Panasonic has revealed the world’s thinnest aspherical glass moulded lens, with the thinnest portion of the lens measuring just 0.3 mm. This new lenses will be in two of its new Lumix cameras – the DMC-ZR1 and DMC-FX65.

According to Panasonic, the newly developed lens units use super thin aspherical moulded lenses that are half as thick as conventional concave lenses, reducing the thickness of its compact digital still cameras.

The DMC-ZR1 is equipped with a 25mm wide-angle (35mm film camera equivalent), 8x zoom lens unit with a thickness of 20.4 mm, while the DMC- FX65 comes with a 25mm wide-angle, 5x zoom lens unit. Due to the new lens units, the DMC- ZR1 and DMC- FX65 are 2.1 mm thinner than previous Panasonic models with equivalent specifications.

The new zoom lens units claims to offer lower image distortion at the periphery and less flare and ghosting for sharp, clear pictures as well as a smaller lens unit size based on an original design, while incorporating an optical image stabilization system.

Panasonic Australia’s Product Manager for Digital Cameras, Tanya Mudge said, “The Lumix DMC-ZR1 packs all of Panasonic’s best features and technologies into a remarkably small, pocket-sized camera.”

“The ZR1 continues Panasonic’s commitment to delivering world-class cameras that are compact, versatile and easy to use.  By developing the world’s first 0.3mm super-thin aspherical lens, Panasonic has achieved an impressive 25mm ultra-wide angle for amazing width and depth, partnered with an 8x zoom for the ultimate in versatility.”

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 and FX65 will be available nstarting next month with an RRP of $549 and $659 respectively.

See: www.panasonic.com.au