The factory in Xiamen.
The Japanese site Asahi (via Digicameinfo) reports that Panasonic is seriously considering to completely step out from the low-end compact camera business. Panasonic’s Chinese factory in Xiamen that produces Panasonic’s compact cameras will be converted to produce cameras for other manufacturers too.
This is part of Panasonic’s strategy tofocus on the more advanced mirrorless camera market. New High End models are expected to be alunched in 2014.
49 Responses
bring it on panny! 😀
Well market for small and cheap compact cameras is and will be destroyed by cell and smart phones. Esp a MASS market for compact cameras. So Panasonics steps seems logical and plausible.
took this today using my lumia 1020, [IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/23h6psg.jpg[/IMG]
is it any wonder the p & s isn’t selling well?
Thanks for sharing…now I know why I like my FF & MFT cameras so much! 🙂
definitely nowhere near my OMD in terms f IQ but I would be silly to carry a p&s in addition to my phone unless it was something very upmarket such as the rx100
The RX100/2 is only 0.2 stops lower in colour depth, is actually a little higher than the E-M5 in DR with just slightly over 1 stop poorer high ISO .Which is a lot closer to the E-M5 than the E-M5 is to the D800/e.It is also far smaller and lighter weighing only 240g compared to the 640g of the E-M5 + 12-50 in fact you would even get better DOF control with the RX100/2 at the wide end and just over a half a stop poorer at the long end.
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/%28appareil1%29/812|0/%28brand%29/Sony/%28appareil2%29/793|0/%28brand2%29/Olympus/%28appareil3%29/814|0/%28brand3%29/Nikon
Makes you wonder why anyone buys the huge heavy expensive mFT gear lol Size is everything right
Because you can change lenses. And most people here change lenses.
However, if somebody plans to use only the kit zoom (probably most users but we don’t see them here), indeed RX100 MK2 is the other option if portability is a priority.
Same for m43/APS-C mirrorless and DSLR.
If someone will use only a 28mm or 35mm prime and never change, fixed lens APS-C cameras are the best bet.
Meant to say “RX100 MK2 is the BETTER option”, not other.
Quality isn’t the same, and I do have some issues with their decision to go for massive oversampling rather than larger pixels. But, it is better than other phone cameras, and most point and shoots. For a snapshot or posting something to the web, it is hard to beat.
I would have preferred a 12mp camera with RAW capabilities, but oh well…
The last compact camera I seriously considered was the LX-2. Unless you count the iPhone 5s….
Big companies move slowly!
…but Admin…what does this have to do with MFT cameras? (jJUST JOKING….based on your previous post comment situation !!!! :-))
I wanna hear more about the rumored camera with a 16-32mm lens. That could be interesting.
It will be. RX100 sized body is a game changer, more specifically it might just be pants pocketable! And I have plans for than new zoom either way! 🙂
I thought it was a 12-32mm lens?
Good move, leaves more R&D resources to m4/3.
very good idea, now please concentrate on putting 5-axis stabilisation in your cameras 😉
In-a-Word: nogonnahappen
This is where pana belong : “low end market”. Just the name “lumix” show you the way lol
AH AH, hate that name too. Very “toy-ish”…
Just put TAPE over the name… non-issue! 😉
steve
2 hours ago | Reply
This is where pana belong : “low end market”. Just the name “lumix” show you the way lol
Yes,Olympus is obviously high end they even have “PRO” stuck on the side of their new 12-40 presumably all mFT gear that has come before were amateur not deserving of the “PRO” sticker lol
please keep making the waterproof ones, and improve them, put a LX5 sensor, RAW support, some manual controls, i am sure there is a market for it!
More and more smartphones can be add optional rugged or waterproof case if they ain’t… Before, I believed that rugged waterproof compact camera will stay on the play but I don’t see the point now since Sony marketing on new Waterproof smartphone camera oriented. Maybe not everyone need large zoom for everyday snapshot and manual mode is useless because there is little room for changing DoF. Panasonic are doing a good move by focusing on M43 development… hoping for a Nikon AW1 remake!
From a business POV, probably a wise move, at least in the long-term. Smartphones will eventually make these obsolete, just as much as they did Palm Pilots. Low end compacts are redundant to most of the market they appeal to.
p.s. admin – I can’t believe you moderate my comments. Whatever. If you want me to stop coming here, I got the message.
??? It just happens because of a number of reaosns that WordPress Aksimet puts your comment on moderation. I have to approve around 100 comments per day manually because of that. You are just one of the many 🙂
is the GH3 considered “low end” ?
A smart move. Watch as others follow suite. I reckon we have duplication in the order of about 10 times in the compact camera market space. You really only need about 3 brands chasing the same customers to create a competitive environment. Right now there are close to 12 Brands with very long product lines and that is creating brand confusion and lack of product differentiation- a death knell.
Panasonic has some great core tech and should leverage it for the underserved enthusiast filmmaker niche,
Dateline japan jan 2018
Panasonic, Sony ,Fuji and olympus today reported that they will cease production of all compacts and other cameras using small, m4/3,and APCS sensors. All companies will only offer full frame sensor products.
Yes, because if technology has shown us anything, large, clunky, out-of-date devices are always the trend.
TVs get bigger and bigger lol
while brains get smaller and smaller…
Do you carry your TV around vacation?
tablets get bigger ,mobile phones have grown in recent times bigger better screens etc If size is all that matters the RX100 has the same colour depth and DR as the E-M5 with just over a stop poorer high ISO, screw image quality its a size thing right lol
And for 150 years mass and enthusiast market camera film/sensors have got smaller, from large photographic plates to small photographic plates to medium format film to 35mm film to APSC to m43 and 1″ inch sensors. As technology advances smaller becomes good enough.
They also get thinner. Not to mention we have tablets and smartphones now. I can’t remember the last time I turned my TV on. Keep living in the ’90’s. It is no wonder you remain anonymous
Hopefully the LX5 & LX7 etc line up of cameras doesn’t count as “low end compacts” and they keep on producing and innovating them. Along with other niche compacts such as waterproof/tough compacts.
Where does that come from – that Oly/Pan, Sony and Fuji are all deserting sensors up to and including APS-C? Over what timescale? Killing off compacts is one thing (and predictable) but the main thrust of mirrorless is in the m4/3 – APS-C arena, and will primarily be there for some time yet. Who is demanding that FF is the essential way forward, who is saying “all companies will only offer FF sensor products”? Most users of m4/3 and APS-C can happily get quality prints of 13×19 already : what is this rush to go FF? Can anyone explain? – FF cameras are going to cost appreciably more.
it’s coming from fullframe fanbois mostly, some ff owners that need to justify their purchase as well as people who don’t have ff, (or rather 35mm) and expect a huge increase in image quality.
And yes, higher IQ than m43 and aps sized sensors can be expected – but it comes at a cost: price, camera and lens-size, weight, choice,…
I owned P&S for a long time and never bought into Canikons exactly because the DSLR cameras didn’t appeal to me.
I’m very happy with the good compromise that m43 is – if I can keep the exact same formfactor as my current m43 cam and lenses, then I would consider ff, but otherwise – forget it.
“I owned P&S for a long time and never bought into Canikons exactly because the DSLR cameras didn’t appeal to me.”
Can’t argue with that lol why would you buy a Canon or Nikon P&S if you didn’t like their DSLR’s lol
I don’t think Oly will make a FF. A new system means new lenses. And for FF, they will have to go against the already long-established systems. They have their niche with M43, and they should stay with it. I don’t think Oly has the resources to wage a FF war with Canikon.
I think you mean that they won’t go against Sony rumored mirrorless FF ??? And sure, M43 is a good compromise.
good news. olympus should do the same.
Didn’t they already announce that a few months ago?
Already over a year ago they said they would focus on higher end products.
2018 Japan….
No one buys any camera, the last man, who did was
an old enthusiastcameranerd, yesterday 2th october 2018…
he looks funny.
a droid-cam-drohne made this picture
p i x e l
Stepping out of the low end camera business… so they’ll stop making MFT cameras. Good riddance.
Smart move, I’m surprise there are still so many players in the low end P&S market.
Alunched :))))))))
sorry couldn’t resist. Anyway, good strategy from Panasonic!