Nikkei report: Panasonic quits low end camera business and release a camera jointly developed with Leica

The prestigious website Nikkei reports:

The company (Panasonic HD) said, “We have stopped developing new models that can be replaced by smartphones.” Production of existing products will continue for the time being, but in the future, the company plans to concentrate on developing high-end mirrorless machines aimed mainly at enthusiasts and professional filmmakers. We are planning to release a mirrorless machine jointly developed with Leica Camera, which we formed a comprehensive partnership with at the end of May, in about a year.

via Digicameinfo

Panasonic released a new firmware update for S cameras

The Firmware Updates versions are now available at https://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/…/down…/index4.html

LUMIX S1H ver 2.6
  1. Improved the accuracy of white balance adjustment in DaVinci Resolve Studio for Blackmagic RAW data recorded on the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.* DaVinci Resolve or DaVinci Resolve Studio is required to play back and edit Blackmagic RAW data.* Selectable recording mode depends on the firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.
    Please refer to the Blackmagic Design website for the information on the corresponding firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.* All functions may not be available depending on the situation.
  2. There were cases where the function assigned to the video button of Panasonic Remote Shutter DMW-RS2 (sold separately) did not work during video recording. This phenomenon has been fixed.
LUMIX S1 ver 2.2
Improved the accuracy of white balance adjustment in DaVinci Resolve Studio for Blackmagic RAW data recorded on the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.* DaVinci Resolve or DaVinci Resolve Studio is required to play back and edit Blackmagic RAW data.* Selectable recording mode depends on the firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.
Please refer to the Blackmagic Design website for the information on the corresponding firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.* All functions may not be available depending on the situation.
LUMIX S5 Ver 2.5
  1. Improved the accuracy of white balance adjustment in DaVinci Resolve Studio for Blackmagic RAW data recorded on the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.* DaVinci Resolve or DaVinci Resolve Studio is required to play back and edit Blackmagic RAW data.* Selectable recording mode depends on the firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.
    Please refer to the Blackmagic Design website for the information on the corresponding firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.* All functions may not be available depending on the situation.
  2. There were cases where the function assigned to the video button of Panasonic Remote Shutter DMW-RS2 (sold separately) did not work during video recording. This phenomenon has been fixed.

LUMIX BS1H ver 1.1
Improved the accuracy of white balance adjustment in DaVinci Resolve Studio for Blackmagic RAW data recorded on the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.* DaVinci Resolve or DaVinci Resolve Studio is required to play back and edit Blackmagic RAW data.* Selectable recording mode depends on the firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.
Please refer to the Blackmagic Design website for the information on the corresponding firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR.* All functions may not be available depending on the situation.

Venus Optics announced the World’s Widest Rectilinear Pancake: Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie L-mount lens

Venus Optics announced the new Laowa 10mm f/4.0 pancake lens (preorder here for $299).

Press text:

Venus Optics announces the launch of the new Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie Lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. It is one of the world’s widest rectilinear pancake lenses for APS-C cameras. At a cookie size of 25mm(0.98”) long and weighing only 130g(0.29lbs), it literally can be put in your pocket. Most of the wide-angle pancake lenses on the market are either fisheye or pinhole. They usually have obvious barrel distortion and inferior image quality. However, this new Laowa Cookie Lens is equipped with a high-performance optical design, featuring super-low distortion and optimized image quality to ensure users take full advantage of the mirrorless system – compact and capable. Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie is a fun and mighty option for day-to-day content creators to carry around without burden, ideal for street, urban, landscape photography and everyday snapshots. The Lens has black and silver versions for multiple mounts including Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, L mount and Fuji X to match with the camera body.

Key Features:

  • Extremely Compact and Lightweight
  • World’s Widest Rectilinear Pancake for APS-C
  • Super-low Distortion
  • High Optical Performance
  • Stunning 10-Point Sunstar
  • Close Minimum Focusing Distance
  • Built-in Filter Thread

Extremely Compact and Lightweight
Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie is a pancake-style lens specifically designed for APS-C mirrorless cameras. At just 25mm deep and weighing only 130g, you can use it with gimbals and shoot handheld easily. It’s almost like a body cap with function. With such discreet design and excellent portability, you will carry it anywhere and eventually shoot more.

World’s Widest Rectilinear Pancake
Featuring a remarkable 109.3° angle of view, Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie is by far the world’s widest rectilinear pancake lens for APS-C on the market. With the advantages of the ultra-wide perspective and pocket-sized weight, this lens brings you a burdenless experience to capture epic moments in everyday life and explore the beauty in our surroundings.

Super-low Distortion
Most pancake lenses with a wide perspective are fisheye so heavy Barrel distortion would be expected. However, the Laowa Cookie is here to break the norm. The lens has excellent control of optical distortion. The horizontal and vertical straight lines are retained from corner to corner. As an ultra-wide-angle lens, this is essential not only to reduce the post-editing time but also to expand the possibility of genres you can do with this lens, from street and outdoor photography to shape-edged architectures and spectacular landscapes.

High Optical Performance
Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie lens comes with 12 elements in 8 groups optical structure with 2 aspherical and 4 extra-low dispersion elements. Despite the light and compact design, the lens managed to deliver the impressive image quality and high contrast. The performance of chromatic aberration, flaring, and ghosting effects are optimized to support your day and night snapshots.

Stunning 10-point Sunstar
Built with 5 aperture blades, stunning 10-point Sunstar can be achieved easily when stop down.

Close Minimum Focusing Distance
The minimum focusing distance of Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie is 10cm, allowing you to get super close to the subjects and create interesting wide-angle macro-like shots with nice separation between the object and background.

Built-in Filter Thread
Equipped with a 37mm filter thread for you to use screw-in filters directly. It is very convenient and cost-saving as no additional filter holder is required.

Pricing & Availability
Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie is currently available to purchase via Venus Optics official website (http://www.venuslens.net/) and authorized resellers.
The US price for Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie is USD299 for all mounts. Pricing varies in different countries.