27 Interview
Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com
Profile MarkThackara ark Thackara is European product manager – PEN for Olympus Europe so perfectly placed to answer questions about Olympus’s latest camera, the PEN-F
It ishasbeenacoupleof years since Photography News last caught up with you. How is it going in the world of Olympus and Micro Four Thirds? Is there anything exciting you want to tell our readers about, apart from the PEN-F of course, which we will get to later? The line-up is very strong and the roadmap looks great. The perceived gap in performance between ‘cameras that do not need a mirror’ and high- end conventional DSLRs has been exceeded in many areas and in others it gets ever closer. The dedicated lens range available is getting pretty comprehensive and as product life cycles settle to more sensible periods of three to four years, we have a firmware programme that really keeps your camera up to date. Get on board! Have you any thoughts on the current camera buying market? The feedback from retailers over the all-important Christmas season seemed mixed with many saying that sales have been static at best compared with the previous year. How is it looking from an Olympus standpoint? Demand exceeded supply for us on key lines but Christmas has changed a lot – it is not at the crazy peak that it was when sub-£100 cameras were at their peak. Everyone is adjusting to ever-faster change. We saw some research recently that highlighted the pace of change. Trends like vinyl to CD took around 14 years while CD to MP3 took only seven and the switch is now even faster. Look at how smartphone photography has made the low-end digital camera market drop off a cliff. That is not a bad thing in many ways as no one could run a business on cheap product and a lot of it was not very good! Photography is largely back to filmdays as a considered purchase so having clear benefits is more important than it ever has been. But on very positive note, whereas 20 years ago maybe one person in five took photographs and then only a few times a year apart from the select few, today almost everyone takes photographs all the time. This means a huge audience is open to the joys of image taking and the potential for better results and experiences froma real camera. We are seeing this in the E-M10 andE-PL7 buyers who are the iPad generation. Let’s move on to Olympus’s latest camera launch which is in-store now and seems very exciting. The PEN-F sounds like an excellent product with a great features list and the look is very ‘retro’ for want of a better word. Please give us some background on the PEN-F, especially its overall design concept. And what is driving this retro trend from some camera brands including Olympus? We get back to cameras and cars. My favourite topics. Most cars have four wheels and the controls in familiar places; while technology allows some tweaking of this – the overall concept is pretty constant. The X factor sets them apart and however sensible we all may be, given the choice, a large number of us would like to go for the sexier car. Cameras are not so dissimilar. It is subjective and these things evolve but this design is driven by a team who wanted to give the PEN-F buyer the pleasure of ownership in the look, feel and the process – to try and make still photography almost meditative. I am thinking
of setting up a therapy centre for 21st century stressed-out citizens based around the PEN-F.
Having said that 16 megapixels was enough, we also said we would not go higher until sensor technology meant that the overall performance – noise anddynamic rangewas at least as good. This sensor achieves this. Add improved processing and we move forward. Many users will appreciate the provision of an EVF as well as a flexible monitor. Do you feel the EVF is a key selling point? While monitors have improved and you can even see things in sunshine now, lots of people prefer a viewfinder and you can see a lot more in a wider range of lighting conditions. The tiny adjustments to saturation and exposure nowpossible aremore visible in an EVF. Creativity is a key sell on the PEN-F with the new Profile Control features, art filters and Colour Creator. It seems you are providing features so users can do more in-camera rather than having to get onto the computer. Is this the way Olympus is thinking now, based on user feedback? In a word, yes. It started with live view and art filters. We take a lot of notice of what users askbut also like to think ahead and inspire. Many of our innovations have been met with some skepticism by the industry and yet are now mainstays in many products – starting with dust reduction. I have a really, really long Powerpoint presentation I can share with you if you like. Lastly on the PEN-F, what is your personal favourite aspect or feature? I love that I can change my art filter directly while I am in ‘A’ mode but that is just me – it used to be a lot more fiddly. And finally, what else can we expect from Olympus in 2016? Any hints for forthcoming products or exciting events our readers should look out for? No hints, but it is Photokina later in September.
Who is the PEN-F aimed at? Is it existing PEN users or does Olympus have people new to the brand in mind? That is simple. Both. It answers many requests from existing owners but will appeal to anyone who is ‘visually educated’. Imagine you’re an architect whose job is all about visuals but not necessarily photography. The PEN-F is a chance to have a camera that feels great, takes stunning pictures and makes your clients envious at meetings – sold. The second highlight on the Olympus press release about the PEN-F says it’s a ‘Collector’s item thanks to iconic design, build quality, high-grade materials and finish.’ Just for clarity, is the PEN-F a limited edition or is this just marketing speak? So you read the press release! Let’s say it’s a little bit of marketing speak. Whilst the PEN-F is certainly not seen as mass market, we will supply to demand – not finite numbers. Do not panic if you want one and they are out of stock. The PEN-F is the first Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera with a 20-megapixel resolution and this sensor does not have an optical low- pass filter (OLPF) for ultimate image quality. Can you expand a little on the technology behind the sensor, please? For example, no OLPF means higher risk of moire and false colour so how has Olympus dealt with that particular issue? Proving that we do listen to our customers, we took the no low-pass filter decision on the E-5 since most people asked for resolution first. Moiré is rarely raised and more easily handled than ever when it appears. The new higher resolution brings with it greater risk of digital noise at high ISO settings too. How has Olympus embraced that particular issue?
Biography
Years in the photo industry? 33 years Current location Hamburg Last picture taken Last week at PEN-F launch When youwere younger, what did youwant to bewhen you grewup? An engineer but I failed to spot which end of a jet engine was which at a Rolls-Royce induction day so changed to economics – hence the banking crisis Dogs or cats? Neither, but if I had to choose, then I’d pick cats Toast or cereal? Cereal then toast Email or phone call? Phone call when I am in the right mood
olympus.co.uk
A camera that feels great, takes stunning pictures and makes your clients envious at meetings
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