Panasonic’s New Lumix G100D Camera Upgrades the EVF and Adds USB-C
Panasonic Japan announced a minor hardware upgrade to the Lumix G100 Micro Four Thirds vlogging camera, adding a USB Type-C port and changing the camera’s electronic viewfinder.
After seeing reports of the Lumix G100D on AsobiNet and 43 Rumors, PetaPixel spoke with Panasonic representatives in the United States and can confirm that the U.S. market will also receive the new model, which is called the Lumix G100D in Japan. The “D” suffix is expected to carry into the U.S. and the camera is likely to be released in other international markets, too.
The Lumix G100D will be released at an undisclosed time stateside, though, through what is called a “running change,” which essentially means that as stock depletes for the original G100, it will be replaced by the new inventory of the G100D, or whatever the final product name is in a given market. Since the new model has different hardware, it will need a unique SKU and be easily identifiable to consumers.
The process is similar to what Sony did with the a7R IVa, which was largely the same camera but had a few minor upgrades. The Pentax KF is another good example, as that was simply a slightly upgraded K-70.
Concerning the hardware tweaks, there are two noteworthy changes to the G100D. The G100, announced in 2020, has an LCD viewfinder with approximately 3.68 million dots and 0.73x magnification (in 35mm equivalent terms). The Lumix G100D ditches LCD technology for a new OLED panel. While the OLED EVF has fewer dots, 2.36M of them, it slightly increases the magnification to 0.74x.
All else equal, OLED is generally considered to be superior to LCD technology, so this is likely a net improvement despite the reduced pixel count. It’s unclear if the reduced resolution will be noticeable with such a small panel, but it is often the case that OLED panels deliver a better combination of accurate color and contrast. Panasonic has not disclosed whether the new panel has increased brightness or has a different refresh rate.
As many customers now use USB-C across many electronics, and the European Union is nearing the point when it will require many products, including cameras, to sport USB-C ports, which will have implications for older cameras still on the market, Panasonic has moved to switch out the G100’s USB 2.0 Micro-B port for a USB-C Type 2.0 port. The port still abides by USB 2.0 standards, so the only real change here should relate to the port itself rather than its performance.
Panasonic cannot comment on whether there will be any price change for the Lumix DC-G100D model in the United States, although the current camera, which ships in a kit alongside a G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH lens, is on sale for $498, down from its MSRP of $748.
