Samsung Reportedly Partnering With Olympus To Its Elevate Mobile Camera Systems

A recent rumour is suggesting that Samsung may be teaming up with Japanese camera maker Olympus (now operated by OM Digital Solutions) for some form of collaboration. It’s not confirmed on what the expected goal of this partnership would be, but it is speculated that it may involve the further development of the Korean brand’s mobile camera tech for its future smartphones.

News of this was first shared by leakster Yogesh on Twitter, who also suggested that both Samsung and Olympus could be working together to develop the Galaxy S22 Ultra, or a special edition Galaxy Fold smartphone. A separate report from Ice Universe on Weibo corroborated this, saying that his sources had also informed him of this alleged partnership.

Smartphone companies partnering up with camera brands to elevate their smartphone’s imaging system isn’t anything new. In fact, just this year we saw OnePlus signing a three-year deal with Hasselblad, whereas Huawei’s existing partnership with Leica is still going strong despite the various setbacks the Chinese giant have been facing thus far.

As mentioned earlier, details of this supposed team-up between Samsung and Olympus is mostly unknown. However, Dutch tech site GalaxyClub claims that the Korean smartphone maker is considering including sensor-shift technology to its future Galaxy device with the help of the Japanese camera brand. 

Unlike the commonly used Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) system in smartphones which shifts the lens element of a camera to compensate for its shake, sensor-shift stabilisation moves the shooter’s image sensor instead – resulting in better image stabilisation in photography and video recording. The only known smartphone to feature sensor-shift tech is Apple’s most recent top-of-the-line model, the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Whether or not Samsung and Olympus have actually inked a deal of some kind remains to be seen. Should this rumour be proven accurate, we’ll most likely be hearing an official announcement by either company in the near future.

OM Digital Solutions Will Retain Olympus Branding For Now; New Products Confirmed

Sometimes change is inevitable, and coping with it can be challenging for those who are affected. Understanding this, OM Digital Solutions CTO Setsuya Kataoka told Japanese news outlet Asahi that the company will retain using the Olympus brand for its products, despite the recent change of hands earlier this year.

Kataoka explains that he doesn’t want the abrupt change of branding to cause “anxiety” and confusion to fans. “At least for the time being, we will use ‘Olympus,’” he said. “However, is it better to move away from Olympus as an entity and continue to work under the name Olympus? I want to think about it.”

The CTO did not reveal how long OM Digital Solutions plans to retain on using the original branding before switching to its own.

The newly established company’s name itself is actually a clever tribute to Olympus’ popular OM-D cameras, which should work well with long time followers of the product. As pointed out by the company’s CEO (and former Olympus executive) Shigemi Sugimoto via its official website, the name “OM” is a homage to the Olympus Maitani system, which revolutionised the imaging business’ camera designs in 1972.

When asked regarding the split from Olympus, Kataoka explained that cost reduction and structural reforms were necessary for the camera business to survive, especially with the recent camera market decline. “If the camera market shrinks, we will make products simpler, deliver them, and sell them to our customers. In order to create a structure that can do that, it is better to be independent of Olympus and to be able to do various things with our own difference so that we can continue our business,” he added.

The CTO also revealed to Asahi that “more than one” Olympus-branded products will be unveiled by OM Digital Solutions, and would have “special features” that will excite fans. Kataoka hinted that these new devices are expected to launch by late 2021. “I can’t tell you when, but I’m working hard now,” he added.