Building on the success of its full frame S5 II's Phase Detecting Auto Focus (PDAF) system, Panasonic has signaled it will begin installing the same system in its future MFT cameras as well. An article in Photo Rumors quotes an interview PhotoTrend held with Yosuke Yamane, director of Panasonic's Imaging Business division, who was quite emphatic on this point.
"We will consider adding phase detection AF to our cameras depending on the model characteristics, not only for full-frame cameras, but also for Micro Four Thirds. And on this last point, I invite you to stay tuned for our next announcements."
The main advantage of PDAF, in which the camera creates two copies of an image and then adjusts the lens elements until the two images merge, i.e., are in phase, is speed. While this is not so important to photographers such as myself who shoot mainly stationary subjects, it is of great use to those who shoot moving subjects, in sports photography for example. While I myself have never had any great problem with my Lumix G9's focusing ability, it has in the past received a large number of complaints from other photographers for its lack of speed, and this has proven a great disadvantage to Panasonic in maintaining an edge over its competitors. Correcting this flaw is obviously of extreme importance to Panasonic in its future marketing of MFT cameras.
The other point to be taken away from Mr. Yamane's interview is that if Panasonic is willing to go to all the trouble of introducing a new focusing system in its MFT cameras then it is not likely to abandon that format anytime soon, an important point at a time when the industry as a whole appears to be moving away from MFT as witnessed by Sigma's recent decision to stop developing MFT lenses due to decreasing demand.
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