Three sources confirmed that the ultra small camera MFT camera form Panasonic will arrive in early 2014. And one source also said this is not a “GF” branded camera! There is no info about the specs yet and what’s more important…about the size. 43rumors reader amweber (Thanks!) made the smallest possible mockup design. Don’t know how easy it will be to hold a tiny camera like that 🙂
IN summary, the GX7 with built-in tilting EVF, 2 axis stabilization and new 18 megapixel sensor will be announced in late August. The camera coming after the GX7 will be that ultra small compact and it will hit the stores in early 2014.
Ok, now it’s time to work on the Olympus camera and lens roadmap…
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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
85 Responses
I believe Photo Rumors posted something about a new 25mm f1.4 patent in Jan. This may be one of the GX bundled lenses.
This ultra-small camera is amazing.
Thanks! 🙂
+1, Nice job. My wife would love this cam with the 14/2.5 on it.
Thank you DonTom. Yes, the current pancakes (hopefully they will add a couple in the future) would fit this perfectly.
+1. This mockup is AMAZING! Reminds me of my (past) love of the GF3. If it had a GX1 sensor or better, I would have kept it. By the way, BRAVO on the scroll wheel!
May I make some tweeks? How about another scroll wheel on the front, in front of the shutter button. And replace the flash with the EVF port. Maybe a 90 degree tilt screen at a smaller size to keep the size down, something like 2.5″? And change the Playback button to a Function 1 and put the seldomly-used Playback button somewhere else. Maybe add a Function 2 on the side panel, a la Ricoh GR.
Lol. I’ve added too many things haven’t I?
Remove all the buttons except power and shutter. Then you can make it smaller or make the screen bigger.
In addition add a microphone hole and a speaker slot. Now you can call it Pansaonic G-Viera 1.
My thoughts, thinking the way Panasonic might, would be to keep things down to a minimal for cost as well as simplicity. I could not see them changing the screen size any smaller, (I feel if anything it will eventually become bigger) but rather, move this model to a more touch driven, Sony-like camera. With at least the quick menu it might be bearable, but I could not stand being without a scroll wheel 🙂
An ultra-small MFT is nice, but I am not sure how it could compete with the high-end compacts (such as the Canon S100, Coolpix P300 series, Oly XZ-1, etc.). Because of the size of the lens, the ultra-small MFT camera would probably not be “pocketable”.
I think it would be better for Panasonic to focus on making/introducing a really nice GX7 camera (basically the new GX2)… with all those features mentioned in the end of the article, and good quality lens.
I can see it serving as something one might get as a snapshot cam if you are already invested in µ4/3 with a bigger main body or as something for your not (yet) equally involved significant other or your kid.
+10
Exactly. Pop on a 14mm, 20mm or 15mm Body Cap Lens and it could be a great little camera. Truly pocketable for those with that particular fixation. 😉
Yep. My wife “borrows” my E-PL1 with a pancake on it when she goes on business trips. She would love this, the perfect handbag camera.
Yep, again.
My girlfriend likes my GX1 with the 14mm or 20mm on it. I just ordered a black Oly 45mm for the GX1, also. She’s looking forward to wandering around town (NYC) with it.
I sure wish there were native M4/3 pancakes like the Pentax Limited Series 40mm and 70mm f2.8 lenses! Lenses like that would be fantastic for the smaller M4/3 cameras!
Very true, also RX100 is a small camera with big sensor.
why make it smaller?
Why not? It’s been a trend in camera design since 1890 or whenever.
Make what smaller? They aren’t making the GX smaller, nor the G or the GH, in fact they are making all of those a bit bigger. Seeing how this is a new model not related to the g/gf/gh/gx, it isn’t being made ‘smaller’ as there is no previous model that was bigger… but it is a smaller then the other Panasonic cameras, which nicely makes up for some of the other cameras having gotten bigger.
So it adds more choices with regards to size to Panasonic’s line-up. I really wonder, why is having choice in size such a problem for some people?
What is the point? 1Cm less than the GF3/4/5/6…
Instead of churning out new cameras as fashion accessories, they should just improve the good designs of the GF1 / GH1.
According to Panasonic and Olympus marketeers alike (and actually many of their colleagues at other companies as well) fashion sells much better, especially because the pace at which fashion changes means people will be coming back for more way before whatever they bought has become unusable.
If you want to ‘fix’ that, you’ll have to look at the people around you, not at those companies who just try to make some money from this silly fashion fetish many people happen to have.
Thank you for this. I remember that I heard about the ‘fetish of the merchandise’ for the first time in the 1970s, from Debord and the French situationists.
But we had to wait for the Internet to see a bunch of morons kowtowing daily to their favourite brand issuing throaway once durable goods i.e. cameras.
it must have to do with the Joneses in your country, does it? Or with the Camera Joshi? 🙂
Which country? I’ve lived in 5 countries distributed over 3 continents, and it works the same everywhere, differences are in what is considered fashionable at a certain point in time.
It has something to do with many people having this urge to belong to a group and be recognizable as such.
Like the mini fedora……
… with faux-tribal tattoos and loafers.
-In which Al fits none of the above.
He’s just some upset dude, mad at anything American, or whatever country other than Europe.
-Sounds like Hitler…
So…we agree then that ultra retro looking but ergonomic nightmares like the omd and 1000 $ beautiful pens sell because the world is full of morons who want to look good with a camera?
It’s certainly one way to look at it.
The other way would be that all those nearly identical behemoth full frame DSLRs and their wannabe cropped brethren are selling so well because the world is full of morons with no sense of finesse who think it is impossible to make a decent photograph without one.
You said it, buddy.
And without IBIS and AF it’s impossible to take photos. 😉
Actually this is good news also for us “techies” because the money companies get from the “fashionistas” helps fund features also useful for us. Well, not always (see retro craze) but overall, it helps..
That is certainly a factor, but as you may have noticed, neither the E-M5, nor the E-Px are on a 1 year replacement cycle, which means they must also rely on other factors.
And for that matter, it also applies to the GF/GX/G cameras from Lumix, a somewhat less to the GHx.
Morons who want to look good with a camera buy and use an IPhone or an IPad to take pictures 😉
debord: society of the spectacle: canto 67:
“The satisfaction which no longer comes from the use of abundant commodities is now sought in the recognition of their value as commodities: the use of commodities becomes sufficient unto itself; the consumer is filled with religious fervor for the sovereign liberty of the commodities. Waves of enthusiasm for a given product, supported and spread by all the media of communication, are thus propagated with lightning speed. A style of dress emerges from a film; a magazine promotes night spots which launch various clothing fads. Just when the mass of commodities slides toward puerility, the puerile itself becomes a special commodity; this is epitomized by the gadget.”
Exactly so! I would have never expected that it would apply to the camera industry, when the book was published. It was still so conservative.
However nothing lasts in the perspective of the merchandise, no industry is sheltered. At that time derivatives had not yet been invented, although the Sout Sea Bubble is old as capitalism itself.
Don’t you want choices? It may or may not be the camera for you, but surely a bigger system with more choices benefits everyone?
When will we see a round camera with just the size of the mount ?! 😀 The lens cap camera ! One could think you’re just holding a lens, that would be funny !
It’s alteady available: Lytro camera! 😉
Yup, a lens cap with built in sensor. No buttons, not even shutter, just a USB socket and maybe a tripod mount. Tethered mode only. It would sure be a niche product, but I suppose a few people would find such a camera useful.
Not quite finished with Panasonic. When is a GH3 replacement expected? What about the Panasonic lens map? New pancakes? Kit for GX7?
Not until the second half of 2014, a 2-3 year shelf-life is rather the norm for such cameras.
Wait , a new 25mm F1.4 ?
Another Leica branded ?
Anyway I expect more rumors on GX2 , 18 megapixels sensor . MCS ?
If OMD got latest generation sensor from Sony , I definitely consider to give Oly a try .
Better Jpeg & recent Pin Point focusing sounds attractive .
Lol
Don’t Hate on Panasonic, then Jump on the bandwagon, only to jump back off… Make up your mind.
-What, you don’t want to look bad IF the GX7 is what it’s all expected to be? You worry that Panasonic may be updating the 20mm Pancake and better at that? C’mon, dude…
We’re used to you bashing anything Panasonic.. You used to be first or second on the hate comments, now you’re further down the list… Are you under the weather??
This is what I like more of this post:”..Ok, now it’s time to work on the Olympus camera and lens roadmap…” 😉
Yawn …
My bet its gonna be ultra fat in comparison to others.
At least visually.
It would be great if it was the size of the lens mount, with no screen only a few buttons and indicator lights – sort of a GoPro XL with interchangeable lenses 🙂
Then they could also make a waterproof and shockproof housing so it can fit the 14mm or 17mm lenses.
that would be cool.
I would love this as well. mabey they could add a 8mm f4 pancake fixfocus lens as kit for the gopro look of the videos 😉
The GoPro replacement is exactly what I was thinking, although I am in the camp of wanting the 9mm ultra-wide (non-fisheye) prime. The GoPro serves a purpose, but the lack of control makes me nuts
Why assume that it will have interchangeable lenses? Surely it could be made smaller if it had a fixed zoom lens and so would not compete with the GF6?
I agree. Sort of XZ-1 competitor with a mft sensor. That would make sense in a strategy focused on high-end compact at a reasonable cost (mft sized sensors and electronics for the whole product line, fixed lens).
“Ultra small Panasonic MFT coming in 2014”
Someone here said Pana rumors appear one day before the announcement :).
But, will this model come with IBIS?
no
Thanks. Will Panasonic put GX7 IBIS in any of the other new Panasonic models, such as G7 or GH5, whenever they come?
Will you need spectacles to read the Menus? That’s what happens to me with the PM1 🙂
always thought such things could be customisable, ie larger font etc
a camera like this could be quite cheap to organise
and its size means it can more easily be made stronger
and what seals there are have more integrity, easier to weatherproof
even better if they went all the way across with the screen like iphone
Id like to see a ‘Tough’ version ..
Finally, I can mount a camera to all of my lenses!!
I don’t need or want a camera any smaller than what I have, but some may dream about one. So kudos to Panasonic for exploring the possibilities.
If its smaller than my PM1, sure buy.
If you want to be superextrasmall, it makes no sense to offer an interchangable lens design. Because the bayonet makes it bigger again. And because every other lense attached would contradict the xs-philosophy.
So I think it´ll be a camera like the RX100: mft-sensor, but fixed lense.
Ultra compact will be at CES or CP+.
5th line of Panasonic m43 cameras? Seeing that even 4 lines are too much, it is crazy.
Not surprising that this camera is not a GF. Panasonic just made the GF6 bigger than the predecessors, why would the next GF go into the completely opposite direction?
I expect the new camera to be a statement ala “See how small we can make it, and you others can not”.
If this has way better IQ compared to my current gf3 I will definitely be getting it.
It’s likely to expect iq similar to the GF6 or G6, as they use a pimped GH2 sensor. I don’t think Pana is going back to the 12MP or 16MP sensors. Hopefully.
Looking at that render makes me regret the large diameter of the mount relative to the m4/3 sensor. I wish oly/pana had either made the sensor bigger or the mount smaller, seems like there is lots of wasted space.
I guess a lot of the size issue has to do with the electrical connections required.
The margin is needed to insure high optical quality. The diameter of the FT mount is even larger and optical quality is generally even better.
I get that, but comparing it to the Fuji X-mount or Sony E-mount, they competition positions the electrical contacts towards the periphery opening up more space.
Also the Fuji mount is only slightly larger yet comfortably accommodates a APS-C sensor, albeit with out Olympus’ in body stabilization.
the big FT mount is important part of the idea to come up with telecentric design lenses. The MFT version is a bit smaller, but its important for extreme fast lens designs and reasonable edge performance i think.
Why not a camera like the LF1 in m4/3? Since it will not be a GF model makes this even more likely. The LF1 is roughly same width as GF3 (minus strap protrusions) and same height as GF3 shoulders so all its parts would fit in a body of similar depth with little modification. What is important to note is the rumor mockup as well as the LF1 show a full size 3″ 3/2 screen not the significantly smaller 16:9 screen of most Pens or NEXs and includes a built in flash.
I wish somebody with Photoshop would just take the images of the LF1 and substitute the lens on the front with the 4/3 flange (omitting the surrounding body collar) and sensor to see what such a camera would look like and post the image on this forum.
Pany tends to follow certain camera fashions along its lines hence the rounded humps
on the GF and now G and GH lines. I expect the GX to follow a more angular approach like the L1. The LF1 was rumored to be the first of a series of similar cameras with small EVFs.
The questions I would have for admin is it coming with small fixed zoom lens or with 4/3 interchangeable lens and will it look like the LF1?
Link to camerasize.com just put in GF3 and LF1 and compare.
http://camerasize.com/compare/#167,376
Veery interesting! A new smaller mft Panasonic would explain why the GF6 went larger.
The mockup is sweet but borrows heavily from the GF5. Realistically I would expect them to drop the metal GF internal frame and make something that looks more like the Nikon S cameras with the lens sitting on a flat slab. We shall see and I would expect more leaks to come before the end of the year. I’m cautiously optimistic.
Cery nice, but it needs pancake lens. New version of 20/1.7 with raster AF.
You guys are forgetting that US is not the only market.
Vast Asian consumers prefer smaller body for obvious reason.
Think China, and their consumers vast buying power.
Not everyone in the world wants EVF, flippy LCD or 1/8000th shutter speed.
They probably don’t even know what they are good for.
Perhaps they can get rid of the flash if they truly want to keep it absolutely petite. The flash occupies quite a bit of volume, and the capacity that charges the flash takes up another triple A battery worth of volume.
Nah it is good that they included the flash.
They will use it, and they will complain if it did not have one.
You see, people who come here to read news article about m43 are mostly very technical and critical about the hardware and specs, but rest of the world(or most of them) are quite blind to them.
Many of them will just end up using nothing but the kit zoom lens and on board popup flash, hoping to enhance the shot, after realizing that the photos came out too blurry or underexposed.
… Nobody said so. (no offence, just a little joke of mine there)
Quite right indeed, but if Olympus can do away the flash in EPL3 and later EPL5 (similarly, EPM1 and EPM2); I guess it proves Panasonic can cheat in size with a clip-on accessory flash instead of a built-in unit. 😀
If you don’t think a inbody flash is important than why do you think Oly included a flash on their top models EP3 and EP5 and not the EPLs? The lack of flash hurt Oly badly in Japan & Asia where the GF3 and GF5 were top sellers and Oly did not recover some until they included the better OM-EM5 sensor in their models.
While an inbody flash may not be very powerful it is very valuable for fill flash and also freezes the picture at a higher shutter speed. With the improving higher ISO performance from all these models a big flash is less needed and who wants to cart a flash along which is almost as big as your camera in the first place?
I couldn’t wait for Camerasize.com to update their database, and I wanted visual comparison, so I made my own.
Here you go if you want to see the size difference from other Pana m43 cameras.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97074362@N03/8969501487
Panasonic – look at this mockup and copy it. It is wonderfull. I have OMD, but I will buy it as a second body (and 2 panckackes). With 14/2.5, 20/1.7 and 45/1.8 it will be realy pocketable set. And new version of 20/1.7 with better AF but the same IQ. Panasonic, don’t put into it old sensors. You have the worst sensors on the market.
I’m still waiting for the tube m43 that has no screen, but instead a huge viewfinder. You’d basically use it like a telescope.
I think it’s a great idea from Panasonic and I hope it sells well for them. This with a 14-42x power zoom plus a fast pancake prime should be a very popular alternative to a point and shoot for people aspiring to upgrade from the p&s crowd or even from among those using a high end mirrorless or dslr requiring that very small and leight weight backup or second camera for small primes.
The person who made this mockup has done well but I’d ask of them something really challenging…..please make up your GX7 or OMD-Pro impression and share it with us.
Exellent, thanks.
Nice mock-up of a small MFT camera. Still I am guessing the mock-up is too traditional. I would think the smaller MFT camera will do away with nearly all the buttons and use touch screen controls. It might even have a smaller rear screen. It might be like the Canon N camera a p&s camera that is made to be used with your smartphone.
So basically it’s a Canon EOS-M, then? Excellent. I quite like touchscreen driven interfaces for small cameras, it makes a lot of sense. I wish someone would design one without buttons except for power on/off… everything else can be on-screen.