As of today, Panasonic has announced no new Micro Four Thirds system camera or interchangeable lens this year.  Don’t blame me for the absence of rumors when Panasonic has announced NOTHING so far.

However, 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the LUMIX brand. Panasonic has already started celebrating this important milestone, but it would be surprising if the company had nothing else planned for the remainder of the year.
The autumn announcement season would be the perfect opportunity to unveil something special. This is only speculation for now, but let’s hope the recent silence is simply the calm before the storm!

There are some wild rumors claiming that the new Insta360 MFT camera will be announced in September. I have no idea yet if there’s any truth to them, but I certainly hope they turn out to be true. 🙂

Insta360 MFT camera info:

• 5280 x 3956 pixels (20MP)
• f/1.8 lens (fixed or interchangeable?)
• Screen layout is an evolution of the Insta360 Ace Pro interface, including a large flip-up touchscreen.
• A white body coating
• The camera has a distinct tan/beige rugged casing in the photo (which may be a prototype skin or a “Desert Edition”). It features physical control wheels for aperture and exposure compensation, a first for the brand.
• Seems to have no EVF

OM-3 at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, OM store USA.

A wild but exciting rumor just landed in our inbox: OM System may launch a monochrome version of the OM-3 camera in 2026. While nothing is confirmed yet, the idea is intriguing and could make a lot of sense — both creatively and strategically.
Monochrome digital cameras are a rare breed. At the moment, only a few models exist in this niche: the Leica M11 Monochrom and the Pentax K-3 III Monochrome are the only serious contenders, both aimed at professional or enthusiast users who are truly passionate about black and white photography.

If this rumor is true, the OM-3 Monochrome would immediately become the most affordable mirrorless camera with a monochrome sensor on the market — potentially opening this niche to a broader audience.

Why Monochrome?
A monochrome (black and white only) sensor doesn’t use a color filter array (CFA) like standard sensors. That means every pixel captures pure luminance data — resulting in:

• Sharper images with no demosaicing artifacts
• Higher resolution per pixel
• Better dynamic range and cleaner high ISO performance

In short, you get the purest black-and-white digital files possible.

Of course, the downside is that you can’t convert from color, and to control contrast or tonal rendering, you’ll need to go old-school and use colored filters on your lenses — like red, yellow, or green filters to shape your image just like in the film days.

If true, this could be a smart move by OM System. The OM-3 is compact, rugged, and stabilized — already a favorite among photographers who love to travel light. A monochrome version would add serious artistic appeal for street, documentary, and landscape shooters.

Could this be a move to match the creative legacy of Olympus’ past film cameras? We’ll have to wait and see this autumn.

This is a massive news! Insta360 is confirmed to launch a new Micro Four Thirds camera soon! Images have been leaked and posted on Reddit. It’s going to change the history of MFT which was quite on a downtrend in the past years. For years, those of us in the MFT ecosystem have felt a bit abandoned. Panasonic and OM System seem obsessed with bigger, “pro-sized” bodies (like the GH7 or OM-1), while the tiny, pocketable cameras like the GM1 or the PEN series have been left to gather dust.

But The tide is turning folks! Two days ago GoPro launched the first MFT action camera (specs can be seen here). Now Insta360 will give as a new true compact camera!

A month ago we already saw the first images of the back of the camera:

What do we learn from those leaks?

For now let’s sum up what we learned from these images:

• 5280 x 3956 pixels (20MP)
• f/1.8 lens (fixed or interchangeable?)
• Screen layout is an evolution of the Insta360 Ace Pro interface, including a large flip-up touchscreen.
• A white body coating
• The camera has a distinct tan/beige rugged casing in the photo (which may be a prototype skin or a “Desert Edition”). It features physical control wheels for aperture and exposure compensation, a first for the brand.
• Seems to have no EVF

If it’s “ugly” because it has massive heat sinks to prevent overheating during 4K/120p recording. It’s got a hot shoe, dual mics, and a front dial. It’s built to work, not to look pretty on a shelf.

The big questions still to be answered are:

• The Mount: Is it an active mount? If it doesn’t have autofocus and aperture control for our existing MFT lenses, it’s a non-starter for most.

• The IBIS: Insta360 is the king of digital stabilization, but for a “real” camera, we want In-Body Image Stabilization.

• The “Beta” Factor: Being an early adopter of Insta360 hardware often feels like being a beta tester. Are we going to deal with software crashes and overheating just to have a small sensor?

Even if you hate the design, this leak is the best thing to happen to MFT in years. It’s a wake-up call. When a “360-degree action cam company” starts making better compact MFT bodies than the companies that invented the mount, it forces innovation.

What do you think? Is the design a dealbreaker for you, or are you just happy to see a new player in the M43 world?

This is going to be a very important year for Panasonic. While I am confident we will get at least one new MFT model for Panasonic’s 25th anniversary, Chinese bloggers are even more excited than I am. This is what they expect:

📷 GX Series (Retro Rangefinder Iteration) The GX9‘s successor is here! The classic retro rangefinder design remains, but the flip-up EVF has been upgraded. Body handling and dust/drip resistance have been improved, and AI intelligent autofocus has been comprehensively upgraded. Balancing photography and videography, it boasts both stunning looks and powerful performance – a no-brainer for street photography and everyday shooting!

📷 LX Series (Fixed Lens Flagship Compact Camera) The LX100 series receives its third generation update. The M43 sensor and Leica lens combination are retained, but the outdated focusing system has been replaced with hybrid phase-detection autofocus, resulting in improved image quality and focusing speed. This creates a flagship compact camera that you can shoot without changing lenses – a dream come true for those who love shooting straight out of the camera!

🎬 GH Series (Professional Video King) The GH8 has officially arrived, breaking new ground in video performance! It promises to feature a global shutter, completely eliminating rolling shutter effect, supporting higher-specification video recording, and enhanced heat dissipation during long recording sessions. While retaining the compact M43 body, it delivers top-notch professional video capabilities, making it a must-have for vloggers and filmmakers! Demand for portable cameras is expected to surge in 2026, and Panasonic’s M43 is making a comeback! Waiting for the 25th-anniversary new camera to blow us away, M43 enthusiasts have finally got their wish! 😭 Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photolari had a chat with a OM Manager at the CP show. When asked about a possible new PEN camera the answer was:

“We don’t know the timing, but there will be a new OM System Pen camera.”

The Photolari team said that this is the first time they got an official confirmation but they also add that their feeling is that it’s not coming in 2026.

Some more tidbits from this interview

• 50% of the employed workforce comes from Olympus.
• They also discussed future sensors, and OM Digital made it clear that we shouldn’t expect a massive increase in resolution, partly because computer-assisted photography works better with 20-MP sensors than with 40-MP sensors. It is highly unlikely that OM will develop video-centric cameras.

MY sense is that we might get an update PEN camera with new OM brand name first. So nothing exciting. And maybe in 2-3 years a true new PEN camera.

A couple of days ago Songdian announced two new compact cameras, the VE228 camera, featuring a 1-inch 50-megapixel sensor, and the 1/1.4-inch DC226 Pro camera.

More importantly at the same event Songdian officially said a new M43 camera and lens are under development!

No info about when this camera will be launched and what kind of specs we can expect. Let’s hope it’s something PEN alike 🙂