Panasonic, who last year grew their digital camera business in Australia with their Lumix range, is using a brand new stand at CES to demonstrate eight new Lumix camcorders.
The brand that is entering its tenth year in the market has been one of real success stories in the digital camera market with the Company now looking to grow their share of the camcorder market with new models including 3D camcorders.
New Lumix models include four slim-styled FH-series models, two ultra-slim FP-series models, and a new S series featuring two models.
The FH-series models include the DMC-FH2, DMC-FH5, DMC-FH25 and DMC-FH27; pricing and which models will be launched in Australia will be announced later this year.
The FH2 (14.1 megapixels) and FH5 (16.1 megapixels) both feature newly developed retractable 4x optical zoom lenses (starting at a 28mm wide angel) with Leica DC optics, 20 percent slimmer profiles, 720p HD video recording, and a new Venus Engine VI video-processing system with improved resolution, zooming, startup and auto focusing capability.
Other features include MEGA optical image stabilization, intelligent ISO control, intelligent scene selector and face detection.
The DMC-FH25 and DMC-FH27 both feature 16.1-megapixel resolution and combine a 28mm wide-angle Leica DC lens with 8x optical zoom capability.
Also offered in both models are large Intelligent LCDs, 720p HD video recording, the Venus Engine VI image processor with Intelligent Resolution technology, and fast response times with shutter-release lag times as short as 0.005 seconds.
Other features include MEGA OIS, intelligent ISO, face detection and intelligent scene selector.
The FH27 features full touch-control operation with a 3-inch (230,000-dot) smart touchscreen. The FH25 features a 2.7-inch intelligent LCD without touch control.
The DMC-FP7 (16.1 megapixel) and DMC-FP5 (14.1 megapixel) offer slim profiles by incorporating and ultra-thin 4x optical zoom lenses with folded optics, mirror finish 720p HD video recording, large touch-control LCDs and easy-to-use settings.
For touchscreens, the FP7 incorporates a 3.5-inch 16:9 LCD, while the FP5 features a 3-inch 3:2 LCD. Using the touchscreen controls, users can touch-set autofocus, zoom, shutter and the intelligent scene selector. All menu setting options are now available with touch control, and in playback mode users can drag the image across the screen with their finger to browse the collection of photos, as though it is a page in a book.
The FP7 also features three new creative modes for manually editing photos. Both cameras include Mega OIS, intelligent ISO, face detection and intelligent scene selector.
The new S-series cameras are billed as “easy-to-use” models with smart features, 720p/30 fps HD video recording, 4x optical zoom lens starting at 28mm, and a new rounded shape design to help the cameras fit comfortably in the palm of the hand.
The S3 models offer 14.1-megapixel resolution while the S1 has 12.1-megapixel capability.
Both cameras also include Mega OIS, face detection, intelligent scene selector, the Venus Engine VI system, 2.7-inch intelligent LCD, .007 (S3) and .008 (S1) shutter lag times.
They will ship in choice of blue, black, gold, pink and silver, body colours.
