Interesting article on the S9 by Richard Butler

[Markuswelder]

I think the distinction is that G100 is not a fully featured camera like the GX9 and GM5 were. It has less features and some limitations. My understanding of what Sean was saying is that not enough people bought the fully featured small cameras because of the price.

And that tells you what is going on. The true GX8 successor never appeared. It was watered down to the form of the GX9. Cheaper EVF. Less capable IBIS, AF and sensor. Why? Because despite all the screaming and crying on interwebz forums, user's didn't want to pay for the features they were demanding. It's as simple as that. And it now appears as if the GX X & XX line of bodies has been shelved. Time will tell if it's permanently, or otherwise. While the G100 continues. But yeah, Sean is just a bull$h!tter.

 

[Pete_W]

I'm not sure if they've totally abandoned them, possibly more just put them on ice perhaps until their research says they might be profitable again. Or assessing exactly what price to feature ratio might work. For both parties. Only guessing here though. It makes less than zero sense to abandon a profitable sector or market, and even less again to continue producing something that's costing them money.
It just reinforces the fact that what the interwebz camera experts proclaim is what is needed in the market, isn't.

Yes, agreed. There have been rumours of a G100 Mark 2 and I think there probably will be one. If it came out with PDAF and a few other goodies it might give the OM5 a run for its money.

I can't see OMDS doing much new under their new owners. Maybe if they strengthen the base of the OM5 so it doesn't break off when someone uses the tripod socket it would be a good start.

 

[pdk42]

Sigh. Here we go again. That's about as bad as the DPreview forum posters outright calling him a liar.
I see he posted there a few times, before getting savaged by the interwebz trolls that populate that swamp, so he simply gave up. It's just a lose lose situation to be in.
If something doesn't sell for Panasonic, they shelve it. Yet the G100 has had a minor refresh. Along with the original S5. Which also got a bit of a hammering online. Yet people don't want to see it.

Do you really think that Sean, as a marketing front guy in the US market, will do anything other than follow the company line? That was the only point I was making. I bet he was defending their bloody-minded attachment to DFD until they brought out PDAF, when suddenly he started singing the praises for that. We can’t take anything a relatively junior marketing guy says about product strategy to be anything other than a repeat of the company’s public position.

At the end of the day, Panasonic (like any other company) will make product decisions based on a whole complex set of parameters, most of which will be hidden from us. It’s likely that the decisions are made by Japan-based management, probably in some sort of group-think process headed up by a senior exec.

I’m actually cool with all that. The games we play here are just noise to distract us from whatever else may consume our time. And the “interwebz”, as you call them, are actually part of the whole ecosystem that Panasonic must navigate. All the manufacturers get criticism on line, most of it ignorant, ill-informed, naïve, etc. Who’d want to be in consumer electronics marketing heh?

 

[Markuswelder]

Do you really think that Sean, as a marketing front guy in the US market, will do anything other than follow the company line? That was the only point I was making. I bet he was defending their bloody-minded attachment to DFD until they brought out PDAF, when suddenly he started singing the praises for that. We can’t take anything a relatively junior marketing guy says about product strategy to be anything other than a repeat of the company’s public position.

He's not going to go out and directly contradict what senior management have said for sure. But there's a large difference between that, and blatantly telling big fat lies. My point is that if you're going to call someone a liar, then you better have some sort of proof to back up your position. (I'm not taking shots at you in saying that by the way.)

I know I'm an outlier, but I'm still actually pretty disappointed that Panasonic gave up, or caved to public pressure with DFD. And I'm not just blithely saying that -I deliberately went out and bought the original S5 over the mkII, based on my experiences with DFD on 3 different m4/3 bodies. And, if it failed to proceed, I'd go and buy the D model without a second thought.

At the end of the day, Panasonic (like any other company) will make product decisions based on a whole complex set of parameters, most of which will be hidden from us. It’s likely that the decisions are made by Japan-based management, probably in some sort of group-think process headed up by a senior exec.

Yeah, I have no idea how it all happens, I did say that my thoughts were just a guess. Albeit one shaped by watching their product lines over the last 10? years or so.

I’m actually cool with all that. The games we play here are just noise to distract us from whatever else may consume our time. And the “interwebz”, as you call them, are actually part of the whole ecosystem that Panasonic must navigate. All the manufacturers get criticism on line, most of it ignorant, ill-informed, naïve, etc. Who’d want to be in consumer electronics marketing heh?

For sure. But I do think lots of punters place more than a bit too much importance on their own views, and "needs" Which I do think tend to get a bit confused with wants a lot of the time lol. I just get a bit annoyed with all the negativity at times. Mind you, it's not just camera forums that suffer from that lol. Myself, I'm happy to make a compromise here & there, as there's nothing that's completely perfect. As long as the positives outweigh the negatives, I can live with that.

 

[pdk42]

He's not going to go out and directly contradict what senior management have said for sure. But there's a large difference between that, and blatantly telling big fat lies. My point is that if you're going to call someone a liar, then you better have some sort of proof to back up your position. (I'm not taking shots at you in saying that by the way.)

I agree!

I know I'm an outlier, but I'm still actually pretty disappointed that Panasonic gave up, or caved to public pressure with DFD. And I'm not just blithely saying that -I deliberately went out and bought the original S5 over the mkII, based on my experiences with DFD on 3 different m4/3 bodies. And, if it failed to proceed, I'd go and buy the D model without a second thought.

I also agree. I don’t do BIF etc so the AF in the S5 is absolutely fine. In fact, I recently sold my S5ii since it really added nothing that I needed over the S5.

Yeah, I have no idea how it all happens, I did say that my thoughts were just a guess. Albeit one shaped by watching their product lines over the last 10? years or so.

For sure. But I do think lots of punters place more than a bit too much importance on their own views, and "needs" Which I do think tend to get a bit confused with wants a lot of the time lol. I just get a bit annoyed with all the negativity at times. Mind you, it's not just camera forums that suffer from that lol. Myself, I'm happy to make a compromise here & there, as there's nothing that's completely perfect. As long as the positives outweigh the negatives, I can live with that.

Agreed! It’s easy to be an armchair camera company executive!