(FT5) Finally! Panasonic G3 coming the second week of May!
Image on top: The one year old Panasonic G2
The last Micro Four Thirds camera to be announced was the Olympus E-PL2 back in early January. With a bit of surprise neither Panasonic nor Olympus announced some kind of lens or camera in February or March like we were used to. But you hard core 43rumors reader didn’t gave up to hope and finally I can share you a a good news. Now I am 99% certain that Panasonic will announce the new Panasonic G3 the second week of May. I got the info from three veeeery good sources. The cameras is a MAJOR step forward compared to the current Panasonic G2. It has a new design and a new sensor. I am working on the specs right now and trying to get confirmations from other sources too. But the wait is definitely over. One month from now we will see new stuff! I have no confirmation yet about the 25mm f/1.4 lens but I trust Panasonic when they say the lens will be here within summer. And I can’t exclude that there might be more lenses too like the Panasonic 7-14mm f/4.0 OIS version or something else.
Oh one more thing: There will be Olympus rumors too! Soon on 43rumors!
Reminder: 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
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Recent comments
Comment from Edmond: Very interested in the new improvement,b...
Comment from Gekopaca: No Mr Reeee,
It's "Oly Kitty"...
Comment from Bob: I don't think the 12-50 will be a consta...
Comment from safaridon: I hope this will not be the case with th...
Miroslav
2 years ago |At last some good news, rumors that is
. Let’s hope Olympus sticks to its late May announcement for camera and lenses.
Duarte Bruno
2 years ago |No spec whatsoever? Apart from the new sensor info, this rumor is almost empty!
Come on you can do better, we need the specs!
admin
2 years ago |I got the MPX from the sensor but I need to keep this for myslef to doublecheck the rumors I receive from other soruces. I promise you I will post it as soon as possible.
Milos Janata
2 years ago |If It’s more than 16 I really give up..
Jules
2 years ago |Here we go again…
Its what the sensor does, not the pixel count!
twoomy
2 years ago |Frankly, I would welcome a higher megapixel option. If the high-end point and shoots with tiny sensors can do a decent 10mp, then a M4/3 sensor (more than four times the area) could theoretically do 40mp quite well.
Some people want only 4mp and ISO 4096000, but I would like to see some high resolution options as well. I love the 16mp GH2 and know that high-res models are perfectly viable in the future. (I don’t expect the G3 to more though, maybe a GH3 next year.)
Jesper
2 years ago |Hope G3 will have a fast zoom as kit! the 12-50
tmrgrs
2 years ago |No company offers a fast zoom as a kit lens
Dummy00001
2 years ago |Not true. E-3 was sold with 12-60 as a kit.
tmrgrs
2 years ago |Forgot about that. And Panny did the same kind of thing with their L1 I think. Sales never took off for them with pricing too high because of it. Better to offer a more affordable lens to get some sales numbers IMO. Fast lenses are normally a separate purchase for most buyers.
Jules
2 years ago |L1 and GH1 shared the common mistake of offering no alternative to the expensive zoom. Just one package.
Boooo!
2 years ago |The 12-60 isn’t really fast – it’s f/2.8-4. The rumoured 12-50 would be a constant f/2.8, IIRC.
Jules
2 years ago |@twoomy
Like I said
Whatever the pixel count, what does the sensor does in the end is what counts.
There is a common reasoning that higher pixel means an automatic compromise in ISO, dynamic range, sharpness and everything else. Fact is we just don’t know until we see the real thing in action.
If I may have a sensor / IQ wish-list :
considering that m43 does some software correction anyways.
a) Unless there is something I am not aware of, do we really need AA filters? jpeg engine can deal with moiré. RAW shooters will be more than thankful to do the noise reduction on their own.
b) Speaking of which, I know that aggressive inbody noise reduction is fashionable for feeding threads à la “GH2 vs you-name-it @high ISO” . Fine. set it high if marketability calls for it. but please leave it configurable! Specially if there is any on the RAWs.
c) Why is multi-aspect size the exclusivity of the video oriented GH serie?
d) The faster refresh rate and AF speed of the GH2 is a killer feature. The faster is spreads to lower end model, the better.
Ahem
2 years ago |Moire =! noise. Moire reduction is done best at the sensor, not in post. There is software which can alleviate it and in some cases even fix it, but it’s not automatic and is time-consuming in many cases for best results. E-PL1 has a weak AA filter which is great, but getting rid of it altogether would not be advisable.
Dummy00001
2 years ago |I hope they have a winner. Hope with better availability than GH2.
Any updates on the 12-50mm f/2.8-3.x? (This, plus 1.7/20mm, plus G3, would make a sensible set for me to consider.)
Alan
2 years ago |Finally, here’s hoping it’s so good that it blasts the GH2 out the water and I can pick up a S/H one for peanuts, hehe.
I doubt we’ll see the fast zoom announced alongside it, I really can’t wait for that to arrive!
Agrivar
2 years ago |I don’t think it will be better than the GH2, as the GH series is the high end.
WT21
2 years ago |Dangint! Who cares about another weak G body!!! If, as Alan says, it competes with the GH2 and is cheaper, that’d be one thing — but highly doubtful. We need some missing lenses, and Oly (not Panny) needs to release another body — preferably upscale.
Tobias W.
2 years ago |Yes, where is the E-P3?
bonzoo
2 years ago |Waiting for a new sensor
Mr. Reeee
2 years ago |Olympus is waiting for new colored plastic shells and more art filters!
Even better, the Hello Kitty licensing agreement is almost a done deal!
Gekopaca
2 years ago |No Mr Reeee,
It’s “Oly Kitty”
S
2 years ago |I’m also hoping they’ll announce the 12-50 at the same time and go for better noise/DR range than higher MP ! Please Mr Panasonic !
Mr. Reeee
2 years ago |Absolutely!
12 or 14 megapixels are plenty for a M4/3 sensor!
Make the images cleaner and raise the usable ISO.
The mythical 12-50mm should be an extremely compelling lens if it’s on a similar level as most of the other Panasonic lenses.
Brod1er
2 years ago |New sensor may pave the way for an electronic shutter. Yes please. Bring it on.
George
2 years ago |“One month from now we will see new stuff! ”
Well, no we won’t.
It will be probably in stock at the end of this year
TC
2 years ago |another earthquake in japan a while ago. I am unsure if there will be any camera or lenses this year.
pray for japan!
Bob Bowné
2 years ago |If the G3 truly has a sensor improvement, ie. faster focusing and better high-ISO stills like the GH2 AND a faster processor (faster frame-rate for stills)… at a more affordable price (than the GH2) that would be great..(actually an improvement!…not like the G2 and GF2…DUH..Panasonic just covered the previous versions in a new wrapper…Panasonic could have offered a Hello-Kitty version of the GF2…totally appropriate! LOL).
Now….it would REALLY be nice if they offered the 14mm as one of the kit lenses on the G3, so that I could round out my lens collection, shoot faster, AND have cleaner files in one cost-effective purchase!
elliot
2 years ago |The tsunami/earthquake is setting back everyone’s schedules, both the announcements and the deliveries.
A year ago Olympus claimed ‘Spring’ for new lenses but it seems likely that the announcement will be in late May and shipments will trickle in over the summer.
FYI I don’t know if this is right but I’m hearing that the ‘wide’ lens on their roadmap is a 12mm f/4-ish lens.
safaridon
2 years ago |Thanks for the news of the release date otherwise little new. Guess we will be kept in suspension as the details come out over the next month. I wish those very good sources would give us a picture or two!
Since you again say a MAJOR change and new design from G2 that leaves a lot of alternatives. First since the model name is G3 as per Pany leak it will be in DSLR body style. Second seems too early for the electronic shutter to emerge as that would be for GH3 and HD video? I think this will be a redesign much like the GF2 was a smaller leaner body. My real hope is it will come with new metal body like that of the GF1 only with EVF hump in the middle the mini digital SLR. After all there has not been a replacement for the GF1 so far unless that is a second rumored m4/3 model in August?
If the sensor is 14MP as many expect I hope that Pany retains the muli-aspect design used in the GH2 sensor.
Ahem
2 years ago |I hopehopehope Olympus will release a serious camera with E-PLx form factor, an integrated EVF, and a new sensor – and that’s about all I need for a perfect camera to completely replace my APS-C kit.
New Deal
2 years ago |“Trust Panasonic”
Oh, that’s funny. I still can’t even buy a GH2 in the USS and they are promising more cameras they can’t deliver???
safaridon
2 years ago |I hope this will not be the case with the G3. After all the GF2 was available in Japan in volume a month after introduction and in US a couple months later.
Pany got burned by sales of GH1 with intial excitement as to its HD video capabilities but bundled with expensive lens hurt sales. With the GH2 they planned low production only 60,000 units per year inspite of offering camera body only or with cheaper kit lens hence the supply problem. Reportedly these delays have something to do with problems in the production of enough of the new sensors.
Another possible reason why Pany is not likely to expand production of GH2 is because of upcoming all new body change expected for GH3 probably in the form more like their patent with rangefinder style with swiveling EVF and electronic shutter my guess?
Bob
2 years ago |I don’t think the 12-50 will be a constant 2.8. Maybe 2.5-3.5.
Edmond
2 years ago |Very interested in the new improvement,but unless it’s L1 or RF cam body design,I will still wait for EP3