Leica is sending out invitations for the January 16 event. We know for sure that we will receive the SL3-S on that day! The SL3-S is basically the same SL3 camera but with a lower resolution sensor (24mp?) and more affordable price.
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via Weibo and Asobinet
Om Digital CEO Shigemi Sugimoto wrote a letter that has been published on om-digitalsolutions.com. In it he teases the launch of two new products:
we plan to add a new camera to our lineup and bright, compact single-focal-length lenses with splash & dust-proof performance. Additionally, we are continuing to work hard to bring to market the long-awaited mid-range telephoto zoom lens on our lens roadmap by the end of this year
According to latest rumors the camera should be a vintage OM model. I have no info on the bright prime lenses yet, all we know is that a sort of 50-200mm PRO lens is on the roadmap.
This is the full letter:
A Happy New Year.
As we enter our fifth year of business, we are celebrating our achievements over the past four years since OM Digital Solutions Corporation split from Olympus Corporation. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of our customers, stakeholders, suppliers and employees for their continued patronage and support.
2021 was shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic as it changed lives and economies across the globe; creating concern and worry about starting a new company. Whilst transforming into a compact and highly mobile organization, with revamped processes to deliver a profitable business; we also launched our new brand OM SYSTEM. The result has been increases in consolidated revenue and profit for the past three fiscal periods, a trend we expect to continue for the current fiscal period concluding in March.
With an expansion into solution and services, our success has not been limited to the camera and audio markets. Built upon a solid foundation of imaging and optical technology production, we now provide solutions to industrial and academic fields; along with services in high-quality electronics manufacturing; both of which have led to stable profitable growth.
The vision of OM SYSTEM brand for camera and audio equipment is to provide enriching sound and imaging experiences that contribute to the experience of life outdoors for everyone across the world. As we look to the future of the camera business; we will provide more options for compact, lightweight, splash & dust-proof products to expand photographic horizons for our customers. With features like computational photography, our dust reduction system and powerful image stabilization, which have been highly regarded by professional photographers, will be available to both existing and new customers. ‘It’s in our nature.’ is the heartbeat of OM SYSTEM. We create cameras to facilitate a life of curiosity and joyful discovery, enabling you to explore nature’s beauty and, perhaps, uncover forgotten parts of your own being.
Shortly, we plan to add a new camera to our lineup and bright, compact single-focal-length lenses with splash & dust-proof performance. All created to meet the challenges of harsh outdoor environments to ensure that you enjoy not only landscape photography in the great outdoors, but also authentic photos of life every day. Additionally, we are continuing to work hard to bring to market the long-awaited mid-range telephoto zoom lens on our lens roadmap by the end of this year.
We look forward to delighting our customers again with these products and encourage you connect with us on social media or sign-up for our newsletters to keep up to date with these announcements.
Bringing joy, inspiration and excitement through our products drives each and every one of us, and we hope your year ahead will be filled with adventure.
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My take:
I really like the fact that the CEO wrote a personal letter to explain OM Digital’s plans. We need this kind of direct communication to build trust in the company. What are your thoughts on this letter?
As you probably already know, GEN-Z photographers are crazy about affordable fixed-lens compact cameras. That’s why Yashica has just announced two of them:
More specs:
They will be available for reorder sometimes i February. UK price is £219.99 for the Yashica City 100 and £259.99 for the Yashica City 200.
I think it’s great that many Chinese manufacturers want to make new autofocus lenses for various mirrorless systems. But their recent releases have been pretty boring, and I fear this could be the next disappointing launch. If they offer cheap, slow primes, it’s not going to get our attention. I think they should try harder to develop lenses that really add value!
The big Japanese camera store Mapcamera shared the top 10 best-selling cameras and lenses of 2024.
Most sold cameras in 2024:
Most sold lenses in 2024:
What we learn from this:
Shotkit asked 1,000 Photographers What Camera They Use in 2024, And here are the findings:
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Full data can be found on Shotkit.
Capa Camera has published the best-selling devices of the first half of December in its Yodobashi store. It’s a good indicator about how the Christmas sales are going:
Best selling cameras:
Best selling lenses:
Interesting tidbits:
