Reading mode: Light Dark

DJI making M4/3 interesting again

Go to last post
G

gaul

Senior Member
Messages
1,838
Reaction score
856
Location
London, UK
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?

Kind rgds

Gaul
 
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..
Click to expand...
Huh? Did Panasonic not come out with a 25 mpx sensor? What more do you want? The sensor tech stagnated for a while now.

Not sure DJI is going to do anything more, but it's always good to have another player in the game.
 
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?

Kind rgds

Gaul
Click to expand...
Who/what is DJI? Dow Jones Industrial doesn't sound right.
 
Would be great to see.

Panasonic is understandably diversifying its camera lineup to focus on FF where they see more upside, so unfortunately for us, much less focus on MFT than a few years back. OMS likely lacks the resources to innovate in any meaningful way in the short term, so though all their eggs are in the MFT basket, they're unlikely to appreciably grow the basket.

Hoping MFT follows the path of L-mount, with DJI and hopefully other entrants to invigorate the platform. Some will continue focusing on larger cameras like the G9II and OM1 II, but a company like DJI and others may provide us the small cameras many of us crave again- ala the GM5. More options for folks who like big MFT and small MFT cameras alike.

Of course, this all depends on the likelihood of making a profit. That's debatable, and I have no insider knowledge to argue one way or the other.
 
Bassam Guy said:
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?

Kind rgds

Gaul
Click to expand...
Who/what is DJI? Dow Jones Industrial doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...
Not sure if you're asking in jest, but if not, they're a Chinese company that is a major player in the aerial and action photography and videography space. They're the dominant consumer drone manufacturer, accounting for some 60% of the global and 80% of the US consumer drone market. While market cap figures for this company aren't publicly available to my knowledge, the overall drone market is projected to reach $95B in 2034, with a CAGR of 10% from $36B in 2024. Their action cams- including the DJI Osmo Pocket series- have also been very popular with content creators.

They also make/made minor modifications to the excellent Panasonic-Leica 15mm f/1.7 for their drones. This rebranded PL lens can be had for under $180- a big savings from the PL branded and otherwise identical lens- so they aren't new to MFT.
 
Rafael Rivera said:
Would be great to see.

Panasonic is understandably diversifying its camera lineup to focus on FF where they see more upside, so unfortunately for us, much less focus on MFT than a few years back. OMS likely lacks the resources to innovate in any meaningful way in the short term, so though all their eggs are in the MFT basket, they're unlikely to appreciably grow the basket.

Hoping MFT follows the path of L-mount, with DJI and hopefully other entrants to invigorate the platform. Some will continue focusing on larger cameras like the G9II and OM1 II, but a company like DJI and others may provide us the small cameras many of us crave again- ala the GM5. More options for folks who like big MFT and small MFT cameras alike.

Of course, this all depends on the likelihood of making a profit. That's debatable, and I have no insider knowledge to argue one way or the other.
Click to expand...
The problem with smaller cameras is that miniaturization is expensive but customers instinctively measure cost as proportional to size. Same thing happened when notebook computers first came out, people thought they were too expensive considering how small they were compared to a cheaper tower computer.
 
Rafael Rivera said:
Bassam Guy said:
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?

Kind rgds

Gaul
Click to expand...
Who/what is DJI? Dow Jones Industrial doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...
Not sure if you're asking in jest,
Click to expand...
I was serious, just had never heard of them.
Rafael Rivera said:
but if not, they're a Chinese company that is a major player in the aerial and action photography and videography space. They're the dominant consumer drone manufacturer, accounting for some 60% of the global and 80% of the US consumer drone market. While market cap figures for this company aren't publicly available to my knowledge, the overall drone market is projected to reach $95B in 2034, with a CAGR of 10% from $36B in 2024. Their action cams- including the DJI Osmo Pocket series- have also been very popular with content creators.

They also make/made minor modifications to the excellent Panasonic-Leica 15mm f/1.7 for their drones. This rebranded PL lens can be had for under $180- a big savings from the PL branded and otherwise identical lens- so they aren't new to MFT.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
Bassam Guy said:
Rafael Rivera said:
Bassam Guy said:
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?

Kind rgds

Gaul
Click to expand...
Who/what is DJI? Dow Jones Industrial doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...
Not sure if you're asking in jest,
Click to expand...
I was serious, just had never heard of them.
Bassam Guy said:
but if not, they're a Chinese company that is a major player in the aerial and action photography and videography space. They're the dominant consumer drone manufacturer, accounting for some 60% of the global and 80% of the US consumer drone market. While market cap figures for this company aren't publicly available to my knowledge, the overall drone market is projected to reach $95B in 2034, with a CAGR of 10% from $36B in 2024. Their action cams- including the DJI Osmo Pocket series- have also been very popular with content creators.

They also make/made minor modifications to the excellent Panasonic-Leica 15mm f/1.7 for their drones. This rebranded PL lens can be had for under $180- a big savings from the PL branded and otherwise identical lens- so they aren't new to MFT.
Click to expand...
Thank you
Click to expand...
You're very welcome.

I'm not sure about your comment on small cameras and their market viability. Not saying you're wrong, just that it's complicated. People are willing to pay a premium for small cameras- look at the Ricoh GR cameras, the X100VI, etc. But like with everything else, different people want different things at different times. It may not be viable for one company like Panasonic or OMS to meet all those needs. Having multiple players in a given market segment may help there. DJI has has demonstrable success in engineering photography/videography equipment that is both small and feature-rich.

The key question to me though is whether they- and/or others- see enough of an opportunity to join into the MFT market from an interchangeable lens camera/videocam perspective. One could argue that there's a trend among younger generations to smaller, pocketable lifestyle-type cameras with a certain nostalgic- and functional- appeal.
 
Bassam Guy said:
Who/what is DJI? Dow Jones Industrial doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...
Not mentioned in the previous explanation of who DJI are is the fact that they are now the owners of Hasselblad. As for new micro four thirds cameras from them, I'd suspect that they would in some way be optimised / designed for drone use, so not necessarily competitors with existing Panasonic / Olympus bodies... but we can hope.
 
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?

Kind rgds

Gaul
Click to expand...
LINK to the rumor.. DJI / Huawei partnership (that's why I hope for M4/3)





66545c4e3de146df8741aca275b1bcbb.jpg.png



https://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/i-...-of-launching-a-new-mirrorless-camera-system/
 
Last edited:
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?
Click to expand...
I welcome them getting deeper into MFT beyond the drone-mounts and lenses they already support. Will be interesting to see where they go with it, but I suspect it will likely simply be video-centric solutions building around their strength in drones/cinema/action-cameras. An MFT-based action camera that's designed to be as small as possible for tricky rigging in a vehicle, etc would be pretty sweet!

That said, they could surprise us all with a photo-centric camera leveraging some of that Hasselblad style/tech. Seems doubtful since DJI seems to be a pretty focused technology company.

--

Sam Bennett
Instagram: @swiftbennett
 
Because of their background and primary interest in drones, they may make the "small" m43 bodies everybody is asking for!

My only hope is that it is not a small box purely for drone-mounting (no EVF, no LCD, etc.) but is also good for handheld photographing with proper UI.

I don't think JIP (owner of OMDS) is interested in running any of their acquisitions for the long term. I expect them to sell at some point. May be, DJI will be the buyer.
 
I would assume given their background that the cameras would be video orientated but who knows. Either way the more brands using m43 sensors the more motivation for Sony to continue evolving sensors
 
Rafael Rivera said:
Bassam Guy said:
Rafael Rivera said:
Bassam Guy said:
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?

Kind rgds

Gaul
Click to expand...
Who/what is DJI? Dow Jones Industrial doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...
Not sure if you're asking in jest,
Click to expand...
I was serious, just had never heard of them.
Rafael Rivera said:
but if not, they're a Chinese company that is a major player in the aerial and action photography and videography space. They're the dominant consumer drone manufacturer, accounting for some 60% of the global and 80% of the US consumer drone market. While market cap figures for this company aren't publicly available to my knowledge, the overall drone market is projected to reach $95B in 2034, with a CAGR of 10% from $36B in 2024. Their action cams- including the DJI Osmo Pocket series- have also been very popular with content creators.

They also make/made minor modifications to the excellent Panasonic-Leica 15mm f/1.7 for their drones. This rebranded PL lens can be had for under $180- a big savings from the PL branded and otherwise identical lens- so they aren't new to MFT.
Click to expand...
Thank you
Click to expand...
You're very welcome.

I'm not sure about your comment on small cameras and their market viability. Not saying you're wrong, just that it's complicated. People are willing to pay a premium for small cameras- look at the Ricoh GR cameras, the X100VI, etc. But like with everything else, different people want different things at different times. It may not be viable for one company like Panasonic or OMS to meet all those needs. Having multiple players in a given market segment may help there. DJI has has demonstrable success in engineering photography/videography equipment that is both small and feature-rich.

The key question to me though is whether they- and/or others- see enough of an opportunity to join into the MFT market from an interchangeable lens camera/videocam perspective. One could argue that there's a trend among younger generations to smaller, pocketable lifestyle-type cameras with a certain nostalgic- and functional- appeal.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you're replying to my other comment below but no problem.

I know absolutely nothing about Ricoh GR cameras but I guess you're implying that they are expensive despite having a small stature. That is a good point.
 
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?

Kind rgds

Gaul
Click to expand...
DJI started flogging off their DJI badged Panasonic 15/1.7 lenses in 2022. Meaning they have written off m43 in 2022. Today you can buy that lens on Aliexpress for US$175 free postage - its made by Panasonic and virtually identical to the Panasonic 15/1.7 version that B&H sells today for US$ 597.97.

So what makes you think DJI may suddenly return to m43 mount cameras? Why flog off their stock in m43 lenses?

DJI owns the majority stake in Swedish Hasselblad. Hasselblad now makes their better tier drone cameras. And Hasselblad does not use the m43 mount.

The DJI Zenmuse X5S drone camera from 2017 had an m43 mount. The Zenmuse X7 was already APSC.

Yes the Popular DJI Mavic 3 drone uses a Hasselblad camera with Four Thirds sensor --- but not with m43 mount.

You got to realize that in 2024 over 8 million drones were sold, that is more than all ILC cameras. And private owned DJI is the Canon of the drones. They can now afford to purpose build their own cameras. Old fashioned camera Mounts just add useless weight.
 
Last edited:
cathal gantly said:
Bassam Guy said:
Who/what is DJI? Dow Jones Industrial doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...
Not mentioned in the previous explanation of who DJI are is the fact that they are now the owners of Hasselblad. As for new micro four thirds cameras from them, I'd suspect that they would in some way be optimised / designed for drone use, so not necessarily competitors with existing Panasonic / Olympus bodies... but we can hope.
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same. Possibly drones and also possibly action cameras. It would certainly be a big IQ improvement.

An MFT Pocket??? Nah, probably too big. The Pocket 3 (1" sensor) was a dramatic improvement over the Pocket 2.

Maybe a small very compact travel camera. I could see that. A Panasonic GM successor. Now THAT would be interesting, especially if marketed properly. Panasonic has needed a functional marketing department for quite some time. ;-):-D:-D:-D
 
I’ve not seen any specific mention of “Micro” - maybe I missed it ?

A new camera can have a 4/3 sensor and not be Micro Fourthirds - can have a different mount and be incompatible with Micro Fourthirds lenses

jj
 
gaul said:
If DJI rumored camera is M4/3, they could be the ones making M4/3 interesting again

With Panasonic and OM Systems incapable of innovation in sensors (and manufacturers not so interested in making M4/3 sensors apparently) or small cameras or improved IQ..

I bet if DJI invests the M4/3 with 1 or more rumored cameras, they will put some excitement again in the market

What do you reckon?
Click to expand...


71a87a6ad24a41a5ac5811d4378f55d9.jpg

The thing that is the most interesting now. I once thought this was dead, but it’s back!!
gaul said:
Kind rgds

Gaul
Click to expand...


--
NHT
 
where does the DJI rumours come from?

I've no clue why they are investing in a dying format? (I'm a m43 users with lot of m43 gear)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Will DJI revive M4/3?
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
Jens_ac
J
I
What I want from a future m4/3 camera
2 3
Replies
56
Views
8K
ahaslett
ahaslett
V
Orkney (Scotland) with M4/3
Replies
2
Views
3K
19andrew47
19andrew47
T
A 15mm or possible 10.5 Tilt Shift Rotate for M4/3
2
Replies
34
Views
5K
Tom Caldwell
T
DavidMillier
Comparison between 44x33mm 50MP Fuji GFX and m4/3 - prints
Replies
0
Views
2K
DavidMillier
DavidMillier

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top