Case study - digital OM/FM - would you buy?

[gavinlg]

Hypothetically;

Olympus discontinues it's 4/3 line, continues producing the m4/3 for a low end system and beginners, and announces an OM5.

Specs:
- Same body as the om4ti, or only very slightly bigger.
- Magnesium construction, weather sealed body, no advance lever (obviously)
- Has a flat/gripless 'classic' body shape as per original OM and nikon FM cameras, and a battery grip like the Olympus OM 'winder' is also released with it, which has a built in 'grip' like the original winder.

- 24 megapixel 35mm/full frame sony sensor ISO 50-12,800
- 4fps
- OM4 metering system
- Same on/off switch as om2
- Shutterspeed dial on lens mount (as OM) and aperture dial on front of lens (as OM)
- ISO dial on left of top plate (where film winder used to be), Exposure comp dial on right of top plate (same dial and location as OM2)

- Viewfinder the same size as the OM viewfinders (iso, shutterspeed, aperture, metering readouts in finder)
- Optional split screen/prism focussing screens for manual focus use with original OM lenses
- 3 cross-type AF points, highly accurate
- 2.5 inch LCD screen

- Continuation of the OM lens line, starting with new OM-ZD lenses, which;
- are of the same basic 'look' and size as the original OM lenses
- Use modern screw-drive AF (for smaller size than USM style focussing)

- Basic menu system like leica M9
- Mirror-lock and timer modes accessible easily
- Dual SD card slot
- 1000 Shot battery life

- RRP of $3000US for the body, or $3300 for the body plus a 50mm f1.8 OM-ZD 'kit' lens.


Now, if you like replace all the Olympus and OM references to Nikon and FM references.

Would you buy or at least be interested in this camera?

 

[Keith]

A digital camera body with a viewfinder like an OM-1 that can take all my Zuiko lenses ... !

I think my heart just skipped a beat!

 

[TXForester]

A digital camera body with a viewfinder like an OM-1 that can take all my Zuiko lenses ... !

I think my heart just skipped a beat!

I've discussed a digital OM-1 on another site. The perfect digital SLR.
On the other site, people talk about all the stuff they would want it to have and do. They don't realize they are describing current DSLRs when they add all that junk. :bang: Given me an OM-1 body with a digital sensor and that is all I need.

 

[Darshan]

If the VF is as big and uncluttered as the OM2n, I am game.
And I don't even want AF, just give me 1-13 screen and MF lenses and I will happily shoot away.

Other stuff that "I" can do without:
spot meter (happy with OM2n meter)
self-timer
LCD
new lens line (old Zuikos are just fine )
auto-focus (did I say that already?)
24 megapixels (12-16 enough for me)

I will pay ~ $2500 for it.

 

[sazerac]

Ah, if only...

 

[andredossantos]

If only a company made a simple, small, manual control (aperture, speeds, etc), full frame digital camera for around (or..under!) $2000!!! Honestly, the first company to do that would get my money-Nikon or Olympus, Sony etc!

I'm not sure what will come first: That dream camera or me saving $7000 for the only other camera that fits that description (M9)!

 

[Spyro]

Absolutely not

To add AF capability to an SLR you need an AF sensor, and that sensor needs to be behind the mirror, which means the mirror needs to be half-slivered, which means you can kiss that beautiful bright viewfinder bye-bye. Nope.

Make it exclusively MF and I would pay an extra $1k

 

[Spyro]

Also: "Viewfinder the same size as the OM viewfinders (iso, shutterspeed, aperture, metering readouts in finder)"

Which OM are we talking about? To add these indications in an SLR finder, you have to make room for them, because they cant be on top of your frame, and to make room for them you have to make the actual VF smaller. The OM1 had the biggest VF ever put on a 35mm camera because all it had was a needle for over/under exposure indication:

No free lunches in the SLR world unfortunately

 

[Darshan]

Just a thought; is it even possible to have such a gigantic VF in a DSLR?
I wonder why haven't anybody been able to come out with one..
Is it technically impossible?
Or DSLR makers think there is no need for the same?

 

[Spyro]

Just a thought; is it even possible to have such a gigantic VF in a DSLR?
I wonder why haven't anybody been able to come out with one..
Is it technically impossible?
Or DSLR makers think there is no need for the same?

The answer was in my previous post
DSLRs have indications in the finder (fstop, ISO, speed etc). These indications cant be overlapping your frame, therefore you have to make room for them in the VF and the only way to do it is to make the actual prism (and projected image) smaller. The OM1 has no indications, just a needle for match metering.

Also DSLRs (and all autofocus slrs) have half-silvered mirrors, and these mirrors only reflect part of the light into the prism. It would be very difficult to light up such a gigantic VF with a half-slivered mirror.

No free lunch... if you want AF and indications you sacrifice VF quality, thats how it goes with SLRs.

 

[JoeV]

One word: X100.

If you're gonna theorize about a digital OM, why not theorize about a digital overlay in the SLR's viewfinder, thus giving you a wider angle of view in the VF?

~Joe

 

[Spyro]

but with the x100 all indications, symbols and bars are outside the actual frame. Same with RF's, there is room outside the frame. With SLRs there isnt, you have to make room.

Do you mean an overlay on the actual frame (which is your field of view?)

 

[Darshan]

No free lunch... if you want AF and indications you sacrifice VF quality, thats how it goes with SLRs.

I hear ya, that's why I don't need AF and other useless stuff in the VF.
If only every camera is tailored to it's user....

 

[Chris101]

...
new lens line (old Zuikos are just fine )
...

One of the reasons the M9 is so expensive is the engineering that went into making the sensor that could accommodate older lenses. The fact is, digital sensors require the light to hit them at a much narrower angle than does film. The older Zuikos are superb for film sensors, but as anyone who has adapted them to the digital Olympus cameras knows, they vignette like crazy - especially the superb, fast, wide angle Zooks.

'Designed for digital' lenses would be a must for the new camera. Therefore they would be autofocus to sell enough to make it worth while, thus the VF would not be so bright, and the camera (and/or lenses) would be bigger ... Not only that, but one of the testers would drop one, so of course the grip would be integral to the camera, winder sized battery case or no. Add in the live view, swivel LCD, the built in flash, and dial-driven shutter speed and aperture (because the odd placement of the controls on classic OMs would chase customers away) ...

and you'd end up with an Olympus made D700 clone.

Not only that, but it wouldn't shoot film, so who in their right mind would want it?

 

[Chris101]

Oh, ps - substituting for FM (or FG style) would be more tenable, because Nikon already makes digitally optimum lenses for their FX cameras, and they would all work. And it'd be a cinch to add AF to the camera. It would still need to be bigger (but FG has a nifty, removable grip.)

 

[Darshan]

'Designed for digital' lenses would be a must for the new camera. Therefore they would be autofocus to sell enough to make it worth while, thus the VF would not be so bright, and the camera (and/or lenses) would be bigger ... Not only that, but one of the testers would drop one, so of course the grip would be integral to the camera, winder sized battery case or no. Add in the live view, swivel LCD, the built in flash, and dial-driven shutter speed and aperture (because the odd placement of the controls on classic OMs would chase customers away) ...

Dang Chris, you just woke me up from a perfectly dreamy sleep :bang::bang:

And brought me back to reality of film

">

OM2n, 28 3.5, AP 100, D76

 

[jky]

Remove the AF from the features list & I'm in!
OM series for me.

 

[Spyro]

But why would Olympus ever make a manual focus camera? Even if they made new mf lenses for it, everybody would buy the old ones because they are (way) cheaper and easy to find. And the money is in lens sales, not camera sales.

I think they only one who would ever try a digital manual focus SLR is someone who already makes new, digitally optimised manual focus lenses for SLR, and they dont have a market already saturated with cheap (and really good) old lenses. So that takes out Nikon and Olympus, but what about Zeiss, CV and Leica?

Hmmm... a digital RTS

 

[Chris101]

Dang Chris, you just woke me up from a perfectly dreamy sleep :bang::bang:

And brought me back to reality of film



OM2n, 28 3.5, AP 100, D76

Beautiful Dan! And you scanned it so it's digital too.

 

[jky]

But why would Olympus ever make a manual focus camera?

...we're dreaming though aren't we? I am anyway... of an OM-2d.


I've always loved the size & handling of the classic OMs, wouldn't the addition of AF make it slightly bulkier?