Gizmomo talked with an OM System manager. Asobinet made this quick summary:

Q : Do you have high hopes for “OM-1 Junior” products as well?

A : We feel that there is a demand for an “OM-1 Junior” type product. I wonder what there is… (laughs)… I hope you can look forward to it.

Asobinet thoughts: “Many MFT users must have expected the “OM-5” to become a “OM-1 Junior” model. “OM-5” was not a model like “OM-1 Junior”, but I’m wondering if it will be “OM-5 II” or another model.”

Q : The current lineup is all in the 20-megapixel class, so is there a target there?

A : If you increase the number of pixels, you need to pay attention to the shooting processing time and noise resistance. For us, I think that the background is that we decide the number of pixels of the sensor based on the balance and sense of rhythm of the overall shooting, rather than trying to find the number of pixels unnecessarily.

Q: What about the development of high-resolution models and video-enhanced models?

A : Well, there are some things that are hard to say (bitter smile)…We would like customers other than Shochikubai’s current lineup to use our cameras. For example, in the case of video, we believe that our strengths, such as image stabilization and dust/splash resistance, will definitely come in handy, so we are of course considering (new products) that are different from what we have up until now.

Asobinet thoughts: “Will high-resolution devices and video-oriented cameras appear in the future? I think it is difficult to make a schedule in the corona crisis, but MFT users who are paying attention to whether they will follow competitors or push forward on their own route. Isn’t there a lot?”

Q: What is the evaluation and evolution of subject recognition AF?

Customers have strong expectations, and this is not the end of the story.

Q: What is the future development of the OM-D E-M1X line?

A : We have a lot of expectations and requests from our customers. We are not satisfied with that, and we are doing our best to deliver products that make the OM-1 even more powerful, regardless of what shape it will take.

Asobinet thoughts: “At the moment, I don’t know if it will be a direct successor to the “OM-D E-M1X”, but it seems that they are developing a model that is even more powerful than the “OM-1”. It will be interesting to see if it will be the “OM-1X” or a new model with a new concept.”

Q: What is the future development of the “PEN-F” line?

A : Looking at customer surveys, the design and profile control are highly appreciated. Based on these points, we are in the process of really considering how to evolve the “PEN” series in the future.

Asobinet thoughts: “There have been expectations for the new “PEN-F” for some time, but looking at the exchanges between the two, I get the impression that the fact that the “PEN-F” has not led to profits is a big obstacle.”

Q : What is happening with the lens type II renewal?

A : We are planning to gradually change the OLYMPUS brand to the OM SYSTEM brand for lenses that have already been released. In line with the movement, we will consider in the plan to change the necessary lenses while renewing them.

Imaging Resource had a chat with Panasonic and here are a couple of take always:

• Regarding the new L2 partnership with Leica:
  “Until now it was a relationship in which each company provided each other’s technologies and both sides used what the other had. From now on, it will change to a form of collaboration in which we create new things together.“
• Imaging Business success:
  “Our imaging business in fiscal year 2021 achieved double-digit growth and profitability. In particular, the GH6, which was introduced in the 4th quarter of FY2021, realizes picture creating with a sense of 3-dimensionality and depth different from other Micro Four Thirds cameras so far and it has a slow-motion movie ability that gives a feeling of floating while still maintaining high definition, with modes such as 4K120p, FHD240p, 300p, etc. It has been very positively evaluated by creators, and sales are good.“
• The creator market is enormous:
  “The “creator” market is enormous, and an obvious area for Panasonic to focus on. I knew there were a *lot* of people making videos on YouTube, but had no idea of just how massive that market is until I looked up some stats while writing this article. I didn’t do any deep research, but the stats in this article blew my mind: (https://influencermarketinghub.com/creator-economy-stats/) Upwards of 50 million people consider themselves to be online creators), with 3.3 million of those viewing themselves as professionals. While the vast majority of YouTube’s 37.5 million channels don’t make enough money to reach the US poverty line of ~$12,000 annually, globally, 2 million creators earn six-figure incomes from their craft. Given all that, there are a lot of people looking for affordable cameras able to produce high quality video like Panasonic’s GH series.”
• About PDAF:
  “It is a fact that PDAF is one of the elements to improve the AF performance of LUMIX for the future.However, PDAF alone does not improve AF performance, and factors other than PDAF are required to determine “which to focus on”. With PDAF as an AF detection system in mind, we will continue to make every effort to improve the total performance of AF. We are positively studying PDAF for future products. We know that PDAF will enhance the total AF quality, so that’s why we’re actively studying it. We haven’t decided yet though.”
  
• An affordable lens for the S5 owners:
  “And now, for the next model, we are developing a wide-angle zoom in the popular price range. With this lens, the system lineup centered on S5 will be completed.“
• Both the GH5 and GH6 are both selling well:
  “Between the two, the GH6 is selling more than the GH5 Mark II. [This is probably] because when we announced the GH5 Mark II, we made a development announcement for the GH6 as well, so the customers could get the right product from the GH series. So some people wanted to wait for the GH6 to come.“

I told you that OM should have announced the new OM-5 and a new lens in September. But the OM-5 launch got delayed so we now got “only” this: A new M.Zuiko 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS development info (and two telephoto lenses hinted on the roadmap):

via Dpreview

The prestigious website Nikkei reports:

The company (Panasonic HD) said, “We have stopped developing new models that can be replaced by smartphones.” Production of existing products will continue for the time being, but in the future, the company plans to concentrate on developing high-end mirrorless machines aimed mainly at enthusiasts and professional filmmakers. We are planning to release a mirrorless machine jointly developed with Leica Camera, which we formed a comprehensive partnership with at the end of May, in about a year.

I guess this means the GF and GM line are dead for the eternity :(

via Digicameinfo