01-18-2024, 10:17 AM
I am in Singapore, the camera market here is dominated by Sony and Canon (which I guess is typical for many markets), with Fujifilm quite popular and widely sold and then Nikon trailing behind. After Nikon it really is niche, you can find OM System and Panasonic but Ricoh Pentax seems to have vanished. If anything Leica seems more widely sold than Olympus and Panasonic. Those general electrical and department stores which still sell cameras are almost always Sony and Canon, with a few doing Fujifilm, you have to look for actual camera shops for other brands.
I have now bought an OM-1 with a 12-100 lens, now I just need the weather to improve (it's been raining here since returning from a Christmas holiday back in England a couple of weeks ago). First impressions are great, the body is just a nice size, compact but the grip is well proportioned and it's a nice fit for the hand. The camera and lens have a wonderful tactile feel, materials feel top notch, fit and finish is superb and there's a lovely almost film like weight and fluidity to the lens zooming action. The lens is quite heavy for MFT but it still very compact and reasonable given the focal length range and it balances nicely on the body. I also liked the Lumix G9, it was a difficult decision but in the end I just thought the OM-1 felt nicer in the hand (though the G9 is also a wonderfully built camera).
I have now bought an OM-1 with a 12-100 lens, now I just need the weather to improve (it's been raining here since returning from a Christmas holiday back in England a couple of weeks ago). First impressions are great, the body is just a nice size, compact but the grip is well proportioned and it's a nice fit for the hand. The camera and lens have a wonderful tactile feel, materials feel top notch, fit and finish is superb and there's a lovely almost film like weight and fluidity to the lens zooming action. The lens is quite heavy for MFT but it still very compact and reasonable given the focal length range and it balances nicely on the body. I also liked the Lumix G9, it was a difficult decision but in the end I just thought the OM-1 felt nicer in the hand (though the G9 is also a wonderfully built camera).