Featured Forum Post: 'Dear Panasonic, what are you going to do?'

[songs2001]

The biggest splash since the EP1 was the GH1. First M43 cam to do 1080p video, and the cam that gave the Canon 5dii a run for the money for HD video which jump started the SLR mount camcorder wars. Now Sony, Panasonic and Canon all have SLR mount camcorders.

The second was the GF1 and the 20 1.7 kit lens. The lens is still in short supply and there is no real Olympus alternative, to this day.

I don't think the EP3 was anything special, in fact most people were pretty disappointed that it was not the 16mp Panasonic sensor, it didn't have a built in EVF and AF was only truly fast on the kit lenses. No swivel screen and FPS was slower than the EPL3.

The EM5 is just what the Pen 3 should've been. It's just that for many people, moving from Olympus to Panasonic is harder than moving from Panasonic to Olympus, so you'll
see more excitement from m43 community when a Olympus brings out a nicer body.

[dixeyk]

Not be a contrarian but...while I like the PENs I don't find them necessarily more impressive than the Panasonic cameras. They seem pretty comparable to me. The OMD is a very impressive camera but considering how long ago it was released, the GH2 is also quite impressive in its own right. If you look at Panasonic they have had some very nice products released. They have some quality glass in the 20/1.7, 14/2.5 and 25/1.4 and the new fast zooms look as though they will also be quite good. On the body side they have the classic GF1 as well as the GH1, GH2 and G3. It's easy to get caught up in the OMD euphoria ( especially it coming on the heels of the very impressive 45/1.8 and 12/2 lenses) but I think Panasonic has also been making some terrific gear.

[Panut]

Originally Posted by Amin Sabet

At any rate, I share your hope that Panasonic can get the kind of attention Oly is getting with the E-M5 with one of their upcoming cameras. More than anything, I think it will take inspired design for that to happen.

Agree on that. You can always attract a certain amount of people with new technical features, but what will make the difference for both masses and enthusiasts is the design and user experience. Just look at Apple, for example.

Alas, I doubt if that's something Panasonic will do. I see it more like an excellent producer of technical tools than the trend setter.

[Jonathan F/2]

Originally Posted by RT_Panther

Short Answer:
Panasonic is an electronics company that also makes cameras.

Olympus is an optical company with decades of specific camera experience.

Panasonic needs to revamp their camera repair as well. Trying to call and get something repaired is a major hassle and if they don't have the part, it takes forever! Your equipment gets sent to some Tex-Mex border town where they do mass repairs on every sort of Panasonic electronics.

On the other hand, Olympus is incredibly smooth when it comes to getting something fixed. And if your item becomes to expensive to fix, they offer you a discounted refurb'ed item applying the cost of your repair!

[Vulpix]

They need to resurrect the LC1 and create a LC2 for m4/3 platform. With a reasonable price.

[TDP]

Originally Posted by Livnius

I have no idea ...........As for what I would like to see personally, perhaps all the above......and would it be too much to ask for an inbuilt ND filter like the X100 ?

Built

In

ND

would be most awesome

[phrenic]

I'm cautiously optimistic that Panasonic will respond well to the OMD. With the L1 and GF1 designs they clearly have the know-how to put together a cool camera, but for whatever reason they just haven't in a long time.

I got a foot in both camp with a G1 and E-P1. The G1 is the far less finicky camera and rationally it's superior in almost all ways. But I have no doubt that I've probably taken at least twice as many shots with the Pen. The colours, tactile feel, and style/design make it generally more appealing. Almost in every point in m43 history I feel like there's very much a heart vs brain sort of choice. The panasonics offer way more value (uh g3 vs ep3 msrp anyone?!) and seem better on paper. But they just don't seem very exciting.

The GX1 is solid, but certainly underwhelming without the built-in EVF. They ticked off just about every box that people could have asked for (except tilting screen and ibis I guess) but even then, it's still not that popular. And the pricing sure seems silly compared to the other models by panasonic. Yet oddly seems like a decent value compared to the Pen line.

I'm hoping for a big splash from panasonic in 2012 but nothing is too promising rumors wise. The G5 rendering looks like another incremental tweak (I still think the g1/g2 bodies are incredibly comfy and functional)..and let me guess, small battery, no grip and even more stripping of functionality like the eye sensor for the EVF. Still uninspiring design. GH3 I don't think is anywhere close..nor the GX1 considering its age. I feel like Panasonic is running with slower development cycles than Olympus (well GF5 excepted).

TL:DR: I want something cool Panasonic, if only to provide some competition for my dollars...I don't want the OMD to keep its price up for more than 3-6 months--I think that would be a record for Olympus bodies!

[xdayv]

i'm waiting for the new models from Panasonic, hopefully GH3 or G5 puts something good enough... an improved version of G3 will do it for me. I'm currently resisting the E-M5, for how long, I don't know.

The release of E-M5 is a good news for the Micro 4/3 community, and more to Olympus itself having some corporate management troubles to overcome.

Overall good news... while waiting for Panasonic to further strengthen the system.

[addieleman]

Originally Posted by Armanius

I think most of us can agree that the OMD/EM5 is the biggest splash ever made in the m4/3 world since the launch of the EP1.

Nope. I agree with the E-M5 part, but not with the E-P1 being a big splash. IM-not-so-HO the G1 was the first and biggest splash, being the first-ever mirrorless system camera coming to market, and doing a lot of things right like incorporating an excellent viewfinder and fast AF. Olympus' retro Pen styling was a marketing hit, however.

[p.h]

Originally Posted by phrenic

The GX1 is solid, but certainly underwhelming without the built-in EVF. They ticked off just about every box that people could have asked for (except tilting screen and ibis I guess) but even then, it's still not that popular. And the pricing sure seems silly compared to the other models by panasonic. Yet oddly seems like a decent value compared to the Pen line.

Only time will tell, but I think it's too early to dismiss the sales potential of the GX1. It is a great camera, without the OMD people would be talking it up more. To me it wouldn't matter how good the OMD is, I couldn't afford it, and even if I could, it's possibly more money than I'd want to spend. In the UK the GX1 is presently less than half the price of the OMD, when the cashback and Lightroom offers are taken into consideration, half price! I wouldn't underestimate how big an influence that has on the mainstream camera buyer. My local camera shop tells me they're selling well, I have no reason to doubt them.