Towards the end of last month, Panasonic announced five new digital point & shoot cameras that were to be scheduled for launch. Panasonic have now provided pricing and dates for four of the five cameras with dates set for mid-March.
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS2
The first camera on the list is the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS2 that is the companies newest rugged digital camera and is capable of capturing images and video in HD quality. The camera uses a format called AVCHD Lite that is developed jointly between Sony and Panasonic and allows for capture and storage of up to 720p from the camera. With the LUMIX TS2 being rugged it can also withstand shock up to a 6.6 foot drop as well as be dropped down to 10 meters deep water. Also the camera can withstand temperatures down to -10 degrees C and is dustproof.
The technical features of the camera show that has a wide-angle lens built in that is measured at 28mm and is capable of 4.6 times optical zoom. Other functions allow for face recognition, iA (Intelligent Auto) mode and other features from the general LUMIX range. The camera will launch mid March and cost $399.95. (pictured above).
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS7 and ZS5 Digital Camera
(Full size images linked below)The next two cameras (pictured left and below) are the Panasonic DMC-ZS7 and the Panasonic DMC-ZS5 digital cameras that come from the ZS-Series. Each of the cameras use the 25mm ultra-wide lens from Leica and can zoom up to 12x optical. The LUMIX ZS7 is the higher spec of the two cameras and has a 12.1 megapixel sensor as well as built in GPS allowing geo data to be attached to pictures as you take them. The ZS7 also uses the AVCHD Lite format for capturing video up to 720p HD. Launching in March it will cost $399.95.
The Lumix ZS5 features the same lens and optical zoom capabilities as the ZS7 although from what we read in the press release, there is no GPS chip built in to this camera. The camera is capable of capturing HD video in Motion JPG format at 30 frames per second. When launched in mid March it will cost $299.95.
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZR3 Digital Camera
The final camera officially priced and dated is the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZR3 that also comes with the 25mm ultra-wide-angle Leica Lens. This particular model of camera has 8x optical zoom. Also the ZR3 has Intelligent Zoom that uses digital zoom to take the 8x optical to 10x. It appears that it is just digital zoom with a fancy name rather than 10x zoom, although the results will be similar. When launched in March the camera will be priced at $299.95.
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