Olympus and Panasonic to launch new Micro Four Thirds cameras in April

Olympus and Panasonic are rumored to release new Micro Four Thirds cameras at separate events in April 2013.

Olympus is not doing too well in the digital camera market. However, the situation is not so different from other camera makers. There are slim chances that the company will abandon the camera segment and the rumor mill seems to agree.

Panasonic vs Olympus: the battle of the Micro Four Thirds is set to begin this April, with the former announcing three new cameras and the latter revealing one new PEN shooter.

New Olympus Micro Four Thirds shooter coming this spring

According to a source familiar with the matter, Olympus is going to hold a surprise event in April. During the show, the company is expected to unveil a new Micro Four Thirds camera. For the time being, there is no information available about the camera’s specs or price.

Previously it was believed that Olympus will reveal a new MFT in June 2013. The PEN E-P5 was rumored to be unveiled alongside a new f/2.8 zoom lens this summer.

This last batch of details suggests that the announcement has been rescheduled for April, but we should wait for more information before jumping into conclusions.

Panasonic preparing three cameras for April

On the other hand, Panasonic is rumored to renew its Micro Four Thirds series, by launching a couple of new shooters this April.

The two cameras will be announced sometime in early April. The single major event currently announced for that period is the National Association of Broadcasters Show 2013. However, the source specifies that the new shooters may be revealed in mid-April, so the NAB Show may not come packed with too many surprises.

Moreover, Panasonic will introduce a new camera line. The new series, waiting to be unveiled, may consist of a higher-end compact shooter with a fixed lens.

It is about time Olympus got back into the camera market with bigger plans, following the completion of the Sony deal. Unfortunately, this is the problem with rumors – very few details and almost no proof.

Meanwhile, Panasonic has recently announced its return to profitable ways and it makes sense for the company to experiment with a new camera line.