Our friend Dracore sent us pictures from the new the AG-AF100. He also confirmed that the camera will cost $6000.
Click on the thumbnails to open the images in original size:

Today we have only good news for you :)

PRESS RELEASE:

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., April 12, 2010 – Olympus today announced its free GetOlympus App for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The App is available on the App Store. The App features a user photo gallery, photo tips, Olympus social media networks, special offers and more. Designed by Olympus to provide dynamic interaction with consumers, the App will be updated with new content and features over time.

“We’re always seeking innovative ways to connect with consumers,” said Christopher Kemmerer, manager, Engineering and Development, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Offering the GetOlympus App for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is one more way to engage our customers.”

The new GetOlympus App, designed and developed by Olympus, will provide iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users with easy, remote access** to many of the features and content currently available on www.getolympus.com and Olympus’ social network pages.

Features of the App include:

• Olympus Resolution User Gallery – view amazing user-submitted photos and read the “behind the shot” stories for inspiration to capture your own spectacular images.
• Tips – whether you want to learn to take vacation, underwater, panorama or any other memorable photos, tips are available for many different shooting environments. Read Olympus’ tips or submit your own!
• Connect With Olympus – visit Olympus social networks, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, with the touch of a button.
• Offers & Promotions – be among the first to know when Olympus is offering a special promotion or cash rebate. Learn about the latest photo contests sponsored by Olympus. Get cash back – trade in your old working digital camera for a new Olympus camera using the Olympus ‘Trade In Trade Up’ program.
• Favorites – save your favorite photos, tips and news and share them via email with other GetOlympus users.

The recent Panasonic AG-AF100 announcement created a lot of enthusiasm. Almost every MicroFourThirds user and professional videographer is getting really excited. Also Philipp Bloom is expressing his positive feelings on his blog!
According to him the camcorder should cost $6000.

The picture above shows the camera with the Olympus Zuiko 14-35mm Lens!
I believe that camera will add a huge value to the MicroFourThirds system. Of course there are also some challenges:
1) We need more video dedicated lenses (like the Panasonic 14-140mm)
2) We need also very fast zooms. That will be a very difficoult hurdle because of the bigger image sensor. Normal camcorder do have zooms which do start with f/1.7 aperture.
3) The AVCHD codec. The bitrate is a little bit to low. I hope Panasonic will find a better solution until the final release of the camera.

Let’s see the reactions on the WorldWideWeb:
On dpreview you can find a long discussion about the AG-AF100. Someone also made their own camcorder mockup!
The DVXuser thread is now 14 page long.
Only RED users seems to not be happy with the camcorder :)

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Awesome! Our source were right (click here to read our rumor)! Panasonic is introducing a micro4/3 camcorder!
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This could be one of the most important micro4/3 news ever! You will be able to use your MicroFourThirds lenses on a highly professional camcorder. Look at the folk reaction on dvxuser.com :)
We have no price indication yet.
UPDATE: Camera design and specs are subject to change. I bet the real camera will be slightly different. The camera on the picture has the Panasonic 14-140mmLens.

Panasonic press release: LAS VEGAS, NV (April 11, 2010) – Panasonic Solutions Company today announced a game-changing AVCCAM HD camcorder, the AG-AF100, the first professional micro 4/3-inch video camcorder optimized for high-definition video recording. Scheduled to ship by the end of 2010, the AG-AF100 will set a new benchmark for digital cinematography.

Targeted at the video and film production communities, the AF100 delivers the shallow depth of field and wider field of view of a large imager, with the flexibility and cost advantages of use with a growing line of professional quality, industry standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. The full 1080 and 720 production camera offers superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.

The design of the AF100’s micro 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a less expensive camera body.  Equipped with an interchangeable lens mount, the AF100 can utilize an array of low-cost, widely-available still camera lenses as well as film-style lenses with fixed focal lengths and primes.

“Designed in consultation with the filmmaking community, the AF100 eclipses the video performance of other cameras in this price range,” said Joe Facchini, Vice President of Sales & Product Management, Media & Production Services, Panasonic Solutions Company.  “Ideal for film schools and independent filmmakers, this affordable, digital cinematography camera employs an advanced professional AVC/ H.264 Hi Profile AVCHD codec compatible with a wide range of editing tools and affordable players.”

The AF100 incorporates a 4/3-inch, 16:9 MOS imager. The camcorder records 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) in AVCHD’s highest-quality PH mode (maximum 24Mbps). Ready for global production standards, the camcorder is 60Hz and 50Hz switchable.

The AF100 maximizes the potential of its high-resolution imager with built-in ND filtering and dramatically reduced video aliasing. Standard professional interfaces include HD-SDI out, HDMI, time code recording, built-in stereo microphone and USB 2.0. The AF100 features two XLR inputs with +48V Phantom Power capability, 48-kHz/16-bit two-channel digital audio recording and supports LPCM/Dolby-AC3.

This newest Panasonic AVCCAM camcorder is the first to enjoy the benefits of advanced SDXC media card compatibility in addition to existing SDHC card support.  (SDXC is the newest SD memory card specification that supports memory capacities above 32GB up to 2TB). With two SD slots, the AF100 can record up to 12 hours on two 64GB SDXC cards in PH mode

The AG-AF100 will be available by the end of 2010. Panasonic will support the AF100 with a three-year limited warranty (one year plus two extra years upon registration).

source: panasonic.com

Today there will be a press conference from Panasonic.

1:00 p.m Las Vegas time
10:00 p.m Berlin time

Do not expect new MicroFourThirds cameras or lenses but mabe they will come with some surprise like the camcorder with m4/3 mount?

source: NABshow

March has been a memorable month for MicroFourThirds! We already told you that Olympus and Panasonic now do own 20.2% of the japanese DSLR sales share. And few days ago Amateur Photographer reported that “UK customers snapped up 2,909 mirrorless models in February, a 170% rise on the same month the previous year” and “More than one in ten interchangeable lens cameras sold in February were of the mirrorless variety, according to latest UK sales figures.”

Let’s take a look on amazon most sold cameras. This is not a precise tool for measuring worldwide camera sales but at least it can give you an idea how well MicroFourthirds is doing. You can check the camera DSLR rankings clicking here:
– Amazon US
– Amazon JP
– Amazon DE
– Amazon UK
– Amazon FR