Panasonic is going to unveil "a completely new kind of [camera] model" in May, according to a new report. However, that's basically all the information that has been revealed so far.
It is being claimed that this will not be a successor model to any existing camera, so we aren't looking at a replacement for the Panasonic GH6 or Panasonic S1R (although, if you follow our camera rumors page, you'll know that the latter is expected this year).
Instead, we're apparently looking at a product that Panasonic does not currently produce. "This camera is something totally unexpected," reported Andrea Pizzini, head of websites such as 43 Rumors.
"This is not a camera that will be a successor of a currently available camera, so not a GH7 Micro Four Thirds camera no S1 II full frame, camera it will be something very new and different."
So what are we looking at? Panasonic cameras tend to be hybrids oriented towards video, and it currently makes camcorders, PTZ cameras, 4K and 6K cameras, vlogging cameras, box cameras… what else is left?
Perhaps if we should look away from video devices to stills-focused products. Will it do a Hasselblad, and produce a medium format camera with no video whatsoever like the X2D 100C? It seems unlikely – though Panasonic doesn't make medium format cameras.
And nor does it make APS-C cameras, though the company has said on multiple occasions that it doesn't see the APS-C market as worthwhile (since it already has its bases covered with Micro Four Thirds and full frame cameras). Could this news signal a change of tact?
Personally, I think the most obvious thing would be a fixed-lens compact camera to rival the Fujifilm X100VI and Ricoh GR III– or maybe a full-frame compact that would go against the Leica Q3.
The company previously made a successful line of compact zoom cameras with Micro Four Thirds sensors, such as the Lumix LX100 II – a camera so good that Leica makes a popular clone, the D-Lux 7.
Joining up two possibly unrelated rumors, I know that a new Leica compact is on the way – and since those are always copies of Lumix compacts, could Panasonic have an interesting new challenger to the Fujifilm throne?
Either way, it's May next week, so we won't have to wait long to find out!
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