I can confirm via highly trusted sources that Panasonic is going to announce two new “Four Thirds sensor” cameras by end of August/early September:
1) A new Micro Four Thirds camera
2) A fixed lens Four Thirds sensor compact camera
I hope to get the specs about them soon!
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Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct
113 Responses
Hope a fixed lens camera with fast zoom lens. 1.8-2.8 24-90 would be fine :-).
I hope so too, and if has an EVF and is still reasonably compact, it should dethrone the RX100 III.
+1
Give it good ergonomics and im all for it…
Zoom? I was expecting and hoping for a prime. But, oh yeah, I remember now, this could be the rumored LX8. Hmm… what’s more exciting? A fast zoom LX8 or a fast prime compact camera? I think the latter, and I keep on having hope, because how compact can you design a MFT sensor camera with a fast zoom lens?
I don’t think LX8 will have such a sensor size..
To match a FT sensor, a fixed zoom lens would be much bigger than LX current size… unfortunately!
Hope it won’t have an EVF because I don’t like paying for something I won’t use.
Do you live in Seattle or something? How do you shoot in the summer during broad daylight?
That is the LX8/9 which was rumored albeit with ~1″ sensor and not 4/3.
It’s a FT sensor, meaning everything is basically the same size as MFT lenses would be. A 24-90 (equiv) with that aperture would be frigging meganormous!
It probably wouldn’t be tiny, but a fixed lens can be much smaller than an interchangeable lens. Look at, say the rx100 compared to a small Nikon 1 with kit lens: http://camerasize.com/compact/#332,124.41,ha,t
Same sensor size, the Sony lens is actually faster and better range, and yet MUCH smaller.
The G7 is long overdue and Panasonic has manifested the will not to refresh this segment. 🙁
Will this be a GX7 replacement already???
Panasonic has manifested the will not to refresh this segment THIS YEAR.
It’s common knowledge already that the new MFT camera is a GX8.
I hope it gets a better IBIS and a better EVF. Those are the reasons I did not buy the GX7.
I don’t understand your reasons Matt, you didn’t buy a camera because it’s not better than what it is?
The GX7 came out with the best EVF panel of it’s days. On top of that it features IBIS for the first time ever on a Panasonic, and reviews reveal it’s on par with Olympus which have been going at it for around 10 years.
This was my dream street camera came true. Alas, I didn’t buy it because I went to a store and found out I couldn’t figure a way to hold it properly. Frankly, money running short was the main reason… 🙁
I’m not here to demote your reasons but me thinks you are nitpicking. 😉
I too didn’t like the GX7’s EVF due to the chunky refresh rate and bought an EM-10 instead. Sad that Panny seems to be giving up on the potential G7 though… I actually really like the G6.
I hope for a GX8, but my feeling is that it will be another G series camera like the drawings that were leaked earlier.
For the fixed-income camera, I hope it will have a 35mm-prime equivalent with a f1.4 aperture. The only thing that could set it apart is a wider aperture that all those other f2 fixed-lens APS-C compacts.
The Nikon A and Ricoh GR are f2.8 The Fuji X100s is the only APS-C fixed lens camera with f2 and a Panasonic f2 would likely be much smaller, lighter and cheaper than the Fuji. There is no need to go much faster than f2.
It would be a very wise move on the part of Panasonic to produce a PDAF-enabled mFT body. And if this should turn out to be the case – plus something like a GX8 with an inbuilt stabilization, I will be the first to race to the store. Being a producer of sensors and a former producer of FT lenses, Panasonic have all the rights – and all the reason, moral and common, and commercial – to do this. And it should not be technically difficult – having in mind that E-M1 has a Panasonic PDAF-enabled sensor …. And, last but not least, Olympus will be taught a lesson.
However, probably what I am saying is too good to turn out true ….
The GH4 has its DFD focus which seems to be jsut as accurate and just as quick as Olympus PDAF; it also seems to be as good for tracking focus.
So if the new camera takes DFD one stage further I don;t really care if its DFD or PDAF.
That’s very interesting, I didn’t know it. Will be looking forward to the new Pany.
This new camera likely Pana’s respond to the new incoming OMD therefore it’s unlikely a GX replacement .
The GX7 replacement have to face off the incoming A7000 that expect to launch only at 2015 that fit GX model cycle .
If this is a GX8 with 4k and a decent EVF, or an LX8 with 4k and good lens with touch screen, I think that my E-P5 might be on the auction block soon…
I bet every new high end Panny cam has 4K. This is going to be great.
fixel focal lenght compact in several flavors would be nice like a wideangle,standard and light tele version, all with decent aperture opening ofcourse (not that i have money right now)
fingers crossed for a new AF100
What can the AF offer that a GH4 with the YAGH interface does not?
surely ergonomics play a small part here
Manual controls for all essential functions, ND filters, access to Waveforms etc whilst recording (this may be possible on gh4, it wasn’t on gh2) & ergonomics as O.B mentions
I hope that this new model isn’t just a GX7 in a new color. Nah, who would do that…
@Admin : and is a 1″ LX8 still coming? ETA?
”GX7 in new color”….spot on haha
Quite interested in a new interchangeable lens Panasonic, as long as it isn’t a GF.
A GX with some minor tweaks would be ideal, but all of my complaints are addressable with simple firmware changes.
I suspect / hope for a new G7. But ideally with a form factor closer to the G5 than the bulkier G6. Nice EVF, IBIS, focus peaking, Auto ISO in M mode, articulated screen, and it’ll be totally ideal for legacy lenses.
Besides articulated screen, it’s E-M10. 120 fps EVF, 3stop IBIS, peaking+magnify, autoiso for PAS or PASM, but tilting screen.
I think, Pana will concentrate on GM2 with EVF and it has to be a dream camera for some of us.
It is. I was really set on the E-M10 until I tried one in the store. I couldn’t bond with the ergonomics and the interface just felt plain clunky compared even to my GX1.
The GX7, by comparison, had a better grip, nicer dial placement to my hands, was just so much more intuitive in terms of buttons and menus, the focus peaking with legacy lenses works better, the touchscreen functionality is more refined (and is still usable to set focus point even while looking through the EVF) especially with the picture-in-picture magnification, and it has an electronic shutter.
Literally the only thing I don’t like about the GX7 is that it doesn’t have Auto ISO in M mode. The IBIS could be better, and it would be nice to have a stabilized view while composing…but I don’t know. I would almost definitely buy a GX7 if they just added Auto ISO in M mode via a firmware update. It’s such a minor feature, but makes such a massive difference when working with legacy lenses.
Since you can’t set the aperture in-camera anyways, why not shoot shutter priority? I haven’t used a GX7, but I think you can have auto ISO in S.
Sadly, not with manual lenses that don’t communicate with the camera body. In order to control based on shutter priority, the camera wants to control the aperture rather than just the ISO, and so it just refuses to meter instead.
Yeah, olympus needs to upgrade the focus peaking feature. It’s behind Sony and I find it doesn’t always register everything that is in focus. It’s not bad, but it’s time for some serious improvement.
Personally I think I’ll give priority to the “pleasure feeling” of using a camera. IQ is good enough and I’m not that interested in brick walls pictures (read I’m not expecting a Medium Format IQ nor I need it).
If it has a prime on it, a good EVF, some kind of IBIS, and weather sealed, it might be a great little camera.
Then let’s see what Oly will offer. I love competition. 🙂
So are you saying that it could have those features you want, but you’ll wait and see if Olympus follows, so you’ll buy the Olympus instead?
What if I won’t buy anything because I don’t need it?
I wrote that competition is a good thing, it forces Companies to offer better products, better prices, and more over you have the option to choose.
Do you buy the bread always in the same store?
Back to the camera: Panasonic releases this camera with the features I listed.
Olympus in a month or two releases its counterpart.
Panasonic drops the price a little bit because of that.
Let’s say I can afford the purchase, I’ll buy the Panasonic.
Some posts ago I wrote that I don’t care a f@cking $hi7 about gear.
I ask you: in 5-7-10 years, when you’ll look at a nice photo you took, will your first thought go to the gear you used?
GX8?
It’s too soon for a GX8 upgrade. The GX7 has been out for less than a year. There’s been no dramatic, or even incremental, sensor improvement in that time.
They should really do something about the dials of that camera.
I’d make the grip beefier and taller, to meet the top plate and shift the shutter button forward, like the A6000.
Then add a focus/drive mode dial like the GH2 where the shutter was.
Make the dedicated video button into another, assignable Fn button.
Make the strap lugs flat like the GX1.
Make the EVF 3:2 aspect ratio, too!
Tweaked Again… 😉
I like your tweaks! 😀 But don’t delete those modes at least not the creative ones. The scence mode, I don’t need them either. 😀
But seriously, the main problem for me are the dials. The front is really cheap and the back one is too sticky and also very akward to use.
Could be the replacement for the GX1. Right now, Panasonic lacks soapbox style with a hotshoe.
I dislike this form factor, but there is a market for it.
An LX8 with 4/3 sensor, EVF and fast Leica 24-70mm zoom would be the perfect travel companion. It could make a great B-cam on a film shoot if the video options are all there. 4K would be an unbelievable bonus if Panny can manage to stuff it in.
The smallest that camera could be is a GM1 with a panny 12-35. Unless you want them to make a 24-70mm f4 lens for it.
Not requiring a lens mount means they can embed a collapsible lens inside the camera body, so they should be able to achieve significant miniaturization compared to the standard interchangeable lenses. Look at the lens on the Canon G1X Mark II as a case in point.
Yeah that Canon has a nice lens that is fast and pretty darned small for that sensor size. Too bad the rest of it is meh.
Look at the 24-70 f1.8-2.8 lens on the rx100iii, or the 24-120 f2.0-3.9 lens on the G1Xii. Both are examples of what can be done. Either is far faster and far smaller than your typical m4/3 kit lens.
24-70mm equivalent zoom. If Sony/Zeiss can make a F1.8-2.8 on a one inch, then Panny/Leica can probably make an internally collapsible F2.8 with minimum protrusion in front of the 4/3 sensor. The camera probably won’t be cheap, figure $799-899 at launch.
Admin, do you have any word on a new MFT sensor? Or will both of these use existing generation parts?
Likely existing since, I doubt they want to roll out new sensor tech that would potentially cannibalize sales of the new flagship, the GH4 so early.
I don’t think most people choose cameras based primarily on the sensor. The GH4 is a unique camera in terms of its feature set, and only a camera with a similar feature set would cannibalize it.
I hope in a 12mp (perfect for all uses) fixed 35mm or 30mm equivalent f1.4 and a 12mp mft not fixed aha Gx7 body. Both camera with 10bit clean hdmi internal 4k recording (24, 30 60p) and a canon log cinema profile. If panasonic do this for 999$ … is terrific storm of other brand like sony that release hanged product at folly price.
I don’t care if it’s a GX8, G7 or anything, as long as they can find a way to improve high ISO performance.
only decrease megapixels improve this. I hope in a 12mp new sensor that is perfect for photo and video. Battle of megapixels i definitively death finally
I think too many people are scared by 12 MP, unfortunately. I would love a m43 body with 12 MP and much better ISO performance. But seeing that the new Panasonic FZ1000 is now at 20 MP I don’t see a reversal of MP. Though Sony did just do that with the 7s…
What is really new with this FT5 rumor from the July 8th FT5 rumor we already were told it was to be a fixed lens with 4/3 sensor and this was not a LX? The difference is the former rumor gave us some specs saying this fixed lens compact camera with 4/3 sensor would have an inbody EVF! So either this was wrong or we have 3 cameras coming (including the LX8 with 1″ sensor?
My best guess is the small camera with EVF will be like the patent prototype with small EVF in the middle but smaller than the GX7 but I would say with interchangeable lens mount. As others have said too soon to be replacing either the GX7 or G6 with new models and this would fit right in between the GM1 and the GX7.
Looking at camera sales and how well the OMD series is doing I really think Pany needs to replace the G series with an all metal small body with much of the same capabilities of the GH4 only smaller. I personally would like to see a model like that shown in the patent only with a fully articulated rear screen for video and maybe that is what is coming?
My best guess for the fixed lens 4/3 camera would be a model derived from the GM1 only with a small but fast prime lens say the f1.7 15mm?
Hope we get some more specs and better yet leaked sketches of what is to come.
The “ultimate camera” is really quite simple. Just give it:
* Fuji and Leica’s aesthetic (Small, rangefinder-esque form factor and left side VF)
* Canon’s quality assurance testing, customer care and reliability
* Panasonic’s 4K video chops and tilting touch screen
* Sigma’s foveon resolving power
* Olympus’ remarkable in body stabilization and point to point focus speed
* Nikon D4s focus tracking
* Leica’s innovative touch UI, but not at the expense of physical controls
* Pentax ruggedization and affordability
* Ricoh GR or Leica M Monochrom branding understatement
* Nikon 1 v3 burst rate (but not write speed)
* Fuji XT1 or better EVF on the left
* Leaf shutters
* Groundbreaking dynamic range and sharpness
* DNG
* Weather sealing
* Two card slots
* DSLR battery life, but no mirror
* Macbook Air processing power
That’s it. Easy, right?
I’ll happily continue shooting my EM1, EP5 and GR until then. It may take a while for someone to deliver this.
* Hmmmmm. I seem to covet something from everyone except Sony. What can they contribute? Lens selection? No. Price? No. Proprietary accessories? No. Dedication to building out a product line to maturity? No. UI? No. Physical controls? No. Build quality? No. Miniaturization? Maybe!!!
Sounds great, except I prefer the viewfinder in the center, SLR-style. Please let me know when the camera is ready.
Yes, there will need to be two lines: a DSLR style and a rangefinder style. But that means that Olympus won’t produce them since “Pen’s can’t have an integrated EVF.” We’ll need a new company. But you can head up the centered VF division! 🙂
+1 for “Frankencamera” We’ll need to TM that asap.
Well, let’s start a new camera company then! How hard can it be? 😉
It isn’t exactly a growth industry right now so might be difficult to start from scratch. Instead, why don’t we merge and spin off the camera divisions of existing companies into a new, independent company that we’ll run? More than two mergers would be hard, so let’s limit our consolidation to that. Some possibilities:
Panasonic + Fuji: already collaborating on the organic sensor. Panny GX covets Fuji industrial design and Fuji needs video. Seems like a matchmaker win for us.
Olympus + Sony: already dating. Oly design and IBIS and Sony sensors. They’d make nice babies. Unless they inherit Sony’s UI and user experience. But worth the risk. And Sony gets it that some cameras can have centered VFs and some can have left side VFs. Amazing imagination!
Canon + Nikon. Nothing good could come from this unholy union, but at least we could ignore one company instead of two!
It’s not “rangefinder style.” It’s simple box camera style, like any roll film camera or instamatic for most of the 20th century. A rangefinder doesn’t impose a style on a camera, whereas a reflex finder does.
this is easy … all for 999$ and stop thieves elecronic market 😉
I think we can hit that price point in the second year, just ahead of our updated model. We’ll probably launch at US$1499 if we include everything above. But a slightly less capable version could serve as an entry model. Maybe in one color instead of the two that people like and without weather sealing?
I take that back. Weather sealing will be on all of our cameras and lenses. Non negotiable.
Weather sealing- I just think it’s more gimmick than necessity. Read lensrentals article on this very subject- I think anyone would change their opinion regarding it. For the ardent enthusiast or paid professional- maybe. But we’re talking very few people who would benefit from this. I’ve had my EP5 out in the rain all the time- zero problems. Just saying.
Perhaps but it is part of the Frankencamera marketing plan.
But if your E-P5 fails in the rain, it’s your fault and you’ll have to pay for the repairs yourself. If a camera is marketed as weather-sealed or splash-proof (and not just moisture resistant), then you can get it repaired under warranty, if it doesn’t withstand a rain shower.
You forgot to add the Lytro refocusing ability. All for $899 by the third year.
Thank you sir! We stand corrected. Light field capture will be on the mode dial instead of scene modes or “P” since this is a pro camera and not a point and shoot or phone step up. We may also integrate Silver Effects and some other film simulations, but they’ll all be non destructive.
Don’t forget a photo assistant to carry everything.
Sony’s getting there. Let’s wait until Photokina as rumor has it many lenses for both FE and A mount are to be announced. I agree on the accessories, but not price. A7 and A7R are bargain basement prices when you look at the quality. Build quality of the cybershot line of cameras is absolutely stellar. We have yet to see all of this in a complete ILC package…but it will come.
A new camera- I hope it has a new sensor. If they could get 14 stops of DR and 1000 clean ISO (cleaner than what we’re getting now) I’d honestly be in heaven. It’s going to happen- maybe not today- but it’s going to happen. If they can match the DR of the A7 and better noise performance I’d sell all my full frame equipment.
if they selected first Organic Sensor(pan+fu) ,A7 feel unstable.
Well, even the A7 and A7R are best shot below 400 ISO for best images. I think the whole noise argument for full frame being better is often overstated in real life- but I’ll take what I can get. I think we’re hitting the limit of CMOS technology across all platforms. Why can’t panasonic, fuji or olympus be the first to introduce an organic sensor. That would be a true absolute game changer and turn the industry on its head.
And whole lens speed argument for f/1.4 lenses being better than f/2 lenses (or f/2 being better than f/2.8) is often overstated in real life. I guess you would also say taking to images and stitching them is also overrated (in terms of getting more resolution, less noise) in real life. Because FF is exactly this: stitching four (m)43 images together. You can easily pre-visualize how FF would look in terms of noise by doing such a stitching yourself (of course actual acuity and such depends on the lenses used and stitching images requires some overlap).
And you don’t have stitch actual fitting images, just take an image of a monochrome featureless subject (eg, the sky), and then paste four copies of it together in Photoshop or similar and compare viewing the composite image fullscreen with comparing the original starting image fullscreen.
Interesting- didn’t know that. I sold my full frame (a900) just last week because after shooting my EP5 side by side I didn’t see enough difference. No doubt my full frame Zeiss glass is sharper and I enjoy the added contrast- but frankly in many cases you could not tell much of a difference. I don’t know if that’s sad or great. So now I’m stuck with thousands in full frame glass and a full Olympus system. I’m going to wait and try out a few other options and see how it goes. In the meantime I could care less- absolutely love the EP5. It’s almost scarey how many pictures I’ve taken with that thing.
My only gripe is a small one. Greens….I swear the EP5 adds punch to the greens or something. Any kind of grass or foliage- something seems a bit off. It’s not like a big deal- I just dial it down in LR- but it’s not as natural looking as what my A900 put out. I also have the “keep warm color” option off as well. Odd.
so does fixed lens just mean that you can’t change the lens or is it a prime lens?
that’s the ambiguous part, since the first rumor a couple of months ago….
more likely a lens you can’t change, otherwise they would say fixed FL…
it just means you can’t change, most likely to be a prime, so it can be compact but it can go either way.
is it the GX8? I hope it is.
I really want a GX8 with a mic jack input (well, what I *really* want is a G6 with their new sensor and DFD focusing, but sadly they killed the series right after nearly perfecting it)
> “(well, what I *really* want is a G6 with their new sensor and DFD
focusing, but sadly they killed the series right after nearly perfecting
it)”
^THIS! A thousand times… THIS! Totally agree with you.
new sensor and first present Organic Sensor !!!
i guess GX5 and unknow fixed len compact
GX7S, GX2K, what have you… 4MP for low light sensitivity and native 2K video capture. Upgrade EVF to 4MP unit (first ever 1:1 with sensor?), add 3.5mm line input OR allow bolt-on accessory for SDI, LTC TC, and TA3/XLR inputs (more compact than the GH4 unit).
If you want a sensor for native video capture, why not go 4k? Everything is going that direction already.
Not every project requires 4K and sometimes just want a 1080p finish, 2K acquisition is great for a bit of safety and post stabilization flexibility. We are also talking consumer cameras here, something for B-cam, crash cam, or simply personal use, still feel 4K is overkill for most of that type of work. Primary cam would always be something like a Varicam 35, F55, C500, etc… even a souped up A7S rig if someone would develop a real timecode workflow for it.
If Panasonic made a 4K version of this camera, yes I’d buy that too, just wouldn’t need to shoot in 4K that often.
4K scaled down to 1080 is much more sharper! Everybody can benefit from it.
Not using 4K is like making your fotos in low resolution mode.
Upgrading video to anything but 4K would be like saying they didn’t want people to buy their product.
You need to remember that there are other options available, and just because you may not think a project needs 4K, that’s not going to come into play when, for another $150 or 200 you can have 4K in another body.
Compare zooming in digitally and keeping 1080 quality to trying to zoom with lens… Just one of several aspects.
ADMIN ADMIN!!! VERIFY THIS PLEASE: http://camyx.com/rumors/2014/05/olympus-om-d-full-frame-mirrorless-camera/
Even if it’s true, meh. The E-mount doesn’t need yet another body, they need lenses…
A GX8 with:
-12mpx sensor with improved Dynamic Range and cleaner ISO performance.
-Mic input and earphone jack.
-Clean HDMI output or same GH3 video codecs (this should be enough).
-No 4K just plain and simple Full HD up to 96fps. (to keep price down)
-Improved form function and Weather resistant body as (OM-D E-M5).
-Improved IBIS and video compatible.
-No need for art filters.
-Improved EVF (GH4 like)
-Improved Autofocus (GH4 like)
-$999 price tag.
Well… dreaming still free right?
the perfect cam!
There is one more thing you 🙂 and Pana are forgetting: built-in ND filter.
:). I hope a GX7 update but not sure about specs
I just don’t think a 12MP m43’s sensor using today’s tech will have much better DR or ISO performance compared to a 16MP one. Especially when you take into account shrinking the 16MP file down to 12MP… it also shrinks the noise to be finer. Not worth the loss of resolution imo. For example, look at the A7r vs A7s: The MP shrink is HUGE (66%), yet the difference in noise is only really that great from well above 6400ISO, otherwise they are pretty similar. I don’t think the 25% shrink in MP you are suggesting will amount to much of anything but a reduction in resolution.
I think it will be the GF7 or G7.
But i think it will be G7. New GF7 can’t compete with GM1. The G7 will have 4k mode with some missing mode. A low “GH4″…
I don’t think about the new GX7, it was just released last year.
I too really hope it is a G7! But there has been talk about canceling the G line :-/ I so hope that is not true 🙁
There will be new cameras, who would have thought? 🙂 So far the rumors on all rumor sites (Fuji, Sony, etc.) are extremely boring with next to no information …
I can hear the crickets at Photokina.
Not true, the Sony site has a lot of very exciting rumours:
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/the-photokina-rumors-so-far-light-field-camera-rx1s-curved-sensor-a99ii-fe-zeiss-ff-e-mount-a5100-and-more/
What is meant by fixed lens ? Is it fixed focal range or just a non interchangeable
So one must be the Long awaited LX8
Fixed lens means the lens is fixed to the body, ie. not interchangeable. Very well could be an LX.
While long overdue, a fixed-lens camera will make interchangeable lens m43 cams look even dumber.
Eh?
16mp are us, now and forever.
A fullframe AF100 style camera would be nice and a long overdue option. I had both the Gh2 and the AF100 and I preferred the look of the GH2, and would only use the AF100 if I needed XLRs or built in NDs or to shoot 1080 60p on the steadicam as the GH2 would not synch to a monitor in this mode. If Panasonic does not step up that will not be a viable platform and be eclipsed by other manufacturers choices, and of course the GH4 is a brilliant camera. I simply love it. Exceeded all of my expectations.