Panasonic Focuses on New Cameras

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic gave the press a sneak peak at its latest products, and it's clear that the company is doing everything it can to make SD cards the standard. But that's not the biggest news of the day. Panasonic introduced its DMC-FZ10 Lumix, which is the industry's first 4-megapixel consumer digital camera to feature 12X optical zoom. With telephoto capability and no-lag processing speed, this camera should capture every detail of distant or quick-moving subjects with superb brightness and clarity.

In addition to the still camera, Panasonic is also touting its new DV camera, the SV-AV25 and SV-AV50 are ultra-compact and capture all audio, video, and still photos. Both take SD cards, of course, and offer smooth-motion 30-fps MPEG-4 recording; 2-megapixel digital still images for standard size prints; 2.5X zoom lens; MP3/AAC music playback; voice recording for capturing meetings, school lectures, memos, or reminders; multi-thumbnail picture display; and built-in microphone and speakers.

And finally, Panasonic is announcing its new Lumix line of digital still cameras for 2004. There are three new models, all of which offer shutter speeds up to 1/2000 sec, MEGA O.I.S. (optical image stabilizer) for shaky hands, and the Venus Engine LSI high-speed image processing system, for superb image rendering and unmatched processing speed. The DMC-FX5 offers a 1 /2.5-inch CCD with a total of 4.23 megapixels. The DMC-LC70 provides a CCD with a 4.0 effective megapixels, and the DMC-LC50 has an effective pixel count of 3.2 megapixels.

DMC-FZ10

DMC-LC50

SV-AV25

SV-AV50

Company: Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, Division of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America Availability: DMC-FZ10 Lumix, SV-AV25 and SV-AV50, February, 2004; DMC-FX5, DMC-LC70, DMC-LC50, spring 2004 Price: DMC-FZ10 Lumix, $599.95; SV-AV25, $299.95; SV-AV50, $399.95; DMC-FX5, N/A; N/A; N/A

For more, check Out PCMag.com's 2004 CES Special Report

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in ExtremeTech.