Panasonic hints at end of the line for Four Thirds

Focus will be on Micro Four Thirds moving forward

10 October 2008 10:16 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Panasonic has admitted that it is unlikely it will be developing cameras for the Four Thirds format in the future.

In an informal chat with Pocket-lint, the company's UK MD, Keith Evans, admitted that to try and sell a bigger DSLR camera after telling customers that a Micro Four Thirds system, which is smaller, was good enough would be hard.

In an official statement to Pocket-lint Panasonic UK said:

"Currently all of our resources have been concentrated on developing the Micro Four Thirds system. Although this will continue to be the focus of our efforts in the short term there is nothing to stop us developing Four Thirds cameras in the future, if the market requirement exists."

The comments come as the company showed UK journalists the new smaller pseudo-DSLR model 2 weeks after Pocket-lint brought you the news from photography trade show, Photokina.

Sporting a 12-megapixel sensor, the company has removed the need for a mirror (usually found in a DSLR) and in doing so been able to create a smaller device.

Going on sale on the 1 November, the company has confirmed, as expected that the price would be £599.99.

Panasonic has said that it plans to develop the Micro Four Thirds format into a system with a range of cameras.

The company has already confirmed that a similar version of the G1 with movie recording capabilities will be officially announced at PMA in March. We will keep you posted.

Related
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Cameras, Panasonic, DSLR cameras
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Jessops.com, Amazon.co.uk, ebay.co.uk
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Comments

  • I can see the sense in what Panasonic has aimed to achieve and how they've done it. They've gone from p&s cameras to quite decent dSLRs, with a lens and flash range, inside a few years.

    What they've succeeded in doing in planting Panasinic in the camera buyers mind. They, like Samsung, have planted their flag at the start of thier treck into consumer electrinics.
    Posted by Paul, UK

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