. A fixed lens is a fixed lens and they can make it whatever they want. And there’s no issue of any lens line-up at all, as there would be no such thing.
Olympus Trip 35D, make it like a Ricoh GR with a 35mm f1.8 and a slight retro styling spin. TAKE MY MONEY!
Olympus OM-D cinema camera 😛
The Olympus EM1 is already highly evolved and MkII is obviously in the pipeline, but as the flagship model it needs to be fully fleshed-out with its technology, features, engineering and manufacturing precision in order to distinguish it from the rest of the line. I expect the next gen IBIS will be another groundbreaker. However, I think it’s too soon for that to happen, and since Olympus already has updated the EM5 and EM10, I voted for a new rangefinder-style EP6 that could compete with the newer Panasonic and Fujifilm cameras. As much as I look forward to a new EM1, I would bet on a PEN being their next product launch.
It does not matter what they are going to release if they price quarter-sensor cameras higher than FF cameras (like A7) are going for, let alone their APS-C competitors. Olympus must fix brain rot of their distributors if they hope to sell anything in decent numbers.
OM-D E-M2 with my list of requests (because the world should revolve around me) 🙂
1. 20mp BSI sensor with cleaner high ISO and better DR than the current E-M1.
2. 4K internal with pro bit rates, peaking, zebras, headphone, and mic jacks
3. AF-C with predictive tracking that actually competes with DSLRs.
4. Much improved power handling and a grip that takes two higher capacity batteries (and doesn’t have to be removed from the body to charge a battery).
5. Dual card slots. I don’t care if the second card slot is in the portrait grip. That could work fine.
6. E-1 level weather sealing.
7. Increased size/resolution of EVF with best optics available.
8. Film SLR style split screen viewfinder overlay that actually works.
9. Deep buffers. 1/8000 max shutter.
10. Electric first curtain shutter option.
11. Slightly better ergonomics.
12. Better/more accurate focus peaking (and an option for reverse focus peaking where the out of focus areas are opaque).
13. Window in a window center magnification focus check.
14. Super pixel shift resolution that is fast enough to use hand held.
15. Option to select focus on the touch screen like a mouse pad.
16. Completely revamped UI that groups settings more logically and has a user defined super control panel like a smartphone home screen. (Bringing menus into this century!)
17. Eye sensor sensitivity customization. (Scale of 1-5).
18. Eye sensor touchless shutter.
That’s not asking to much is it?
Cheers, Seth
I don’t think it is, either. I’m still missing two features, though, which are so important that even dpreview finally complains if they’re not found in an at least half-serious camera:
* Configurable Auto-ISO (one thing to include here could be an “Auto-ISO shift” feature similar to the “Ps” mode shift, but between shutter speed and ISO)
* Exposure compensation in M + Auto-ISO mode
If that camera got released I’d buy it right away! Great list of features! I personally would also like built-in GPS (which can easily be turned on or off please) but only if it fits in a body the same size the current E-M1 is…
Apart from that this is basically what I wish for, too! Thanks for writing it down!
The EVF should be super high resolution like all these “retina” displays and at list 4x more pixels than the current ones!
Yeah, add GPS. Good call. I’m fine with the same size body with slightly refined ergonomics as long as the vertical grip packs the battery space for 1000+ shots and never has to be removed. That’s how I roll. As for the EVF, higher resolution and refresh rate so it doesn’t tear or “sludge” when waved around is a balance. BTW, I think a few of the ideas above are original: split screen overlay that works in 8, reverse peaking in 12, smartphone customizable super control panel in 16, and eye sensitivity sensitivity scale in 17. These are things out of my head that I think would be considerable innovations. Let me know if you’ve seen them elsewhere.
Waterproof fixed lens camera with 4/3 sensor. High quality action cam, perfect travel snapshot cam
A high quality action cam would be great to throw into a kit bag as a back-up option when weather conditions are too extreme to use a m43 body
Olympus XA. Digital.
Highest quality pics in your jeans pocket.
Charge via usb
Pocketable fixed prime camera.
Clamshell design
No evf just ovf
Hotshoe
No screen!
Use smartphone to control, view and edit pics if desired.
A wet dream!
E-P6 or E-PM5 – but with a EVF. If they do it, I might replace my GX7 with it.
And I mean built-in EVF, not add-on.
I think you’re describing the E-M10 II.
Except presumably he wants the EVF in the top corner rather than in a hump in in the center that’s higher than the rest of the camera. Though if I recall an Olympus exec has said before that they wouldn’t put an EVF in the corner because they think having the EVF line up with the lens makes it a better shooting experience. Also such a camera would be too similar to the E-M10.
Heads up, Olympus. How about an XZ-3W, with 6mm-13mm f/2 zoom (16mm-48mm 35mm equivalent), 1-inch sensor, an EVF with at least VF-2 resolution and an articulated LCD that can be flipped and closed against the back, to keep skin oil off of it when using the EVF. And please, make that EVF switch on automatically when held up to the eye, with the LCD switching off at the same time.
The ultimate PEN for street photography, (with EVF, this time!!) basically something to really compete with the GX8, LX100, A6000 and Fuji X-E2, in a PEN shaped and size featuring all the goodies from the EM-5ii
The Olympus wish list, we must admit, has a brand affinity built in, one tied frequently to the idea that Nikons are for snobs two rungs up the financial ladder, many of whom do not actually know what to do with their cameras. Otherwise we could make a wish list, disregard brands, and go shopping for any camera that comes close. We are, moreover, quite used to the idea that the duopoly is self-serving, with very little of innovation on our behalf, mostly trickle down, piecemeal efforts from on high. We also tend to like Fuji cameras for similar reasons. We are, however, divided on the Pen question. Some think the brick shape is tops, others no. We are united on small, nifty, and powerful. Everything on the wish list fits beneath.
For me, I must admit, Nikon and Canon have a brand affinity tied frequently to soccer moms and kit lenses.
In terms of brand affinity, I certainly ended up with Olympus cameras because I had a long experience with Olympus 35mm cameras, thus had a number of OM mount glass which I liked. If I had other mount legacy glass, I would have most likely gone with other digital cameras which let me use those existing investments 🙂 Largely just a matter of economy for the user 🙂
I dont get the “a m43 trip 35 with a 24mm/28mm/35mm/40mm/50mm/60mm/90mm equ fixed lens” thing.
Isnt that just an epl5/epl7/emp2/gf7/gx7/gm1/gm5 with the 14mm/15mm/17mm/19mm/20mm/25mm/30mm/45mm lens on it? Plus with inbuilt potential flexibility.
The 14 and 20 on the epm2/gm5 are the obvious combination choices due to size.
As you were.
If you have a fixed lens, you don’t have to take the mount with flange distance into consideration, so for example you can move the lens closer to the sensor, and make the whole package more compact. Or you could improve the optical quality of the lens (as you can’t change it, it should be stellar).
The biggest problem with fixed focal length is the lack of flexibility. All recent big sensor compacts came with a (modest) zoom, and I don’t think a fixed fl lens would appeal to many.
Fuji X100 series? Ricoh GR?
I agree with the first part of your comment, but I see the modest zoom as a compromise.
The Trip35 form factor certainly gets a lot of support over the years here on this site 🙂
Sieg Heil Macro43