47th_vacuum_space
Member
I think m4/3 has proved more popular than either company imagined, and the market demographic a little different from the one they envisioned.It appears to me that neither company is reaching their full potential in the micro 4/3 market. Olympus has the retro styling, in-body IS, but the EVF, no matter how good it may be, looks like a complete design afterthought. The Olympus menu system is far too complicated compared to the Panasonic. On the other hand, Panasonic has continuing serious channel distribution problems. Why is it so difficult for them to build to the demand?
Also, I think Japanese users are probably less concerned than western users about the menu systems. We're coming from a German-camera mindset, in which things are simple but reliable...the Japanese market seems to value extra options over doing one thing well. That said, these cameras do seem to do most things very well.