Tomorrow (May 13) Panasonic will have an official press event. I leaked all info and images on this article and this article on L-rumors.com. So there seems to be no new MFT gear announcement but maybe in tomorrows press event Panasonic will at least tease something about their future plans for MFT?

I will livestream the event her and on L-rumors…let’s see…

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The new gear that Panasonic will announce on May 13:

• Lumix S1 II: 24 megapixels, partially stacked, 70 fps no blackout. 4k120p uncropped. 3500€
• Lumix S1 IIE: 24 MP (no more info about sensor). 2.800€. Less video specs than S1II.
• Lumix S 24-60 f/2.8. 544 gr, 999€, control button (Sony Style)

I’m now 99% sure that Panasonic will make a product announcement around the 13th of May. But from what I’ve heard so far, there will only be L-mount devices (more on L-rumors.com). But I hope I’m proved wrong and we might get an MFT surprise too!

DigitalCameraWorld made a speculative list of cameras that could be announced as next by OM Digital and Lumix:

1. OM System Trip 35: There’s speculation about a digital revival of the iconic Olympus Trip 35. This would likely feature a fixed 20mm f/2.8 lens, following the original’s popularity as a compact camera.
2. OM System OM-10: The potential release of the OM-10 has been discussed, with some thinking that it may never happen due to the current lineup’s clear segmentation, but it could be revitalized due to its past popularity.
3. OM System PEN Series: Despite confirmation from OM Digital Solutions that the PEN line will continue, no new models have been released since the PEN E-P7. Rumors suggest there may be future models, but they haven’t materialized yet.
4. Panasonic Lumix G100 II: A full update to the G100 vlogging camera could feature phase-detect autofocus and improved video capabilities, including 4K 60p and 10-bit 4:2:2.

Digitalcameraworld thinks that:

there’s another camera that OM could bring back – and if it does, it could do absolutely monster business this year in the same way that the Fujifilm X100VI, the Ricoh GR III and the Leica Q3 have done.

A digital Trip 35 not just a better prospect (than the PEN series), but arguably the best prospect for OM System. In case you don’t remember it, the Olympus Trip 35 was one of the best compact cameras of its era, with a slim and stylish body and a fixed 40mm f/2.8 lens.

Sound familiar? Because that is exactly the kind of camera that is in white-hot demand right now – and the reason why compacts like the X100VI, GR III and Q3 are on perpetual backorder.

What are your thought on this?

I have heard from trusted sources that Panasonic will be holding a new product announcement event on 13 May.

For sure we will get a new full frame L-mount camera. But Panasonic has recently announced two new cameras, so a second camera will be announced at the same event or shortly thereafter. Could this be a fixed lens FT camera?

The Narrow Band Channel shared a small insight about the PEN-FII and OM1x. He has been told by OM managers that the naming of the PEN-FII and OM1x have been “setup”. Don’t know what exactly that means but while I see a chance of a new PEN-FII happening and I am really not sure we will ever see a new OM1x body.

OM System’s Director of Product Planning, Hiroki Koyama and VP for Brand Strategy and Product Planning, Kazuhiro Togashi, at CP+ 2025 (Image by Dpreview)

OM System managers had a chat with Dpreview. And there are a couple of interesting notes:

1) The PEN lineup will continue, but they have not yet decided how:

We think the camera’s design must realize the concept of the product, so we don’t start to decide the camera design before deciding the camera’s concept: the product concept must come first.
Therefore, we haven’t yet decided if the product design for a new Pen will look like the Pen-F or similar to the E-P7 because we haven’t decided on the product concept.

2) There is no plan to make an enthusiast fixed lens compact camera:

We are continuing to study the development of a successor to the TG series, but currently we don’t have any plans to introduce other compact camera concepts.”

3) New fast primes coming:

We are also trying to develop small and light and bright lenses or something like that. We have space to make new lenses in the future. I can’t disclose [the details].

Summary:
So it sounds like we will have to wait quite some time before we get a new PEN model 🙁

ThePhoBlographer writes this about the teased telephoto zoom from OM Digital:t

While a mid-range zoom like this getting an update is significant, it would be even more great if we could get one with a bright aperture like the f2 or f1.8. Why so? Because that is what photographers need with such a small sensor. Many years ago during the regular Four Thirds DSLR days, Olympus had f2 zooms. With a zoom range of 40-150mm, it is ideal for travel, portraits, weddings, wildlife, and even events. However, f4 and f2.8 can be really limiting in certain situations, such as low-light photography. You also can’t stop it down too much due to diffraction. But, if you switch this up with f1.8 or f2, photographers will get more pronounced and bold bokeh, which will be really ideal to separate the background from the subject, as well as to make the picture more appealing.

What do you think about this?

On 28 February, Panasonic registered another new camera in China. We have now registered a total of three cameras in Asia that have not yet been announced. The next camera will be announced in April, and it’s a ‘niche’ L-mount camera that is NOT the S1HII. I don’t know yet what the other two cameras might be. Yesterday Panasonic said they are working on new fixed lens cameras, maybe one of them is some kind of LX100II successor. What would you like to see?

Note: The table above shows four camera codes for ‘unknown’ cameras. One of the codes is certainly for the Lumix S1rII, leaving three cameras that have yet to be announced.