A couple new cameras and lenses were announced by Panasonic this morning, including the GX8, successor to the excellent GX7. It’s got flagship-worthy specs, including a brand new 20MP Micro Four Thirds sensor, up from the previous sensor’s 16MP.
DMC-GX8
It’s also got Dual IS, which is a combination of sensor and lens shift stabilization to ensure your shots are rock steady. When used with a stabilized lens, Panasonic says their “6-axis” image stabilization is best in class. The autofocus is the same lightning fast system used in the GH4 and LX100. The GX7 was already one of the fastest focusing mirrorless cameras on the market.
One particularly interesting new feature is the DFD (Depth From Defocus) autofocus, which takes a series of photos in rapid succession while picking a new focus point in each one. The result is similar to that of light-field cameras such like the Lytro which allow you to select focus in post processing except Panasonic is doing it with focus stacking. It will be interesting to see if Panasonic will enable this feature for focus stacking, getting everything in focus rather than selecting any particular point.
DFD will not be available at launch but Panasonic says it will be enabled through firmware upgrades late 2015 or early 2016.
Other notable features on the GX8 include 4K/UHD video at 24p and 30p, weather sealing, a flip-out 1.04M dot OLED LCD touchscreen, and a larger 0.77x magnification, 2.36M dot tiltable OLED EVF.
It also looks stunning, especially the version with silver accents. Modern lines with classic cues. The grip on the right side of the camera looks more substantial than that of the GX7, which already handled rather well.
The GX8 should be available in September with a estimated price tag of $1599.
DMC-FZ300
The FZ300 is an upgraded 12MP 1/2.3″ sensor superzoom paired with a 25-600mm constant F2.8 lens. Focusing uses the same autofocus system as the GX8 mentioned above and it’s 5-axis image stabilized.
On the back are an articulated 1.04m dot LCD and a 0.7x magnification EVF, although with a slightly lower resolution of 1.44m dots. The body is weather sealed and you can shoot 4K/UHD video. The FZ300 will be $799 and is estimated to arrive in September.
LEICA 100-400mm F4.0-6.3
There’s no confirmed price and it won’t arrive until Spring 2016 at the earliest but Panasonic also mentioned today they’re developing a 100-400mm (200-800 35mm equivalent) F4.0-6.3 zoom lens for Micro Four Thirds. The lens will be Leica DG branded to indicate it’s being made to the highest quality standards.
The 100-400 will be image stabilized and features a high speed digital signal exchange that allows it to focus quickly and work with the new DFD technology on Lumix G cameras. It will be weather-sealed and although I didn’t see any specifics yet, Panasonic claims the lens will be small, light and optically stabilized enough to handhold at 800mm.
LUMIX G 25mm F1.7
In addition to their 800mm behemoth, Panasonic also announced that they’ve got a budget friendly 25mm F1.7 lens coming as well. With a standard 50mm (35mm full-frame equivalent) field of view and fast aperture, it’s sure to be rather popular for Micro Four Thirds shooters.
The 25mm also supports high speed digital exchange for compatibility with Panasonic’s high-speed autofocus and new DFD technology.
No pricing yet but it should also arrive in Spring 2016.