(FT5) Panasonic G3 (and new lenses?) by end of March/early April
The 25mm f/1.4 lens for Four Thirds will soon have a little Micro Four Thirds sisther 
Now we now it for SURE (99%) that the new Panasonic G3 will be announced by late March/early April. As we already told you the new body looks different than current G cameras, but the new design will not have a DMC-LC1/L1 look!). The G3 has a new sensor and can take FullHD videos (but not at 24mbit/s like the new GH2). Let’s hope the G3 will not have the delay of the GH2 and the GF2 (In US only the Silver GF2+14mm lens is in Stock at Adorama (Click here)) and the GH2 is still missing.
We didn’t get any FT5 confirmation that the 25mm f/1.4 will be announced along the G3 but I would say it is FT4 (please read the explanation about the rumor classification at the bottom of the page!). We know the 25mm lens will not feature in lens stabilization and unlike the Four Thirds version the lens will NOT be Leica branded!
But there also could be one more lens coming (that’s FT4). We hope to know more about it soon.
Links:
- The current Leica branded 25mm Four thirds lens at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay and Amazon.
- The 5 Megapixel DMC-LC1 at ebay and the 7 Megapixel DMC-L1 at Amazon.
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
tobi
3 years ago |yay!
Official announcement at the beginning of April could mean that it may just be available in time for Christmas!
That notwithstanding I wonder if the only reason for the omission of 24p recording was so that it would not eat into potential GH2 sales.
sparedog
3 years ago |ommission of 24p? or do you mean ommission of 24mbits/sec?
where did you see the 24p reference?
tobi
3 years ago |My bad! Yes, I meant 24 mbit/sec.
Mr. Reeee
3 years ago |Luckily, I have good friends living in Japan who come here (NYC) regularly!
admin
3 years ago |I really hope Panasonic learned the leasson!
Andi
3 years ago |Yeah living in Germany means it will be available before summer holidays…
I always wonder what happened to the USA:P
Archer
3 years ago |Declining dollar.
Miroslav
3 years ago |Yeah. Here in Serbia the lowest price for black E-PL1 with 14-42 lens is 650 USD. On Amazon US 430 USD. If you want to buy cheap, you’ll have to wait a bit
.
GreyOwl
3 years ago |admin, lets hope Panasonic keep reading 4/3 Rumours.
Michael
3 years ago |Interesting news! I’m wondering if this new sensor will even outclass the GH-2 in photo quality..?
Greg
3 years ago |proooo cameraaaaaaa……….
anyone?
prooooooooo cameraaaooooaaaa………. where aaaaaaare yooouuuuuu?
Will get the X100 and keep on shooting with my GF1 for more specific stuff…
sparedog
3 years ago |help me out here, what am i missing? really want to know why would you buy a x100 if you already have a gf1? is it for the higher iso?
Jonathan
3 years ago |A new sensor! At long last… I will wait to see what Olympus have in the works before I get a G3 or a GH2, though.
Mike
3 years ago |Hm, no OIS, no Leica Brand: Is there really such a big difference to the 20mm/1.7?
Ulli
3 years ago |good question…lets wait for a comparison
but..always exciting to read about new lenses!
Duarte Bruno
3 years ago |I would too but I can’t wait on Olympus for a decade …
henrik
3 years ago |25/1,4 without stabilization? But surely at a only-Panasonic price point? I’ll desert to Canikon. I can’t believe it.
I’d desert to IBIS Olympus, if there was one rather lightweight m43 camera with
- in-body stabilization
- tilting monitor
- flash
all in one.
Voldenuit
3 years ago |None of Canon’s f/1.4 (or faster) lenses have IS.
Let me repeat that for you, just in case you missed it… NONE. The fastest lens canon makes with IS is the EF 200/2L IS USM.
Henrik
3 years ago |Voldenuit, thanks for that reminder.
cL
3 years ago |Here is a question. Do you always shoot something wide open? I am pretty sure you’ll find situation when smaller aperture is necessary because of depth of field issue.
MP Burke
3 years ago |Hopefully the new f1.4 lens will be significantly cheaper and smaller than the 25mm f1.4 LEICA D SUMMILUX lens. One London dealer has that on sale for £869 and it’s a heavy lens at 510g.
A price of above £400 would leave many people wondering why bother with m4/3 when you can get f1.4 lenses from Canon or Nikon for £300 or so.
Angry Olympus Owner
3 years ago |because you can put that 1.4 Nikon or Canon lens on a m43 camera
versatility
omox
3 years ago |Admin, don’t be afraid if some rumors will not come true. Every info about MFT You have is very welcomed.
I hope to see more FT2 and FT3 rumors!
And thank you for keeping your yesterday’s promise about more G3 information!
Stavros
3 years ago |I will ask again. Is there any chance the new sensor is foveon like?
kesztió
3 years ago |No.
admin
3 years ago |No!
Miroslav
3 years ago |A Samsung NX10 body style for G3 would be a plus for me. Still, no IBIS = no buy. As for the 25mm lens, I’ll wait to see how fast is that Olympus 12mm and then decide. Good news nevertheless. New sensor means Olympus with higher specs will come out soon afterwards.
Uwe
3 years ago |…I see, then you buy two of the 12mm lenses to achieve approx. 25 mm or what??
You are comparing a wide angle lens to a normal focal lenghts…
Miroslav
3 years ago |No, I’m waiting for a fast lens and want to see how it compares to existing 20mm. With 12+ mpx sensors you can easily crop 12mm FOV to 25mm. So if that 12mm is F2 or faster, I’ll go for it.
Miklos Rabi
3 years ago |LOL!
cL
3 years ago |Right…. (*shaking head*)
twoomy
3 years ago |Go, Pany, go! If rumors are true, they are daring to go head-to-head with whatever Nikon announces in the same time-frame. I hope it’s something higher than 12mp. And I hope that the phantom second lens is the 12-50mm!!! (even though we know that’s probably been pushed back)
Sylwiusz
3 years ago |25/1.4 doesn’t make much sense right now, when we have already excellent and close in parameters 20/1.7 at hand. It would be much wiser for Panasonic to release something more suitable for portraits around 40-50 mm f1.4. That’s an option completely missing right now in micro 4/3 lenses lineup. Samsung has already shown 85/1.4 for NX which looks very promising…
MikeS
3 years ago |They seem to be unwilling to have their primes stray too far from a “standard” focal length in order to make them easily bundled as a kit lens (i.e. going 14mm instead of >=12mm). The 25mm would have to be pretty spectacular to make me consider buying one (which is why I don’t have the 14mm). A 1/2-stop larger aperture doesn’t really cut it; if the lens isn’t going to be pocketable anyway, I don’t see why they couldn’t go f/1.2 or below. Priced reasonably, I would foresee a 25mm f/1.2 from Panny would lead to a lot of cancelled f/0.95 Nokton orders.
A 40-50mm f/1.4 lens, as you mention, would also sell like hotcakes.
Why can’t these μ4/3 companies get their act together?
Eric
3 years ago |I don’t know, I really look forward to the 25mm f/1.4. In full frame terms 50mm’s is my standard lens that I use 70% of the time. Unless you count the pricey manual focus Voigtlander 25mm f/.95 that no one can get, we don’t have one. True, the 20mm f/1.7 is very close, and will fit the bill for most people, but the 25mm f/1.4 will be much better for waist up portraits.
I admit we eventually do need a portrait prime for head and shoulders shots, but adapted manual focus 50mm lenses work so well for that purpose a portrait prime is pretty far down my list (and portrait photography is one of my main areas of interest).
I just hope they bundle the 25mm with the G3 instead of forcing us to buy the 14-42mm.
pdc
3 years ago |Eric – good point on using old SLR fast “normal” primes for portraiture on MFT – you can get quite fast ones (f/1.8) really cheap, and classic ones like the Summilux-M f/1.4 for a collector’s price. For “normal” on FT or MFT there is a huge difference between f/0.95 (Voigtlander Nokton) and f/1.4 (Leica or forthcoming Panasonic)- the Nokton having 2.2 times the effective objective lens area that the Leica/Panasonic has (an increase of 1.47 in effective diameter). The former is a much more costly and special purpose lens, designed to get higher shutter speeds in low light. The latter is a lens for all-day use, and for a company like Panasonic, must be inexpensive enough to sell in substantial companies. The “boutique” and high-end manufacturers will always have their niche for special lenses (very fast, perspective control, very long, cinematic zoom, etc). Don’t expect that from Panasonic at the consumer end of the market.
Luis Sanz
3 years ago |I expect no big surprises: a sensor with improved sensitivity, better video and faster AF in comparison with G2; the three features can be enough for justifying the upgrade. Have my doubts about if it will have the new EVF which is currently on the GH2 or the old one (G1, G2) and I also wonder whether the body redesign will be centered on a touch screen interface like the GF2 or not. That would mean less mode wheels and access buttons and can be enough for keeping me aside from the upgrade.
The most interesting question is about the sensor. Will it be a standard 14mpx bayer design with improved electronics or the rumored 12mpx design with independent green channel exposure/readout and posteriori correction based on R/B geometrical values? The latter is doubtful but I’ll keep my hope on something “different”. Almost three years of déjà vues after the G1 are enough. Admin, please, ask your sources and let us know!!
safaridon
3 years ago |Admin – Please give us some predicted sketches of what the G3 will look like if you have any? Presumedly the G3 will have a new styled smaller grip maybe like the L1? Personally I don’t buy the notion that it will not look like the LC1/L1 because I believe it will, only will not be typical rangefinder but with EVF hump in the middle to accomodate larger viewfinder?
Earlier rumor suggested the new sensor would be 14mp so my guess it may be similar to the GH2 one only without the wider multi aspect one? That sensor and low pass filter processing seems to be getting very good image IQ. Also makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint to enable Pany to keep the manufacturing cost of sensors lower.
I sure hope they do not abandone the swivel screen but possible they will do on this model or have a top hinged swinging one while including the swivel screen on the next GH4 in similar body to come ?
Greg
3 years ago |“Personally I don’t buy the notion that it will not look like the LC1/L1 because I believe it will”
You do have the faith dude!
safaridon
3 years ago |I admit I am a dreamer. But Pany has been roundly critisized for their “me too” DSLR shape of their G series in the past so need something to distinguish from the rest aside from being mirrorless.
So why not use the LC1/L1 Leica inspired look which everyone is trying to copy because people like its looks and practical packing shape? Pany officials have already said this style is likely to be the most popular so why would they not build it? The only problem may be that the new body will have to enclose essentially the innards of the new GH2.
admin
3 years ago |I asked that question to my sources and there is no way it will look like the LC1. Hope to see the first pictures of the G3 soon!
safaridon
3 years ago |Admin – Your previous FT4 post said the new 25mm/f1.4 was to be OIS and now an FT5 that it is not stabilized? I see no problem if it enables Pany to make it significantly smaller and less costly. Many question why not a 50mm/1.7 instead but according to your polls more people want a 25mm/f1.4 which they can use for all around std lens and also use for portraits when needed.
Since there apparently is no GF3 or GF1 on the horizon then it appears that this G3 will also be in effect the GF1 upgrade? That means that maybe Pany abandoned trying to put a larger EVF into the rangefinder shaped body until the electronic shutter patent one comes late next fall? That maybe means the G3 will be small and I only wish it had a metal body as does the GF1 only more like the old OM, FM, or MX DSLR bodies but probably not as likely plastic.
admin
3 years ago |I think you are confused! read here: http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-panasonic-25mm-f1-4-without-o-i-s-and-not-leica-branded-the-12-50mm-lens-with-power-o-i-s/
Bye!
safaridon
3 years ago |My mistake of bad memory as I was referring to maybe an earlier lower grade rumor or comment made to that effect.
hd72
3 years ago |It’s hard to remember what’s a rumor, what’s official, and what all the commenters here are speculating in the form of their certainty.
It seemed to make sense early on for the 25mm f/1.4 to have OIS to differentiate it from the 20mm f/1.7. Without it, deciding between the two lenses will be like deciding between an E-P2 and an E-PL2.
sam
3 years ago |So its the new kit lens replacement to the 20mm f1.7? Expect this lens to be pancake?
panasonic
3 years ago |admin, can quote the G3 spec. hope it greater > gh2
pdc
3 years ago |GH2 production/sales are showing signs of getting up to speed, and the GF2 is doing very well, especially in Japan. There has to be significant product differentiation between the G3 and the GH2 to not slow up GH2 sales as a result of the announcement. There is disquiet about the 3-year old sensor used in everything but the GH2. There is also disquiet about the “dummied down” GF2, when enthusiasts are wanting pro features in a more rangefinder like form factor (built in high res EVF, swivel high res LCD, control knobs). Surely Panasonic have weighed all this up? So, let’s hope it is the G3R concept, rather than G3, with a new 14mp sensor achieving higher IQ than the current 12mp sensor. Will the sensor out-perform current APS-C chips – not-likely. Will the IQ be “good enough” for enthusiasts – hopefully. Will it have IBIS – hope not, as when you need IS, it is better to have it optimized for a particular lens. As for video – who cares – we have the GH2, which is running circles around the competition (check out EOSHD.com).
hd72
3 years ago |Optical stabilization may be better, but there’s little reason you can’t have both – and have the camera only activate the in-body stabilization when the lens lacks it. It’s no more redundant than a certain hybrid viewfinder the photographic world is drooling over. They can even call it “hybrid stabilization”.
All these cameras include multiple ways to achieve similar results. Surely Panasonic’s top-notch “pro” model you describe can include a feature standard on even the entry-level models from Olympus.
Milos Janata
3 years ago |It’s year 2011, IS has been introduced many years ago and should be a standard for every camera, I don’t see any reason why not to include it.
Miroslav
3 years ago |“IS has been introduced many years ago and should be a standard for every camera”
Completely agree.
BBernhardt
3 years ago |Admin… Any chance the 25mm will be faster than the suggested 1.4?
I remember a post a while back saying this could be a possible surprise. It would sure give a few people second thoughts about the voigtlander!
admin
3 years ago |I blieve it will be f/1.4. Would be surprised if it wouldn’t be like that. I heard that Panasonic had a few faster prototype but apprentely they have choosen to let it at 1.4.
Lawyer in Seattle with a camera
3 years ago |Hey Admin, the big question for many of us the EVF. Thoughts, hunches or speculation in that regard?
Rupert Brun
3 years ago |Let’s hope the G3 doesn’t have far too many pixels on the sensor, as the GH2 has. Fingers crossed they have reduced the number back to about 12Mp and gone for dynamic range rather than pointless pixels.
Brod1er
3 years ago |High quality 10mpix is just fine. Be brave Panasonic!
hd72
3 years ago |At this point, I’d be all over a 6-megapixel camera if it would give me an extra stop of ISO.
pdc
3 years ago |The mega pixel race is definitely an issue with Panasonic engineering who have said “14 mp is enough for pictures” – let’s hope they have prevailed and at the same time have squeezed the surface area devoted to electrical circuitry so the light wells are actually larger than the generation one 12 mp sensor. I’d be very surprised if marketing let’s them go less than 14mp. Now, if they made the sensor board user swappable ……
sam
3 years ago |mooooaaaaaaaarrrrr megapixels please.
Then do macro four thirds, 4x3cm sensor, 100+ megapixels.
Chris
3 years ago |I’m waiting til Oly comes out with a 4×3 inch digital rangefinder. If not, I’m switching to Nikon!!!
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