(FT5) UPDATED -> Panasonic will announce the new 25mm f/1.4 in February (and it will be the kit lens of a new MFT camera!)
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UPDATE: During the last 5 hours many sources sent me new rumors. I want to thank you all for your messages! Please understand that I will have first to doublecheck the rumors I received with other known sources. As you can imagine I often do receive false, or uncomplete (sometimes “crypted”) rumors and I don’t want to fool my readers. But one thing is certain: Olympus and Panasonic are ready to release a bunch of new cameras and lenses by very early 2011!
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It’s Christams time and our sources have been so nice to send us the next very reliable rumor about Panasonic (Thanks!). According to them the new Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 lens will be announced in February/March! And there is one more surprise! It will be also be the kit lens of the next new Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera!!! Sadly, I have no information about the camera (for now!).
The 25mm f/1.4 lens has been described by our sources as a very high quality lens (the image quality is very close to the actual Panasonic/Leica 25mm Four Thirds lens). But the lens will be bigger than the current 20mm f/1.7 pancake.
As you see on the roadmap above Panasonic is developing two new bright zoom and wide anlge lenses. But we are not certain yet when they will be announced. I was told by another source that Panasonic has already working preproduction samples. That’s why I expect those lenses to be announced soon!
If you know more about those new Panasonic lenses (or the new camera) feel free to contact me at 43rumors@gmail.com. You can also use the contact from on the right sidebar instead (it’s anonymous!).
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New Panny MFT and 25/1.4 in February? - Micro Four Thirds User Forum
2 years ago |[...] high probability there will be a new Panasonic camera announced in February with the 25/1.4 lens. 43 Rumors | Blog | (FT5) Panasonic will announce the new 25mm f/1.4 in February (and it wi… __________________ Pax, Richard ————– I hate cameras. They are so much more sure than [...]
dabn
2 years ago |Hui, what a tease!
tcglog
2 years ago |Nothing on the new wide bright angle?
leendert
2 years ago |sounds good!
No Pen EP3 rumors? :S
Steve
2 years ago |Looks like we may see the GF3 before the EP3.
Miroslav
2 years ago |No, according to latest E-P3 rumors, it should be announced early next year, maybe as early as CES. I believe we will see new Olympus before new Panasonic. Olympus leaks are just harder to obtain, they haven’t realized the power of internet rumor yet
.
Dale
2 years ago |Merry Christmas to all!!! Great news. All I’ve ever wanted was a 35mm equiv 50 1.4 and a nice, fast zoom that leans toward the wider end.
CDMc
2 years ago |+1
It’s one of the things that has had me on the fence about buying a GH2
43hk
2 years ago |Great news if true. That 25mm Leica is very good.
Regarding the body:-
GH2 sensor, RF type body, built in evf, lots of dials and fold out screen. All common requests and if Panasonic is listening, possible.
Personally I hope for improved sensor and simple controls.
DonTom
2 years ago |Happy with the news, but I don’t think I’ll replace my 20mm F1.7 with the lens, it will be 3 x the size more than likely. Unless of course the new body proves irresistible…..
nobody
2 years ago |Admin, why do you say, “Panasonic is developing two new bright zooms”? According to the image projected at Photokina, it’s 1 zoom, 1 bright wide angle, and the 25mm f1.4.
I would rather expect the bright wide angle to be a 12mm prime, maybe f2 or f1.7.
Miroslav
2 years ago |I’ve been telling that to everybody here for a couple of months, but to no avail
.
Will Frostmill
2 years ago |Wow, that sounds excellent!
It really makes me wonder what Olympus is up to. I mean, really, Panasonic seems to be making everything a photographer could ask for – from small, fast primes, to fast-focusing zooms, to great video. Meanwhile, Olympus isn’t exporting the smaller, faster focusing kit zoom on their E-PL1s. Or for that matter, replicating their fast zooms from 4/3.* It seems like the only thing Olympus is excelling at is capturing the lowest price category. That doesn’t seem like a smart market position, but I’m happy they are there – I like the price of the E-PL1!
I shouldn’t say that is the only thing they are excelling at – nothing beats sensor based image stabilization and great jpegs. But if Panasonic releases a “budget” camera with a fast, compact, prime, I’ll have no reason not to buy it.
*and the 17mm f/2.8 just makes me sad. Neither fast nor good, for a camera system that doesn’t have good high ISO performance.
Ahem
2 years ago |You’re not stuck with Olympus lenses. I’m an E-PL1 owner with three MFT lenses (7-14mm, 20mm, 14-45mm), all of them Panasonic. Olympus lenses have poor IQ compared to their Panny equivalents according to several tests and reviews, and I confirmed this personally doing a head-to-head comparison of 14-42/45 lenses. Panny’s lenses are more expensive, but worth every cent.
The main reasons why I went with E-PL1 was price, in-body stabilization and styling. Then again I can’t wait for Olympus to release a proper pro-level body, hopefully keeping the size down.
Chris
2 years ago |Pretty sad that an electronics company has a better lens lineup than their experienced camera company counterpart.
Duarte Bruno
2 years ago |If it was just a better lens line up…
They are trouncing Olympus in the body department too!
Wife
2 years ago |Olympus is disappearing from the market. I sold my EP1 but kept the 20mm 1.7 and will pick up a GH2 as soon as it becomes more available.
kaine
2 years ago |There 4/3 line was never this dire, actually the opposite. There subservient manner towards Pana is humiliating and pathetic.
Wife
2 years ago |their 43rd line is about as good as dead.
no lens development. questionable body development after the e5.
look at the other story from today – the Pocket Lint review, which says you might as well just get the epl1.
unless their new cameras coming out in early 2011 are world beaters, you might as well put the nail into the coffin.
kaine
2 years ago |I agree. But at least give us a decent EVIL M43 camera to put our 4/3 lenses on until they make the transition to decent M43 Lenses. But no only mediocre toy bodys for you loyal 4/3 users.
Boss
2 years ago |@WIFE- Pocket Lint is hardly a site I would consider reading before buying a camera. The EPL1, like all the MFT products, has a crippled way of composing photos, on a 230,000 pixel screen or aftermarket viewfinder, and the Panasonic screens are not much better. The E-5 has a far superior 920k screen, with an amazing optical viewfinder, 5 stops of in-body image stabilization (sorry Panasonic), waterproof, and most importantly, images that are superior to any Panasonic… For those of us that don’t care much for video, the E-5 will do just fine for now! For those that want a miniaturized plasticky DSLR-like camera with no optical viewfinder, there’s Panasonic.
At least they finally have one single lens that could maybe possibly be as good as a FourThirds lens.
Wife
2 years ago |@boss. where does it say i rely ONLY on pocket lint. and other people in the industry have said that the e5 is mostly for loyalists (for example, dpreview).
Miroslav
2 years ago |I find criticism towards Olympus slow m4/3 body development a bit harsh. Comparing it to what Panasonic is doing is like comparing Sony and Pentax. How many interchangeable lens cameras has Sony shown in 2010? Ten or something? And Pentax? Two: k-r and k-5. Big electronics companies, partly pushed by one another, are flooding the market with various models, drowning the traditional camera makers in the process. It’s unrealistic to expect Olympus to keep up with Panasonic. They’ve launched their two models this year and don’t expect them to mach Panasonic’s four or Sony’s ten anytime soon.
eric
2 years ago |GF1 with 20mm 1.7 is listed as discontinued on B&H website. So something must be coming?
Miklós Rabi
2 years ago |Called GF2.
kaine
2 years ago |I cant believe people think that theres a GF3 coming.
eric
2 years ago |I thought the GF2 was more of a toy/touchscreen camera? But if thats what replaces the GF1 then so be it…
Ethan Cheng
2 years ago |If 43hk is right, Panasonic will have my money.
If the 25mm isn’t too big and their “bright wide-angle” ends up being a low-profile 12mm, I could see selling both my current lenses (20mm and Olympus 9-18mm) in favor of the new ones.
NativeFloridian
2 years ago |An f1.4 kit lens? That can only mean that the camera body is prosumer quality at the least. I would expect a compact camera with many similarities to the GH2 (multiaspect, faster autofocus, probable EVF) and a price tag to match.
Where is Olympus?
Alberto
2 years ago |For sure,
Olympus will introduce for March/April three prime lenses MFT and two new bodies MFT, one of them prosumer, that will equal the game i think.
Bright zooms? It´s neccesary, but we have to wait for then
twoomy
2 years ago |exciting, exciting! Now if they could only get a steady supply of GH2s out to market before they start with the next one…
The Master
2 years ago |The way things are going with Panasonic marketing, here lately, I think if I were a stockholder, I would want to be rid of the current President. What a utter buffoon!
They had a chance to get the GH2 to market before Xmas and make a killing, then let people recover for a month or so and they could have sold a lot of the same people the GF2 as well. Now, what they have done is to put two bodies out at near the same time and most people will only be able to afford one- probably the cheapest (loss of sales).
Now with this new rumor, chances are people will wait till February and instead of Panasonic getting some people to buy three new cameras, they will only buy one.
I guess that just goes to show you what greed gets you.
They tried to stall the market with their premature announcements and it backfired on them. I think it serves them right.
kaine
2 years ago |The GH2 is doing terrible everywhere other than the States and that will soon dry up.
mat
2 years ago |Really? Do you have any stats on that? I hadn’t seen anything confirming or contradicting that.
Mike
2 years ago |Kaine, that post was troll-riffic! The GH2 is just now venturing out into retail outlets across the world and appears to be selling just fine, thanks. What numbers are you using to justify your ‘doing terrible’ nonesense?
Wife
2 years ago |you do know what happens when you release on a marketing schedule instead of an engineering and support schedule right?
Jules
2 years ago |You are being a hard audience.
Getting a production chain to work at full speed just cannot be improvised overnight. Unless quality control is a minor issue to you.
It may be unfortunate that they did not get it in time, but quite frankly there is life beyond Christmas and when needed, we all got a camera for the event, even if its not the GH2.
Miklós Rabi
2 years ago |We must be realistic. Pana won’t canibaize its recently announced flagship with a similar spec. product. No way.
I think the new cam must be either a low end model (under GF2)or a real successor of GF1. I don’t expect to see the GH2′s sensor and EVF in the new model.
What if a new camera is a Leica branded GF1 with Leica branded 25/1.4?
Wife
2 years ago |well, according to the article, it’s high end, like the 43rd version, which costed around $1000.
so even if the m43rd version is around $1000, that means the camera would have to be very expensive.
strange indeed. but the 43rd version was great, so i welcome the m43rd when it comes out. hopefully cheaper.
Luis
2 years ago |A new body line? Totally unexpected for me. Following the logic of a differentiation strategy I see two options:
-A weather sealed camera
-A ragefinder like body
And I think a 25mm f/1.4 makes much more sense on the second. This would mean that GF would become the newbies line and there would be a real, better targeted GF1 succesor.
ssj_george
2 years ago |Hmm… I’m thinking that if they do release a body with a 25mm it will probably be something like a GF3 but with external buttons like the GF1 (not the simplistic GF2) and probably an EVF… And concerning the sensor, of course a GH2 sensor does not make sense because as we all remember GH1 sensor was never used in any other camera other than the GH1. So I expect the same for the GH2 sensor. It will be kept exclusively for the GH2. So probably the next body, if the rumors are right and it is a high-end model, why not have the GH1 sensor. GH1 is not a new product any more so I don’t believe Panasonic would mind. A similar sensor with all the other G’s and GF’s would be a move that will ridicule Panasonic..
Godot
2 years ago |I agree about not using the GH2 sensor… but isn’t it about time to introduce a successor to the G1/G10/G2/GF1/GF2/E-P1/E-P2/E-PL1/E5 (etc.) sensor? They’ve certainly had impressive mileage out of that one, and I think it’s quite a bit better than many detractors say, but surely there’s going to be an upgrade eventually?
jeff
2 years ago |olympus is getting the shit kicked out of them
jesus christ
Ethan Cheng
2 years ago |Panasonic is outclassing them glass-wise, but remember that these companies are ostensibly in a partnership. The latest and greatest Panasonic lenses are perfectly usable on Olympus bodies, so it’s very plausible that the availability of this no-brainer lens (a surrogate for the beloved 50mm f/1.4) will help sell Olympus bodies to people who like the Pen style but haven’t bought into M4/3 yet due to limited lens selection. After all, a lot of Pen users own that Panny 20.
It worked the other way for me. Olympus’s 9-18mm actually helped sell me a GF1; I liked the design of the GF1 a lot, but I probably wouldn’t have bought one if the 7-14mm (out of my price range) had been my only choice for serious wide angle.
mick/Lumix
2 years ago |Some people are concerned that Panasonic & Olympus may regret µ4/3 as Sony and Samsung are using APS-C sensors. I think µ4/3 is great but would anyone take a guess as to what the future may hold ?
spam
2 years ago |<< I think µ4/3 is great but would anyone take a guess as to what the future may hold ?
No, I'm not into rumors and speculations.
Ahem
2 years ago |Yet you read a site called 43 Rumors?
I know IHBT.
hd72
2 years ago |Haha once again, verbal irony is lost on the internets.
hd72
2 years ago |It takes a bigger lens to cover a bigger sensor. The m4/3 lenses seem relatively big on the small bodies, but when you compare them to the APS-C or full-frame equivalent lenses, there’s a significant difference.
Sensor technology will absolutely continue to improve. m4/3 may always be a stop behind the larger sensors, but its “good enough” offerings will get better and better with time. (One reason to invest in lenses, not bodies).
But can Sony’s lenses get any smaller and still cover the larger sensor? The area of a circle hasn’t changed since we first figured it out.
hd72
2 years ago |I know i rambled.
My point:
The m4/3 advantage is smaller lens size… not going to change.
APS-C benefit is image quality. THAT is a moving target.
tgutgu
2 years ago |Yes, it is funny that only few people get this and rant about body concepts like the GH2.
Rik
2 years ago |The dire pronouncements in this thread regarding Olympus’ future from would-be armchair prognosticators are quite amusing. Meanwhile, those of us who have actually used the amazingly compact and high-quality 9-18 and 14-150 zooms released this year, and have a need for a stabilized body for legacy MF lenses know otherwise.
MikeS
2 years ago |Panasonic and Olympus have traded places; where Oly used to pump out 4/3 bodies like there was no tomorrow while Panny only released a couple, now Panny is going full force while Oly seems to be taking a more measured approach. Though Oly’s done well with their µ4/3 offerings thus far, it’ll take something big to regain the spotlight that’s now shared with Panny, Sony, and Samsung (Sammy?), not to mention other makers who may soon jump into the mirrorless game.
Putting the E-5 image processor in a µ4/3 body would be a good start.
Ahem
2 years ago |Olympus had a really bad year financially (even compared to the economy and competition), which would explain why they are more cautious, and concentrating their R&D funds on fewer cameras and lenses.
nobody
2 years ago |If this is true, it raises the question, which is the chicken and which is the egg.
mick/Lumix
2 years ago |Have tried about 10 times to open account for this site but no joy, whats going on ?
HMR
2 years ago |I have a feeling that we will be looking at a variation of the GH2. Panasonic knows how to sell product. Look at the decision to change the battery in the GH2 from the one in the GH1. Frustrating to end users like us, who visit these forums, but a non issue to all the new adopters who didn’t invest in the GH1.
How frustrated will we be, after securing out GH2s, if we find out that a GH2P model is coming out? One with an upgraded body and a few tweaks here and there. And with THAT lens attached. Time to ditch the GH2 already? Ouch for those of us who couldn’t wait, but a surefire way to sell more product.
I’ve been thinking about this ever since I discovered that the quality of the Gh2 feels cheaper that that of the GH2. Why would they do this if not to position it in a lineup with something above it? Funny thing is, I hope I’m wrong and, at the same time, I hope I’m right.
tgutgu
2 years ago |It was my first impression too, that the GH2 feels “cheaper”. But now I just would say that it feels “different”. The rubber coating of the GH1 had quite skin friendly soft and warm feeling, however, it was prone to peel off at the edges.
The GH2 feels more slippery on a first glance, but you can get used to it quickly. Definitely better is the new grip coating. Overall the ergonomics of the GH2 are a lot better due to the improvments inherited from the G2, and the new button layouts (especially the click wheel on the back side).
HMR
2 years ago |I meant “the GH2 body feels cheaper than the GH1″
Jonathan
2 years ago |i share the same intuition as many of the posters, the 25/1.4 is probably not going to be a cheap lens; if it is bundled with a new body as a kit lens then we should be expecting a new ‘high end’ body. it will most likely not be a GFx, Gx or GHx.
looks like Panasonic is developing a m43 body designed to compete with the Olympus ‘pro’ model. spring 2011 looks quite promising!
Michael
2 years ago |I agree, a camera bundled with fast and high quality prime lens nowadays has to be a product for serious users (high-end). We can expect aperture ring on this one (as the Panasonic/Leica 25mm F1.4 with FT mount).
Technical question: Can Olympus use bigger multi-aspect Panasonic’s sensor with in-body image stabilization, with no loss in IQ (are genuine m4/3 lenses designed for this)?
micklumix
2 years ago |Some say Panasonic and Olympus may regret µ4/3 as Sony & Samsung are now using APS-C sensor. I like µ4/3 but does anyone have any thoughts regarding the future ?
Michael
2 years ago |Good question, they can resist at mirror-less war if they bring something that competition can’t – high quality fast and compact (doesn’t mean pancake) lenses with decent camera line with huge option list as we know from DSLRs (flashes, triggers, grips etc.) at right prices. Olympus and Panasonic have to enter high-end market as soon as possible to prove they are wholly believe in m4/3 system.
spam
2 years ago |They can use a bigger multi-aspect (it’s not that much bigger), worst case they’d have to disable the multi aspect functions for some lenses or disable it when the image stabilization is in use igf the image circle is too small for both functions at the same time.
twoomy
2 years ago |I see you’ve asked this several times, but I’ll take a stab. I’m a Nikon DX shooter who has been absolutely fascinated by the the M43 system, primarily for its small size and comparable image quality. The thing that convinced me is that as small as the sensor is, it is still FOUR TIMES larger than P&S cameras and lenses like Oly’s 9-18 are so so much smaller and lighter than their DX or FX equivilents. NEX looked intriguing, but they just don’t have the lenses, unless you want to wait another TWO YEARS for an ultra-wideangle.
So as a Nikon DX SLR shooter, I’ll probably switch to a GH2 when I want to go light and a high-res D700-replacement FX camera when I want to go heavy. Both have their places in my world of photography. Micro 43 won’t replace all dSLR’s, but it will serve many of us who need a trully light-weight body with many lens choices.
Per
2 years ago |Sensors will continue to develop. APS-C will always have an advantage over m43. The question is: How much quality do you really need? How much gear would you like to carry. I recently was in a photo safari, som participants being pro or semi-pro. As it was about nature photo they all had full frame. The reason being the richer nuanses in the result. Me being an amateure with a E-P1 could not out-compete that, even if using my Zeiss 50mm took me in that direction compared to Pana 20mm. But the real difference was the pro ability to find motifs, to work with the composition and somtimes wait for hours for the right lighting. This is what made their images better than mine. But a learned from them. Note: Theese are real pro’s who would never buy an E-5. The later being a camera for people that want to feel “proish” and want to be non-Canon, non Nikon. 95% of pros are Canon or Nikon.
Jonathan
2 years ago |real men don’t eat quiche though some pros (albeit not many) use 43rds
hd72
2 years ago |The right light will beat gear hands down. Some of my best photos were taken with a tiny point & shoot, just because it’s what i had on me when the timing was right. That’s why the old Canon 40D stays at home now and I got into m4/3.
Tom
2 years ago |DAMMIT! This is exactly what I wanted. One thing I’ve learned, if this site gives an FT5 several months away that no other site has mentioned it will NEVER be correct. Bummer.
M43Photo
2 years ago |Based on the history, I wouldn’t worry that the GH2 is going to become obsoleted soon.
Remember that until the GH2 was launched, the GH1 was still the very best m4/3 camera model available. Based on this observation, I wouldn’t think that a new model obsoleting the GH2 is going to be launched within the first year.
Jonathan
2 years ago |and if a better model is released, will the GH2 become obsolete?
Mike
2 years ago |I will happily buy anyones ‘obsolete’ GH2 for $100.
safaridon
2 years ago |Pany has mentioned that in the future they bring out all new models to give buyers wider choices rather than improving on existing. The GH2 is an exception but the GF2 was focus to a wider group and we can expect the upcoming m4/3 to be in rangefinder style with controls to appeal to GF1 upgraders or enthusiats. So no a better new model will not make the GH2 obsolete even if it contains many of its features. For sure if it has an inbody EVF in my opinion it will b e considerably smaller than the one offered in the GH2.
Seika
2 years ago |More video focused GH3 without EVF
Or maybe with articulated viewfinder.
*imagining GH2 with Panasonic AG’s viewfinder*
… weird
Ahem
2 years ago |So then we have 14mm, 17m, 20mm and 25mm primes (and a 8mm fisheye). That’s 35mm equivalent to 28-50mm which is a decent basic range.
Hopefully we’ll soon get an ultra-fast portrait prime (around 50mm-70mm), and an ultra-wide prime (7mm-10mm) with little distortion. And I’d like them to be higher quality than some of the other primes (14mm and 17mm) – and I’m willing to pay for the quality.
twoomy
2 years ago |I second that vote for an ultra-wide prime! I’d gobble it up in an instant.
Miroslav
2 years ago |You’ve forgotten Panasonic Leica 45mm prime.
Ahem
2 years ago |Good call, thanks!
Jules
2 years ago |Everyone seems to more or less unconsciously forget that one. Its not fast enough, its too expensive, macro is not needed and Olympus has announced a 50mm macro, therefore its not counted.
Who wants Leica anyways?
I do. Don’t tell too loud.
Brod1er
2 years ago |The semi pro gf3 has been expected for a while so no surprise. I guess it will have an evf – an LCD is not acceptable for a camera that is likely to cost RRP £1500 with the lens. Pana will be trying to offer a mainstream leica alternative.
Ps intelligent comments from Hd72 and Twoomy. Keep them coming!
Pps “boss” claims the f1.4 will be the first Pana mFT lens that matches the oly 4/3rds glass. I think the pana 7-14mm and 8mm FE already match or better the oly 4/3 lens (at less than half size & weight). That makes three lenses. There is a long way to go but it is 3 more than oly have managed…..).
Ahem
2 years ago |Not sure what you mean by “the f1.4 will be the first Pana mFT lens that matches the oly 4/3rds glass.” There is no Oly MFT lens which is has better IQ than the Panny equivalent. Oly lenses are lighter, smaller and cheaper, so in that sense they do win.
Ulli
2 years ago |he was talking 4/3 optics, not m43 glass. the 25 1.4 will surely be a great lens, but its focal lenght being so close to the 20 1.7 , i doubt many owners of this lens will switch to the new one.
hd72
2 years ago |The 20mm is a fantastic lens, but it’s no good for video. Maybe the 25mm could offer the “HD” features found in Panasonic’s 14-140mm… optical image stabilization, silent autofocus, and gradual aperture (instead of whole or half stops). Clearly Panasonic considers video an important feature (the GH1 has been a huge hit in the video world), and a bright f/1.4 HD lens might justify such a similar focal length & aperture to their pancake.
Miroslav
2 years ago |I’d say not the biggest surprise of all will be that 25mm F1.4 will be a kit lens.
Its announcement is not a surprise, we’ve been told about it in September.
GF3 ( or GP1 or whatever GF1 successor is called ) announcement is also not a surprise knowing Panasonic’s 18 months camera “life” – GF1′s 18 months ends in March 2011.
Such lens bundled with a camera is unusual, but then again, a certain 20mm F1.7 was announced as a kit lens for GF1 in 2009, wasn’t it
?
So it all falls into pattern, nice Panasonic
.
SLRist
2 years ago |Fantastic news. Let’s hope it’s not too expensive or large.
N!co
2 years ago |After a small talk with Luc St Elie about the micro 4/3rd’s future (a french Panasonic representative) in Paris a month ago (when the GF2 was unveiled), I understood (he couldn’t say anything precise) that this lens will be about 600-800€ (900 $) and bigger than the 20mm.
I think it makes sense with a new GFx (new sensor, size of a GF1 but with a viewfinder), small but very high end. And the GF2 is all about the size with the 14mm.
Like the NEX actually.
Hopefully we’ll see soon if that guess is true or not.
Cannonball
2 years ago |I tend to believe you are correct, and it would be best for the micro 4/3rd’s standard. The sub-$500 interchangeable lens camera market will be competitive, but Panasonic, Oly, etc. can really differentiate themselves in the $800-$1500 range with size & glass. We’re not there yet but a GF1 w/Nokton can deliver significant results cheaper & much more portable than anything else. Upgrade to the GH2 sensor & other improvements plus the expected glass options and who outside micro 4/3rd’s can compete in 2011?
pdc
2 years ago |Start saving. 2011 will be an expensive year. So I have a G1, GH2, all
these zooms, one little prime, and my wife wants a GF2, and now Panny is going to dangle a must-have fast “normal” lens and a sweet pro-sumer camera in my face – you can bet I’ll not resist the temptations … I’m hoping that the new camera will be stills-centric and take a page from Nikon’s D3 book.
MikeS
2 years ago |Expensive, indeed. I’ve been holding off getting a 7-14mm because of it. Between (fingers crossed) a new µ4/3 rangefinder + fast prime(s) and a D700 replacement early next year, I’m going to be much poorer very quickly, very soon.
And it will be *sweet*.
safaridon
2 years ago |Admin
This is my fourth time trying to post a detailed comment only to lose everthing when the return message is incorrectly completed CAPTCHA Code. I have posted dozens of comments previously so am puzzled why the problem with this code which seems to change very frequently sometimes between entering the code and proofreading the comment. Is this Code case sensitive?
I also noted that the captions on the picture from Panasonic states only they are considering a fast wide angle and no mention of wide zoom? However I believe Panys lens map did mention two zooms.
Based on my less than perfect eye sight and use of magnifying glass to enlarge the fuzzy picture I would say the lenses on the left side are all existing lenses while the three on the far right are the projected new ones?
The third from right appears to be labled f1.4 and I would assumed that this is the 25/1.4 as about same size as the 4/3 Leica lens. I am puzzled by the black lens mount rather than bright stainless steel one?
The second from right with its tear shaped hood may actually be a fast wide angle zoom starting at f1.4 or alternatively the long predicted 12-75 zoom.
The first lens from right looks to be the faster zoom lens as larger diameter than the existing kit zooms. It may have a more limited zoom range to keep the length down. All three of these lenses are relatively short and the diameters will fit on any existing m4/3 body without appearing huge.
I would be surprised if the 25/1.4 would be the kit lens unless this new model is the PRO model or a Leica Version of the GF1 as would increase the cost. I doubt that Pany would produce the pro version m4/3 camera before releasing a upgrade of the GF1 in rangefinder style and new sensor and possible inbody EVF?
hd72
2 years ago |I have the same issue with the code. I have gotten in the habit of copying my comments into the clipboard after i’m done typing them, before pressing “Submit”, because half the time it tells me I entered the code incorrectly (even though i’m certain i didn’t) and i have to start all over.
I think I should just start making my comments more brief!
Miroslav
2 years ago |Use Opera browser. It caches pages much better than IE or Firefox, so if an error occurs, by just going back one page you can get your comment content again.
dCap
2 years ago |this is indeed good news … the 25/1.4
but, me thinks we need to be ready for the price!
I can’t see this being cheaper than the 20/1.7
(unless they discontinue the 20/1.7 – unlikely)
25mm f1.4 is faster, gonna be more demanding to design, gonna contain more glass, just hope its not priced like the current big43 PanLeica 25/1.4!
NativeFloridian
2 years ago |UPDATED: the admin has more rumors that he has not posted yet
M43Photo
2 years ago |@safaridon: All the lenses pictured above are current lenses. From left to right:
8mm fisheye
45-200mm
14-45mm
14-140mm
20mm
100-300mm
14mm
14-42mm
7-14mm
45mm macro
safaridon
2 years ago |Thanks for the correction. Maybe I do need new eye glasses! I suspected the far right one could be the 45/2.8 but didn’t think the 7-14mm was that large. The black lens mount of course clue to present std kit 14-42 lens.
Jonathan
2 years ago |i would think they would have to modify it somewhat, but it shouldn’t be that much of a design effort.
then again i’m not an electro mechanical engineer, so my guess is as good as anyone’s.
thec
2 years ago |yummy lens…
gonna start saving up
thomas ashley
2 years ago |G3? – with an 18mp sensor and optimised for advanced still photography. This would help to better differentiate between the Gx and Gxx lines. GHx is already well differentiated as the video enthusiast’s choice.
Or maybe Panasonic are happy with the positioning of the Gx line and will introduce a GPx line – P being for Pro or Photographer, although given that H stands for Video and F stands for Compact, then I guess they could pick any letter at random!
HMR
2 years ago |I tend to agree with you. I don’t think they would stick that lens on a small body camera. On the other hand, I’d be more likely to buy it if it was attached to a high end small body since I already have a GH2.
spam
2 years ago |It’s hard believe that they would put a fixed focal length lens on any body as the kit lens, but it could be an option on GH2 or a new body. A F1.4 lens on a smaller body seem pretty unlikely.
If you look at the G-series the G2 and G10 are pretty similar and they could certainly do something similar with the GH2. Better build quality, metal (or at least more metal) body would be a pretty simple change. They could also upgrade the LCD to megadots like on the 550D, 660D, P7000 and several others with only minor modifications. A slightly bigger body/grip, bigger battery are other options to make the GH2 more pro.
Also, the GH2 hardware support better video like 1080p at 60HZ than the GH2 actually output. They could easily change that with only firmware changes and it would make a new model even more attractive than the GH2 for video if combined with higher video bit rate.
Mice
2 years ago |If we vote on something and show them the results…
Will they do it?
safaridon
2 years ago |I think the rumor that the relatively large 25/1.4 as a kit lens makes it all the more plausible that Pany/Leica will be releasing perhaps a larger model than many expected like a Pany LC1 or Leica Digilux3 body slightly reduced or the Pany patent body? Pany does need a larger body to better match the size of its new lenses like the 100-300 or expected fast 12-75mm lens. The EVF size would have to be smaller than the existing GH2 one and the screen smaller, maybe 3″ in 16:9 mode for video with less height. In any case I would expect the model to be slightly larger but similar in style to the Fuji X100.
Because the price of such a “pro” model would be high I would expect that Pany will also be releasing a smaller updated version of the GF1 also in rangefinder style with a small swivel rear screen and new sensor and upgraded EVF for hot shoe mount to fill the price gap?
Amin Sabet
2 years ago |I have seen the road map image in this article posted multiple times on this site, but I have never seen it on any of the mainstream sites (eg, DPReview, Imaging Resource, etc). How sure are you that this was not modified? The “Under Consideration” part looks Photoshopped to me. I can’t imagine that Panasonic would include “etc” on an actual presentation in a big photo show.
safaridon
2 years ago |Clearly the words Under Consideration … etc are flat and single dimension and have been photoshopped onto the three dimension photo.
mat
2 years ago |It doesn’t necessarily look Photoshopped on to me. Could just as easily be a last minute addition to the presentation that was added in by someone other than the original designer who either didn’t have the original font for the lens list at left, couldn’t be bothered to change it, or didn’t notice until it was too late to change. Perhaps there was last minute news that another manufacturer listed lenses in development and the Panny rep giving it wanted to include that info after the original was created. I’ve seen all sorts of awkward last minute additions to presentations.
If you were trying trying to fake the image to feed the rumor mill wouldn’t you make an attempt to have the fonts match, and not include that ‘etc’ way off on the right?
Jedalus
2 years ago |The only thing I could see Panasonic adding to the micro 4/3 camera line up right now is a compact prosumer video camera. The AG AF100 seems like quite a machine but is pretty hard to justify for personal use, however something more compact with the same sensor in a camcorder type arrangement that takes all of my micro 4/3 lenses. At the right price, I could see myself using it along side my GH1.
Rich
2 years ago |I’m looking to purchase the G2, been saving for this for awhile.Trying to get back into this. I do wonder if the price on this is going to drop, or is Panasonic going to replace this. On their website they don’t list the price for the G10 so are they going to replace these 2 cameras. Would like to know since this will be my camera for a few years. Any help you guys would be so great.