Sharp joins micro 4/3

Johnmcl7

Intriguing move after the focus on FF mirrorless recently:

Sharp announces it's officially joining Micro Four Thirds system

AMc

Should be interesting - I see they have a prototype 8K video camera.   
I wonder if that will be their interest like BlackMagic?

12harry

Can't say I'm aware of any Sharp-brand camcorders in the UK - this ann. possibly suggest professional users with 8K being the next Big thing in the States / China /Japan.
Sharp is a long-established brand with much experience in new-technology.... but I guess they weren't getting enough sales in the UK to keep up the momentum.  The likes of Canon, Panasonic and Sony appear to be doing OK; although with folks using "phones for photos and social media movies . . . I guess the prospects for expensive camera/camcorders  is in decline.

8K (and 16K to follow?), puts a strain on sensors, esp. as 4/3 is a bit smaller than APSC. For a similar sensor technology, more pixels means more-noise for a given light-level, at the sensor. Where 4/3 scores, IMHO,  is that many manufacturers offer lenses - so it should be easy enough to find the one best suited... the downside of this is that each Mfr sells fewer lenses within a declining Market.
Oh Well.

Cheers.

Bl4ckGryph0n

I was recently in Korea for business, 8K is just absolutely everywhere when you go in the shops. And sales seem to be going well with several people buying whilst I was just browsing.

snerkler

TBH there's not a 'huge' difference in IQ going from Full HD to UHD/4k IMO so I'd imagine there's even less going from 4K to 8K, I can't help think that it's more of a marketing ploy and "what can we do to get more sales" ploy than anything else.

Snake79

8k for the home is a long way off in my opinion. There may be a few cameras and tvs that are capable of 8k resolution but like any tech it takes time to mature and for standards to be agreed before it can really take off.

Remember the early days of HD when tvs were 720p and 'HD ready' that had component input before HDMI became the standard. Those early HD sets were soon obsolete as the format matured.

I have a 4K tv but most people I know are still using HD tvs with a DVD player. They can't understand why I buy blu-rays when they are content with DVDs and streaming services.

Most 4K blu-rays use a 2K DI anyway and the whole post production process would greatly increase in time and expense for the studios.

To really appreciate 8K you would need very large screens of 80" and above which most people will not have the room or the budget for. Anything less that then 4K would be more than adequate.

You also have to consider how 8K can be delivered. That's a hell of a lot of data and with physical media on the decline, the internet could be the only way to get access. Most people do not have speeds of 200MB  that may be required for a steady stream.

I think 8K needs 3-5 years before an assessment can be made for consumer use. It will likely only be used commercially for special events.

Johnmcl7

I don't think it's a marketing ploy and this is definitely not a consumer device either, bear in mind it's been a few years now since Red came out with their 8K cameras and there's even some Youtube channels using them.  It's clearly still a small market but one with potential so going for micro 4/3 makes sense even though it's clearly a very different use to Panasonic and Olympus as it means Sharp have a good amount of work done for them already and a range of available lenses.

snerkler

Marketing ploy may have been slightly worded wrongly, but I can’t help think it’s a bit like cameras with the push to high MP cameras, there has to be a cut off somewhere where enough’s enough? If manufacturers can’t push bigger numbers what else can they do to offer an ‘upgrade’? I’d rather see a bigger push to develop better motion handling and stuff like that

Johnmcl7

Well you do use a D850

Perhaps there is a point where enough is enough but looking at the market, there's a clear demand for video products beyond 4K and it a market where cameras are getting increasingly closely matched to either it's a selling point for their camera.  Most other features now would likely be handled better on a rival camera that's had much more time to reach maturity.

AMc

My guess is a competitor to the Black Magic Pocket Cinema rather than the Olympus or Panasonic lines.
If you look at some of the very high end m43 lenses there’s clearly a market for very high end video in this format.
Hope the link works.
Micro Four Thirds | Camera Lenses | Wex Photo Video
Nope sort by price descending but be sure you’re sitting down