Panasonic bails out of 4/3rds camera mfg'ing

And into micro 4/3rds.

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/18295/19319/panasonic-hints-end-four-thirds.phtml

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.

 

This is a great concept for a particular market segment.
This design is a major threat to low end traditional d SLRs and is likely to
appeal to tyros moving up from digital P&S cameras more then larger, low end
optical dSLRs.