New Pana-Leica camera soon?

[oldwino]

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“Panasonic plans to release a mirrorless camera jointly developed with Leica in a year.

• Posted on August 7, 2022 
• Category: Panasonic, Leica 
• Comments (15)

An article about compact cameras in the Nikkei Shimbun contains information on the release schedule of Panasonic and Leica's mirrorless cameras.

・Suspension of development of small digital cameras

• The company (Panasonic HD) says, "New development of models that can be replaced with smartphones has stopped." We will continue to produce existing products for the time being, but in the future we will focus on developing high-end mirrorless machines, mainly for enthusiasts and professional video producers. A mirrorless machine jointly developed with the German Leica Camera, which has been a comprehensive alliance, will be released in about a year.

 

Panasonic announced the conclusion of a collaborative agreement with Leica in May, but this is the first time that a specific new product has been planned by collaboration. Since it is a joint development with Leica, it seems that the new product is an L-mount machine, but it is interesting whether the line will change from Panasonic's S series so far.”

Translated from https://digicame-info.com/2022/08/1-31.html 

Edited August 7, 2022 by oldwino

[nicci78]

Quite self explanatory : no more compact nor bridge. 
No more low end m4/3. Only GH6.

Future Leica SL3 - Lumix S2 or SL10/S6 will be announced in 2023. It will be jointly developed. Something like their former D-Lux/LX100 or V-Lux/FZ1000 or C-Lux/TZ200 ? Hope not. 
 

Edited August 7, 2022 by nicci78

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[frame-it]

canon said the same thing about pro and advanced amateur segments

question and answer #5

 

conf2022q2e-qa.pdf

[lct]

Quote

A mirrorless machine jointly developed with the German Leica Camera, which has been a comprehensive alliance, will be released in about a year.

Will it be the SL3 or a new body completing the SL line? Hope it will be more compact than current SL cameras either way.

[frame-it]

8 minutes ago, lct said:

Will it be the SL3 or a new body completing the SL line? Hope it will be more compact than current SL cameras either way.

could be the new 36MP "PL-2"

[lct]

I would like a body as compact as the Sigma fp-L with global shutter and built-in EVF but 2023 is perhaps too soon for that. We shall see.

[MJB]

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2 minutes ago, lct said:

I would like a body as compact as the Sigma fp-L with global shutter and built-in EVF but 2023 is perhaps too soon for that. We shall see.

I would be very happy with an L-mount camera no larger than the S5, but with the SL's EyeRes EVF and minimalist design.

[LocalHero1953]

Things have moved on since the early grumbles about the lack of a CL2. Driven more by a wish for simplification than by the lack of CL2, I have sold my CL and lenses and taken to the Q2. I'm not looking for a CL replacement now, and I'm not going to buy TL lenses again.

A small full frame L-mount with either a global e-shutter or a mechanical shutter, and an EVF, could replace my Sigma fp as long as it had similar or better video capabilities (I often use two video cameras together). As a still camera I would want low light performance as good as the SL2-S.

[pgk]

Just looking at one of the biggest UK photo retailers websites shows that between them Panasonic and Leica produce 'more' compact camera models than any other manufacturer, and that most produce very few now. If Canon too are scaling down models then it suggests that Panasonic and Leica are still supplying a lot of models in a diminishing market, which could leave them exposed to making but not selling such products in a downturning market. I suspect that they will eventually start to clear stock if this is the case. Looking at most major manufacturers cameras suggest to me that most seem to be moving into higher piced models in interchangeable lens cameras and that this too is an increasingly competitive market with obvious over specicifcation rampant. I would not be surprised if we see some more departures from the photographic market.

[BernardC]

15 hours ago, nicci78 said:

Quite self explanatory : no more compact nor bridge. 
No more low end m4/3. Only GH6.

Photorumors says that it means that they have no plans to produce cameras "below 50,000 yen ($370 at current rates)". That leaves room for a few m4/3 models below the GH6.

You are right that the low-end point-and-shoot cameras won't be replaced. They make no sense now that even Apple has 3-lens setups in smartphones (plus a front-facing selfie lens, of course). Who will pay an additional $370 to get something that they already own, with no noticeable increase in image quality?

The $500-$1500 range is safe for another generation or two, if only because they are hugely better than smartphone for video.

[jaapv]

Those three lens iPhones are well into the 1000$+ range so they are competing with the lower to mid range mirrorless cameras. Image quality too. For night shots my iPhone 13Pro easily beats the CL. 

[BernardC]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

Those three lens iPhones are well into the 1000$+ range so they are competing with the lower to mid range mirrorless cameras. Image quality too. For night shots my iPhone 13Pro easily beats the CL. 

And they can be had for $400 in Android versions, so Panasonic's decision to stop releasing cameras in that price tier makes sense. We've all seen the industry sales charts: entry-level "Instamatic" sales have collapsed (other than Fuji's instant cameras), but the >$1000 range is expanding.

The good news is that young people can afford to make images and videos, and visual literacy is way up. It's a far cry from when I was a little kid and had to convince my dad that I needed to shoot and develop several rolls of film per week! Good thing he was also an avid photographer. Super-8 was out of the question, it was way beyond what my allowance could cover...

[MrSMW]

My prediction is other than Leica's rangefinder line, both companies are going to collaborate and bring out two future full frame hybrid bodies, one in lower mp spec and one higher and in two sizes, one approx Panny S5 size and the other approx SL2 size.

Some small differences in the details, but otherwise the same cameras.

The Leica's 'may' have some extra sauce in the stills department in order to justify a higher price than the Pannys and the Pannys 'may' have some extra video sauce, just because it's Panny.

Otherwise, I think they are going to kill off pretty much all other forms of camera both currently produce other than perhaps collaboration with a phone company.

I suspect the new cameras are well underway in development and will be announced officially later this year.

THERE IS NO SOURCE ON THIS. It is 100% speculation on my part based on nothing but instinct, but I think that's what they are going to do because it's what I'd like to see them do!

[lct]

1 hour ago, MrSMW said:

My prediction is other than Leica's rangefinder line, both companies are going to collaborate and bring out two future full frame hybrid bodies, one in lower mp spec and one higher and in two sizes, one approx Panny S5 size and the other approx SL2 size. [...]

One camera and one similar size for both in my crystal ball. Déjà vu with Minolta since the R3 in the seventies and with Panasonic since the Digilux 1 twenty years ago. Pure speculation from my part. 

[LocalHero1953]

2 minutes ago, lct said:

One camera and one similar size for both in my crystal ball.

Agreed. Different skins, probably different controls and menus (I hope), but essentially the same inside.

[MJB]

Another possibility is one "L2" branded camera - i.e., neither a Lumix nor a Leica.  I frankly don't know why else they would've made such a big deal about launching the sub-brand, since they've been collaborating already for a couple of decades.

[BernardC]

43 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Agreed. Different skins, probably different controls and menus (I hope), but essentially the same inside.

There's a lot they can do to differentiate the cameras, even if the chips and software stack are the same. They can afford more differentiation now that they aren't duplicating resources on basic plumbing. It stands to reason that Leica and Panasonic will try to differentiate as much as possible. That means a different CFA and micro-lenses for the SL, billet construction and 3-button interface, etc.

Realistically, many will "know" that Leica is "charging extra just for the red dot," because the Bluetooth chip is the same. Even if the cameras feel different, produce different images, operate differently, are supported by different companies, and are sold out of different stores.

 

[BernardC]

1 hour ago, MJB said:

Another possibility is one "L2" branded camera - i.e., neither a Lumix nor a Leica.  I frankly don't know why else they would've made such a big deal about launching the sub-brand, since they've been collaborating already for a couple of decades.

They've been collaborating, but probably not as close as some people assume. They each used their own software and hardware stacks, and sourced their own components.

Presumably, they'll start sharing these "un-sexy" modules now, which should lower costs and decrease time-to-market. Why should each company develop their own battery management system?

[Simone_DF]

1 hour ago, MJB said:

Another possibility is one "L2" branded camera - i.e., neither a Lumix nor a Leica.  I frankly don't know why else they would've made such a big deal about launching the sub-brand, since they've been collaborating already for a couple of decades.

I don't know, It doesn't really make sense from a marketing perspective. You can't command Leica prices if it's not Leica branded, can you?

It's more likely we'll see two camera models per brand, a SL3 and SL3s and a S1II and S5II, but with enough differences. If you check the specs list, the SL2 and the S1R are different.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[jaapv]

3 hours ago, BernardC said:

They've been collaborating, but probably not as close as some people assume. They each used their own software and hardware stacks, and sourced their own components.

Presumably, they'll start sharing these "un-sexy" modules now, which should lower costs and decrease time-to-market. Why should each company develop their own battery management system?

There would be nothing new in Leica and Panasonic sharing a complete basic camera. Digilux2 and Digilux3 (even with Olympus), and the Q series is mostly Panasonic inside.