John Matthews

Definitely. 2 pancakes could save the S9. My understanding is that this is an exclusive sensor. Maybe, it could be used by another company, but I see OM System needing better video tools and IQ before their to using it. Also, M43 sensors are more likely MORE expensive than some of the FF sensors. If M43 truly dies, it'll be because of squandered opportunities by Panasonic and OM System, especially in the compact market as Fuji has seemingly stolen the market. It turns out "small and functional" should have been the end-game, not the class-leading features that they came up with. They could still strike gold, even in this market. Both could give a FF, cheap, fixed-lens small and portable camera. If it looks good, it'll be amazing. IMO, 2025 will be a rehash of the dark days of poor quality cameras of the 1980's, but it could also be the glory years of the 50's when it comes to small cameras. Let's hope for the latter. We should have some sympathy for these manufacturers too. Phones hit the "good enough" threshold long ago. Used cameras have been so good. Rising costs for manufacturing. Everything they knew about marketing has completely changed with influencers. And, to top it all off, political instability from oligarch life has led all these companies to second guess everything. Oh, I didn't mention the constant threats of war and tariffs in places that matter for them. That's quite a rap list.

The great David Lynch passed away. Here's a trailer of one of my favorite films he made: More recently, he made his weather reports... I'm thinking of a long, long joke, but I'm sure it gave him a good reason to make something (wish I could do that sometimes). He will be missed.

This looks like such an amazing little camera! I might just pick one up.

Same for me. I just want the GH6 tilt-up screen functionality. It's good enough though. Sony falters too sometimes. The best focus system for me is the one that gives the best manual focus aids without attaching a monitor.

Apparently, there were two more Lumix cameras registered. The speculation is S1H ii and S1R ii. Has anyone heard differently?

This conversation feels like it's about freedom, debt, and burnout. Debt traps us, stealing our freedom and leading to burnout. Sometimes, you don't even realize you're caught in this cycle until it's too late. Societal norms, the pressure to consume, and the desire to 'keep up with the Joneses' often play a bigger role than most will admit. The only way out, for some, is to simplify their lifestyle and buy back their freedom by escaping debt. I've done this myself—it was hard, but worth it. I'm not in video creation beyond family videos, but I see parallels in education. Educators often start out wanting to make a difference, finding meaning in their work. Yet, burnout looms. Many students seem uninterested in learning or disrupt others, reflecting the challenges of our current society. Ultimately, no job is meaningless, but life itself can feel trivial if we lose perspective. We take nothing to the grave. What endures is the relationships we build—primarily with family and friends. Occasionally, you might be remembered for something you've done or created, even if you never know it. So, enjoy your time. Treat others with respect. Honor those who came before you, and perhaps you’ll be honored in return. Reaching retirement is a gift—not everyone gets there.

The real question is whether you'd rather be cool in summer (living in Italy) or a new camera? It can get pretty bad there. Also, if you don't make more money with a new camera, this air conditioner is likely to save you quite a bit- paying for a new camera, of course.

I think you’ll like the 20-60. It’s wide enough, sharp, and still good for indoors at the wide end.

Yes, this is their weakness, for sure. I don't think those Sigma primes really cut it. I've said it before- they need a 28mm f2 and 40mm f2. If they want the S9 to succeed, that's what they need. The more the merrier. Samyang and DJI should do something more at some point too.

Going either the prime route or the variable focal length route, everything is covered out to 200mm. The lenses are modern, sharp, with appropriately consistent coatings. All the Lumix lenses are weather resistant, fairly light with bright options available. They also have breathing correction, unlike MANY more popular brands. Don't like the Lumix lenses, get the Sigma ones and they're native mount too being part of the L mount alliance. You want anamorphic? There's that too. By the way, Lumix can also stabalize those very lenses too along with appropriate desqueezing. If you think the problem is L-mount, it's not- it's you.

I think most would agree that Panasonic's underperforming given their technology. Personally, I think they're in year 2 or 3 of a five year plan to find a direction for M43. M43 needs a smaller, great-performing body. This could be a money-maker opportunity for them. L-mount is their future, like it or not. They might not be that far off from the holy grail of the internal electronic ND filter. We'll see. If they can, it's not going to be with a Sony sensor. They'll need to design it themselves. I'm fully behind the idea that those Chinese Amazon specials are really just scammers/slave drivers and e-waste abusers. Amazon and/or government should crack down on them. It's not right or fair. They're taking massive amounts of money away from the camera industry and the used market. I do think there should be some cheaper options for consumers, but this is why we have used cameras. There are so many sub $100 cameras (with lenses too) out there with less than 10000 clicks on them. All of those blow away this unethical e-waste for photography; for video, use your phone.

Nope. Those questions were all deflected like water on wax. On other news. You now can pay for framing guide from Canon to the tune of $120. Oh yeah, you have to send your camera in too (and pay for shipping). Tell me, are there any companies that offer that offer framing guides when you buy the camera?

No kidding!

I pulled one up. Not even one photo in the marketing of these cameras was actually taken with the one they're trying to sell. I especially love the way they get away with not mentioning autofocus; meaning, there isn't any. 48MP? So, I guess it's now a feature to fill landfills and hard drives without any regard for the actual resolution, never mind the slave labor used to produce them. It's all good, right? Am I wrong in saying that this stuff seemed illegal before? Maybe they just push it to the limit. Does it matter though?

Hey, I think all the camera makers would fight to keep them or get them back. They've kept the whole industry afloat helping them afford the high-end stuff. Honestly when you see the crap Chinese cameras on Amazon, all the Japanese cameras are better, regardless make or year- all of them. I actually feel really bad for the people that get those "48MP" cameras with only a cellphone sensor and no optical zoom. My Dad got one before he died and when he purchased it, he seemed quite happy. He probably felt different or didn't know better soon after. I don't know why Amazon allows that stuff that is clearly filled with false advertising.

After watching the live stream, Sean (of Lumix) said the two new cameras released this week were good sellers in the past and they expect this minor update will keep them as decent sellers into the future. Basically, they're still marked as "available". I'm going to speculate they wanted to change one or two things on them (to make them more competitive of sorts) and they simply had to give them a new product name. Legal made them put the USB-C (with USB 2 speeds). No, they aren't for us- they're for basic consumers.

Exactly. You got a great deal, for sure. I'm sure you'll enjoy the content made with it. It has so many features and such a nice image. I've been using one for live streaming with a Chinon 50mm f/1.9- works great!

All of that would sound great! Not a camera for me, but sounds awesome! Of those feature, the one that would interest me the most would be the rear screen and maybe the 6k features, for avoiding moiré.

Let's hope they can pull that off. I'd probably get it if it has modern features. If there's only a USB-C jack, forget it. That's exaggerated. Most of the sales were on huge discounts as new. You'd get easily for 1200 euros 2 years ago. Now it's just shy of 1000 euros. Granted, it took a massive hit when it came out because nobody was going to pay for that camera if it didn't have PDAF. If it does hit 700 euros, I'll pick it up again I think. I really liked using it when I had it. It feels better in my hand than most cameras I've owned. OK. What if you don't have the resources? Clearly, one has priority. Look how long it took, if ever Sony to make updates to some updates. People were livid. Didn't happen with Panasonic. Look at Fuji, they screwed up their AF in trying to fix it. Not Panasonic. More cameras, more problems. I meant flagship hybrid. Are we taking bets? No Arri Log in FF Panasonic cameras like the deal in the GH6 and GH7. I'll take that bet. I do think it would be a smart move for short-term cash for Arri, but the exclusiveness behind "Arri colors" would be diminished. I hope I'm wrong because I like those Arri LUTs and for them to be tuned for Panasonic cameras, it would increase Panasonic's credentials I imagine.

Question: Would you rather have significant, software-based firmware updates to add to existing hardware(option 1) or incremental updates to hardware with fewer software features (option 2)? Of course you want both, but if you were given the choice only. Option 2 will definitely cost more as well. You mention 6 years as being too long. What about 4 years? What is too often?

I'm in the same boat. Not changing. I don't see any reason to. As I said earlier, I believe the release of the G97 basically puts a nail in the coffin of a mid-ranged M43 camera for at least 2 years. They've just spent their time coming out with a G97; they aren't going to get people to buy that only to come out immediately after with an upgrade. I don't think it had in that they've been releasing a GH line camera every 1 to 2 years since 2009, if you count the GH5s as a "real" GH camera. After reading all of what people are complaining about, I guess Panasonic should just focus on hardware, not firmware. Release it and forget it, right (à la Sony)? Rather, Panasonic has made meaningful efforts in firmware fixes. The S5ii when it was released is not the same camera as the current one. Not many of us are talking about that. Really, people have their ass chapped because there's no high-end production camera (something I don't care about). Still, I'd love to know exactly how you think the features will be that much better than the current models for pros. Better build? 12k, 8k? 4k 120fps? 32bit float? Internal RAW? Arri log? Which will most disappoint if it's not there? I get the feeling people just want GH7-level features in a FF body? I think we can agree that Arri-anything won't be in it.

The newly announced G97 could be understood as there will not be another sub $1000 camera for another 2 years. At least, I understand it as that. It sounds just like the G100D, a camera that won't be replaced anytime soon IMO, probably another year, if ever.

Yes. That's right. Announced, not released.

They weren't released at the same time. The S5iiX followed months after.