'Mark II'

I mentioned in the last post that very high up on my camera wish-list would be for Panasonic to remain open to the idea of a possible "GX8 Mark II" some day. They appear to have developed their Dual I.S. a little further since the GX8 came out, and it's accepted that subsequent if lesser models had improved shutters that banished the specter of the dreaded shutter-shock. I think it's a great camera design, a "sleeper" that might not have set any sales records but that is better than its reputation, and a useful tool for photographers who are actually trying to accomplish something. It's a perfect design to carry into the future in thoughtfully refined iterations, and that doesn't deserve to be a "one and done."

But speaking of that, here's a related camera geek question: if you could wish for a "Mark II" version of any camera, what would it be? That is, what camera from the past would you most like a modern up-to-the-minute update/refresh for?

A couple of fer-instances:

"Epson R-D1 Mark II"

"Panasonic GF1 Mark II"

Both of those make a lot of sense from my perspective. I could name a few more, but I'd rather hear your ideas.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2018 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

B&H Photo • Amazon US • Amazon UK
Amazon Germany • Amazon Canada • Adorama

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

DavidB: "Nikon D700 Mark II. All the features of the D700 with a modern sensor and autofocus system. The D750 is not it. Nor are the D800/D810/D850."

MikeR: "I'd go for a Mark II of the GF1. A solid brick of a camera. Mine is now sporting a (little used) IR conversion."

Mattias: "Easy. I'd buy a Pentax K-01 Mark II in a heartbeat if updated with better AF, an EVF and a tiltable LCD. The original is much better than its rep with the K-5 sensor and a Leica-simple interface and I quite like their shot at creating a stand-out design."

Neven Falica: "Oh yes, GF1 Mark II would be great! With IBIS, 20 MP sensor, latest-gen rear screen and electronics. Also, Panasonic 20mm ƒ/1.7 Mk III lens would be great, too—this time with reworked AF."

Mike replies: I'd buy that lens too. No clue why they didn't improve the slow AF with v.2—someone wasn't thinking.

Dave Levingston: "Amen to the GX8 Mark II. I have two of the 'Mark I' because it is just the best camera I've ever owned in 50 years of doing photography, film or digital. It's damn near perfect. I'd get in line for a Mark II."

Andrew: "Definitely a GX8 Mark II. It would have been so, so easy, too. Just start with the existing GX8, and then...

1. Update the IBIS (same as G85).
2. Upgrade the shutter (same as G85).
3. Allow the Exposure Compensation dial to work with Auto ISO in Manual Mode (same as G9).
4. Remove the AA filter on the sensor (same as G9).
5. Move the front function button (duh).
6. Reshape the grip every so slightly (GX7 was comfier, despite being smaller).
7. Let the engineering and design team take the rest of the year off.
8. Profit."

Kenneth Tanaka: "Honestly, I want for no 'Mark II' of any camera. I have much more capability than I'll probably ever be able to use. But I could use a Ken Mark II, please. I have quite a list of upgrades I’d like to see in the new model."

Jon Schick: "Olympus E-1 II. Best handling DSLR I ever owned and much nicer than the ridiculously huge E-3/5 that followed. Newer sensor (same colours) with better AF and a larger LCD would have been a great way to keep using those lovely Zuiko lenses." 

Dave Karp: "I want a Pentax MX Mark II. It has been a long time, so it will have to be digital. And how about making it mirrorless to keep that small form factor? And a sensor small enough to keep the lenses small too, but big enough to make a decent size print. And no video. Just stills. With plenty of manual controls. A tilting rear screen would be nice—no swing out type, just tilt up or down would be fine, thank you. One more thing: A switch to flip it to black-and-white-only mode. That's what I want."

Mike replies: How is that not an X-T100? It even has monochrome modes in its film simulations....

Comments

[MikeR]

I'd go for a Mark II of the GF1. A solid brick of a camera. Mine is now sporting a (little used) IR conversion.

Btw, Mike, you've been posting a lot of stuff recently. When are you making time for working on your book?

[Speed]

Canon 5d MkII.

Oh. Nevermind.

[JG]

I want to nominate the Contax 645, but can't think of how it might be improved. (shrugs)

[Joe in L.A.]

I have always been intrigued by the design and flexibility of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 (and its Leica D-Lux 109 twin) as a good walk-around camera, but it seemed to have become dated rather quickly. I have kept my eye out for its sequel, but it has never been released.

[mike]

Wouldn't the updated GF1 be the new GX850?

[Ben]

I love the GX8. Even more than I disliked the OMD EM-1. I’ve been very happy with it for a year now... very useable for a wide range of things.

[Peter Wright]

A GF1 MkII (with of course a built in viewfinder) would be irresistible to me. But how about an up to date digital version (holding as true as possible to the original gestalt) of the Nikon SF?

[Duncan]

Panasonic GM5 MkII.

[John Krumm]

Just because I really liked my Olympus DSLR lenses, and they work best without adapters on dslr bodies, I would have liked an Olympus 620 Mark ll with the more modern 16 mp sensor in it.

My Pentax K1 upgrade offer to Mark ll is becoming less tempting the more reviews I read. I'll probably stick to my K1 classic and save the $550 for a lens. And speaking of lenses, that's what I need, some good Mark ll Pentax lenses. I'm sure vast amounts of R&D money is being spent in the Pentax labs right now....

[Daniel Evan Rodriguez]

An updated Leica Digital-Module-R for the R8/R9 with a full frame sensor. Though it probably would have been exceptionally expensive, even for a Leica, I wish they made this back in 2009 with the M9 sensor to close the book on the R series instead of unceremoniously discontinuing everything. This is pure speculation, but I always thought the M9 sensor - as "quirky" as it was - would have done something truly special with certain R lenses.

[Lee Rust]

R-D1 Mark II for me. Full frame. 12-18 mp would be plenty. Better batteries please. Leave the winder, folding screen, analog dials and everything else pretty much the way they are.

[Stephen Cysewski]

The Panasonic GX9 is close to a GF1 in size and function. The viewfinder sucks but the camera is awesome. I had two GX8 cameras and the shutter sound was just ugly! I cringed every time I used the camera. The Silent mode was fine, but I did lose many photographs because of the response to different lighting.

[DavidB]

Nikon D700 MarkII. All the features of the D700 with a modern sensor and autofocus system.

The D750 is not it. Nor are the D800/D810/D850.

[db]

Ricoh GR Mark III

[Jim Hamstra]

Nikonos V Mark II. Make the Nikonos digital using the same body and exterior controls. They can put ISO and other controls inside the waterproof case and we "don't need no stinking monitor screen" on the back. We got by fine with no screen on our film cameras.

Cheers, Jim

[Thomas A. Bethune]

Sony R2

[Thomas Passin]

An updated Minolta A2 with a modern sensor and EVF. I'd snap one up in a second. Even though the original was small (and light), it worked well with my hands. My Sony RXII is nice enough, but it's larger and heavier... I still miss the A2.

[Eolake]

The GF1 is a good example.

[David O'Bryan]

Another vote for a Pentax K-01 II. It needs better autofocus and a tilt screen. An EVF would be nice as well but I would buy one either way.

[Paul]

Epson R-D1 Mark II please. BTW isn't the Panasonic GX85 the GF1 Mark II?

[John Wilson]

Waiting for the Nikon D5s, so I can buy the D5 at a lower price! Love my 850.

[Rick in CO]

I second the Lumix LX100, either Panasonic or Leica, with a 16-20 Mp sensor, updated EVF, No anti-alisasing filter, weatherproofed, and with the non-interchangeable Leica lens. Would be a great travel camera!

[Tim Bradshaw]

Ricoh GXR II. This would be the same size as the GXR, but have an M mount option with a full-frame sensor and a modern EVF built in rather than the bolt-on one the original had. I don't actually care if it has the whole lensor thing, but in either case it should have their 50mm-equivalent lens as an option, and it should not be bigger than the current one.

[Anders Holt]

A GF1 MkII could have been nice, but with a good viewfinder and IBIS. It was my first M43 camera, and replaced a Canon G1 with mark I of the 20mm. Fond memories and unclear images of our first daughter because of the slow autofocus...

But even better would a Pen F mark ii be - which I now use the most with the whole shebang of Olympus premium - small - lenses. It is always in my officebag together with the 12,17 and 45 mm. Yes Olympus, a mark ii of the Pen F, please.

Anders

[Bill Pearce]

A Sony RX-1 ii. Same form, same lens, same relatively easy to understand menu, with a better sensor (not more megapixels, just a bit more sensitive and perhaps a bit crisper) with faster processing. And of course, a state of the art display without the lag of the original. It's likely that most needed improvements could be made using the same frame/casting.

[Leo Kawczinski]

I don't have a recommendation, but I do always seem to be a customer. The four cameras I've owned (not counting a point-and-shoot I bought to get my feet wet in digital) are all evolutionary models: Canon AE-1P; Fuji GA645i; Nikon D70s; Fuji X100T.

[Doug Thacker]

My vote is definitely for the R-D1 Mk II. I'd keep everything exactly as it is (including and especially the APS-C sensor size because the camera is already the ideal size for me).

Give it the ISO-invariant 24 MP sensor from the Nikon D7200, and boost the rear LCD to 1.44M dots. Make sure the shutter button action is crisp and definitive, like breaking glass, with lag measured in only a few milliseconds. Brightlines should be optical, not electronic.

Leica fans might not like this idea, but give it the M mount, and then price the thing at something south of $3000.

Voila: the ideal camera. They could call it the R-D1 Mk II Orgasmatron.

[It already had a Leica M mount.... —Ed.]

[Trevor Johnson]

We always assume that the Mark II version, (of anything), will be better than the Mark I. But, in reality, we hope in vain.

[Christopher May]

There are two that I keep hoping for a follow-up to. The Nikon Coolpix A and the Panasonic LX100.

I rented a Nikon Coolpix A to take with me to Africa. It was something that I could keep in a cargo pants pocket and use for a wide angle when I didn't want to switch lenses in dusty conditions on either of my DSLR bodies (which were equipped with 80-200mm and 200-500mm zooms most of the time). It was also something that I could carry around easily to camp dinners and other events that didn't demand the full DSLR setup. It succeeded spectacularly at both roles and I was mesmerized by the quality of the images when I got back home. The only wish I have for the camera is an EVF, even if it's a small one. If Nikon made a Coolpix A Mk II with that, I'd be first in line for pre-order.

In a similar but different vein, I'd like to see a follow-up to the Panasonic LX100. Whereas the Coolpix A was pocket rocket with truly stunning image quality in a tiny package, the LX100 made a few more compromises to be kind of a carry everywhere, do everything camera. It's a little larger that the Coolpix A with a slightly smaller sensor and the zoom isn't as good as the dedicated prime on the Nikon. As a carry everywhere kind of camera, though, it was fairly desireable. If Panasonic updated it with the 20Mp sensor, I'd certainly be intrigued to try it out.

[David Cope]

Olympus E1 MkII. Ideally 20MP Kodak CCD sensor (hypothetical of course). Also E1M mono version.

[Urs Willi]

A Leica/Panasonic Digilux 2 II would be great. They could leave the lens and interface unchanged, just a modern EVF and a decent processor would be fine.

[Urs Willi]

And modern sensor of course.

[Doug. Thacker]

Mike, I guess I should have said give it the M mount it had previously. In its first incarnation it seemed to have been devised as an impetus to Leica, and was certainly no threat to them. The beast I describe, however, at that price and with those specs, would certainly be a threat. But the M mount is the logical one for a viable, alternative rangefinder, and maybe Leica could benefit by some threat. That"s why I felt the need to specify the M mount for this imaginary update.

[Rob Spring]

I agree with Andrew on his recommended improvements to the GX8. I was ready for the GX9 to be this camera, only to be disappointed.

[Peter Ziegler]

I'd like to add a vote for the Panasonic LX100. 20-ish megapixels would be great, but I'd most like to see a slightly longer reach, equivalent to the 24-105mm lens currently glued (it seems) to my Sony.

[Andre]

To be fair, Epson did produce a subtly updated RD1s. But yes, it would be nice to have a modern Epson RD1.

I'd love a Ricoh GR III with the newer 24mp sensor, a 40mm-e lens, and weather proofing.

[Peter Smith]

This took me a nano second to consider. I want an updated and refined Pentax K 01. 90% of that first effort was very very good. But the timing was bad and the other 10% was either just too different or too weird. But it was a damn good camera in many ways and I still use it.

[Erik Petersson]

Voigtländer E-messer. I love the 6x9 format in a camera not larger than a SLR. But I would hardly be able to afford a medium format digital sensor... so make it analog! Stabilization and better viewfinder and focus aid is all I need.

Did I understand you correctly that you will finance and manufacture the winning submission, Mike? My English is not so good. ;)

[Stephen Scharf]

I'm with Kenneth Tanaka on this one.

[Abbazz]

A Panasonic GM5 MkII, pretty please...

[Willem]

One more vote for a Digilux 2 Mark 2. That camera has such a great lens.

[Rob L.]

The X-T2 was a pretty great MkII of the X-T1; only thing missing is IBIS and the X-H1 is big enough I'm not sure i'd have liked that.

I'll echo a Mk II of the Coolpix A - mine has long been IR converted, and is quite effective in that role, but a Mk II with the 7200 sensor, improved AF, and CLS integration would be a great travel camera.

A digital Nikonos or Contax G would have been nice, but the ship has sailed on those critters...

[Tsukasa]

Olympus Pen F. No, not the digital one.

It'd have to actually be Fuji that made it though, because micro 4/3 lenses wouldn't cover half frame film and APS-C lenses would be perfect. Imagine a half frame film camera that could take all the Fuji digital lenses. If the right designer at Fuji could stay in charge they might even be able to make it without a dozen redundant and confusing modes/buttons/etc.

However Fujifilm seem to be positively scrambling to erase "film" from their name, right as it's seeing a comeback, so that's probably* a lost cause.

*certainly

[Dave in NM]

A Nikon F2A with the sensor from a D850. No LCD, no EVF, no auto anything; just a sensor and a USB3 port.

[Greg]

Agree a Nikon D700 Mark II. In the early 1990s, my first digital camera was a Kodak DCS 200. Since then have owned and used professionally dozens of different digital cameras. Just got a Nikon D850 and love it, but if I could only have its sensor in a D700 body... call it a Mark II or whatever but it would probably be the last DSLR I would ever buy. My D700 was one of the first bodies out there (thanks to NPS). Still have it but had it converted to shoot IR.

[hugh crawford]

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-R2

@Thomas A. Bethune
Yes the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-R1 would be pretty nice with a refresh. I still think it is awfully good for outdoor flash use.

[raizans]

Thinking of all these camera designs that were abandoned is a little sad.

Olympus E-1
Sony F828
Sony R1
Sony NEX-7
Nikon V1 (no autoreview and better controls)
Ricoh GXR (only needs an EVF)
Ricoh GX-200
Ricoh RDC-7
Fuji X30 (1” sensor)

[Ernie Van Veen]

That's an interesting question, and it made me realise that I never think along those lines. I never buy a camera and then wish it had this dongle or that feature. I just never think about it. When I buy a camera I just use it without prejudice... until I see an ad or spec for a camera that entices me into upgrading or changing.

It's not that I hang on to my gear for decades without change, it's just that I never wish for more in what I already have.

That's not to say that I don't lust after gear, but it's kind of like being happy eating cereal until I can smell the steaks on the BBQ next door. But once I smell those steaks...

Don't me me wrong, I have GAS as bad as anyone else - I would dearly love the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM to stick on to my 5DIII, and since it was released I have lusted for the 5DsR, but I never once thought "I wish my 5DIII had twice the megapixels".

I don't know what this says about me as a photographer. Maybe I don't look too closely at my own work and so don't wish for equipment that would help with my 'problems' (I know I have problems, I just don't know what they are!). I should add that this doesn't apply only to photography; I have the same attitude to guitars and amps and microphones and cars and motorcycles (all of which I have owned more than my fair share). Once I have the object of my dreams I never wish it offered more than it's original promise... until someone else dreams up something better.

[Steve Jacob]

FujiFilm Xpro2... Oh, hang on...

[Allan Ostling]

I didn't know it until today, but I have been waiting for the Mk VI of the Sony RX100. I intend to be the first pre-order, using your link to B&H.

[Bear.]

A FF digital x-pan, please. With an OVF and rangefinder, and 3 or for primes, please...

[HBernstein]

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1.

A pure photographic tool with a great lens whose lineage shouldn't have been abandoned.

[Terry Burnes]

I'm not sure Mark II is good enough, what with the RX100 Mk VI out now and every new one seemingly better than the last. Imagine my cherished Nikkormat as a Mark VI digital camera.

[Craig C. - Minneapolis, MN]

I'm with Thomas Passin - an updated Konica-Minolta Dimage A2 with the same body and handling, but a new 1" Sony sensor and an updated EVF and rear LCD screen.

I never had a camera before or after that felt as good in my hands, nor handled more naturally than my Dimage A2 - when I look back at old images, some of the best ones I ever took were made with the A2.

[James Bullard]

I second Andrew's suggestions for a Mark II of the GX8.

[Mani Sitaraman]

I wish the Mark II version of any camera that I wish would have a Mark II version, would be significantly smaller than the Mark I version.

Today's digital cameras are disproportionaly big relative to sensor size. And their lenses are too big, too, for the coverage they provide. I look at old film cameras (full-frame, in today's terminology) such as the Minox 35, Rollei 35 or Olympus XA and wonder why digital cameras are so much bigger.

[Joe Dasbach]

Mark 2’s for pentax k-01 and Ricoh GR.
K-01 viewfinder and/or tilt screen.
Ricoh viewfinder and/or IBIS.
And how about a Mark 2 for the Sony 828.

[Ernie Van Veen]

Hmm... After writing my previous comment, I discover this: Sony RX100VI. As an owner of the RX100II I have never thought "I wish my camera had...", but now that I see the specs for the new camera, I want one. Badly want one. Why? Because I left the old one out in the rain and it's ruined. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

[p@l]

One more vote for Nikon Coolpix A MkII.

This was my "one camera, one lens" for close to a year and I have bonded with that little guy quite a bit, but if I am not mistaken Nikon choose their very oldest and slowest EXPEED processor to go with original and unfortunately it shows. AF acquire speed is marginal and MF completely useless, but small form factor matched with rather good sensor and lens are hard to fault. One unexpected problem experienced is "dust on the sensor" ... somehow it penetrates inside the camera and I have had it cleaned once due to nasty dust spots showing all over.
Still hoping that Nikon will release something similar ... maybe even as their next mirrorless model.

[YB Hudson III]

Leica M5 m@rK II with removable digital monochrome back to focus my back ordered 75/1.2...

YB Hudson III

[subroto mukerji]

Olympus Penlite Epl5 upgraded with 20 megapixel SONY sensor, a nice big tilting OLED EVF, 920 dot OLED LCD screen with anti-reflective, scuff resistant coating, electronic 2-way level gauge, touch pad functionality, deeper grip, pop-up tiltable flash (a la Panasonic GX1), more efficient(500-shot) battery, better (custom) bounced flash white balance capture capability(a la Panasonic G series cameras), and some degree of dust/splash resistance. But only minimal (5%) increase in size.
Subsequent iterations of the Epl5 were, in my opinion, utter BS. I would consider this upgrade to be my perfect camera, a chimerical beast to be sure (sigh).
I guess the Panasonic Lumix GX85 comes fairly close to this list...but not close enough to make me switch. With all its shortcomings, my GX1 is so good in almost all respects that my GAS attacks only come at sporadic intervals...as now. Thank you very much, Ed. I'm off for a stiff dose of ENO's fruit salts.

[Barry Reid]

Not much bothered about digital cameras. Most 'improvements' since and including AF have added complexity and increase the chances of the camera getting in the way.

[Andrew]

If there had been a Sony A700 mk II (modern sensor, better peripheral autofocus points, that's about it!) I wouldn't have bitten the bullet and bought a Canon earlier this year.

[scott kirkpatrick]

I'm surprised to see that no one so far has called out for a X1D Mark ii. It's starting to have access to some credible lenses but the electronics is way slower than its immediate competitors. And "little" thing apparently is good in hand and natural in its operation. I don't know, as I have never held one. I suspect that three purchasers of X1Ds and the 10 Ming Thein readers who might have suggested this are scared away by the derision and accusation of being Veblen purchasers that they would meet.

[James]

Sign me up for the GX8 Mark II. And I'll also take a Fuji X100 Mark II (with a Bayer sensor) please.

[Richard Alan Fox]

My son is the mark 2 of me, much improved.

[Nate]

I'd really go for a Nikon FM3a/F3 MkII hybrid, digital or film. The FM size with the F3's viewfinder. None of todays normal cameras are really made for people with glasses. The F3 was the last one with a 23mm eyepoint which was perfect.

[Steve Higgins]

Yet another vote for a K-01 ii. Not fussed about the LCD, but the EVF is non-negotiable!

Not that it will ever happen - Ricoh's business plan seems to be it's the DSLR way or no way...

[Clayton]

Ken T has the right idea. Longer "lens" and more battery life for Mark II me, please.

[Renaud]

The GF1 MarkII was released long ago, it was called GX1 which is why you may have missed. My personal wish would be for a Coolpix 900/4500 MarkII. Loved the folding shape, built as a brick and nowadays it could probaly house a 1" sensor with a reasonable zoom. Sadly this family was abandoned long ago.

[Hi Renaud, I owned a GX1, and it was by no means a "GF1 Mark II"--it might have been roughly a successor in the model lineup at the time, but it was a completely different camera. --Mike]

[John]

I wasn't going to participate but I'm going to cast another vote for a GM5 II. Tilting LCD, weather-sealed, better UI ... but no larger :)

[Moose]

"A Panasonic GM5 MkII, pretty please..."

Do I hear a call for a vote on Abbazz' motion?

Actually, sitting here, holding one, I'm trying to think what they could add that wouldn't screw it up. Well, the 20 MP sensor would be fine, and maybe a higher rez EVF. Most important is no increase in size.

Unfortunately, John, I've yet to see addition of a tilting EVF without an increase in thickness and weight. If possible, it would be good.

I guess all I really want is for the GM series to go on. At a time when even cameras with the small µ4/3 sensor seem disproportionately large, such a small, elegant and capable camera is a treat to carry and use.

[Moose]

"Subsequent iterations of the Epl5 were, in my opinion, utter BS."

E-PL6 = Auto switching with VF-4.

E-PL7 = 3 axis IBIS that does work better.

BS thereafter.

[Dave Karp]

Mike, I read your reply to my post and took a look. You might be right!

[IanC]

Great question.
I'd like a digital version of the Rollei 35 with the 40mm Sonnar....
And failing that, a Mark II version of the superlative Sigma DP2 Merrill. All I'm asking for is that the same sensor and lens are built into a body that is copied from the Epson RD1...
More realistically - a Sigma DP2 Quattro mark II, with a built-in EVF...

None of this is going to happen, is it?

[scott kirkpatrick]

Leica's currently got an anouncement of something with the L-lens mount scheduled for June 14. It was leaked by the firm's owner himself in a LL interview last year that finally aired a month or so ago. It could involve an SL mark ii (more elegant looking!) or a CL mark ii (full frame!)
but neither seems in need of a refresh. They are both quite young in Leica years. My theory is an SL variant with enhanced video or perhaps IS and a more elegant design fitting into the market position that the Sony S series fills.

[Jens]

I wish for a Sony A7 (Mk 1) Mk2. The smaller size of the first edition Sony A7 makes more sense to me. There is a grip for it as well if you prefer a bigger camera.