OM-1 Mark II is very expensive!: Micro Four Thirds Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review (2024)

5

Pete_W wrote:

I received an email from a camera store I've purchased from in the past with pre-order information for the new OM-1 Mark II and the two new lenses.

Here are the prices in Australian dollars:

• OM-1 Mark II: $3,799
  • OM System OM-1 Mark II Mirrorless Camera Body Only (camerapro.com.au)
• 150-600mm lens: $4,499
  • OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 IS Lens (camerapro.com.au)
• 9-18mm lens: $999
  • OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 II Lens (camerapro.com.au)

This is all very expensive!!

The list price for the Sigma 150-600mm for L-mount here is $2,409 but it can be bought from some outlets as low as $1,615. I don't know how OM can justify that price tag.

OM is either kidding itself or maybe it knows that it has gullible customers.

Yes... up to 50% more expensive than it could be argued it is worth (new lenses and camera). If you already have a lot of m43 gear, you might consider and accept the pain to get a new item, but if you were looking to put together a new system from scratch... ???

It's not the best strategy to grow a customer base for OMDS... IMHO.

glassoholic wrote:

Pete_W wrote:

I received an email from a camera store I've purchased from in the past with pre-order information for the new OM-1 Mark II and the two new lenses.

Here are the prices in Australian dollars:

• OM-1 Mark II: $3,799
  • OM System OM-1 Mark II Mirrorless Camera Body Only (camerapro.com.au)
• 150-600mm lens: $4,499
  • OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 IS Lens (camerapro.com.au)
• 9-18mm lens: $999
  • OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 II Lens (camerapro.com.au)

This is all very expensive!!

The list price for the Sigma 150-600mm for L-mount here is $2,409 but it can be bought from some outlets as low as $1,615. I don't know how OM can justify that price tag.

OM is either kidding itself or maybe it knows that it has gullible customers.

Yes... up to 50% more expensive than it could be argued it is worth (new lenses and camera). If you already have a lot of m43 gear, you might consider and accept the pain to get a new item, but if you were looking to put together a new system from scratch... ???

It's not the best strategy to grow a customer base for OMDS... IMHO.

The OM-1 is discounted by $800 less that the OM-1.2 and it's every bit as good as it was two years ago. No one is forcing anyone to buy the OM-1.2.

3

drj3 wrote:

Pete_W wrote:

drj3 wrote:

Pete_W wrote:

Jappie52 wrote:

Oh, I won't be buying it!

Quick comparison:

• Panasonic S5 Mark II full frame camera with Sigma 150-60mm DG DN Sport can be bought here in Australia for a total of about $4,300.
  • the Sigma lens can be used with 1.4x and 2.0x L-Mount teleconverters to get up to 1200mm
• OM-1-II M4/3 camera with 150-60mm will sell for $8,300.

Absolutely no contest.

Are you seriously comparing a 24MP FF camera with a maximum 7fps AFC with its mechanical shutter (you would not want to use the electronic shutter with wildlife due to the slow readout speed) for wildlife using a 150-600mm lens which will need a 2x TC to match the OM1 to obtain the same FF FOV and have only a 4MP advantage. You will have poorer resolution with a 2xTC and no significant pixel advantage and the 2xTC will significantly affect focus.

Yep! I sure am.

I don't shoot wildlife, other than my son's Labrador in the backyard. Not everyone shoots tiny birds a kilometre from the lens.

That's the problem with most comparisons in this forum - just about every analysis is done from the viewpoint of a very narrow set of criteria as if that's the only thing photographers need and must have or the camera is a failure. It ain't!

If you don't shoot wildlife, then you probably are not very interested in a 150-600mm lens even at a lower price. The reason for a 150-600mm lens on the OM1 is to get a 1200mm FF equivalent FOV for wildlife. The Panasonic S5.2 would be a poor choice compared to a Sony A1 or a Nikon Z9 or Z8 with a 150--600mm lens which is a much better comparison to the OM1.

As a camera, the Panasonic S5.2 is a very good FF camera. It has a relatively small pixel count which should speed frame rates and it has low noise and very good IQ.

Unfortunately its 30 fps frame rate suffers from a slow readout (not unusual for a non-stacked sensor) limiting it usefulness for moving targets. A slow maximum AFC mechanical shutter frame rate makes it a poor choice for wildlife.

While a low pixel count is an advantage for potentially faster sensor readout, it is a disadvantage in that you cannot crop to obtain a 1200mm FOV (you would have only 6MP). You would need to use a 2xTC to obtain the 1200mm equivalent FOV causing reduced resolution and poorer focus performance.

As I said, and I think your response agrees with this, the benefits of this new camera and lens combo are very narrowly targeted on a niche segment of photography. At that price, you could buy a full frame camera from a number of other vendors and do better.

1

All in advanced state of development at the time of the transfer of ownership very most likely. OMDS has yet to develop anything from the ground up suggesting they are still in survival mode.

And you'll probably be saying the same thing in 10 years...

Anyway, the transfer of ownership is just that - ownership. So far as the development and production teams are concerned, it's just a continuum. If Olympus Cameras had not become OM System, what exactly do you think would be different today, hmm? The drip feed of minor E-M1 enhancements, the E-M5 MIIb, sorry MkIII, rebadged (allegedly) Sigma lenses - none of this started under JIP/OMDS ownership.

Gary from Seattle wrote:

Lens: £2,499 - The Sigma lens in alternative mounts is between £850 and £1,000 here.

Making the unproven statement that it is a Sigma lens

What proof would you accept?

1

An alternative view, its only money, if you can't afford it either find a better deal or don't buy it.

Mine is on pre-order, but as I am housebound I can't spend money on things like holidays, cars, dining out, so its a no brainer

Others clearly see it differently, which is fine

BryanHL wrote:

MarkAndrewsUK wrote:

OM will be pricing it on the basis that there’s a smaller customer base for a 300-1200mm (equiv.) lens, so it may not necessarily sell as many units as a 150-600mm (equiv.), but for those who are in the market for that kind of lens they are likely able or willing to pay more to make up for the lower sales numbers…

Smaller customer base or not, there has been a lot of conversation comparing the price of the FF 150-600 Sigmas to the new OM m43 one but not a lot of mention of its 1200 efl. So in respect of its utility I can understand it being more expensive. But I think OM are milking it,

The Canon R7 (32MP at a higher pixel density 9.81 MP/cm²) vs OM-1(20MP at pixel density 9.06 MP/cm²) beats it for reach and you get a little space of 12MP for framing and cropping the same size image.

The Sigma Canon EF version of the same 150-600mm lens is for £849 instead of the OM variation £2499 There is also a Nikon version of the same lens same £849 price Amazon UK.

Necip wrote:

BryanHL wrote:

MarkAndrewsUK wrote:

OM will be pricing it on the basis that there’s a smaller customer base for a 300-1200mm (equiv.) lens, so it may not necessarily sell as many units as a 150-600mm (equiv.), but for those who are in the market for that kind of lens they are likely able or willing to pay more to make up for the lower sales numbers…

Smaller customer base or not, there has been a lot of conversation comparing the price of the FF 150-600 Sigmas to the new OM m43 one but not a lot of mention of its 1200 efl. So in respect of its utility I can understand it being more expensive. But I think OM are milking it,

The Canon R7 (32MP at a higher pixel density 9.81 MP/cm²) vs OM-1(20MP at pixel density 9.06 MP/cm²) beats it for reach and you get a little space of 12MP for framing and cropping the same size image.

The Sigma Canon EF version of the same 150-600mm lens is for £849 instead of the OM

it is not the same Sigma, unlike 10-400, this time OM based on a latest version of 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS

variation £2499 There is also a Nikon version of the same lens same £849 price Amazon UK.

this is "Contemporary" cheaper model, "Sport" version is about 2x price

3

SonyX wrote:

Necip wrote:

BryanHL wrote:

MarkAndrewsUK wrote:

OM will be pricing it on the basis that there’s a smaller customer base for a 300-1200mm (equiv.) lens, so it may not necessarily sell as many units as a 150-600mm (equiv.), but for those who are in the market for that kind of lens they are likely able or willing to pay more to make up for the lower sales numbers…

Smaller customer base or not, there has been a lot of conversation comparing the price of the FF 150-600 Sigmas to the new OM m43 one but not a lot of mention of its 1200 efl. So in respect of its utility I can understand it being more expensive. But I think OM are milking it,

The Canon R7 (32MP at a higher pixel density 9.81 MP/cm²) vs OM-1(20MP at pixel density 9.06 MP/cm²) beats it for reach and you get a little space of 12MP for framing and cropping the same size image.

The Sigma Canon EF version of the same 150-600mm lens is for £849 instead of the OM

it is not the same Sigma, unlike 10-400, this time OM based on a latest version of 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS

variation £2499 There is also a Nikon version of the same lens same £849 price Amazon UK.

this is "Contemporary" cheaper model, "Sport" version is about 2x price

The Sigma 150-600mm sport in Sony mount costs £1080 the new OM version costs almost 2.5x as much

Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens (Sony E Mount) Best UK Price - Compare Prices Here - UK Stock (camerapricebuster.co.uk)

SonyX wrote:

Necip wrote:

BryanHL wrote:

MarkAndrewsUK wrote:

OM will be pricing it on the basis that there’s a smaller customer base for a 300-1200mm (equiv.) lens, so it may not necessarily sell as many units as a 150-600mm (equiv.), but for those who are in the market for that kind of lens they are likely able or willing to pay more to make up for the lower sales numbers…

Smaller customer base or not, there has been a lot of conversation comparing the price of the FF 150-600 Sigmas to the new OM m43 one but not a lot of mention of its 1200 efl. So in respect of its utility I can understand it being more expensive. But I think OM are milking it,

The Canon R7 (32MP at a higher pixel density 9.81 MP/cm²) vs OM-1(20MP at pixel density 9.06 MP/cm²) beats it for reach and you get a little space of 12MP for framing and cropping the same size image.

The Sigma Canon EF version of the same 150-600mm lens is for £849 instead of the OM

it is not the same Sigma, unlike 10-400, this time OM based on a latest version of 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS

variation £2499 There is also a Nikon version of the same lens same £849 price Amazon UK.

this is "Contemporary" cheaper model, "Sport" version is about 2x price

The sports DG DN OS version is going for £1099 in the usual UK outlets so £250 more

Although I've seen you can get it between £889.00 to most expensive £1,339 for the Sony version.

Still a big difference still to the £2499 OM version pre-order 2.5 x

4

Pete_W wrote:

• 9-18mm lens: $999
  • OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 II Lens (camerapro.com.au)

This is all very expensive!!

9-18 is probably one of the worst lens I have ever used. With poor sharpness, crazy CA, flimsy ribbon cables, the lens is prone to fail even if you follow its manual and operate as advised. Its only benefit is being compact.

The new one, I have heard that it is using same optics and lens design, which means, it wouldn't much better than the original in most situations. If so, then why shouldn't I buy a used Pana7-14 F4 instead? (FYI, the Pana7-14, is a very good built UWA lens).

1

cyuill2007 wrote:

The OM-1 Mark II and 150-600mm lens are built to a high standard. The OM-1 Mark II is a pro-level camera. The lens has weather sealing, which its Sigma counterpart definitely lacks.

The lens is kind of pricey. But the camera price doesn’t seem to be, for what it is.

The Sigma counterpart is the Sport DG DN model, which has WR. The Contemporary one doesn't. There is also an older DSLR 150-600 which is almost certainly a different optical design.

Andrew

3

drj3 wrote:

Regor250 wrote:

Gary from Seattle wrote:

Diacyclops81 wrote:

The first sentence in press release stopped me. Claiming it to be “wholly original” is stretching firmware upgrades a bit far. No interest in version II, it doesn’t even supersede version I enough to lower the used prices for previous models. I haven’t seen anything at all from OM System that is truly, wholly original, camera body or lens, nor do I expect there will be anything forthcoming.

The OM-1 and 150-400 and 90 macro. Vast hyperbole in your statement.

All in advanced state of development at the time of the transfer of ownership very most likely. OMDS has yet to develop anything from the ground up suggesting they are still in survival mode.

I am not sure there has been any camera ground up developments since autofocus, film replacement, and mirrorless. What constitutes ground up, a new camera body or a new sensor developed by Sony for OM Systems?

Well said. OMDS is a very new company. Even if they purchased infrastructure, licensing, had a decent percent of staff transition over... there can be a LOT going on behind the doors as part of a company being purchased and the transitions that come with that. Couple all that with the process occurring when global supply chain issues continue to impact a wide number of business sectors. Unsurprising they want to get something out the door with their name on it. Is the OM-1 II a revolutionary camera? Not really. But, the OM-1 is an incredible camera, so an the II is an incredible camera with upgrades. The 150-600 will be a great option for many who do intimate landscape, birds and other wildlife and reaches well beyond the 100-400s that have been the main go-to and furthest reach option without TC.

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