Image: Esquisse Camera It's a cry echoed throughout comment sections and forums every time we see a new Micro Four Thirds camera: where are the truly small options? Why is no one making a camera that takes advantage of the small lenses available for the system to create a package that's truly pocketable, such as a modern successor to the Panasonic GM5 or Olympus PEN-F? These are the kinds of questions that drove C take on the task of creating the thing that so many people have been asking for.
What is the Esquisse Camera?
While nothing is set in stone yet, Esquisse Camera's website describes the vision: a camera that weighs less than 350g, features just the controls you need for photography, paired with fast autofocus, a 20MP+ Four Thirds CMOS sensor and a corner-mounted EVF. The design will call back to classic cameras of the past, and some current models, with an aluminum unibody wrapped in leather. That's all at a target price of less than $2000.
Courteault says the team has drawn inspiration from the Panasonic GM5 and Olympus PEN-F, humorously saying that there's frequent debate about which is better. "All of the team wanted to go with Micro Four Thirds for portability, almost pocketability, because the lenses are very small as well. And this is basically the only interchangeable lens platform that offers this with AF and all the modern tech. "
A drawing of what the front of the Esquisse Camera might look like.
Image: Esquisse Camera
He also says he drew inspiration from his other main camera, the Leica M11, when it came to materials and feel. "This is also something we want to achieve in a smaller body, at a different price point, of course. "
The name, Esquisse, is the French word for a sketch, outline, or preliminary drawing (Courteault says the people working on the project are split between France and China). "This is because this is our first camera. We intend to build a brand on top of it, but right now we understand that it's a rough sketch, so we use the French word for this. " He jokes that it's better to have a name, rather than just a mix of numbers and letters.
What makes it special?
Obviously, the size is a big part of the pitch, and the goal is to make it the size of a deck of cards or, as Courteault puts it, a pack of cigarettes. "We always felt there was an underserved market for this kind of street photography, travel, pocketable-ish camera," he says.
The Esquisse Camera site says the goal is to have "all essential photography functions right under your thumb," and shows a design featuring a shutter button, dials for exposure compensation and ISO, a clickable top-plate command dial and two function buttons. It also shows a touchscreen to control the autofocus point.
Another mock-up, this time showing the rear controls. The website says the tentative plan is for a 3" rear screen and a 3. 69M-dot OLED EVF.
Image: Esquisse Camera
It also mentions a dust and splash-resistant design – a common ask for highly-portable cameras – and 256GB of internal storage. As the site notes, though, all these specifications could change as the company works with manufacturers and continues development.
Of course, with something this ambitious and small, there will be trade-offs. Courteault is up front in saying that the camera won't shoot video. "We designed not to incorporate video, both for ergonomic reasons. . . we feel video is completely different and photography is very specific, and we really want to provide a photographic experience. " He also cites concerns around the amount of heat video would generate in such a small body.
Building in public
The core team at Esquisse is four people, though there are others with varying levels of involvement. "At the core, we're amateur photographers," Courteault says. "We teamed up with people who have experience in consumer electronics and industrial design, and everything we need to make this camera. " Courteault himself comes from the software side.
"We want to see the market feedback before we actually fundraise"
He says the team is currently a group of enthusiasts spending their own money to make the camera that they'd like to use, and that they're still considering how the business will actually run. But a primary focus is making sure potential buyers are included in the process. "In all transparency, we want to see the market feedback before we actually fundraise and incorporate and invest more in this. "
Esquisse is hoping to get feedback from the people who sign up to its email list. "We want to be transparent about this, we'll update them with design decisions that we have to make, compromises we have to make, because there will be trade-offs. "
"We're really doing this because we are frustrated. We want this camera for ourselves. "
When I asked if he was worried about larger companies taking advantage of the transparency to beat them to release, he laughed. "Honestly, if bigger companies want to do this. . . I'd be a customer, so what can I say?" He thinks Esquisse can make different choices than a large company would, but says, "If they want to get in there, I would do something else and buy the camera and would be happy about it. We're really doing this because we are frustrated. We want this camera for ourselves. "
The long road ahead
Courteault admits that it's very early in the process of announcing this kind of project and that there are many steps still to go. The site lists a goal of launching the camera in Q4 2026, which is relatively soon in the world of product development.
We asked where the project was in terms of manufacturing, and he says that the team was "considering several options" when it comes to actually getting it made. "There are things for which we're pretty much set, and things that are still being discussed. "
"We don't think customers should be the investors of a company, it's two different jobs"
"We are still open to new companies," he says. "The real challenge is to get the electronics small enough so that it can fit in this very small body. " He also says they were discussing pricing with companies, but that he could only go into so much detail since talks were still in progress.
When it comes to getting funding, Courteault says they'll consider fundraising from investors later in the process, but that they don't plan on taking money from customers until there's a working production unit. "We don't think customers should be the investors of a company, it's two different jobs. Investors who are funding this kind of project know the risks and how difficult it is; customers are just buying products, so we shouldn't mix the two. "
He did say they'd consider taking pre-orders to get a sense for how many cameras they'll need to make and to ensure they have the money to get them made.
Our take
When we asked Courteault what he's most excited about with the Esquisse Camera, he says it's the form factor. "For anyone who's been using a GM5 or a Sony RX100, this is going to be closer to that than to the other mirrorless cameras. " He admits there are a few size compromises to include the EVF. The plan is to make it around a centimeter taller than the GM5, but the goal is still to have a camera that you can carry with you at all times.
I have to agree. I'm on the record saying that I want to see more innovation and variety in the Micro Four Thirds system, and it seems like many people out there agree. However, whether there will be enough to make this project a success could be another story.
The jump between having a finished design and getting products into people's hands is a big one
While Courteault seems confident that the team can deliver the camera through a combination of small production runs and efficient manufacturing and development, it's also a notoriously complex industry. This isn't the first project I've covered promising to fill a much-beloved niche, and not all of them have worked out. The jump between having a finished design (or even a production sample) and actually getting products into people's hands is a big one.
Still, I'll be following this project with interest, especially as it moves into the engineering and manufacturing stage. I want to believe that, some day, you'll get to read our review of the Esquisse Camera.
. dpreview.com2025-9-26 18:00
