Several large retailers are listing the Canon G9 as "out of stock" and at least one prospective buyer we know has been told that the camera has been "discontinued" and is NLA (no longer available). If this is true and not just a temporary supply disruption (which, n.b., it could be), then it portends a G9 replacement at Photokina.
In other rumors, specs for two alleged Olympus M4/3 (Micro Four-Thirds) cameras have appeared on the Chasseurs d'Images forums in France.
I'm getting psyched about Photokina. Still, please take both these rumors with an appropriate chunk of salt.
_____________________
Mike (Thanks to Scott Parsons and Dwight Jones)
P.S. Photokina is the World's largest photo trade show, held every two years at Koelnmesse in Koeln or Köln (in English, Cologne), Germany. This year it takes place from September 23rd through the 28th.
Featured Comment by Gordon Buck: "Canon offers a Software Development Kit (SDK)to certified developers for their Powershot cameras, including the G series. In April, Canon notified those developers that the next SDK would be the last one. In the same notice, Canon said that new G and S models would be available in the fall. The notice is vague enough that there is some uncertainty as to whether the SDK program is ending or whether the Powershot series is coming to an end. The SDK notice, plus a notice last year about Canon's new CMOS factory for small sensors, has many people very excited about the new 'G10' which will probably be announced in a few weeks."
I too am excited about Photokina. Here's to hoping we see some interesting Micro 4/3rd's announcements. It would make an excellent second system for travel and discreet shooting.
I've also got high hopes for Profotos new giant parabolic reflectors being introduced, it'd really toot my horn if Elinchrom had something similar to show.
Dear Nikon, please show new fast primes... even if they are wooden mock-ups.
Posted by: Jammy | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 01:40 PM
"specs for two alleged Olympus M4/3 (Micro Four-Thirds)"
I hope, that my complain won't be considered as some offending criticism-without-reason, but for me "M4/3" looks more like "MEGA 4/3" (or like the description of some tank ;)). So I propose another shortcut.
The term "micro" is often described by using the greek letter "miu". When I need to write down some "micrometers" on computer in text mode I often use (due to the graphical similarity) the letter u. The micrometers in this notation is "um".
And the "micro four-thirds" would be "u4/3".
But it's just a proposition.
Best regards,
Bernard
Posted by: Bernard Piechal | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 01:45 PM
I saw some of the how-do-we-write-micro-four-thirds discussion on the other posts, but I'll second Bernard's use of "u4/3" as a good one...although I also like "m4/3" since a lot of people are likely unfamiliar with "u" meaning "micro". (However, a lot of people are familiar with "M" meaning "Mega" as in MB for Megabyte. Hence the little "m".)
Posted by: David Bostedo | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 02:25 PM
the µ symbol is made by typing option + m.
i'd rather type µ43, to minimize keystrokes. and it looks cute.
Posted by: aizan | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 02:49 PM
I abandoned film and my collection of prime Nikkors spanning 20 to 200 mm when I got a Canon 20D three years ago. If the 6D doesn't show up and Ace the D700, I may decide it is time to transfer my loyalty back to Nikon!
Posted by: Peter Vagt | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 03:05 PM
The fact that they might be running out of G9s does not necessarily mean that they have stopped making them in anticipation of a new model. Most manufacturers do a production run, and then stop, sometimes before the cameras reach store shelves.
With any luck, they sell out around the time the new model comes out. Sometimes, they sell out before the new model and there's a gap, and sometimes they have the old model left over and have to clear them out.
Posted by: Stephen S. | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 03:16 PM
"The fact that they might be running out of G9s..."
B&H has it marked as 'Discontinued' on their website.
So it's terminated.
Posted by: Luc Novovitch | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 06:44 PM
Minor correction of often-made error: 'photokina' is properly written with lower-case "p," even sentence-initial.
See, for example, third paragraph of both http://photokina.de.koelnmesse.info/diemesse/ and http://photokina.en.koelnmesse.info/thefair/.
Posted by: Howard Cornelsen | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 08:43 PM
Howard,
I know...you would not believe how much time and hot air I've wasted on that topic, with copy editors, typesetters, etc. I'm afraid I just can't bring myself to begin a sentence with a lowercase letter. A proper noun without a capital...and from the GERMANS no less, who capitalize everything. Anyway, my theory is that the proper form *mimics* an error and therefore is more disruptive to reading flow than the error is. You could argue that, but...please don't. It's my theory and I'm sticking with it. :-P
Mike J.
Posted by: Mike J. | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 09:45 PM
Woo hoo! A new camera to buy this fall! Just what I need.
Maybe I'll send my "old" G9 to Miroslav.
Posted by: Ken Tanaka | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 09:57 PM
re: Photokina. With the breakneck pace of digital SLR development it would seem prudent to hold it every 2 months! Now "new and improved" cameras are introduced, hyped, sold, discounted, discontinued and replaced betwixt this biannual show.
Posted by: john robison | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 10:01 PM
"the µ symbol is made by typing option + m"
How does one type it with Windows XP?
Posted by: michael | Saturday, 16 August 2008 at 11:14 PM
"With the breakneck pace of digital SLR development it would seem prudent to hold it every 2 months! Now "new and improved" cameras are introduced, hyped, sold, discounted, discontinued and replaced betwixt this biannual show."
Truer words....
Mike J.
Posted by: Mike J. | Sunday, 17 August 2008 at 12:23 AM
Windows XP µ
Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Character Map
This will pop up a chart showing keyboard mappings for each font and will also show the associated keystroke.
For µ you are to enter Alt+0181. To do this you need to set NUM LOCK on then hold down the ALT key while using the number pad keys to enter the character value.
It's faster to just get a Mac.
Posted by: fjf | Sunday, 17 August 2008 at 10:43 AM
The real reason for this is that Canon are going to announce the G10, with the same APS-C format sensor as in the EOS range, and a new Mini-EF lens mount. The CEO of Canon is then going to point at the Olympus stand and go "Bwa-ha-ahaaa!"
Honest, I read it on the internet, it must be true!
Posted by: Dop | Sunday, 17 August 2008 at 11:49 AM
Oh come ON! You can't just say that CDI have something new on the mFT and then NOT link to it.
That's just not fair.
I can't find anything on this, not even on the dpreview fora.
Posted by: fotomik | Sunday, 17 August 2008 at 02:07 PM
fotomik,
http://www.flickr.com/groups/micro4thirds/discuss/72157606688947180/
Consider it a rumor, and please note that I'm just passing it on, not endorsing it. It does look vaguely fake to me, like some forumer created it.
Mike J.
Posted by: Mike J. | Sunday, 17 August 2008 at 02:09 PM
About shorthands for "micro". There are standard prefixes, and the standard prefix for "micro" (ie 10^-6) is "µ" - greek lowercase mu. "m" means "milli", which is 10^-3, one thousand times larger than micro. "M" means "mega", 10^6: one thousand billion (one trillion, or one english billion, or one thousand milliard) times larger than micro.
See, for instance, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SI_prefixes#List_of_SI_prefixes
Posted by: Tim Bradshaw | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 05:50 AM
Being an engineer who uses Si prefixes, I would guess that if they actually start using the Greek letter lower-case mu, then most folks - even on the Mac! - will just use a "u." Frankly, I don't know why the SI folks, whoever they are, don't codify 'u' as an alternate.
Ironically, it is less relevant today than a few years ago. What a pain to swap the ball in the Selectric, just to type one character!
Posted by: KeithB | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 11:29 AM
It will be called a [mju]. :-)
Really, since they achieved a worldwide popularity with their mjus, it would be silly not to cash on the brand recognition. Why would they call it _micro_ 4/3 and not _mini_ 4/3 otherwise?
Damn the P&S confusion. Full speed ahead.
Posted by: erlik | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 01:26 PM
"fotomik,
http://www.flickr.com/groups/micro4thirds/discuss/72157606688947180/
Consider it a rumor, and please note that I'm just passing it on,"
Hmmmmm. If "true", interesting, bringing back the "Pen" designation. I had a used Olympus Pen F and a few lenses MANY years ago, early 1980's "gift" from a collector friend. Their first 4/3 idea in the 1960's.
Did not care for it (1/2 of a 35mm frame,IQ suffered) sales pitch was same as for 4/3 now, except sans telecentricity or whatever that is, but with twice as many shots per roll.
They were really cute:
http://www.cameraquest.com/olypenf.htm
Posted by: Jay Moynihan | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 02:19 PM
I should add, the 1963 Olympus Pen F's frame size was more like APS-digital, not 4/3 digital; 18mm x 24mm.
Posted by: Jay Moynihan | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 02:23 PM
Does anyone know what mju signifies generally, aside from a Olympus clamshell cmaera? It must mean something else - I remember coming across a Hotel mju in Asakasa many years ago.
Posted by: raincity4 | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 05:27 PM
The "Pen-D1/2" rumor has been going on since at least last June on the dpreview forum: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=28405354
The pics look a bit too fake to be true (especially the lenses), but obviously folks do want something like that.
Posted by: Cyril | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 06:51 PM
I want Olympus to bring back/improve the C series. What wonderful cameras to hold, but unfortunately slow.
Posted by: richard | Friday, 22 August 2008 at 07:57 PM