PetaPixel and CameraLabs Grading Every Camera Maker: 2024 Mid-Year Review
From minute 53:30 they talk about OM Digital and from minute 1:01:30 they talk about Panasonic. A couple of interesting notes:
- They think the passage between Olympus and OM Digital did cost 1 year of R&D pause. And this could be the reason why we haven’t seen really any truly NEW product and NEW innovation in the past 2 years.
- They all want a new PEN-FII (and me too!)
- The Panasonic GH7 is a perfect camera but seems not to have gotten the hype it deserved.
a bit of everything…
This Underrated Camera Needs A New Update!
Today deals at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, FotoErhardt DE, FotoKoch DE.
12-40mm f/2.8 Pro II review at DigitalCameraWorld.
Using Scrims and Flags for Portraits (Explora).
Zuiko 150-600mm test at Kitamura.
Travel Photography: How to Capture Compelling Images on the Go (42West).
Plenty of news on the facebook OMD group, Panasonic FF and the GH5 group.
I kindly invite you all to follow me on Youtube, Instagram, Threads for more broader camera talk.
Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki claims companies are missing out on making affordable cameras

Yamaki, CEO of Sigma, was interviewed by Dpreview. And he made an observation that is very important and where I think so many companies are doing a mistake: Neglecting the low-end market and focusing too much on the ‘technology’ of the camera instead of the ‘experience’. So let’s see what he said:
Yamaki is worried about the future of the market:
It looks like the trend of the shrinking market has hit the bottom. For the time being, many photographers are now switching from DSLR to mirrorless, which will sustain the market. However, after they switch to mirrorless cameras, I worry that the market could shrink in the coming years.
One reason for my concern is the increasing average price of cameras and lenses. I truly appreciate the passion of the customers who are still spending so much money on cameras and lenses. However, I’m afraid that not so many customers can afford such high-priced cameras and lenses, so we’re still trying hard to keep the retail price reasonable.
Especially these days, the younger generation takes huge amounts of photos with smartphones. While we can expect some of them to switch from a smartphone to a camera, many may find the price gap too wide, and challenging to make the switch.
And I think he is right on how companies should think when making new cameras that can generate sales:
We’ve seen some cameras with very technically impressive specifications, but I worry that they’re not always capabilities that many photographers really need. Moving forward, I speculate that more user-friendly specifications might mean more to customers. Easier to use interfaces, a compact and lightweight body for enhanced portability, or some other specifications might be more important.
The younger generation bought compact fixed-lens cameras that don’t cost TOO much: cameras like the Ricoh GR, old digital cameras and so on. They don’t care if the sensor is small or big, if it has a 5 or 7-stop IBIS… they care that the cameras are fun, affordable and easy to use. I do believe cameras like the PEN-FII and the Lumix GM/GF series should be developed further and made so that they are easy and fun to use for the new generation of photographers
Ends tonight: $20 price drop on the new Topaz Photo Ai 3.0
Two months ago Topaz released the brand new Photo Ai 3.0 (Click here). It now got the very first $20 discount that will end o July 2.











