Last Updated on 12/31/2013 by Chris Gampat
In this day and age of strong competition, what sets manufacturers apart is innovation. Sony is currently being the forerunner when it comes to developing new concepts, but Panasonic recently did a great job when they introduced the über-compact GM1 Micro Four Thirds camera. It’s cameras like this that win the hearts of consumers: small, light, great design, great image quality, easy to use, and above all social media connectivity. It seems, however, as though some companies still believe they have to fill each and every possible niche with a product category of its own.
And so, Panasonic seems to cling to the GF series of Micro Four Thirds cameras, which sits neatly in between the GM and GX series. However, at this point, we’re seriously wondering if the GF series has a future at all. Judging from the design concepts that Egami unearthed, Panasonic isn’t really going to change anything about these cameras. The form factor as well as the general(ly uninspiring) styling stay the same. This leads to the assumption that also on the inside, things will stay more or less the same.
This begs the question how the GF series is going to be set apart from the GM series. Unless Panasonic decides to give the next GF a tiltable display and/or the option to attach a high-resolution EVF, it will be nothing more than a GM with a slightly larger body–which makes no sense at all when you consider that you can get the GX7 body for only a little extra over the price of the GM1 kit. So where is Panasonic heading with the GF series? Making it an even cheaper option than the GM1?
That would certainly make sense, considering that step-uppers will most likely spring for either a serious compact such as Panasonic’s LX series, or an entry-level interchangeable-lens camera. For those that may not want to spend a lot of money but are looking for a more powerful camera, a low-end mirrorless kit might just fit the bill. And it also serves as the stepstone to a more advanced model later, as well as an incentive to buy into a certain system’s lens options.
At this point, we cannot say for sure where the GF series is headed, and whether either of these design concepts actually shows the next GF model. But one thing is for sure: Panasonic will have to set the new GF strongly apart from both the GM and GX series in order for the camera to make any sense at all.
Via Photo Rumors
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