Panasonic Japan has announced a new Lumix DC-G100D. It’s an incremental upgrade over the Panasonic G100 (buy here), with an enhanced EVF and a USB-C socket for charging batteries inside the camera.

The press release doesn’t specifically mention the EU laws which recently forced Apple to switch its iPhones to USB-C. However, it’s likely a motivator for the change as the Panasonic G100 (buy here) doesn’t include a separate dedicated charger.

Panasonic G100D – A new EVF

The biggest difference between the G100D and the original G100 is the new electronic viewfinder (EVF). It may initially appear to be a downgrade rather than an upgrade, though, as it’s a lower-resolution display.

The G100D viewfinder contains a 2.36 million-dot OLED display. The original Panasonic G100 contains a 3.68 million-dot electronic viewfinder. The viewfinder in the G100, however, is not OLED. It’s a TFT LCD. So, it is still an upgrade.

While the new EVF might be lower resolution, the newer technology should provide benefits overall. Without looking through it and testing it, though, it’s difficult to say if the lower resolution will be noticeable enough to negate those benefits.

USB-C for charging batteries

Despite being released in 2020, the Panasonic G100 clung to the old and obsolete micro USB socket. There’s also no IBIS, but that’s a different conversation. But along with Panasonic’s shift to phase-detect autofocus, it looks like they’ve finally acknowledged USB-C is the way of the 21st century.

I’m surprised it took this long. The Panasonic GH5, released in 2017, has a USB-C socket. I’ve no idea why it took so long for it to come to the company’s lower-end and entry-level bodies. But it appears to be here now.

The press release didn’t mention the EU regulations which forced Apple to switch iPhones over to USB-C. But the Panasonic G100 didn’t come with a charger. So, short of throwing in a separate battery charger, the new G100D likely wouldn’t satisfy these regulations without switching to a USB-C socket.

It’s still USB 2.0 speeds, but it is a Type-C plug, which means it conforms.

Coming to the rest of the world

Panasonic has said that the camera will be coming to the USA and the rest of the world, although there’s no word when. According to PetaPixel, it will be a “running change” when it comes. This means that there’ll be no official launch. It will simply replace G100 models on store shelves as stocks run out.

It is expected to bear the G100D name in other parts of the world, although there’s no solid confirmation of that yet. There’s also no confirmation of price outside of Japan yet, although I would hope it would be the same as the G100, given the compromise on EVF resolution. In Japan, it’s listed for 106,920 yen, which is around $737.

The Panasonic G100 has an MSRP of $749, although it’s currently available for a massive discount. It’s selling for $497.99 at the moment as a Holiday Discount. That’s a hefty discount, though. So, the mission to deplete G100 stocks to start replacing them with G100D bodies may have already begun.