Panasonic is teasing that its "totally unexpected" camera is coming on May 23, with this surreal invitation image
(Image credit: Panasonic)
Panasonic is teasing the launch of its new camera – previously reported to be a "totally unexpected" kind of product – for May 23.
A surreal invitation image has been sent out in China, featuring the Lumix logo and the text "capture true color" (the text in the middle of the picture says "Sincerely invites" and the name of a Chinese person, presumably a journalist).
The tagline is an interesting one. In 2023, Panasonic made numerous statements about wanting to make color one of the pillars of Lumix (as you can see in this video interview).
Lumix cameras have never been particularly renowned for their color rendition, unlike the famously celebrated "Canon color science" for example, so it will be interesting to see what this means.
So what do we know about the camera? Previously described as "a completely new kind of [camera] model", it is widely believed that Panasonic is entering the fixed lens compact camera space that is currently doing gangbusters business for the Fujifilm X100VI, Ricoh GR III and Leica Q3.
(Image credit: Panasonic)
Unlike Fujifilm and Ricoh, though, it's thought that the new Lumix will feature a full frame sensor – much like the Leica compact, as well as Sony's abandoned RX1-R II.
The question is, what market will Panasonic target. Fujifilm has clearly found great success going after content creators with the X100VI, while Ricoh has found an audience with hardcore street photographers, and Leica occupies its usual space among high end photographers.
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If I'm Panasonic, I don't know which fight I'd pick. I don't think it's going to dethrone the X100VI, and in fact I wonder if there would be a TikTok backlash against a camera attempting to usurp the king.
Still, with the announcement coming in just over a week, I'm excited to find out more – and excited about the renaissance of compacts!
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
