Olympus denies that it is reducing DSLR investments

Olympus denied yesterday’s reports, saying that it was going to cut down on DSLR investment, in order to focus on the mirrorless camera business.

A report from the company’s home country said that Olympus was poised to reduce DSLR investments. The company’s sales in that department have dropped significantly, because of the emergence of better image sensors in higher-end Android and iOS smartphones.

Apparently, the camera maker did not find enough reasons to build a successor for the E-5, the single DSLR launched on the market by Olympus since 2010. The report cited official sources, who confirmed that the final plans would be revealed at the end of the current fiscal year which ends on March 31, 2013.

Olympus has officially denied the reports saying that it is cutting down DSLR investments, hence the E-5 is not the company’s last DSLR after all.

Olympus renders “DSLR investment reduction” claims as false

Today, the company was quick to dismiss the claims. Olympus published an official statement on its website which said that it is not going to withdraw from the DSLR business. The reports concerning that significant reduction in DSLR cameras are completely false.

The statement was published by the company’s PR chief, Tetsuo Hyakutake. He added that there are no “such facts” and that Olympus will continue to invest in conventional DSLR cameras. However, the announcement also suggests that the company will “strengthen” its focus on mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.

Digital camera business is indeed losing a lot of money

Olympus did not release a comment regarding its financial expectations for the year ending on March 31. The report said that the digital camera segment is expected to account for a loss of 16 billion yen. That represents roughly $170 million and double the amount it forecast three months ago.

Previously, an Olympus employee hinted that the company would release new DSLRs sometime in the future. At this point, it remains to be seen whether the camera maker will keep its promise made at the CP+ 2013 show or if it is going to cut back on DSLR spending.

Either way, people have strong reasons to believe that the manufacturer has closed down its DSLR shop. We should not jump to conclusions, yet, but do not be surprised if Tetsuo Hyakutake’s statement will prove completely false.

As a result, do not expect to see any Olympus DSLRs within the next few years. Maybe sometime in the distant future the company will return, but for now it is definitely focusing on the mirrorless camera market.