LUMIX GH6 in Development
There was some encouraging news in the world of Micro Four Thirds recently. 43Rumors reports that Panasonic announced at CP+ they are definitely working on the Lumix GH6, an updated version of the immensely popular GH5. Techradar has a great article about the coming GH6.
Revolutionary Zoom
They also announced they’re working on some sort of revolutionary new telephoto zoom to accompany the Lumix GH6. I have no idea what that lens might be, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s something to compete with the Olympus 150-400mm zoom. The new Olympus lens is getting rave reviews, and though I haven’t written about it yet, I’m seeing exceptional results from this lens. Olympus says they’ve received three times the number of orders for the 150-400mm—a lens that costs $7500US—than they initially anticipated. That would certainly get any competitor’s attention, including the folks working on the upcoming Lumix GH6. Here’s an article by Imaging Resource outlining the phenomenal attention to detail and cutting edge technology that has gone into this lens.
Yes, the 100-400mm is expensive! However, it’s proving to be worth the higher price tag due to the far superior sharpness, extended IS to 8 stops, relatively small size, and superb weather sealing. No other Micro Four Thirds zoom lens in this range comes even close to the minute details this lens produces. Only the Olympus 300mm F/4 is in the same league.
Olympus Saves Micro Four Thirds
Congratulations to Olympus for very possibly saving the Micro Four Thirds category of mirrorless cameras. We all know that Lumix, for all practical purposes, abandoned Micro Four Thirds to jump into the full-frame market. I’m ecstatic to see them coming back into the MFT game with the coming Lumix GH6. Hopefully Olympus’ success in the high-end market has encouraged Lumix to rethink their strategy. Thank you Olympus! We need both Lumix and Olympus to drive this category of cameras into the future. I want to see them both succeed.