I don't get it. Every time Panasonic releases a new camera everybody bitches about the price, yet nobody can get one because they're sold out. I had to wait weeks to get my wife's GH2 because the demand outstripped supply by a good margin, and this was several months after the release date. And yet the company can't make money? They're selling out of "overpriced" cameras, and yet there's no profit in it? Something doesn't add up.

I can understand if they're stretched a little thin. Profit margins for point-and-shoots has to be next to nothing considering how far the price has dropped on these things, and nobody that buys a point-and-shoot camera buys Panasonic due to them not being the "big name brand." So I can understand maybe dropping the point-and-shoot line. But m43? How can they possibly be losing money here? When I think about the various ways I use a camera, five cameras come to mind that would be my dream kit. Three of them are made by Panasonic, two of which use the same sensor size. These three cameras completely destroy the competition in their respective classes in specs and versatility. So how are Panasonic failing to sell this advantage to average consumers?

They also seem to be pretty good at using the same sensor and logic chip in a number of applications to keep costs down. Had things continued, I'm sure the GH4's sensor would have made its way into a GX and GF series camera as well, so it's not like there shouldn't be efficiency in their manufacturing processes.

So what gives?

I'm super bummed about this. Obviously, the GH4 is one of those dream cameras for me. I don't have a preorder, but I was hoping to pick one up in six months or so once the price comes down a little. Now I'm not so sure. I'd need new glass to make the new body worth it, and who wants to invest in glass that'll be worthless next year? Especially with what Panasonic's high end glass costs these days.

On the other hand, there just doesn't seem to be another manufacturer that "gets it" when it comes to hybrid cameras. I'm not a pro, so I just want a single camera that I can get both great photos and videos out of. If Panasonic moves to FF sensors and builds something equivalent to the GH4 in features, maybe this news will result in a win-win considering the improvement on the photo side of things. (Is there any reason why a FF sensor would produce worse video quality than m43?)

Anyway, consider me another in the bummed out column, and I'll be watching this with interest to see what others plan to do regarding m43 gear (stick with it or leave it). I suppose if this news caused the value of the GH4 and glass to plummet, maybe I'd be tempted to pick one up anyway, understanding that it's basically a throwaway system the next time I upgrade. I'm still happy that I bought a GH2 when I did, even knowing now that I'll be throwing the whole bag in the garbage once the shutter's done. It's already been worth it.

Sorry for the long rant, but this is a pretty big bombshell.

Well, reading some more stuff, I'll wait a little to see how it develops...

They didn't get very far with Foveon in years. It's great for IR photography though ;-)

@tetakpatak "now is only BMCC and NEX left for your lenses"

How do I get them on NEX? It's even shorter than µFT!

Many of them aren't really that great on the BMPCC, missing correction and getting crappy autofocus. Plus, that sensor is small enough for 1" or S-16 glass.

You see, I'm more concerned about my investment in lenses, since that is the bigger investment. OK, most of my vintage glass can go on FF too, but stuff like Voigts or SpeedBoosters become useless!

For quite a while µFT was very attractive because you got excellent quality even for stills in a very compact system. But now there is the Sony A7/A7R and as soon as there is enough genuine glass for it, it might threaten the µFT market. And Sony makes their own sensors, while Panny switched recently, AFAIK.

@Renovatio

Remember we still have Taiwan company that bough Kodak brand for cameras. They plan few new cameras.

@Vitaliy. I stand corrected on the GH4 case.

This is the crown for the Panny "empire of stupidity" approach to their micro 4/3 G line. Canon had the same paradigm shaking photo/video shift occure with the 5D MII and they leveraged a whole new product line from it, while panny acted like hacking their firmware was akin to feeling up their daughters. As time went by and the AF100 was never updated, I began to get a gut feeling that the G series was in trouble. I bet the head of the pro video line is like the President's son, which caused them to protect their video line above all else, regardless of the changes going on in every other company. I just bought a BMPC because I couldn't devise an easy workflow for my GH2... and that sensor is even smaller!

It will be stupid to discontinue GH4. There is nothing like it in that category.

I'm going out and buy another g6 this very moment ! Actually...I love discontinued systems. Laser discs weren't really cool until they were replaced by dvd's.

So sad for my newly aquired cmount Fujinons :(

Well, as a hobbyist, I'll live if it ends up being true. I have a GH2, and a new GX7, both excellent cams. The only glass I have are the wonderful Oly 60mm Macro, the Pana 7-14m, the 100-600mm, and the stock one that came with my GH2. I can shoot my birds and insects with this stuff for decades. I'm not bound by product loyalty. I'll go do my research, like we all do, and match the best features to dollars on the next system I jump into. Hey, I once thought my Commodore 64C was the end of all computing. I guess I was wrong there too.

@ragnar

Panasonic financial year is ending at March 31.