HDSLR: New MFT camera to be announced on June 5, 2024??

BobKo

BobKo

Well-known member
The rumor mill says that Panasonic will announce a new camera on June 5. This same source says that the camera will *not* be a full-frame camera.

Here is a link to a YouTube video discussing this:
 
I remember the days of anticipation for the GH5. Panasonic mostly had this segment to themselves. Then they torpedoed the M43 base with FF cameras and lenses. What they lost in M43 loyalty I doubt they made up in FF sales. M43 was popular because it was a large format with 4K. Now it’s the small format, no less useful but undoubtedly less popular in the current trend.
 
The problem is the "MicroFourThirds" name itself. If you are buying a new camera and want to tell yourself that you are getting the best, why would you want to buy a "Micro" anything? Especially when the alternative (at more or less the same price and physical size for kit cameras) is "full frame". "Micro" in one hand and "full" in the other, price is similar... which would you want if you are upgrading or a new camera buyer? Years ago, the MicroFourThirds consortium should have renamed it "Power Sensor" or "PowerFourThirds" or "FilmFourThirds" or "PowerFilmSensor" or "BiggerThanYourCellPhone" sensor. Anything other than "Micro".
 
Personally, I don't think the name matters at all.

Naturally MFT ran its course after the S35 and full-frame models started to offer more features, especially AF. The lack of true AF (not marketing AF) greatly killed MFT, I will always believe that. (Yeah, you have the Pocket but that's a very small filmmaking group.)

And YT and influencers literally make and break brands.

The GH2 was one of my favorites...such an amazing and exciting time, ha.
 
BobKo said:
The problem is the "MicroFourThirds" name itself. If you are buying a new camera and want to tell yourself that you are getting the best, why would you want to buy a "Micro" anything? Especially when the alternative (at more or less the same price and physical size for kit cameras) is "full frame". "Micro" in one hand and "full" in the other, price is similar... which would you want if you are upgrading or a new camera buyer? Years ago, the MicroFourThirds consortium should have renamed it "Power Sensor" or "PowerFourThirds" or "FilmFourThirds" or "PowerFilmSensor" or "BiggerThanYourCellPhone" sensor. Anything other than "Micro".
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Branding 35mm format ·as Full Frame was the most genius move that Canikon ever pulled off! As why would you ever want anything less than "full"? Thus it made even APS-C a harder sell
 
Tom Roper said:
I remember the days of anticipation for the GH5. Panasonic mostly had this segment to themselves. Then they torpedoed the M43 base with FF cameras and lenses. What they lost in M43 loyalty I doubt they made up in FF sales. M43 was popular because it was a large format with 4K. Now it’s the small format, no less useful but undoubtedly less popular in the current trend.
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Another big issue is that Panasonic had a tonne of new fans from the GH1/GH2/GH3/GH4 days, but they had nowhere to go up! (once the AF100 was getting outdated)

If you can't grow with your users, then eventually they will leak out to other brands.

That is the amazing genius of Sony, they've captured everything from cameras for kids all the way up to your next AAA Hollywood Blockbuster! With a smooth move all the way up through those ranks, with no big jumps: Sony ZV-E10, a6600, FX30, FX3, FX6, FX9, BURANO, VENICE (and a billion other options too, such as a7C or a7Smk3)

In my opinion it was a big mistake of Panasonic to:
1) release the EVA1 so late , well after the FS7 / C300mk2
2) used the EF Mount for the EVA1, not MFT
3) released the DVX200 as a fixed lens only, not with a MFT mount

In a hypothetical world where Panasonic had:
1) the "DVX200 MFT" or "AF100mk2" coming out when than the DVX200 did (as then it would've been released a few months before the FS7 itself was), even if with the same GH4 sensor, but with 10bit internal
2) then released the EVA1 MFT (if there had already been "a DVX200 MFT", then being released at the same time as the EVA1 EF was in our timeline would be fine), a S35 MFT camera, just like the JVC LS300 was

Then I suspect not only would Panasonic be doing 1000x better in the mid range market than they are today (EVA1 / Varicam LT sales must be nearly dead), but also there would still be a lot more passion for their "feeder cameras" (the Panasonic GH Series) as well.
 
Great points. I agree that Panasonic really did themselves no favors from the GH5 time period onward. Sticking with death from defocus and not having new and improved sensors ready to go in a timely fashion forced my hand to move to Sony. I waited and waited but it just took too long. Looking back, I would have been happy to stay given what they have on the market now but they did not. While the M4/3 name has always been geeky, it was execution and the desire to compete/play with Canikony in FF land that did them in. Now they are cemented as a 4th tier FF option imho. (Even though all of the cameras are great these days). But they could have been king of one segment which would have had benefits in the others like FF...
 
Panasonic's undoing was not changing to phase detect AF. As the criticism mounted they became willful defiant. They didn't understand with the rise of people filming themselves that if a camera didn't have reliable face detect AF that didn't pulse they would be losing out of Youtube influencer boom. So maybe the new release will finally fix the AF. It be the right move but probably to little too late.
 
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Rumors right now seem to be pointing to a GH7 that can do 6K Raw internal. Apparently, the GH6 is now also showing as discontinued.

Having filmed last week with the G9ii, I was super impressed with the AF, better IBIS, color science and DR. It's a near perfect upgrade from the GH5 in my opinion aside from the fact that it doesn't have an internal fan. Guess we'll find out all on Wednesday!
 
I could see them not giving PD AF to the GH7 with the purpose of differentiating it from the G9ii. The GH7 has internal Raw and doesn't over heat and the G9ii has better AF and full frame but has record limits and not as good codec giving a reason for both to exist. Annoying but that's the game.
 
I know nothing. But..

2/3 zoom lenses have a big throw and are 2.5kg and 12 inches, 2/3 camera are sill 6kg.

S35 or FF35 zoom lenses are 20inches long, $60k and 40lb monsters. The cameras are any size from fx3 to burrito size.

I guess that MFT would be a sweet sensor to cover if you were a designer of zoom lenses.

Some DOF, not too much 'video look' not too much sensor noise.

But no £5-$10k zoom lenses in the format.

No tools for serious doco people who dont want to schlepp a 2/3 camera or a canon 50-1000 do do thier wildlife film.

So the format is not being used for what it could be??
 
morgan_moore, yes, it was such a big missed opportunity by Panasonic to not have the DVX200 and EVA1 in a MFT Mount option. (maaaybe even the Varicam LT in a MFT mount option as well) Or been faster with an "AF200" coming out.

Will never happen now, as Panasonic's broadcast division is on life support / dead. And if they were do go mirrorless mount with them today, it would be L Mount.

But if they'd gained traction with camcorders with a MFT Mount, then lens designers making dedicated lenses for them, it could have been a great sweet spot between 2/3" cameras that are on the way out and FF cameras at the other extreme.

While still being close enough to S35, that a lot of S35 designs / lenses could have been reused for MFT with zero hassle.
 
I never understood how these companies build a successful camera then let it languish until people stop buying it then discontinue it and move on to a different type of camera.
 
Peter C. said:
I never understood how these companies build a successful camera then let it languish until people stop buying it then discontinue it and move on to a different type of camera.
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Panasonic make washing machines and microwaves. They have three people designing cameras and someone forgot to fire them?
 
IronFilm said:
morgan_moore, yes, it was such a big missed opportunity by Panasonic to not have the DVX200 and EVA1 in a MFT Mount option. (maaaybe even the Varicam LT in a MFT mount option as well) Or been faster with an "AF200" coming out.

Will never happen now, as Panasonic's broadcast division is on life support / dead. And if they were do go mirrorless mount with them today, it would be L Mount.

But if they'd gained traction with camcorders with a MFT Mount, then lens designers making dedicated lenses for them, it could have been a great sweet spot between 2/3" cameras that are on the way out and FF cameras at the other extreme.

While still being close enough to S35, that a lot of S35 designs / lenses could have been reused for MFT with zero hassle.
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Yep a couple of Voigtlander MFT lenses were small and light and fast enough to give you bokeh for your sitdowns and night time Broll. Add the unicorn 12-150 zoom. And you have the perfect versatile pagage for flying around the world doing good stuff, hand luggage only.
 
All signs are pointing to today's announcement being the GH7, but that is still just a rumor at the moment. If it is the GH7, everyone expects it to have the phase detect autofocus that the G9m2 has, but I expect much more video-centric announcements than that. The announcement will be on the regular "LUMIX Live" vlog (at 5pm ET, I think) on YouTube at this location:
 
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I got an email yesterday that said "A New Phase". So it it would seem you are correct about the AF. Just a little bit late for Panasonic though!
 
So would anyone here buy the GH7 if it added phase detect AF or has everyone moved on? For myself I'm not in the market for a camera and have already moved to Sony.
 
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