Interviews reveals Panasonic working on 4K, Olympus to focus on high-end cameras

 

 

Japanese newssite DC.Watch has interviewed Panasonic's Ichiro Kitao and Olympus' Sugita Yukihiko, and both of these interviews reveal interesting information about both company's plans for the future.

The Olympus piece revealed that the company appears to be focusing on their high-end flagship models rather than the more affordable model. As a machine translated version of the text puts it, "It was as well to focus development resources on high-value-added products, that will create a flagship model that symbolizes PEN, OM-D, STYLUS, each brand." Yukihiko also mentioned the disappointing sales of mirrorless cameras in the USA and Europe, and Olympus' plans to provide more lenses for the OM-D cameras.

The Panasonic interview lead to discussion about smartphone connectivity, how high-end ultrazooms like the FZ200 are still selling quite well, but also that high-end products seem to be the future. But the most intriguing tidbit from the piece is the fact that Panasonic is working on a "GH4K", a camera capable of 4K video, and that it may come out next year. Heres the rather butchered machine translation:

Has been rumored, such as "I am GH4K next year" on the net already, but when I do a camera capable of shooting (laughs), the 4K, because they've been declared already, is not it bad in "the year after next" it. So I will not be enough for the next year.

It's hard to interpret too much out of that, but other sites are taking it to mean that this camera might be coming out next year. So 2014 might just be the year when 4K video becomes widespread.

(via 43Rumors, MirrorlessRumors)