Panasonic Rumor - Panasonic LX8

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Rumors: Panasonic LX8 compact camera to be announced on July 16th - Photo Rumors

Interesting rumor.. Not really substantiated though (ft2).

Built in evf and bigger sensor. Since Fuji and Panasonic are collaborating on an organic sensor, I wonder if they are working on a similar size size here, since there is also the x30 rumor going around which will have it announced in the July timeframe as well.

Anyway things are getting interesting in terms of the 1 inch area sensor size market. Sony rx100 finally starting to c some competition. Then there is also the Canon rumor of the 1 inch which is competition for the RX10.

Gary


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I've kind of lost interest in the 1" sensor, but if Panasonic puts it in an LX8 that's the functional equivalent of the LX7, but a little bit larger to maintain the same types of lens speed and performance with a bigger sensor, I might get interested in it again. It could cover a lot of shooting. I don't like zooms generally, but step zooms help a lot and I was pretty good with the LX5 / 7 about sticking it at a given focal length and leaving there, as if shooting with a prime. Then occasionally switching to another and shooting with it - but not playing around with the focal length on each shot, which is where my brain develops severe zoom allergies...

Too soon to say for sure, but I've been waiting since the first RX100 for some other makers to start putting that sensor in cameras I'd probably like a lot more. If that's what turns out to be going on here...

-Ray
 
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If any of this is true and Panasonic manage to keep the lens specs (or even the basic formula), this could turn out to be a real contender. All in all, it might turn out to be a really exciting year ... And me thinking I'd find it easy to settle for what I have. :)

M.
 
My LX-7 soldiers on. Only complaint I have is the need to use a bolt-on EVF (which I do carry along); if it's a built-in on an LX-8, that would be very attractive. I tried the GX-7 recently but it was just too heavy and complicated; a miniature version would be nice.
 
I've kind of lost interest in the 1" sensor,
-Ray

With Samsung already in the fray, the 1inch sensor has a possibility of becoming a new standard. This would put Nikon in a bit of a conundrum since their whole mirrorless system is based on the 1 inch sensor.

I like Canon's 1.5 and Sigma's (slightly larger than 4/3) sensors....
 
With Samsung already in the fray, the 1inch sensor has a possibility of becoming a new standard. This would put Nikon in a bit of a conundrum since their whole mirrorless system is based on the 1 inch sensor.

I like Canon's 1.5 and Sigma's (slightly larger than 4/3) sensors....

When you consider the size of bodies and zooms (not primes, which are used only by camera geeks), the 1" sensor makes a lot of sense. After my time with the Nikon 1, I think the 1" sensor will become the new standard - much better quality than a smartphone yet small enough to stuff in a purse/murse.

I'm not sure how this would put Nikon in a conundrum. Rather, they've got a multi-year head start on CSCs based on this size.
 
People who would rather use a phone for their snapshots wouldn't know or care about the difference though.

And those who want something better will usually go for larger sensor cameras, m43 or above.

For people that like to document their lives and share their photos onlines, M43 and larger offer little appreciable benefit over cameras with 1" sensors (Nikon 1, RX10, RX100), while 1" sensors offer huge benefits over smartphones (low light, zoom, AF).

I have a friend with three boys. For youth sports, I recommended a used Nikon V1 with the 10-30 and 30-110 zooms. She loves the camera, but confesses that she does not bring it as often as she would like due to the sheer business of their lives. Had I recommended M43 with equivalent lenses, it would have meant a separate bag, more difficulty tracking action, and likely even less frequent use.

The Nikon 1 hits a sweet spot for her (youth sports, mostly sharing online/small prints, documenting life), and I suspect that she is not alone.
 
John used the key phrase "sweet spot". Every sensor is a trade-off. As sensor technology improves, the smallest acceptable sensor will have the smallest lenses. "Kind of super" zooms like 28-200 or 300 might very well rule the day. Clearly the RX10 could have been smaller, since a Nikon 1 with the longer zoom was smaller.
 
Agreed. When I recommended the Nikon V1, I said nothing about sensor size. I said it was a camera that was good for youth sports and smaller than a DSLR. Sold.

Your friend had you to recommend a camera though. For the average person who is walking blind into camera retail, their perception of a 'serious' camera that can take 'nice' photos in all kinds of situations, it's the big black DSLR (usually the cheapest entry level models with kit lens). This is especially the case if the price of an entry level DSLR is about the same or cheaper than a smaller sensor camera.
 
Telepathic AF, two square mile sensor bent through the 4th dimension, unconditional praise on the LCD during playback. Yeah, baby.
Why, when you already have the telepathic interface? Why settle for less? ;)
I imagine there will be an "ego soothing" feature. Right after the review image, the camera telepathically transmits short video snippets of gorgeous, sexy women, telling you how awesome your shots are. Best feature since the dawn of photography! :tongue:
 
Your friend had you to recommend a camera though. For the average person who is walking blind into camera retail, their perception of a 'serious' camera that can take 'nice' photos in all kinds of situations, it's the big black DSLR (usually the cheapest entry level models with kit lens). This is especially the case if the price of an entry level DSLR is about the same or cheaper than a smaller sensor camera.

No doubt. DSLRs=better quality to most people at the moment. But the market is shifting tectonically right now; smartphones are rising, point-and-shoots cratering, mirrorless is in flux and DSLRs are flattening. I daresay that the market in 5 years will look drastically different than it does today.

Nobody knows what's happening next, but for the reasons I stated earlier, I think Nikon has made an interesting decision to develop 1" cameras. That Sony and others are likewise investing shows that the industry thinks there is potential there. Sales have underwhelmed so far, but I believe that Nikon will stay involved in 1" sensors for the long haul. Should entry-level DSLR sales deteriorate, Nikon has the 1 series (refined over several iterations) ready to replace. Canon? Apart from G1X and EOS-M, nothing.

And as much as I like M43, I don't think they offer a big enough size benefit over APS-C with respect to consumer 5x and 10x zooms. 1" does.

Now back to the LX8. I sold my LX7 and miss it. A 1" sensor in the LX8 would be the cat's pajamas.
 
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