Yoshihisa Maitani has died

[Obertelli]

He's not dead. Maitani-san lives on in everything he created and in everyone he inspired.

 

[snausages]

What an amazing guy. I've been heavily shooting OM's the past few weeks and just yesterday made a nice 8.5 x 11 print from an OM 2 & 24mm. Thank you Yoshihisa Maitani.

 

[xayraa33]

I took my XA out for a spin on the morning of July 30th
it was that or the Olympus trip 35, the XA won out.
Rest in peace Mr. Maitani

 

[Keith]

His legacy will live on as more and more people pick up his cameras and suddenly realise what they've been missing all these years. Every time I look through the incredible viewfinder of my OM-1 and use it's amazingly intuative controls I'll think of this genius of a man for a long time to come!

 

[mgd711]

As said before...... He has not so much as died but merely moved to a different state of existence.....

 

[urban_alchemist]

XA and Pen F/FT/FV. Two of history's greatest camera systems.

RIP.

 

[splitimageview]

Here is a nice tribute: http://biofos.com/tribute.html

 

[flip]

I've been constructing a Pen FV kit for a few months and even today received a 20mm lens. Once again, I marvel at the compactness not of the pen camera (though it is), but of the system. My 20, 25, 38, 40, and 100 all share a single filter size. The hood that works for the 40 doesn't appear to vignette on the 20. Serious design lessons in play here. I'm thankful he left us parting gifts.:angel:

 

[Sonnar2]

He was the bright star amongst Japanese, mostly unknown (but also great) camera and optical designers who made Japans camera industry rule the world. In contradiction to famous engineers who designed great cameras almost nobody wanted to buy, or could effort to buy, and ruined camera companies - in Germany.
Maitani's output made Olympus a well reputated and successfull operating, big camera company.
From all the cameras he designed his photographical roots can be seen: That he learned photographing with the Leica IIIa of his father. He still believed in small and simple cameras even when Leica left this way - and was proved right by the market. His Four thirds was a better choice than Two thirds: That's why it's still alive today. Moreover, Maitanis cheap halfframe cameras kicked famous Voigtländer out of camera market and proved them wrong: it depends on the camera, and more than one company can build good lenses.
The Pen F camera series continues to be an intelligent and challanging camera system, which is also true for the OM system.
For me, Yoshishisma Maitani was the true successor of Oskar Barnack - which means: he developed and changed things, not kept them the same.
Surely he was the last one of the "big names", legendary engineers and designers. A pity that in the modern camera market there is no place for outstanding persons anymore.
As long as photographers and collectors love the sleek lines of a Pen-F or OM camera and keep using them his creator is still alive.

 

[jmilkins]

Maitani has moved on but film will live on through his genius. RIP.

 

[shadowfox]

A small tribute to Mr. Maitani.

Sayonara, Mr. Maitani