Small update about the new Nokton lens. Unlike the Panasonic 42,5mm f/1.2 lens (that is likely to hit the market in early 2014 only) Voigtlander-Cosina will ship the lens from this summer. Price is yet unknown although we can easily guess it will be priced at around $1200 like the current 17mm lens. Save this search on Slidoo to be notified when the lens will be available for preorder on eBay.

Reminder: These are for now the only image samples I found on the web. Please let me know if you can find more of them. Thanks!
F/0.95: http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/K0000145739/SortID=15702607/ImageID=1443875/
F/1.4: http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/K0000145739/SortID=15702607/ImageID=1443878/
F/2.0: http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/K0000145739/SortID=15702607/ImageID=1443881/

For the record. These are the five f/o.95 lenses:
Nokton 25mm f/0.95 ([shoplink 36580 ebay]here one Bay[/shoplink]).
Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95 ([shoplink 36581 ebay]here one Bay[/shoplink]).
Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95 (not in Stock yet, save this search for notification).
SLRmagic 50mm f/0.95 ([shoplink 29455 ebay]here one Bay[/shoplink]).
SLRmagic 25mm f/0.95 (not in Stock yet, save this search for notification).

The German company Ibe Optics announced a new 26mmf /1.4 lens. You can download the Lens – Datasheet, German (2347kB) to read more about the specs. And yes, this is the same company that created the Ibelux 40mm f/0.85 lens with Kenko.

Source: ibe-optics.com

As you have read Panasonic is considering to make some serious changes in the future of the G camera series. Now I would like to you to come up with your suggestions for the future Panasonic camera and lens strategy. I just make some example of what could be done:

– GX series should have an integrated viewfinder…
– Launch a larger FF sensor system with new FF lenses that are compatible on MFT cameras too
– Get rid (or simplify) the G, GF, GH, GX definitions.
– Make entry level GH and high level GH cameras.
– Create fully and fast-af electronic adapters for Nikon and Canon lenses to allow Canon-Nikon pros to easily switch over to G cameras.
– Offer cameras with hybrid OVF and EVF viewfinders.
– Tighten the partnership with Leica and create a real Leica-Panasonic camera with a few real Leica lenses
– Follow Fuji’s route and create a “old style” designed camera.
– Create a pro service and network of pro photographers to advertise it.
– Focus effort on a partnership with Sigma to further develop the Foveon sensor

These are just examples. But please let me know your key strategy points and I will put the on vote in a poll I am going to post in a few days. Thanks!

Panasonic Mangers Michiharu Uematsu and Yoshiyuki Inoue have been interviewed by the DPreview team (Click here). Here are some interesting points:

1) It is not possible to add Focus Peaking and Zebra Pattern on the GH3: “We haven’t been able to offer it – because of the limits of resources and of the Venus Engine processor.”

2) And Panasonic also admits that they are rethinking the whole G product strategy. Something I suspected after the “non-GX2 release” in late 2012: “We are considering the next GX, that’s all I can say. It’s been better received than the GF series in European countries. Our first thought was that the people who would want our cameras were step-up users from compact cameras. Outside of Japan this hasn’t been true and some high-end amateurs have accepted the cameras.”

3) About the future compact camera strategy: “Maybe we should have a premium model, maybe with  bigger sensor. However, that takes engineering resources and you have to worry about price and the extra quality it will offer people – if we can sell 100,000 or 200,000, we will make it”

4) And than some very honest words about marketing: “We have to consider how to market image quality. Other people can say “we have a bigger sensor,” but a combination of a not-so-big sensor and a brighter lens can be maybe better, but you have to explain F-number – it’s very difficult.‘”

Yep, we know it…it’s hard to make people understand that sensor size is just one of the many factors that do matter for image quality. I believe that usability and well thought features are now more important than a tiny difference in image quality. But as a filmmaker and photographer I can say that even most of my so called (pro) colleagues do not really understand this. And they keep wondering when tey see me using the [shoplink 28308 ebay]Olympus E-P1[/shoplink] with a [shoplink 15659]Nokton 25mm[/shoplink] lens!