On Monday 7 Panasonic will have an official press conference at 10am Las Vegas time. And today Panasonic USA sent out this newsletter to confirm the “presence” of the S1-S1R cameras. Still unclear if it means full specs and preorder price will be unveiled right there.
Dpreview just published their Photokina interview with Panasonic. The talk is mainly about their L-mount strategy and we have a lot of interesting tidbits:
1) The Trend is “moving towards full-frame mirrorless cameras”
2) Explaining the big size of the S1-S1R: “We didn’t want to compromise on features for the sake of body size”
3) About the S1-S1R shutter: “Most competitive cameras are guaranteed to 200,000 actuations. Our camera will be tested for more. ”
4) The S1 and S1R will be the most durable on market: “We are targeting the very highest level of durability in the industry. [The S1/R] are 100% sealed against dust and water, and operate in very low temperatures – even exceeding the limits of the GH5.”
5) About future entry level L-mount cameras: “The first generation will be specialized for professionals but in the future, of course we’re also aiming to attract entry-level users. ”
6) No APS-C L-mount cameras from Panasonic: “We have our own Micro Four Thirds system and we think that [because of the greater difference in size between full-frame and M43] this is the best balance. We have no plans to develop APS-C products.”
7) L-mount lens design is more difficult because: “In the case of M43, we prioritize compactness. But in full-frame we set higher targets, to meet professional specifications.”
8) About future video oriented L-mount cameras: “One of our assets is our experience of professional video, over more than 40 years. This is one of the areas where we contribute to the market, so in the future it’s possible that [our L-mount lineup] will expand to include such products”
9) About 8K cameras: ” After the Olympics, we will create a new generation of 8K video cameras, which are currently in development.“
Summary:
Panasonic entry level Full Frame camera are likely to be developed
Panasonic video oriented S camera is coming too
8K cameras will come AFTER the Olympics
Our trusted sources confirmed to us that Panasonic is organizing a major press events for the last eek of January! Panasonic has invited all big store dealers and journalists in location in USA, Europe and Asia.
I am yet not 100% sure but I am pretty confident Panasonic will use that event to finally launch the S1-S1R with full specs and preorders. Stay tuned on L-rumors!
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A New Zealand store scared the hell out of some of our readers by putting this $9999 price tag on the S1R (about $7,000 in US Dollars). Don’t worry folks, this is just a place holder pricing. The rela price is expected to be at close $4,000 US Dollars.
This is what the three L-mount alliance companies have to do in 2019 according to Dpreview:
Let’s be honest, Leica – this is pointless. It doesn’t matter what we want, or what we say, or what anyone wants or says, you’re Leica! You’ll just continue to do whatever you want, and there’s every chance that in a few weeks’ time we’ll find ourselves reviewing a limited edition ping-pong-bat-rubber-clad Melania Trump signature-edition M10. And that’s why we love you.
As you prepare to enter the full-frame market in a few months, we can only imagine that things are pretty hectic in your Osaka headquarters right now. Hopefully you’re not working the engineers too hard, and they get a little downtime to read DPReview, because we’ve got some suggestions that we think might really help Panasonic out in 2019.
Sigma, we hardly recognize you. Over the past decade you’ve gone from being a respected but midrange third-party lens maker (and a quietly prolific OEM manufacturer) to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the high-end optics market. You’re making some of the finest lenses available, while still undercutting the ‘big’ brands, often by a considerable margin. How do you do that?
We love what you’ve become, but sometimes love is about being honest. Here are some ideas for 2019 and beyond.
