Panasonic who is stripping marketshare away from digital camera vendors such as Olympus and Sony with their Lumix range of camera’s has announced two new Micro Four Thirds cameras including a G2 and a G10.
The G10 claims to be the world’s “lightest digital interchangeable lens camera with a viewfinder”. The launch package includes a LUMIX G Vario 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm).
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Other features include Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode that automatically detects the best options for the shot at hand while, as rumoured, the G10 will sport 1280 x 720 HD video recording in Motion JPEG, QVGA, VGA and WVGA formats.
The Lumix G2 is the first swappable-lens camera to use a swivelling touchscreen which allows users to preview shots off-angle via a 3-inch LCD screen that swivels out from the back of the body. The new models also include tap-to-focus AF and can record at 720p30 in H.264, which trails the GH1’s 1080p24.
The camera still uses a 12-megapixel sensor and a 1.44-megapixel, 60 frames per second electronic viewfinder, but a second-generation Venus Engine HD II processing technique promises to produce clearer edges, improve noise reduction and speed up shooting. SDXC card support is new and permits 64GB or larger cards.
As is becoming common with Panasonic camera launches, the G2 doesn’t have a price. However, it should ship in June in black, blue and red colours and will come in a kit with Panasonic’s new 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 image-stabilized lens; it primarily offers improved optics but drops the toggle for the IS effect.
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The G10 is a budget alternative to the G2 that fixes the 3-inch LCD in place and uses a lower-resolution, 202,000-pixel viewfinder. It still records 720p but uses less efficient Motion JPEG to capture footage. As a still image camera, it keeps the 12-megapixel sensor and Venus Engine HD II’s benefits.
Like the G2, the G10 will also come with the new 14-42mm lens in a kit and should be available in June, but only in black.
