It's been a colorful week in the world of camera news, both literally and figuratively, thanks in large part to Panasonic dropping three new colors of its newest camera.
Well, technically, it's Panasonic's second-newest camera, since the company also launched a camera this week – though it's a remix of an old model, rather than a brand new one.
Elsewhere, major camera rumors started flying about Sony's new flagship – and of course, the letters "AI" appear on the leaked specs. Speaking of rumors, Fujifilm stoked the fires by teasing its upcoming camera – and it also confirmed firmware to finally address some long-overdue autofocus issues on five cameras.
These are the five biggest camera news stories of the week…
Fujifilm teases its new camera
Fujifilm has given us our first official glimpse at its new camera, thanks to a North American teaser video ahead of the X Summit next week. And we've also got a tease of some features – including a film simulation dial – courtesy of a teaser from China.
While the company hadn't confirmed that a camera would be announced at the X Summit (though it will see the release of some much-demanded firmware), it wouldn't be an X Summit without one. And the camera rumors have already been swirling about what it might be.
So let's start with the video, which I've embedded below. While little specific detail can be seen, what's for sure is that this new camera is small. One of the scenes shows a hand pulling the camera out of the back pocket of a pair of jeans – so I can safely say that it won't be a medium format camera…
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Full story: Want to see Fujifilm's new camera? Here's a look at it, and its features
First Sony A1 II specs emerge
The first specs for the Sony A1 II have surfaced online, with the headline feature being a new AI chip, along with a claimed announcement between November and January.
While I expected the new camera to possess the same 50.1MP resolution as the original Sony A1, the big surprise to me is that it will apparently use the exact same sensor itself.
Which is fine, as it's a perfectly capable sensor. But I can't say that I was especially jazzed by its performance in our lab tests – and given that the sensor is now over four and a half years old, I would have expected Sony to replace it with a newer one (particularly given that Sony makes its own sensors). Though the consensus is that it won't be a global shutter one, due to the tradeoffs in fidelity to achieve speed…
Full story: Got salt? Here are the first Sony A1 II specs – and AI is among the features
Lumix S9 gets new colors and BIG new features
Panasonic's miniature full-frame camera, the Lumix S9, is getting a major update with a free firmware upgrade. The camera will also be available in new colors – a smoky white is coming to the UK, whilst in the US there will be new pink and mint green options.
The biggest news is that the S9 will now be able to record video without any time limitiations – something that Panasonic users have been asking for. At the launch, we were told that this is being referred to as the "winter edition" – as the camera is likely to get warm in use from continuous video shooting.
However, the recording will stop automatically if the internal temperature gets too high, even when set to unlimited recording mode that is being added to the menu options. Previously the S9 limited you to 10 minutes of recording in 6K,15 minutes in DCI 4K / 4K UHD and below, and 20 minutes in 1080p…
Full story: Panasonic S9 gets unlimited video recording as full-frame camera gets major update
Fujifilm promises firmware fixes for 5 cameras
In addition to announcing the next X Summit event, Fujifilm revealed that it will be releasing long-awaited firmware updates for five cameras – following widespread frustration over AF performance from users following a previous update.
The cameras initially confirmed to be getting updates were the Fujifilm GFX 100 II, X-H2 and X-H2S, but the company quickly added that two more models affected by the issue would also be receiving firmware.
"Thank you for your feedback and comments on our AF system performance. We've been working on X-T5, X-S20 and other models as well, to release the firmware within this year for improved user experience…"
Full story: 5 Fujifilm cameras are getting autofocus fixes in upcoming firmware
Panasonic launches a "new" camera
Panasonic has just announced a slight refresh of its Lumix S5 camera – called the Lumix S5D, it offers some minor improvements over the original model with new compatibility with DJI's LiDAR autofocus system and DJI RS 3 Pro Gimbal for speedier autofocus.
But perhaps most exciting is the low low price which could well make the Lumix S5D one of the best value full-frame cameras you can buy right now – if it wasn't for its pesky older brother the original Lumix S5 still being widely sold.
The Lumix S5D is built around the same 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor you'll find in the S5, with a maximum ISO of 51200 and Dual Native ISO tech, which like the original, offers an impressive 14+ stops of wide dynamic range and high sensitivity performance in stills and video. The dual native ISOs for the Lumix S5D are 640 and 4000…
Full story: The refreshed Panasonic Lumix S5D offers great full-frame value for pro creators
You might be interested in the best Fujifilm cameras, along with the best Sony cameras and the best Panasonic cameras.
