A cheap full-frame camera from Panasonic is coming. There is hope that the photo industry will withstand the crisis

Panasonic announced a very exciting novelty: cheap full-frame camera. Interesting new products are being prepared in the L system.

Although I am a satisfied user of Sony A7 III , the new line of full-frame Panasonic cameras from the beginning caught my attention and at the same time aroused some respect for the producer.

Panasonic S1, S1R and S1H are cameras in many respects complete and uncompromising. I really like the fact that Panasonic did not save on components. Instead of waiting two or three generations for the development of mirrorless devices, Panasonic has placed the best and the most necessary in its cameras from the very beginning. In the case of competition, the situation did not always look so rosy.

Currently, the price of Panasonic S1 has dropped to PLN 8,800, S1R costs around PLN 12,000. PLN, and S1H still oscillates around 15 thousand. zł. This uniquely positions the cameras on the professional shelf. And what about enthusiasts who do not want to spend so much on the camera and at the same time need high-quality image? Panasonic announces that it will not send them back to the line of cameras with Micro Four Thirds matrixes, because a new, cheap full frame camera is appearing on the horizon.

Panasonic will show a full-frame mirrorless camera from the lower shelf. Just in time for people who do not want to spend their property on the camera.

This information was provided in an interview with Photorend Yosuke Yamane, president of the imaging department at Panasonic, including cameras and lenses.

In the interview for the first time there is the official announcement of a new entry-level camera equipped with an L-mount, just like the older brothers S1 and S1H. It would be a camera that "would allow the L system to enjoy as many people as possible". It would have to be much cheaper than its predecessors.

This is very good news, which confirms that Panasonic is serious about the development of its mirrorless cameras with the L-mount, created jointly with Leica and Sigma . The development of the offer for lower segments is a well-known strategy that we have seen in many large producers. When the market becomes saturated with a more expensive model, a cheaper option appears, which is to convince a wider group of recipients to the company, without cannibalizing higher segments at the same time.

For now, we do not know any details about the new camera. Panasonic S1, however, is so extensive that the manufacturer has something to slim down this equipment to create its cheaper alternative.

At the same time, Panasonic officially rejects plans to create an APS-C camera. Some will enjoy this message, others - on the contrary.

In an interview, Yosuke Yamane said directly that Panasonic is not planning to open a new line of APS-C cameras built around the L bayonet. This is bad information for people who are waiting for much cheaper mirrorless cameras, but good for people who are determined to use full frame.

The resignation from the APS-C line will allow the manufacturer to focus fully on the development of full-frame cameras. Additional stratification of the offer is not needed, especially in the case of Panasonic, which still offers cameras built around the Micro Four Thirds bayonet. The size difference between this format and APS-C is not worth creating a new line of lenses. This is a good decision, especially these days, which are extremely difficult for camera manufacturers.

Panasonic also emphasizes that the coronavirus pandemic did not affect it as much as other manufacturers. Panasonic's Chinese factories are located far from Wuhan, the pandemic's outbreak.

In the era of economic crisis, information about the expansion of production and about new product lines are very encouraging. The more that they relate to such interesting and important cameras. I am very supportive of the development of cheap full frames , which now have become a real alternative to APS-C cameras. Especially since there are more and more great and inexpensive lenses. It remains to be hoped that the photo industry will wait out the crisis with the least losses.

A cheap full-frame camera from Panasonic is coming. There is hope that the photo industry will withstand the crisis