I’m an enthusiastic user of OM SYSTEM cameras, the brand formerly known as Olympus, which was transferred to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) in 2021 and became the new company OM Digital Solutions (OMDS).
I entered the ecosystem in 2022, having been a happy Canon user for years. I wanted a lighter mirrorless system and I was open to any and all suggestions from experts at a nearby camera shop. When OM SYSTEM was recommended, I had no idea about the trouble that the brand was in, with diminishing market share in a declining world of dedicated cameras. I loved the ergonomics of the camera that was put in front of me, the Olympus E-M10 Mark IV, and appreciated its size, portability and compatibility with numerous Micro Four Thirds lenses.
Since adopting the brand and building a collection of lenses, I’ve been interested to see how OMDS has been reframing itself online and pushing a new image that is tied directly to nature and wildlife photography. More specifically, OMDS has decided on a new brand philosophy: Kacho Fugetsu.
What is Kacho Fugetsu? I’d never heard of it before! In case you haven’t either, here’s a detailed explanation from Scholten Japanese art:
…Kacho Fugetsu is comprised of the kanji (characters) for flower (ka), bird (cho), wind (fu) and moon (getsu) and is collectively referred to as the ‘beauties of nature.’ The theme of kacho fugetsu encompasses everything that is not of the man-made world, and reflects a heightened awareness of nature which is fundamental to traditional Japanese society and artistic sensibilities.
So much of Japanese art is devoted to images of natural subjects (kacho-ga, lit. bird and flower pictures) that in some ways it is difficult to recognize it as a distinct subject. However, in Japanese artistic traditions nature is central to all schools and genres and kacho-ga has long been recognized as one of three distinctive artistic categories originally based on Chinese classification along with sansui-ga (lit. ‘mountains and water’ or landscapes pictures) and jinbutsu-ga (figural pictures or portraits) which is commonly portrayed in the form of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful people).
Visiting the OMSystem.Global YouTube channel, you’ll find new videos that explain the company’s restated brand philosophy, accompanied by the tagline ‘It’s in our NATURE’.
The video below, Kacho Fugetsu | OM SYSTEM’s brand philosophy, is the central story to which other clips connect, featuring four brand ambassadors who explain how OM SYSTEM cameras are crucial tools in their exploration of and storytelling about nature.
Altogether, I find this attempt at rebranding, reframing, repositioning—whatever you want to call it—to be absolutely fascinating. Yet, I’m sure that there are Japanese people who would interpret the use of a six-century-old artistic, societal idea by a corporate brand to be utterly cringeworthy. Really, it’s lifestyle advertising.
In addition, I’m certain that OMDS is not the first company to adopt the idea of Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon in its product development or marketing, and OM SYSTEM cameras are definitely not the only devices that can be used for photographing wildlife; there are many capable systems out there, which are becoming smaller and which challenge the advantages of portability and top-tier image stabilisation that Olympus boasted for years.
Furthermore, there are well-known and respected Micro Four Thirds devotees out there, such as beloved photographer and former Olympus ambassador Robin Wong, who questions fairly whether a focus on nature and wildlife is a wise decision in a diminishing market, when these cameras are capable in other genres of photography, such as portraiture, live events, photojournalism and street. Why sell yourself short or limit your appeal? One need look no further than cult cameras like the Ricoh GRIIIX, which is a small APS-C system that street photographers continue to salivate over, but which could be used in other professional contexts… it’s a compact camera with a sensor that is larger than what Micro Four Thirds offers (but without an electronic viewfinder), if that is important to you.
However, beyond the practical questions of whether this rebranding will work and whether it’s in the best taste to transform cultural ideas to fit a profit motive, I think that it’s a fantastic concept and somewhat of a brave move by OMDS. Allow me to explain…
Since adopting OM SYSTEM, I’ve been more inclined to use my limited free time (alone) to go out and take photos, in a way that I never felt with my older, larger Canon. The more portable, ergonomic design of the E-M10 Mark IV that I purchased, along with its small lenses, has ‘soul’, as photographic YouTuber Chris Niccolls once put it. I’ve been motivated to go outside, photograph birds, explore natural environments and take notice of my surroundings in a much more deliberate way than what I used to. Even when I’m without my camera, I’m spotting different moments, locations and natural cycles that I want to revisit when I do have it with me. Yes, I have my iPhone, which has fantastic image quality for its size, but it’s not the same to hold and use and the photos never have the same feeling or soul to them.
Although I wasn’t aware of the Japanese concept Kacho Fugetsu, I’ve been feeling its central ideas as I’ve been wandering and taking photos. No, I’m not saying that I’m a professional and creating high art; I’m expressing that I’ve felt more of a connection to what’s around me, with this digital tool acting as a bridge to those discoveries. It’s also a little ironic that I’m enjoying nature more through the lens of man-made, digital technology.
While risky, targeting a niche idea or audience in this way, with a small market, can be a clever idea. If other (mainly full-frame) manufacturers with larger market share are addressing broad uses and genres, it makes sense to lean into what you can offer best and adopt an identity and narratives that tie people’s thoughts and experiences to your products. Over time, if successful, more people like me will walk into camera shops and ask, ‘What’s the best camera for travelling or taking nature shots, beyond my iPhone?’; with sustained messaging, the answer may become, ‘Oh, you’ll want an OM SYSTEM camera for that, because they’re easy to carry when you’re out exploring’. The company’s newer flagship camera, the OM-1, has been central to walking that nature talk since it was released in 2022: it’s technically impressive but noticeably smaller than other brands’ flagship cameras, due to its construction around a Micro Four Thirds sensor.
Now, is this story of a diminishing brand with less powerful products but an intriguing new tagline familiar to you? Can you pick it?
In the late 1990s, Apple was facing the same issue: it was a computer company with shrinking market share, less powerful products and yet, a devoted fanbase. As it transformed itself and shed its legacy products with the return of Jobs, it announced the iMac, which got back to basics and expressed what the company was all about: beautiful and approachable all-in-one machines. Apple synchronised this new product offering with a campaign that trumpeted a simple, yet powerful idea: ‘Think Different’. And who was it who thought ‘different’? The crazy ones…
Even though Apple was in a vulnerable position and couldn’t match certain hardware and software features from its competitors, it leaned into its niche appeal and underdog status, pushing the idea that its machines were about creativity. Of course, you could be creative when using Windows on a PC at the time, but it didn’t feel the same. It didn’t inspire users or offer the same finesse or experience that a Mac could offer. PCs were just what everyone else had or what you were required to use at work.
I’m not saying that OMDS can replicate the success that Apple has had since that campaign, and the launch of subsequent products such as the iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. OMDS is a company that is currently devoted to dedicated cameras and audio recorders, which have been supplanted by phones; most people don’t want to carry that stuff when an iPhone or other Android handset will do.
Upon reflection, I’ve found that engaging with a niche, underdog brand like OM SYSTEM has revitalised my fandom for digital technology, which I haven’t felt in the same way towards Apple product launches and online content for a while. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Mac and being an Apple user remains a very prominent part of my identity. What I’m getting at is that both philosophy and messaging are crucial to how we feel towards a brand, whether we know it or wish to accept it.
At Hemispheric Views, our interests as co-hosts vary, but we’re united by our admiration and long-time use of Apple products. If we all had to ask ourselves what Apple stands for now, could we answer that question in one sentence? Is it the integration of hardware, software and services? Is it sustainability? Is it privacy? Is it high-quality industrial design? Although Apple continues arguably to offer the best combination of all of these things, all digital brands and manufacturers are offering a similar suite of products. Just look at Microsoft with its Surface and Xbox product lines: you may not be a fan of them, but they’re a huge admission from Microsoft that Apple’s pioneering vision of consumer-friendly combinations of hardware and software (by the same company) was the better one all along. Microsoft is following Apple’s product playbook.
As Apple has become bigger and more complicated, it has become more difficult to say simply and concisely what its brand philosophy is, and this makes it harder to engage with its narrative and not be cynical about some of its decisions. When it was the underdog and in survival mode, it was clear: if you’re a Mac user, you’re one of ‘the crazy ones’. Nowadays, we have ‘Shot on iPhone’, ‘Designed by Apple in California’, ‘Privacy. That’s Apple.’, ‘Home of Apple Originals’, ‘spatial computing’; these are all important and reflect the offerings, responsibilities and aspirations of the world’s biggest brand, which faces an overwhelming amount of international expectation.
Now, while using OM SYSTEM, I feel like one of the crazy ones again. When I pick up my camera, I feel that notion of Kacho Fugetsu and am drawn more to watching the company’s quick photographic stories than viewing a bloated, pre-recorded Apple keynote. Yes, I will argue that a 30-minute duration (such as the recent Scary Fast event) feels bloated, as the features of these presentations feel increasingly formulaic, in ways that are more predictable than the Apple live events of old. Sure, you could parody those old events and expect certain segments, but having a live audience gather around a guided presentation felt different. These new ‘keynotes’ are beautiful and impressive, but they are rarely simple and digestible; they often necessitate repeat visits or summary videos by others on YouTube to internalise their myriad ideas. Apple doesn’t need business or marketing advice from me, although I believe that the brand could benefit from a reduction of ideas and the amount of content published around it—just focus on one story again.
Reflecting on my Apple brand fandom, I entered the world of the Mac when I was five years old in 1997, as my aunt Francine forcefully recommended it to my father over a Windows PC, which he had been more comfortable using in an office environment. I’m glad that my family made that decision, not realising at the time that they were buying into a product brand that was on the brink of death. It seems that history does indeed repeat, as decades later, I unknowingly bought into a camera brand whose future was also in doubt, because someone else believed in what it offered over others.
Do I care that I’ve invested in a smaller player? No. Does it bother me that other brands may have more powerful stuff? No.
Do I enjoy being one of the crazy ones again, when everyone’s using something else? Yes.
Perhaps it’s in my NATURE.
This post was originally written in November 2023 for Hemisfeldic News; subscribe at the members’ site One Prime Plus to receive this newsletter and other benefits that are linked to the Hemispheric Views podcast.
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