It was my piece and it was about how in terms of camera design and functionality the direction that Panasonic in particular seem to be moving towards, is loosing me. In some ways todays announcements are a mixed message, with a serious and presumably top quality lens, and a camera obviously designed for a completely different market than that which the lens is intended for.
I did put in the original post of this thread the link about Panasonic saying that they are coming out with an "enthusiast" GF model and their next priority is the GH3. There were also noises about how important that section of the market is for them. So possibly reassuring then. But what if the GH3 follows the G3? More trimmed off the body, more touchscreen, more software control?
I'm having trouble with the electronics anyway, and the less time I have to look at a screen or an EVF the better, but thats not the same for everybody. I would however like to think that I would be using a m4/3 camera again. In order to avoid the eye problems I get from the flickering screens, I've started using a Nikon D5100. Many of the things that made the initial m4/3 cameras so attractive are filtering through there. Smaller, lighter, articulated screen are all present in the D5100. Its only just over 100 grams heavier than the GH2 and Nikons 35mm f/1.8 lens is only 5 grms heavier than the new 25mm f/1.4 announced today. Add in things like a solid "pro" body and top notch performance in a camera like the K-5, and imagine what Sony have planned for their A33/A55 series.
In a way all of this could be seen to be pushing Panasonic in one direction, which is smaller. How else do they be different from small DSLR's? I suspect that I'm not alone here in thinking that the GF1, E-P1/2 and X100 are pretty close to an ideal camera size and design. There is also a continuing demand, and I suspect there always will be, for viewfinders and more manual controls. Not for everyone, but given the choice there's a substantial proportion of the market that would opt for them. Again Panasonic are making encouraging noises about working to make their EVF's better, so they obviously haven't abandoned viewfinders.
Surely the market is diverse and large enough to keep companies like Panasonic interested in the "souped-up GF1" section of the market? A clumsy phrase but you probably get what I mean. It seems to be what many here are saying. Is it just a very small vocal minority, or is there a substantial number of people looking for that serious "serious compact"? My fear is that Panasonic think the former. I hope I'm wrong, as I for one thought they were on to a really good thing. It would be a shame if they disappeared into being just another company making lookalike plastic boxes with a screen and a big red button.
As a company that seems to me to get so many things right inside the camera, I hope Panasonic don't abandon whats on the outside and go for the gadget rather than the camera. Camera design hasn't really changed that much in a long, long time. I hope that they realise why.