Panasonic ousts four new Lumix point-and-shoot cameras: two compact superzooms and two rugged

News

  • January 31, 2012 at 4:24 am

0

Panasonic ZS20 superzoom point-and-shoot camera - top

Panasonic has just announced four new Lumix point-and-shoot cameras, which, combined with a bunch of lower-specced compacts announced at CES, it has now completely blanketed the market.

The new flagship point-and-shoot camera is the Lumix DMC-ZS20, with a 20x (24-480mm) zoom and at just 1.11-inches (28.2cm) thick, Panasonic is calling it the world’s slimmest 20x zoom camera. The camera has a 14.1-megapixel sensor and is capable of shooting 1080/60p video. You will also be able to take advantage of its geotagging abilities with the included GPS.
continue reading

Panasonic GX1 Micro Four Thirds camera and 100-300mm lens getting firmware updates for improved performance

News

  • January 19, 2012 at 6:32 pm

0

Panasonic Lumix GX1 MFT camera black and silver side-by-side

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 will soon be getting a firmware update that is said to improve the camera’s functionality. The GX1 is Panasonic new flagship compact Micro Four Thirds (MFT) digital camera and the proud successor of the venerable GF1.

As a reminder, the Panasonic GX1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) has a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor, similar to the one in the Panasonic G3 and a 3-inch 460k dot touchscreen LCD with touch-focus. The GX1 uses contrast autofocus, claiming to be as fast as 0.09 seconds. It’s all nicely contained in a compact aluminium body. You might want to check out our comparison of the GX1 against other flagship compact MILCs.
continue reading

Panasonic GH3 (GH2 successor) could be announced at CES in January 2012

News

  • January 1, 2012 at 6:48 am

1

Panasonic GH3 rumor

We have to foreword our report by saying that it’s mere speculation based on information we’ve received. What we’ve been hearing from a couple of European retail sources, is that the current Panasonic GH2 has come to an end-of-life (EOL) and brick-and-mortar stock has dried up in anticipation of a successor.

The Panasonic GH2 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) was announced in September 2010 at Photokina in Germany. It’s Panasonic’s higher-end MFT shooter with a 16.05-megapixel sensor, built-in EVF, advanced manual controls, articulated touchscreen and amazing video capabilities. In fact it has become an incredible creative tool for aspiring videographers. We’ve covered how the GH2 has been hacked into recording video at an insane 176Mbps and 12,800 ISO.

Though there were hopes for one, there was no successor to the GH2 in 2011; Panasonic debunked any rumors in September. However, the company also indicated, through the mouth of Ichiro Kitao, the head of Panasonic’s camera division, that the GH line had become their flagship and that they would certainly be looking for a 2012 refresh.
continue reading

Panasonic to enter the world smartphone market with an ultra-thin 4.3-inch OLED Android device in 2012

News

  • December 11, 2011 at 5:39 pm

1

Panasonic Android 4.3-inch OLED Android prototype back

South Korean and Taiwanese companies have been making it big in the world of smartphones. At the same time Japanese consumer electronic giants only have a presence in their home country. I’ve been meaning to write a post about this for some time, and it would have gone something like this. Japanese companies like Panasonic and Sharp make great devices, absolutely fantastic hardware. A while back I was a devotee of Sharp feature phones, but then they slowly disappeared from non-Asian markets. So what was keeping Japanese phones away from international markets? Software. They had the hardware ironed out but it was impossible to write software for any number of markets.

The takeaway of my imaginary article was that the rapid emergence of Android presented a great opportunity for Japanese giants to finally make a comeback. It doesn’t guarantee them success however. HTC churns out great devices by the dozen, and Samsung is currently the most popular Android manufacturer. Japanese companies have been finding it more difficult to sell their quality wares abroad as people increasingly go for value for money rather than high-end products. For example Panasonic, which makes great TV sets, is taking a beating from Samsung on flat panel sales.
continue reading

Panasonic Lumix GX1 Micro Four Thirds camera and LVF2 EVF announced: new 16MP sensor, December release date (specs, pictures, video)

News

  • November 7, 2011 at 5:20 am

0

Panasonic Lumix GX1 MFT digital camera silver

The Panasonic Lumix GX1 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) has been officially announced. We first saw the true successor of the venerable GF1 in October, while yesterday we managed to catch a good look of the high-end compact GX1 in Panasonic’s presentation video. Specifications are exactly as we had initially reported.

The Lumix GX1 has a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor, the same that can be found in the Panasonic G3. This would mean more detail but less high ISO noise than the 12-megapixel sensor found in the GF3 (and of course the much older GF1). On the back ,you’ll find a 3-inch 460k dot touchscreen LCD; similar to other Panasonic offerings, you can touch-focus using the screen. You can also control the Lumix X Power Zoom lenses with the touchscreen. The camera uses contrast autofocus, with Panasonic claiming its as fast as 0.09 seconds. The GX1 can shoot up to ISO 12,800 and supports 1080p video in MP4 (20Mbps) and 1080i60 in AVCHD (17Mbps). We’re glad to see that it includes a stereo microphone and an accessory shoe which can host an electronic viewfinder or external flash.

Together with the camera, Panasonic announced the DMW-LVF2, a new 1,440k dot, 90 degree tilting, electronic viewfinder (EVF). The LVF2 offers more than seven times the effective pixels of the older LVF1 (with 202k dots). Unfortunately the LVF2 will not be compatible with any of the current GF-line cameras, (GF3, GF2, GF1); the LVF2 has a different set of connector which are essential in order to support the higher data transfer rate necessary for its higher resolution.

The GX1 is housed in an aluminium body, similar to the GF1, has metal buttons and a substantial textured handgrip. In terms of controls you have a typical Panasonic arrangement with two physical customizable function buttons, a mode dial, while it’s only missing the drive mode selector from the GF1. Though, remember, you can control aspects of the camera using the touchscreen as well, if you so choose. Panasonic has, for the first time, included a horizontal and vertical angle level gauge which will be displayed both in portrait and vertical use.
continue reading