Interview with Panasonic at Shanghai P&I 2024
Asobinet spotted a Panasonic interview made by chinese outlets. Important, Asobinet writes that “this response appears to be a mix of Panasonic’s response and the author’s opinions“. The focus is very much on the L-mount strategy but some points are of general interest for MFT folks too:
New Products
- It’s safe to assume that the next generation of the LUMIX S1 series will be released soon.
- Panasonic is not satisfied with the specifications of the new camera and is continuing development work, such as the video specifications.
- 8K/30P may be a “compromise” specification to solve the problem.
- 8K/60P may be what some users really want, and some even think 8K120P would be ideal.
- However, more time needs to be spent on developing the 120P.
- Panasonic first chose to realize a wide range of uses.
- In addition to the LUMIX GH7 with Arri LogC3, Panasonic and Arri plan to continue working together in the future.
lens
- Regarding lenses, the current direction is to design them to match the body.
- The early LUMIX S1 series was “large” and the corresponding lenses fit well.
- The body was then significantly lighter with the LUMIX S5, and the company focused on small and medium-sized lenses.
- With the release of the LUMIX S9, lenses such as the “LUMIX S 18-40mm F4.5-6.3” exhibited at the P&I Show are attracting attention.
- Some users have stated that the focal length of the “LUMIX S 28-200mm F4-7.1 MACRO OIS” is still not long enough, and Panasonic is currently looking into this.
- Panasonic said that in light of the L-Mount Alliance, non-official L-Mount AF lenses may be released.
LUMIX Lab
- We would like to hear the opinions of more users and continue to improve and upgrade our software.
- LUMIX Lab is currently internally considering whether to support older models.
China Market
- Sales of mirrorless cameras remain strong in the Chinese market, making it the region with the highest number of mirrorless cameras sold.
- Panasonic’s camera products are laid out with the Chinese market as the top priority, and production capacity is also being increased to meet the camera demand of global consumers.
- He said he wants to learn more about the voices of Chinese users and create camera products that will be loved by more Chinese consumers.
- As the Chinese market shifts towards video filming and many video production groups are being born, Panasonic’s GOV Video Certification Course is now in its 23rd year and has trained many students.
- As a Global Partner of the Olympic Games in Paris, Panasonic is deeply involved in every aspect of the Games.
- With the fluctuation of the yen’s exchange rate, it was found that many Chinese consumers went to Japan to buy Panasonic cameras and then brought them back to China. In order to close this loophole, prices were raised in the Japanese market, leaving many Japanese consumers with a bitter experience.
- Panasonic believes it will be difficult to constantly adjust prices based on exchange rates.
- Parallel imports do not offer perfect after-sales service, so we recommend purchasing cameras from domestic retailers.
What do you think about this interview?
