https://www.43rumors.com/dclife-dou...-successor-due-to-new-strict-marketing-goals/
I know peeps don't like rumours, but it's what we have come to expect from Olympus and Panasonic to keep saying its business as usual while being reluctant to talk about future releases.
It does make sense to consolidate manufacturing, release cycle and product lines, given the market shrink, the global economy and the fierce competition from the other brands, especially the larger format as they are taking notice and releasing more compact and cheaper (compared to previous releases not necessarily cheaper then Micro Four Thirds) alternative products.
Panasonic said they will focus on L-Mount Alliance, lenses and cameras and they have been releasing mostly that. It may be that Panasonic is waiting for the industry (sensor manufacturing does not revolve around Sony only) to come with better sensors for Micro Four Thirds to release compeling successor to the GH, G, GX line.
That said maybe it's time to take a page from mobile phone industry, especially the software development, and offer the consumer an alternative to the long release cycle that's replacing what, mostly, Sony and Samsung (remember them?) has pushed the industry with yearly releases. Its just not economically and, to be honest, reasonably sound to have a new camera every 12 months, given the high cost of them. All camera manufacturers should focus on software development after releasing a new camera for its 3-4 years life cycle. If they want to keep their brands name in the consumers mind (the way mobile phone industry does) then software development and camera improvement makes a lot more sense economically and marketing.
And there are plenty of things they can do, AF improvements, AF tracking and detection, AI features like HHHR, Starry AF, Live ND, Software ND, in camera post processing (the way Carl Zeiss ZX1 does it), more connectivity and Internet access, High Resolution Stacking (almost all cameras have IBIS now), Focus Bracket, Focus Stacking, Astrotracking, Pro Capture, Pre-Buffer, and so many other video features as well.
While not my favorite brand (for many personal reasons) Apple is one of the best examples of not just one product but whole platform updates with new features and integration on devices up to 4-5 years old, iPhone and iPad mainly but with the development of M1 chip also (in the future) MacBooks and iMacs as well.
We have the examples of Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1X with significant firmware updates with new features, mainly AI and video capabilities, right now but why not continue the trend.
As an Olympus user I want to see Panasonic's G9 successor as much as Panasonic users, I want to see their answer to Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III capabilities, especially in the AF department. After seeing how much they improved AF with their latest Panasonic S5 (which they promised to bring the same level of performance to their entire S line).
Let's all be honest, of the entire industry its only Sony who has the $$$ to weather out the market shrink, the global pandemic and the slower camera technology development, given their huge diversification of their products. I don't want them to become a monopoly, the market to be flooded with single digit incremental performance and feature improvements. I really do hope and want Panasonic and Olympus to succeed. One single format is not the answer for everyone... Nor should it be.
I know peeps don't like rumours, but it's what we have come to expect from Olympus and Panasonic to keep saying its business as usual while being reluctant to talk about future releases.
It does make sense to consolidate manufacturing, release cycle and product lines, given the market shrink, the global economy and the fierce competition from the other brands, especially the larger format as they are taking notice and releasing more compact and cheaper (compared to previous releases not necessarily cheaper then Micro Four Thirds) alternative products.
Panasonic said they will focus on L-Mount Alliance, lenses and cameras and they have been releasing mostly that. It may be that Panasonic is waiting for the industry (sensor manufacturing does not revolve around Sony only) to come with better sensors for Micro Four Thirds to release compeling successor to the GH, G, GX line.
That said maybe it's time to take a page from mobile phone industry, especially the software development, and offer the consumer an alternative to the long release cycle that's replacing what, mostly, Sony and Samsung (remember them?) has pushed the industry with yearly releases. Its just not economically and, to be honest, reasonably sound to have a new camera every 12 months, given the high cost of them. All camera manufacturers should focus on software development after releasing a new camera for its 3-4 years life cycle. If they want to keep their brands name in the consumers mind (the way mobile phone industry does) then software development and camera improvement makes a lot more sense economically and marketing.
And there are plenty of things they can do, AF improvements, AF tracking and detection, AI features like HHHR, Starry AF, Live ND, Software ND, in camera post processing (the way Carl Zeiss ZX1 does it), more connectivity and Internet access, High Resolution Stacking (almost all cameras have IBIS now), Focus Bracket, Focus Stacking, Astrotracking, Pro Capture, Pre-Buffer, and so many other video features as well.
While not my favorite brand (for many personal reasons) Apple is one of the best examples of not just one product but whole platform updates with new features and integration on devices up to 4-5 years old, iPhone and iPad mainly but with the development of M1 chip also (in the future) MacBooks and iMacs as well.
We have the examples of Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1X with significant firmware updates with new features, mainly AI and video capabilities, right now but why not continue the trend.
As an Olympus user I want to see Panasonic's G9 successor as much as Panasonic users, I want to see their answer to Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III capabilities, especially in the AF department. After seeing how much they improved AF with their latest Panasonic S5 (which they promised to bring the same level of performance to their entire S line).
Let's all be honest, of the entire industry its only Sony who has the $$$ to weather out the market shrink, the global pandemic and the slower camera technology development, given their huge diversification of their products. I don't want them to become a monopoly, the market to be flooded with single digit incremental performance and feature improvements. I really do hope and want Panasonic and Olympus to succeed. One single format is not the answer for everyone... Nor should it be.