Expect Delays: Demand for the Lumix GH6 is Higher Than Anticipated

Panasonic Lumix GH6

Panasonic’s new Lumix GH6 appears to be more popular than the company anticipated as today it announced that it may take some time for everyone who pre-ordered the camera to receive it.

In a public notice on its website, Panasonic says that the camera, which is scheduled for release on March 25, has already received more pre-orders than the company expected.

“We have received reservations that greatly exceeded our expectations, so some customers who have already made reservations may not get the camera delivered on the day of the release,” the company writes, machine translated from Japanese.

“In addition, it may take some time for customers who make reservations in the future to receive the product after it is released. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to all concerned, including customers who are looking forward to the product. We will do our utmost to meet the expectations of our customers and deliver them as soon as possible. We appreciate your understanding.”

When the GH6 was announced, Panasonic said that it would be available in stores in “mid-March,” which is likely what led to dealers such as Adorama listing the expected shipping date as March 15. The note on Panasonic’s website indicates that is not correct, however, and that the camera will start shipping to customers closer to the end of the month than the middle of it: March 25.

Panasonic Lumix GH6

This is of course a situation that is not unique to Panasonic. Nikon, Canon, and Sony have all had issues with keeping the supply of products up. Nikon is months behind on pre-orders for the Z9 and Canon is up to six months behind on delivering the R3. Sony has announced multiple delayed products including cameras and several lenses.

The Highest-Resolution Micro Four Thirds Camera Ever

The Panasonic Lumix GH6 is positioned as a photography first, video second camera and is the first Micro Four Thirds camera to feature a resolution of over 20-megapixels. It features across-the-board improvements including more resolution, more video recording options, greater dynamic range, and better in-body image stabilization. What Panasonic hasn’t changed is the autofocus system, which remains contrast-based combined with the company’s Depth From Defocus (DFD) technology.

When speaking to the press ahead of the GH6’s official announcement, Panasonic said it understood that phase-based systems are more popular but that when the original development of the GH6 began, it wasn’t an industry-standard yet. It has been working primarily on increasing dynamic range capabilities at that time and not on phase detection. Panasonic was then faced with a choice: it could scrap the design it had spent a large amount of time working on or it could keep going on the current design that would focus on dynamic range instead. Obviously, the company chose the latter route.

Clearly, this has not affected demand as the $2,200 camera is going to be difficult to obtain for the foreseeable future.

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