Panasonic filled a patent that descirbes a Micro Four Thirds camera (Source: Egami). The pictures on top show that camera and the new sliding grip. The camera could be priced below the current [shoplink 16841]Panasonic AG-AF100[/shoplink]. You can slide the grip to have two different “look”, DSLR or classic videocamera. You can also roatet the LCD (by 270 degrees). Cool!
More pictures here (Click on thumbnails to enlarge):
41 Responses
well done admin, you deliver again and again… 😀
nice look for the GH3 🙂 any specs?
Yes, GH3 should look like this. And “pro” PEN like GH2.
This looks like a fusion between camera and camcorder.
Looking much better than canon’s “hairdryer” prototype.
GH2 goes 2HG
if most of GH2 costumers are Still photographers that like video, then this 2HG camera is for Videographers that want a still ability…
I think panasonic would be smart&save resources if they just “put” a gh2 camera into this body with same 1500$ KIT&Price
Dont really like it. They should just stick to a nice designed dSLR style body like the GH2 and then do a camcorder for those who like. But hey thats just me.
What I dont understand is why the multi-aspect sensor is only available on the more video orientated GH2 models. I think that is much more important for stills photography. I hope the upcoming rumored GF pro has a multi-aspect sensor. Wouldnt it be nice if they shared it with Olympus for their Pen Pro. Not likely i guess.
I agree, but dont forget that GH2 supposed to be the top-end for stills as well, not only a G3+Video orientation
It would be a good video camera to go with the other micro 4/3s users. This competes with the NEX video camera that sucks balls. It will hopefully kick its ass. People just dont see this is just a new product that goes with the existing line. Its not the end of the world for still shooters. Just dont get it. I think its nice that they cater to both users and they take care of there user base.
Admin, do you ever rest? Are your spies everywhere? 😉
Cool concept. Using a DSLR-style hand grip seems logical for video shooting. Holding the typical tin-can style video camera is awkward. For solid-state, non-tape camcoders there’s next to zero reason to stick with that form factor.
A DSLR or brick-style body is awkward for a dedicated video camera, so it’s great to see Panasonic (or anyone, really) pushing the industrial design and usability envelope.
I saw a Nikon camera concept that was essentially a cylindrical body with a separate handle.
Sometimes you wonder how a specific body style, especially an inefficient one, becomes so entrenched. I vote for camera makers’ copycat and me-too laziness. Look at all the iPhone and ipad clones. Same thing here.
I agree! Admin is great.
I like the concept myself, but this is going to be a camera with many compromises (low spec) and it will not solve the sensor issues.
this form factor would be ideal for my work and I would quit my AF101 for the comfort.
I worry this just pushes the lens weight farther forward. I thought the industry was looking for a thinner body, not a fatter, thicker body. A bigger body is an advantage if it ads more dedicated buttons, but these pics don’t imply that.
What I would really like is some workflow innovation. Writing directly to a portable drive, or writing wireless Ethernet to your computer, iPad/tablet, or network mounted storage. That would also let us work at higher resolution than the SDHC card would allow. Or automatic wireless syncing when it gets close to my computer/iPad, like my phone camera will do with iOS5. Or a option to write to a modern wavelet “raw” style video compression like Cineform or R3D. Or real HDMI monitoring, without disabling the touch screen. I need less workflow delays/steps and less compression issues. That’s what would pull my money out of my pocket! Not a bigger, different body…
Is a kind of cool concept, yesterday i was looking info for the Sony VG10, and see with this concept many similarities. Is the quality of the video is similar (hope a little better) than the GH2 but give us access to better audio monitoring, no AGC, some Zebras and clean HDMI monitoring, i´m sold.
Thanks Admin.
unfortunately if it cant handle an external xlr mike then this is more consumer than prosumer. wish i could afford the $5k ag100
Grip … drip … whatever.
Panasonic could probably sell tens of thousands of additional “GH3” cameras to videographers by simply including a headphone jack for live monitoring of audio during recording! (A feature missing from all current video-capable “DSLRs”.)
A nice feature of the AF100 is that its grip & handle are completely removable. This flexibility is valuable in certain shooting situations, such as mounting on a jib or steadicam.
A sliding grip as shown in this patent might not add much useability or value to a “top-of-the-line” m43 cam. In fact it might waste valuable space & add weight which might be better-used for more important things, such as a bigger battery, more powerful processor, etc.
Most video-capable “DSLRs” are missing fundamental features required to make them efficient camcorders (headphone jack, built-in ND, recordable live HDMI output, peaking, zebras, etc.) … adding a fancy-schmancy sliding grip is not a high priority.
Oh, and most important of all: Whatever cam Panasonic releases, they need to actually ship adequate quantities of them to the US. GH1 & GH2 sales in the US have been limited to a tiny fraction of actual demand. Hopefully this won’t happen again with the “GH3”.
Yeah I’m sure if something like this is on the way, it will look a lot better. This looks, pretty ugly, i think. I’m sure it will be re-worked. But it is exciting that this implies the full functionality of an actual video camera. I mean seriously, we’re only a headphone jack and full manual audio control away, anyway. I’d love to retire my juicedlink and tascam dr-07. and *ahem*, i totally called a panasonic camcorder to be announced as that something “special” that panasonic had for us, that was posted on 43rumors a month or two ago ;).
This will work great on a GH3 !! 😛
It’s good to see Panasonic is trying to achieve new ideas on the mechanical design on functionality and form factor, great fusion between the DSLR and camcorder-like style.
It looks like a cheap bridge camera to me. I hate it. I want a pro GH3 that looks like a traditional DSLR but with all the great Panny features. How about a weather sealed Titanium body and provision for a proper motor drive to improve battery power on all-day shoots.
Great News –
Powerful design that reminds me of the new Red-Line (scarlet / epic).
Hope to See at least 1080p50 & 60p And a headphone-jack!
Thx for this Great News!
Spetsnaz version – are they planning to broaden their customer base? 🙂
IBIS (like sony alpha) in videomode would be great for primes…
I like the look of the body, but probably only because it reminds me of medium format cameras. If they make it that big I’m sure people will cry out that it goes against everything m43 stands for “we want small cameras! Not full features ones!” 😉
Just kidding guys, I just woke up and haven’t had my coffee, not trying to step on any toes.
I think it’s genius, by the look of it should make the camera more versatile adding some new ways to hold the camera particularly for video shooting, and more compact easier to pack. It helps tuck away the protruding viewfinder and the grip. Great idea panasonic. That said I agree with most of the thinly veiled appeals to panasonic for audio and recordable hdmi outs.
oh … no, please no …
Fantastic. Looks like it switches between good SLR and good video camera. Needs global shutter. If it has that, and is less than 1500, it’s a solid buy.
There’s no excuse for a 3000 dollar micro four thirds camera.
take some rest Admin, we don’t want to lose You 😉
For me this design is good especially for zooms. Make camera big in only one dimension. I would buy it (as I’m mostly video guy)
If this is a patent application, it will be a so-called design patent protecting the external apearance of an object. This is normally done when the design process is finished, because protection will mostly not extent to (at least substantial) variations, and render the design patent invaluable. So, I would expect this camera to show up in the near future.
Neat idea! One of the reasons that a video DSLR / m43 camera cannot replace my camcorder is that the way you hold and operate a camcorder is much more suited to making video clips then the way you hold a DSLR. Though, I must admit that the prototype design above looks somewhat ugly 🙂 But I am happy that hybrid camera manufacturers are working towards solving this issue!
Interesting idea. But for that kind of body design, since we are already in the not-so-small-body territory, why not to add the VF which can be raised up?
I wonder what keyboard layout for stills might be useable. Still camera which can be operated with one hand? Bring it on!
Sorry, I think it may be interesting in one respect, but in terms of doing something truly beneficial for the user, sorry, it doesn’t really fly. It’s really more of the same “let’s make it do both stills and video” thinking, which tends to water things down to the middle ground.
How about this instead: make that grip removable and have options that contain useful tools. For example, the small grip (similar to their pushed in version, but with a hand strap) makes it a mini-camcorder; the larger (stuck out version in their design) comes in different flavors, including a dual XLR audio controller and headphone monitor, a still add-ons grip (GPS, intervalometer, etc.), and so on?
Personally, I’m tired of pushing pieces of plastic in and out. It rarely is sturdy enough and it doesn’t accomplish much other than to get five-year olds to call my camera a transformer.
Thats my idea too. grip could be purchased as an accessory.
2x XLR with gain control:) monitor out, extra video out maybe, wifi, gps, battery
Different market segments need different capabilities. For professional needs it might make more sense to have replaceable grips and different modules to go in the grip etc (though professionals are likely to buy dedicated tools for video and dedicated tools for stills). However for a non-professional like me things like dual XLR audio controller and headphone monitor are not what I need. What I need is to be able to use the existing video capabilities of my DSLR / mirrorless camera in a better way. The current ergonomics of these cameras are not good for video clips. So if can quickly turn my camera body into a camcorder like from then I am much more likely to actually use its video capabilities. And in any case this is just a patent – we have no idea what would the actual design look like so no use over-analyzing this. What is encouraging is that the company is looking into solutions for this issue and we can hope for improvements in future.
No – Don’t make a grip include and exclude features – I don’t aggree with the thinking that if you do both you end up with a watered down nothing… you will end up missing some features with one grip and other features with the other grip… you’ll only wish you could have both on at some stage!
Have ya cake and eat it 🙂
All the GH2 needs is is headphone jack, xlr input, 1080 60p, intelegent object recognition for focus tracking, live HDMI output and you might never see another camera of any type ever again!
GPS and intervalometer could be included too… intervalometer is not even an additional component – just re program the camera control system to include it.
I don’t see the need to seperate video cameras form stills.
None of this needs replaceble bits, it should all be included in the core body… most of this wish list is not that unachivable with current tech and production cost restrictions…. it is more manufactures choise not ability!
The replaceable grips should be more for ergonomics not features – so 1 grip might just have a shutter release and 3 wheels for ISO, Apature, Shutter… and another grip with zoom rocker video start stop and volume… etc etc.
It’s really bizarre looking, do patents in Japan usually come with photographs? Has this thing been confirmed as real? The first shot kind of reminds me of a lensless version of Canon’s old pro70 (a great camera in its time which certainly never won any beauty contests).
Good point – any paitents I have worked on in the UK require line drawings with only the most basic functional shading applied if nessasery and would not accept photos….
It’s just a patent on an idea that might have future application.
Look for a GH3 in a G3 body size to be announced next May, and a new GR3 form factor (with EVF) to be announced in September, and with controls to rival the X-100 and E-P3. An AF-200 will keep the form and function of the AF-100, but with a more advanced sensor.
The mFT prime lens line up is looking great, but still much room from expansion from all manufacturers – would love to see another Voigtlander lens and perhaps a Zeiss offering or two.
From certain angles it kind of looks like a small Pentax 645.
This may have been designed for dual-body 3D capture, where getting the lenses as close together as possible is desirable. Even if it wasn’t, it’s absolutely perfect for that. If they stick a GH3 in there I’d buy it.
I fail to see what benefit this design offers over the current GH2 design. The GH2 is smaller and is just as good for shooting video.
I hope they go with a rotating grip instead for a hybrid device. Vertical for stills, horizontal for video. Better yet, just a box cam with a lot of 1/4″-20 and shoe mount for people to add their own grip, top handle, and other accessories.
My personal opinion as someone who shoots both stills and video is that the ergonomics of the traditional camcorder are horrible! I’ve owned them and used them extensively. Why this shape was ever adopted is beyond me. A professional video camera sits on the shoulder and distributed weight directly on the body, while the right hand supports the lens. This is a stable shooting arrangement and minimizes shakes and unwanted motion. When the manufacturers shrunk the video camera down, it became prone to the shakes. If you shoot with one for any length of time, your arm feels like it wants to fall off because it is held out in front of you in a very unnatural way. The same can be said for the point and shoot style cameras without an integrated viewfinder. These are also atrocious from an ergonomic standpoint.
Now, the proper shooting position for using a DSLR is an excellent one for preventing shakes. The left hand is underneath the lens as a platform and the right hand grips the camera. Both arms are tucked in tight to the body for support. This is a position that can be maintained for extended periods of time with no fatigue and is really stable.
So, it is for these reasons that I decided to abandon the video camcorder in favor of a GH-1 for my video work. The DSLR form factor is superior to the camcorder for ergonomics in every way. If I went back to a camcorder, it would only be a shoulder rig, which is much less portable and much more conspicuous. Panasonic is going totally the wrong direction with this design study. I hope they kill it before it sees production. I want the GH-3 to be a professional grade, metal bodied, high end, DSLR style camera for both stills and video work.
OH!!!! On the plus side, look at the picture in the lower left. Is that the new high speed video zoom lens that has been rumored for quite some time? Look at how big the front lens element is. Now, that I would buy!