According to multiple top sources we will have at least three announcements between early April and early May:
1) First announcement form Panasonic in early April
2) Second announcement from Panasonic in late April-early May
3) Another announcement from Olympus in late April-early May
Panasonic is likely going to announce a new G and a new GF model. I am still not sure about a possible new GX model although the recent massive price drops suggest that a new camera may be on the horizon. The 42,5mm f/1.2 and the 150mm f/2.8 lens are NOT going to hit the marked for the next 6-8 months.
Olympus is likely to announce the new E-P5 (with no built-in EVF), a new fast f/2.8 zoom, a Black 17mm f/1.8 lens and a new external viewfinder with 2,44 million dots.
What else can we expect? Maybe a new Blackmagic MFT camera with full electronic support, maybe one of the preannounced Schneider lens. Zeiss is NOT going to release a MFT version of their three new primes for the NEX and Fuji X system.
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Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct
56 Responses
no money for Panny… still waiting.
Just think. We could use the new EVF on our OM-D E-M5 if we desire! 😉 😀
Assuming Olympus haven’t redesigned the accessory port 🙂
To read every day about big announcements coming in late April is frustrating .. thats still soo much time to wait ;D
I even read early may. It’s getting worse!
Cool…looks like I can love (and use) the cameras that I already have, (oMD, GX1) for another year!
+1
Just anounce reliable AF and better low light performance and I’ll be pleased.
Reliable AF? How reliable do you want, as good as current AF on m(43) you can’t get with DSLR.
How good low light performance do you want. The GH3 AND OM-D focus pretty quick in near dark environment, also better than you can with an OVF camera.
Due to amplifying the EVF light levels you can see more than with an OVF in dark environments, it might be a little jaggy/laggy but you can definately see more details to compose your shot.
So what a BS remark that was.
Just write what you really mean, like wanting a fast tracking AF system that’s accurate and fast enough to follow, since that’s the only area that’s insufficient.
You want even higher ISO quality, oke, that’s a legit wish, but the GH and OM-D are no slough.
The problem here is that those announcements are dwarfed by those of the new Samsung Galaxy smart phone.
Will m4/3 survive, or even be bought out? I believe OC that there will still be room for specialised photographic equipment, but others should too. How many is the question…
There is no way we will see a phone competing with decent MILC or SLR camera’s any time soon. I say this as a person who owns a Nokia 808 Pureview, OM-D, D800e and an EPL1 so am well aware of the capabilities of the best of breed in the full range.
When it comes to phone IQ, the 808 is a freak and we wont see any phone with near that quality for years to come. Even if we do end up with mainstream phones with that level of IQ, it does not hold a candle to the EPL1, not even close.
And if it cant come near the EPL1 (probably the lowest IQ MFT cam), we need not worry about m/43, APSC or FF camera’s being threatened any time soon if at all.
I am not really arguing about the IQ, but if a smart phone is good enough for most’s image needs.
If it is then sales of cameras are going to drop accordingly, no one excepted, which is actually what is happening, according to Thom’s recent stats.
It is the whole pie which is getting smaller, and small producers, like m4/3 are suffering most because ten of them have only 50% of that pie. C&N having the rest of the other 50%.
It is only because Japs are not short term investors like the US that the sector survives at all, depsite the losses. However patience can run short after that many years.
But that is only really a threat to the low end of the camera market. i don’t think anyone is going to think “Oh I wont buy an OM-D E-M7, My Galaxy S5 is just as good anyway”
They are not interchangeable products, the Stylus range is probably the only Oly product at risk from smart phone competition.
If those are interchangeable products depends on what you expect and the conditions in which they are used. For many snapshots taken in reasonable light, they actually are interchangeable products, even when looking at a D800 versus a Galaxy S5 or such.
When it comes to serious photography, they aren’t interchangeable at all, even when talking about a small compact versus a camera phone.
It is the use and expectations that determine if the products are interchangeable, technology only plays a role in ensuring a product can meet expectations.
You said “Japs”…LOL. The Thought Police have been dispatched.
I get your point in that the cell phone market and ts supporting services are what drive the global economy at the moment, not a bunch of M43 fanboy togs. The cell phone enthusiasts are failing to find compelling enough reasons to want to drop a cool $1K on a single-purpose device like a camera, when the new smartphones are capable of more than good-enough IQ. The question is, is “more-than-good-enough” IQ sufficient to satisfy the masses and their appetite for social media? Most probably yes.
What is the politically incorrect nickname for an expatriated Zwergstaatler? 😛
Every single 12mp Pen, E5,E30,E620 and all the GF range all share the exact same sensor so the EPL1 is no worse than any of these
Where did you ever get the idea that E-PL1 is “probably the lowest IQ MFT cam” ?! I like thousands of others own an E-PL1 since it was a relatively cheap way to get into m4/3 (though I don’t use it that much anymore). It was the IQ of the E-PL1 that got me into m4/3 in the first place. Up to ISO 800, its IQ still holds it own against many more advanced cameras today. (Of course technology and sensor quality has marched on in m4/3, offering higher IQ possibilities.) E-PL1 images had a good balance of OOC sharpness, warm colours and tonal bias and relatively light NR. While many m4/3 cameras shared that same 12MP Panasonic sensor, I personally found the E-PL1 and E-P3 made best use of it.
Looks like you have a good camera selection there. The OM-D and the D800e would be a good combination to own for sure. I do agree on your point on smartphones not challenging m4/3 (or even Sony RX100) in the enthusiast market anytime soon. It’s not just IQ that smartphone cameras cannot replace. It’s the tactility, the ergonomics, the upgradeability and the overall process of owning and using dedicated digital cameras that is important to enthusiasts, and it’ll continue to be this way for a long foreseeable time.
I am a bit tired having to repeat that I am not addressing the Enthusiasts’ choice. What makes me worry is that the loss of the low.end of the market might make Oly & Panny broke. Enthusiasts or not.
One of the easy predictable consequences is that the new models will become more refined, and even more expensive, a bit like Fuji mirrorless which is twice as expensive in terms of lenses.
So I am not discussing your tastes or even skill, but the survivability of the system, which has incurred losses since its beginning. How long can it go on?
Twice as expensive? How so? The cost for the 35mm is about the same as the Panasonic 25mm (same size too). The 28mm is, admittedly, more expensive. The 60mm is about the same as the 45mm macro from Pana. The 18-55mm is the same size and cheaper than the 12-35mm (not exctly equivalent lenses, but roughly comparable). Finally, the 14mm is about the same price as the Oly 12mm. I bought in the X-mount system when the X-Pro1 was overpriced at $1700, but it was the reasonable prices of the lenses that convinced me to buy in.
LOL it’s only very recently that m4/3 have reached prices in the vicinity of 1000 $ and I explicitly complained about the new trend.
However I just received a Sigma 30mm for 100 Euro, and a Panny 14mm for 160, both v. fine lenses. The Oly 45mm is also fine and cheap. You have no such finds in the X system, and it is probably the reason why sales are v. low in the Fuji system, the lowest of all mirrorless brands.
I am not dissing a brand however. Everybody makes one’s own choices. My worry is that because of low sales prices are going to spiral upwards in all mirrorless brands irrespective. So that people will revert to cheaper dSLR by C & N.
We need to back Kodak coming in with a couple of lower end models. If they make a reasonable product at a good price and market well. Then that will be a base from which to proceed. However I believe both Pany and oly need to better define their products and step the capabilities. Oly have such a mixed bag that each group of owners think they own the product and try to determine where it is going. But like most supporters, many here can only see what is in front of them. This is fine sometimes, but if Oly (and Pany) followed the bleating requests we would only be seeing black lenses and they would be 12-60mm (4/3 convert) or a 300mm f0.95 weighing 150 grams. Or want one of those in green and the xxx button on the left. Yes, it may be valid but it will not drive the product forwards in the market place.
There must be an entry level M43 at a very reasonable price (not just after a year, unless the policy is to make the old model the next entry level, if that is so we are all in trouble) maybe a reduced function mid range based very much on the top model. (old (or smaller) sensor and reduced functionss)
The top end could, year about, be an OMD style and a rangefinder style (with a bl00dy viewfinder) even years an OMD odd years an RF with leap frogging technology.
LOL – I agree completely.
Besides what is happening at Kodak. Beijing? 🙂
I believe M43 is a format with pretty good chances of surviving.
However, I’m of course annoyed that the one product I actually consider buying, the 150/2.8, is so far away. Maybe I should get an Olympus 150/2.0 instead.
Yes a $2500 that weighs it at 1600g 4.5 [times the weight of the Panasonic 35-100] has dog slow AF on any mFT body is just what you need lol
What I need is a fast long lens. Period.
its very exciting to read about upcoming +1000eur stuff …this is how the m4/3 could gain big market
Yes , the market for $1200 lenses that can’t even AF will be a huge attraction to the p&s upgraders lol
As a fraction of the entire market its not very big, but it is much bigger then anyone (including CV) thought it would be a few years ago when CV released their first m4/3 f/0.95 lens. The first production run for that lens sold out as soon as it was delivered, and subsequent production runs only managed to somewhat keep the backlog in check. Also, where initial sales went through a very limited number of mostly ebay sellers, we now see ‘reputable’ resellers specializing in photography selling those lenses. I’m sure the $1000+ price tag and margins do help, but only if there actually is a large enough market.
oh sorry…Schneider`s expected price is 1500..even better
Really hoping I can move up from my GF2 to a GX2 soon.
If a new GX2 will include a viewfinder the G series will become redundant. There will be no need to release a successor of the G5 which I expect to be last version of the extincted G series. Panasonic offers the GH models for users preferring a MFT with DSLR design.
The GH3 is $1300 for body only, while the G5 with a 14-42 & 45-150 kit-zooms package deal can be bought now for $543 from US retailers. That is massive difference for someone wanting to get into m4/3 or upgrade who prefers the imitation DSLR design. There is a market for the G models for people looking for more advanced features on a budget in a DSLR-like body (though I’m not one of them!) It would be a bad idea to discontinue the G line, as it’s the line in m4/3 that can challenge the entry level DSLR market dominated by C and N.
Please admin, the same rumor over and over and over again. I’m getting bored of this.
Is the 2.8 zoom weathersealed???
If it comes…yes 🙂
Dear 42.5mm f/1.2, we have a date with destiny!
a black 17/1.8 sounds seducing to me.. 😉
I get tired of announcemnts. 1 month to a new announcement which means 1 year for the camera or lens to actully hit the market
Staying tuned for G7.
In my opinion there is no need for a GF7 or G7 yet (GF5 is in the market since 11 months, G5 since 8 months). It´s time for a GX2 or another mFT camera in rangefinder style! It´s disappointing enough that the E-P5 will be another Oly mFT cam without viewfinder.
+100
We want a built in evf without a hump !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There wont be a GF7 og G7 this year.
If they want me to open my wallet:
MFT version of F2.8-3.5/50-200 and Teleconverter 2x…..
DO IT OLY!
Two Panasonic announcements? One for a new GF and the other a new G or one for both new GF and new G and the other for something else?
Admin – is the Black 17/1.8 still FT3, or has this rumor level improved?
still ft3.
As someone who came most recently from point and shoot country and not a long time DSLR photographer, I can see two cultures of photographers that Panasonic is trying to cater to. One is the big body, big lens tradition just shrunk in the wash a bit. The other is the jacket pocketable camera with pancake or almost as small lenses.
After the G series and the GH3, it is time for the pocketable Panasonic body, preferably with an internal EV, but certainly with the GH3 sensor. I have a G camera because it balances bigger lenses better, has a better grip etc, but it harkens back to another era, and I use my small body Panasonic more.
The Oly E5 has sold well. But for me, and I repeat for me, it is a compromise that does neither the big body role well (although heavier than the GH3 with its extra grip)nor the small body pocketable camera well. Oly has other cameras for the latter task. But for me, and I repeat,for me Panasonic has a leg up, except for the sensor so far.
It is the smaller pocketable high IQ cameras that I see more related to changing taste and technology than the bigger ones, even though I plan to buy a GH3 when I can or maybe a G camera if the lens deal makes sense. Panasonic needs a new pocketable product, and then needs to market it better, especially now that Canon is close to delivering a system with a similar sized sensor.
If the G7 has the GH3 sensor, and a new GX2 arrives with a GH3 sensor, that will be a great combination for both traditions of photography enthusiast, old and new. But for many I suspect that the GF7 will suit them fine.
Not interested in the EP-5. I have my E-M5 and am very happy. Talk to me about a new 2.8 lens. The premier feature that drives Oly m4/3s lense design is size, so it Won’t be constant speed; 2.8 – 4 would be nice but it could be 4.5 on the long end. It won’t stay at 2.8 very long. To be competitive with the Pany, it needs to start at 12. It won’t generate the marketing buzz if it starts at 14. Prbly won’t reach to 60…50-55 on the long end. Don’t know about WR; would be a nice selling point. No power zoom, no macro, no SWD motors. Has to be cheaper than the 12-35. Sell it for $899.99.
In the meantime, my 12-50 plus 14-54 MkI really work pretty nicely. Won’t rain on my parade if it doesn’t happen.
it is EM-5 not E5
When is the new Panasonic 14-42mm kit lens due to be released?
Supposedly it’s a big improvement on the current 14-42mm, in a smaller size, and may possibly beat the 14-45mm in terms of image quality. We shall see…
It’s supposed to be released in March.
Actually it looks like it has the same optical construction as the 14-42 Power Zoom if you compare them on Panasonic.net. Wouldn’t that tell us that it’s not a big improvement quality-wise?
http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/lens/g_x_vario_14_42.html
http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/lens/g_vario_14_42_a.html
+1
i’ve seen the new 14-42mm and its really nice. its a return to the traditional lens format – no more pancake – shorter and thinner than the 25mm, and just slightly longer than the 25mm when zoomed out. focus is very fast and the image quality is very impressive. maybe the sharpest kit lens i’ve seen.
Is it an f/3.5-5.6 lens?
yes