I received a few rumors about non Micro Four Thirds related products from Olympus and Panasonic. I choose to post them because might some of you is interested in reading those.
As you know the CES show starts on January 6th. According to our sources there will be plenty of new compact cameras from Olympus and Panasonic.
1) Olympus will unveil new ompact cameras and the very interesting high-end compact camera (see the picture on top). It’s called XZ-1, it features the same [shoplink 17288]Panasonic LX5[/shoplink] sensor (10 Megapixel and 1:1.63 size). That camera will feature an amazing 28-112mm f/1.8-2.5 Lens!!!! That’s a lens I would love to have for Micro Four Thirds also instead of my old and cheap [shoplink 17922 ebay]C-mount lens zoom[/shoplink] 🙁
2) Panasonic will launch a new “S” compact series. There will be a DMC-S1 and DMC-S3. But there will be more new compact cameras like the Panasonic DMC-TS3, Panasonic DMC-FH2 and the Panasonic FH5.
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54 Responses
Mayday! Mayday! ………. we are under attack!!!
from sony rumor: [SR5]CES is getting closer (it starts on January 6th) so why not take a look on what’s coming from Sony? According to our sources Sony will launch a huge ammount of new compact cameras (no Alpha and no NEX). We received that small image leak that shows some f the new cameras. One camera should be the Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 successor. We were told that there will be new Bloggie cameras (with bigger screen), new 2D and 3D videocameras. They will feature some of the features Sony introduced in NEX and Alpha cameras during 2010. Sweep panorama, 3D, AVCHD recording. But there are two new features which would be very nice they would include inside the future NEX-7 and A77 cameras:
1) Those will be the very first cameras that can record 1080p60 in AVCHD!!!
2) The contrast autofocus is claimed to as fast as the autofocus from the Panasonic GH2. It can focus in 0.1 seconds!
are the sensor dimensions already known?
I updated the post. Specs are equal as the Paasonic LX5 sensor!
Uhm… Eh… Why??????
And here I was slowly getting interested. A major let down. LX5 coverage we had already…
Finally some stuff about the high end compact. Are you really sure about the 28-112mm Admin? Id wish for a bit wider in exchange for some zoom but oh well :).
100% sure!
Well for one thing, this Olympus looks as if it was a lot slimmer than the LX5, which alone would make a world of difference to me. I need a new ‘go anywhere’ camera to replace my Fuji F100FD but I’m not prepared to lug around an LX5 which is nearly twice as thick and heavier to boot. Think shirt pocket. I had th S95 in my sights but this thing looks damn nifty. A faster lens hardly ever hurts and the flash mount would be a massive bonus.
Dimensions and weight anyone?
I really don’t understand why Oly would opt for a zoomlens starting at 28mm not 24mm. 28mm was wide-angle in the 20th century, not anymore now 24mm is the focal length to go for. I love shooting 16:9 format at 24mm. A pity because the other specs are promising.
I agree with you Luc. 28mm isnt very wide at all ;/.
Depending on the size of the camera (I wish it was smaller than the lx5) I might buy it even with the 28mm non wide angle. If its the same size Im not sure what Ill do. Maybe Panasonic will still get my money.
I absolutely love my LX5, and although the F1.8 and longer zoom of this one is nice, plus the size (more pocketable) I’ll still take the LX5 over this one. Why?:
24mm wide
better grip for bigger hands
Leica optics/JPEG processing
Multi-apsect ratio switch on the lens barrel
AF/MAF/MF on lens barrel
(and more I’m sure)
28mm is wide enough for most people and it’s a much more useful starting point for general use than 24mm when you have a limit on zoom range. It’s only a couple of years ago that 35mm was the standard for compacts.
for me, i’d rather have the at 28-112mm f1.8-2.5 than a wider but less zoom, less aperture lens
i seldom need anything wider than 28mm anyway so i prefer the lower aperture and zoom, more practical
I agree. I’ve always missed that little extra zoom on the long with the LX series ever since they truncated it from the LX3 onwards.
24mm also has a tendency to “warp” the picture, too much curvature in the image without some fix later. 28mm is the limit to keep it relatively flat with the 16×9 image.
Does this Oly have perspective control like the LX5?
Yes, I would have liked a bit wider too, but other than that the lens look great.
Now it would be great to know the processing engine they’ll use. If it’s similar to the one in their (m)4/3 products it’s going to be a wonderful camera.
I agree 24mm eq is better, but remember that lx5 sensor is multi aspect, i.e. 16×9 will be “wider” than 28mm – it will be not 28mm cropped 16×9.
Wasn’t the filed patent 26mm?
i thought Panasonic’s multi aspect sensors had the same aspect ratio for all formats, except 1:1. 28mm stays 28mm, as opposed to cropping a four thirds sensor that results in an longer equivalent FL.
I hope Olympus finally will release a really good compact camera. For some time almost all compact cameras from Oly are total cr..p. I use Oly DSLR but if i’d buy a compact camera, I’d buy something from Canon. I don’t know why Olympus compact cameras are much worst than Canon. In the past there were some good Mju series, why nowdays Oly makes cr.p?
I hope XZ-1 will be the first of many good compact cameras from Olympus!
+1
Heres hoping that this marks a resurgence for Oly compacts!
Btw another question admin. Do you know if that picture is the final design or just a mockup like the first m4/3 pictures turned out to be?
It’s very close to the real design. I hope to get the final image soon…
If the specs are true, the XZ-1 should be an incredibly useful camera. Just like a tiny C-5050 with a bit more range and hopefully snappier. It will be 1-2 stops faster than the S95, which is very nice.
Let’s wait for the whole package and its price.
Knowing Oly, I guesstimate that, since the camera undoubtedly can easily replace 1D and D3 combined, it would have price of gazillion megabucks.
As unique it might be, unless the price is right, it will not sell. LX5 in Germany now sells for 400-450€. If ZX-1 price would be higher than 500€, it would be a tough sell – despite potentially outstanding optics. At 400€ they would have a winner, but I’m pretty sure that Oly would never sell the camera at the price.
I personally am mildly interested, but lack of (E)VF/external EVF bothers me.
it was the first think i tought.. as bright as my old (but lovely) c-5050 🙂
Interesting read: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc5050z/page18.asp 😉
This camera might be interesting for external EVF. I have VF-2 for E-PL1, and would love to use it on compact camera (when sun is bright)and when shooting in theater and other places where bright LCD is disturbing. I would also love 24mm, but if it is good camera, I could buy it anyway.
Don’t worry about wide angle,
Oly will release wide converter to get your money again. ^^
Optional hi-res viewfinder would be nice indeed.
And a proper handgrip too please 😉
I like the Oly Jpeg output more than Panasonic’s.
In-camera correction of wide-angle lens distortion (a la Panasonic) is also on my wishlist.
Interesting camera for sure.
Do you suppose that round dot on the front of the body, at about 11 o’clock from the lens center, could be a focus assist light or some sort of viewfinder?
This could be interesting if it has the image processing engine of the Pens and can use Oly flashes.
@Tom, it looks like a focus assist light, like on the LX5.
wow, samsung also annnounce nx11 too. competition make thing great 🙂
Is this a war on built-in VFs?
That war has been long over, and the built-in VFs have been confined to the outskirts of compact society for quite some time.
T_T *crying river*
I probably wouldn’t have minded that, if e.g. Oly’s VF-2 didn’t cost 200€.
Grat, Olympus continues copying Panasonic Products – now not only in mFT but also in the compact segment. I’m somehow sad, but will move to Panasonic. My L10 arrived yesterday and I hope the 14-150mm Leica will follow soon…
Oly copied Pany in mFT? Oly was first to introduce the compact mirrorless (the orange prototype w/c became the E-P1)… Pany was the first to have the mirrorless in a DSLR-like body (G1)
I looked at the mFT lenses Roadmap. But you’re right with the bodies, they came from Olympus. That’s why I bought an E-P1 – but with a Lumix Pancake 🙂
and Oly started the weatherproof pns craze with the Tough series which now all companies have their own version
That L10 probably has quite a few Olympus parts in it…
But good lens choise. That Leica makes Panas much hyped 14-140mm look plain fuzzy at wide angle because of very heavy software based distortion correction of the latter:
http://www.photozone.de/olympus–four-thirds-lens-tests/455-leica_14150_3856?start=1
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcgh1/page17.asp
I can’t understand why people are complaining about the 28mmm. Are you using 24mm so frequently? Besides, a good 28mm is way superior to a bad 24mm. I tried the LX5, I’ve never seen such a lens barrel!
If you have a party and trying to make a group shot, then the wider – the better. Or street photography. Barreling/etc in the cases secondary/tertiary/no concern at all.
Sure, that’s *just* the purpose of a wide angle – cramming more stuff into a picture. Reeeeeeeeal interesting pictures are obtained this way.
NOT! Your nick is your program, eh?
Hint: learn about perspective.
I have a Panasonic ZS7 and it has a 25mm wide angle yet it is a fraction of the LX5’s thickness :p.
This /could/ be possible if Oly decides to do software correction of distortion and have +2% of distortion on the wide side and -2% distortion on the other side.
Oly can even have over 5% without IQ going in the dumps, esp. in the corners. Their 14-150 m4/3rds zoom has over 5% of distortion at wide angle, yet its corner performance isn’t horrendous ;).
I hope Oly wont kill this camera with crappy processing as they usually do. Lens seem very nice and they are capable of creating fast and good zoom lens. Oly usually lacks in sensor quality and processing (noisy, blurry compacts from them..). Hopefully they used bit of Panasonic processing too..
and battery and battery!
IMHO Canon S95 major failure is battery life ~250 per charge is too litle
That is one beautiful camera if it stays like that. Olympus will of course plaster the nice finish with all kinds of crap. I know the resolution, it doesn’t have to be written on the body.
I seriously hate all these 24mm crap lenses with monstrous barrel distorsion. Tried to take a video with Sony’s HX5 at 24mm?
And even if sofware correction allows to compensate the barrel distorsion only the middle part of the picture is usable for social snapshots as all people at the corners of the pics look heavily distortet. That’s why I got rid of my LX3 and got a Canon S95 instead. Better to have a useful 28mm at 2.0 than to having to zoom in from 24 to 28mm and loose the aperture advantages (and to save nerves)
Hi Simon,
in fact the LX3/LX5 lens is excellent at 24mm. For me 24mm is a necessity because I want to be able to shoot creatively at 24mm.
Like these examples
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/4980769822_b21e0ccffc_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4825332776_36b4bf6954_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/3959984902_50c8d83a78_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4418258488_cf769ff9d6_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3663/3576393483_1f85645440_o.jpg
I agree with you that shooting a group of people at 24mm with the total frame filled wouldn’t look ok.
Does anyone have information on if the lens is from Zeiss?
according to previous press release it should have zuiko
Seems like there is room for an external EVF
Is it just me or does it look like the child of an S95 and LX-5?
Admin – Any new news of what the specs or pictures might be for new Pany “S” compact series? Sensor size or has swivel screen?
Thanks
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I’ve tried to measure thickness in photoshop from the ‘bird’s eye view’ picture on http://photorumors.com/ . Disappointingky, although it looks sleeker, overall it’s even thicker than the LX5 if I’m not mistaken. It’s 46 mm as measured from the front of the lens to the back of that protrusion sticking out to the rear from the hot shoe. Without said protrusion, measured to the rear edge of the body, it’s still 43mm.
So the only key advantage over the LX5 would be the slightly faster lens, and over the S95, also the hot shoe, which is partially offset by the drawback of needing a separate lens cap. Provided Olympus don’t sneak in any last-minute surprises, like a flip-out-and-twist display…