New Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 II zoom lens coming in mid May!

Two trusted sources confirmed the following info:

  • New Sigma announcement in mid May
  • We will get the redesigned 24-70mm f/2.8 II Full Frame lens for Sony E and Leica L
  • The new lens is more compact, optically sharper, has better color rendition, improved AF performance than it’s predecessor

I have been told that the reason why Sigma is launching a new version is because they want to be able to compete with the excellent Sony 24-70mm GMII. And they also gave me another interesting tidbit: The Sigma 24-70mm is their most popular lens. Sigma wants to keep it that way!

I am working to get some additional details on the pricing and exact release date. Stay tuned!

Panasonic will announce an “unexpected” new Lumix camera in May!

Finally I got some good news from a trusted source. He told me this:

  • One new Lumix camera will be announced in May
  • It will be a completely “new kind of model”

The source has not yet provided any details about what this camera will be. But certainly do not expect a successor to a current model. We can only speculate that it could be a new fixed-lens camera, a Vlogger model, or perhaps a compact camera with an L FF mount. What do you wish for?

Anyway stay tuned…I might be able to get some more details soon 😉

LUMIX is teasing a “Special Report from Las Vegas”…new S5II/x firmware coming?

Panasonic just published this teaser on youtube for a “Special Report from Las Vegas”. UDPATE: I now think it’s likely we will get a new firmware update for the S5II and S5IIX.

Curiosity, they used the following hashtags for this video:

lumixlounge, lumix, panasonic, lumixg, LUMIX Live, Livestream, S5II, S5IIX, Mirrorless, Special Event, Announcement, Updates, Photography, Videography, Workflow, Full Frame, 1st Mirrorless

Leica says: Selling L-mount camera is tougher than selling a Q or an M

Amateur Photographer had a chat with Stefan Daniel of Leica. He talked about their L-mount strategy:

Of course, it’s tougher than selling a Q or an M. But the good thing about the system market is that once people are in the system with the lenses, they might also buy a new camera.”

In the interview he also explains what the strengths of their L-mount proposals are. At the end I think their biggest advantage is the partnership with Panasonic and Sigma. It was the only way to give this system a chance when competing against giants like Canon-Nikon-Sony.

Panasonic says organic sensor development is complete…but there is yet no plan to use it in any camera

The 8K camera prototype wit organic sensor displayed by Panasonic a couple of years ago

PetaPixel had a chat with Tomoki Nakanishi, Supervisor at Panasonic’s Imaging Business Unit. About the organic sensor he said:

“If we [make a] new camera, we can choose that kind of sensor. But it’s kind of an R&D matter. So it is not [certain] that we will use that sensor in the next camera or not.”

PetaPixel put it this way: “You’ve made it, but you don’t know whether or not you’ll use it.” To which Nakanishi responded: “Yeah.”

HOT news: End of March Sigma will announce a super fast Full Frame prime lens for Sony E and Leica L cameras!

Sigma is finally going to announce that is super exciting! According to my very best source Sigma will announce a super fast prime lens by end of this Month! I can’t share the final specs yet but this is what you can expect for sure:

    • It’s faster than f/1.4
    • It’s Full Frame
    • It has autofocus
    • It’s coming for both Sony E and Leica L-mount
    • Announcement end of March

Hopefully soon I can fully share the lens specs…