...Sort of. I returned to action this morning to find computer problems. Of course. (Modern life is good, but not simple.) I have to reset my browser (Firefox), which I'm dreading.
I haven't yet been able to contact Amazon to try to get an answer as to why many peoples' longstanding orders for Here Far Away are being cancelled. I can speculate it's that maybe it's because you ordered the first edition and only the second edition is going to be available? Many people are reordering through Amazon U.K. and the Book Depository. I'm not sure that's necessary—I'd just place a new order through Amazon.com—but if you don't want to try that it's understandable. TOP readers have so far ordered or purchased 318 copies of the book through our links.
The new statement camera of Micro 4/3
The new ÜberOlympus became available overnight, as did its new companion premium-quality zoom, a 24–80mm ƒ/2.8. [Correction: Whoops, it's a 12–40mm, of course. 24–80mm angle-of-view equivalent. Shows you how my mind works. —Ed.] These are statement products for Micro 4/3, which demand a certain level of attention even from people who are down on Olympus because of its soon to be two-year-old corporate troubles with malfeasance.
...Which, by the way, are continuing: Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has decided to prosecute Olympus. It's the first time the agency has prosecuted a company instead of an individual. The U.S. Justice Department has not decided on a course of action, but has not closed the case.
Meanwhile, the camera division, which has taken a bad hit from all the bad press for things I'm sure no one in the division ever even knew about, continues to struggle to fight to right itself after getting swamped by the rogue wave. Behind all the brouhaha, they still make very good cameras. I naturally sympathize with citizens in the streets rather than governments, soldiers in the trenches rather than the high command, and workers on the line rather than the fat-cats in the corporate jets, so of course I feel for the people actually designing, engineering, and making the cameras and lenses. YMMV.
The new lens is especially interesting. If you are familiar with Olympus's top-line lenses for the 4/3 system, you know just how good they can potentially be.
Last item of news: Ctein's column will be one day late this week. As usual, not due to him at all; due to the Ed. (me) having been away.
More anon.
Mike
(Thanks to Andreas Sakka)
Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Marc Gibeault: "I got my copy of Here Far Away yesterday from the Book Depository. Even though I'm here far away in Canada."
Kurt Shoens: "I've given up on Here Far Away. I'm sure it's a lovely book and that I would have enjoyed it very much, but I've fretted enough attempting to get a copy. I'm sanguine about it. I'm sure whoever gets the copy I might have gotten will treasure it and I will turn my attention to books I can get instead of the one that got away."
J. White: "My reason for cancelling and placing an order with Amazon U.K. comes from the sad fact that Amazon U.S. were unable to fulfill my pre-order for the first edition of the book. Seeing that the second edition is now shipping, I called Amazon in the U.S. this morning to ask whether or not they will be able to acquire the book from the publisher. The two people I spoke could not confirm this, so I cancelled the order. I will not miss out on an opportunity to own this book again!"
Kosch: "I feel like I could make a side business on your photo book
recommendations. For the past four years now, I have bought two copies of
what you say is good. Not only have I enjoyed each purchase (no joke, my
photography has become better because of what I have bought and
devoured), I have been able to sell my extra copy for a lot
more money (minimum 4x). When you drop a link, Mike, I buy.
This is called consulting; you could make a living doing this.
Keep up the blog please."
Mike replies: Jeez, now you're putting the pressure on...!
