CineD had a long chat with and this is what CineD wrote regarding MFT:
With the full-frame S series demanding so much attention, we wanted to know whether Micro Four Thirds cameras have been pushed to the side. Tsumura-san pushed back on this notion, pointing to recent releases including the GH7, G9II, G97, and G100D, as well as renewed MFT lenses like the 100-400mm LEICA and 35-100mm f/2.8 LEICA.
He described the dual-mount strategy (L-mount and MFT) as one of LUMIX’s strengths, noting that the mobility and speed achieved through the compactness of the MFT system, including lenses, remain an enduring appeal. Panasonic intends to “continue to make new proposals that further highlight the unique charm of MFT.”
It’s now 2,5 years we don’t get a new Panasonic MFT lens and the last new camera was the G97 announced 1,5 years ago. I hope Panasonic will break this long silence in 2026!
By chance I found a near two year old rumor in my email. There an anonymous source told me that OM Digital was developing a new 50-200mm f/2.8 PRO lens. As we know by now he was right as we got this lens in September.
Now comes the interesting part. In the same message, he also told me that OM is developing a 50-250mm f/4.0 PRO. With IP sealing, compatible with MC-14 and MC-20. It would be a more affordable companion, and I think many readers would be happy to see it arrive in 2026. Not all of us have $3,700 to spend on the f/2.8 PRO version.
I hope this “old” source comes back to me and tells me if the 50-250mm PRO is really coming out this year. Thanks 😉
With Panasonic completely silent and OM having released only the new OM-3 Astro version, I was ready to call it a day at CP+. But now we have a little surprise! Chinese company Songdian is previewing the launch of a new MFT camera!
There are no specs yet but at leats we will get some kind of new camera…
Panasonic has officially registered two new cameras in China (Source: E8M on Weibo). According to the few details we got we can expect to get one nee entry level and one new high end camera. There is no way to know from the papers if one of these cameras is MFT or not. This is all we know:
The entry level camera: This could be a Lumix ZS99 successor or another fixed lens affordable compact camera. On paper also the G97 successor could be a possibility but I have not heard anything about this yet.
The High End camera: Here we have a couple more options in the L-mount range. The GH8 is not coming in 2026 so the only MFT camera I can see coming is a new GM/GF kind of camera or a G9III. But again, I got no indication yet that a MFT camera will be announced soon.
When will those be announced? It takes a maximum of 3-4 months for a newly registered camera to be released on the market. Therefore, the announcement will be made between the end of February and May.
A couple of days ago the Insta360 CEO posted this image (seen on top) of a new camera prototype. I didn’t know what to expect from this but a few days ago he posted this image samples:
Now here comes the interesting part. The original resolution of the image is 5280 x 3956 pixel which is the native “Active Pixel” count of the Sony IMX472 sensor. This is the same Four Thirds sensor in use on the OM-1II and OM-3! Could this mean Insta360 is about to launch a camera with Four Thirds sensor? If the answer is yes we still don’t know if this is a fixed lens of interchangeable MFT camera.
For now let’s sum up what we learned from these images:
on Rednote a user made these AI generated images based on the design language of the original prototype:
Now that would be a big news if Insta360 would join the MFT system! What do you think about this?
Exactly one year ago OM pleased us with the launch of the new OM-3 camera. But this year I still got no solid evidence that OM or/and Lumix will announce any new camera or lens at the Cp+ show. I hope to be proven wrong and that we might get something…but as of now I am very skeptical 🙁
Highly reliable sources report that Sony will soon launch a new 180-megapixel medium format sensor. A new generation of partially stacked sensors is imminent and will likely be implemented for all different sensor sizes.
I don’t currently know with 100% certainty whether Sony will also develop a new partially stacked Micro Four Thirds sensor. However, I consider this very likely, and if we assume that it will have the same pixel size as the new 180 MP medium format sensor, this would mean that we would get a new 28 MP MFT sensor.
I think this would quite be a welcome sensor within the MFT community. Particularly for OM shooters a jump form 20 to 28MP would be appreciated. Also keep in mind that the partially stacked sensor tech not only allows for much faster readout but also has a much improved dynamic range performance and low-mid ISO (mechanical shutter only).
So I hope that sources can soon tell me if such a sensor will be coming soon. Imagine it being used on future OM-1III or GH8…that would be great!
Imagine if OM managers had listened to our requests and created the new PEN-FII with a partially stacked 24MP sensor. This sensor would be fast and provide a dynamic range boost at low to mid ISO settings. If they priced it lower than the OM-3—say, $1,500—it would sell well.
Of course, to sell a lot of PEN-Fs, they would also have to offer an entry-level version priced at around $700 or $800. Something like the E-PL7II.
I know… I’m just dreaming right now…
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