Surprise: Panasonic announced the new Lumix FZ80D superzoom compact camera

You can preorder the camera now at BHphoto (Click here). This is good news, because I thought the market for this type of superzoom compact camera was dying out. The other important news is that this is the third camera announced by Panasonic in the last 6 weeks. As you know, they registered three cameras in China in the spring. This means that there will be no more camera announcements for at least the next 2-3 months.

It’s back: $300 off on the Lumix S5II

The big Lumix savings are back including the $300 off on the S5II at Amazon, Bhphoto and Adorama.

Lumix cameras:

Lumix Lenses:

TheSlantedLens: Panasonic Lumix S9 vs iPhone 15 – Wow, Unexpected!

An unusual comparison that actually makes a lot of sense: Is there still room for an expensive “vlogger” camera in a world dominated by smartphones?

Lumix S9 preorder links:
US&CA at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, BestBuy, Panasonic US shop
EU at FotoErhardt, FotoKoch, Calumet, WexUK, Panasonic UK shop.

18-40mm and 26mm reorder links:
18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 at BHphoto, WexUK.
26mm f/8.0 at BHphoto, Adorama, Panasonic US, FotoErhardt, Fotokoch, Calumet, WexUK, Panasonic UK.

Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki claims companies are missing out on making affordable cameras

Yamaki, CEO of Sigma, was interviewed by Dpreview. And he made an observation that is very important and where I think so many companies are doing a mistake: Neglecting the low-end market and focusing too much on the ‘technology’ of the camera instead of the ‘experience’. So let’s see what he said:

Yamaki is worried about the future of the market:

It looks like the trend of the shrinking market has hit the bottom. For the time being, many photographers are now switching from DSLR to mirrorless, which will sustain the market. However, after they switch to mirrorless cameras, I worry that the market could shrink in the coming years.
One reason for my concern is the increasing average price of cameras and lenses. I truly appreciate the passion of the customers who are still spending so much money on cameras and lenses. However, I’m afraid that not so many customers can afford such high-priced cameras and lenses, so we’re still trying hard to keep the retail price reasonable.
Especially these days, the younger generation takes huge amounts of photos with smartphones. While we can expect some of them to switch from a smartphone to a camera, many may find the price gap too wide, and challenging to make the switch.

And I think he is right on how companies should think when making new cameras that can generate sales:

We’ve seen some cameras with very technically impressive specifications, but I worry that they’re not always capabilities that many photographers really need. Moving forward, I speculate that more user-friendly specifications might mean more to customers. Easier to use interfaces, a compact and lightweight body for enhanced portability, or some other specifications might be more important.

The younger generation bought compact fixed-lens cameras that don’t cost TOO much: cameras like the Ricoh GR, old digital cameras and so on. They don’t care if the sensor is small or big, if it has a 5 or 7-stop IBIS… they care that the cameras are fun, affordable and easy to use. The new Lumix S9 is a step into this direction.