Panasonic release two new HD compacts
Press Releases;
Panasonic’s new Photo/Movie Hybrid Super Zoom Compact Digital Camera DMC-TZ10
Featuring Intelligent Resolution Technology, 16x Intelligent Zoom and Built-in GPS
Panasonic’s
multiple award winning TZ series is pleased to welcome a new addition
to the family. Sporting key features fundamental to the TZ success
story – including AVCHD Lite HD movie recording capability, a 25mm
ultra wide angle and powerful 12x optical zoom in a compact body – the
TZ10 goes one step further to offer users built-in GPS and full manual
control.
Ultra Compact Zoom
With a strong heritage, this
fourth generation TZ modelfeatures a high-quality LEICA DC VARIO ELMAR
25mm ultra-wide-angle lens with a 12x optical zoom. A high quality lens
like this, with a range from 25mm to 300mm[1] , is
almost inconceivable in such a small, lightweight camera. Comprising 10
elements in 8 groups, including 2 ED lenses and 2 aspherical lenses
with 3 aspherical surfaces, and utilizing new lens material in its
design, this advanced lens unit realizes the outstandingly slim and
compact body while passing Leica’s stringent standards to deliver
exceptional optical performance. Thanks to the newly incorporated
Intelligent Resolution technology, a ground-breaking Intelligent Zoom
is available with the TZ10 which extends the zoom ratio by approx.1.3x
maintaining the picture quality even by combining zoom technologies.
This means the 12x optical can virtually extend to 16x equivalent.
Furthermore, the Extra Optical Zoom function that extends zoom power to
23.4x (at 3-megapixel resolution) by using the center part of the large
CCD to bring subjects even closer.
The new model has a
14.5-megapixel CCD and shoots with up to 12.1-megapixel resolution.
This enables multi-aspect shooting that can reproduce images taken with
the lens set from 25mm to 300mm in any of three aspect ratios – 4:3,
3:2 or 16:9 – so you can always capture dynamic, richly expressive
shots with a wide perspective. The Multi Aspect mode lets you to take
an image in all three aspect ratios simultaneously then choose the one
that best suits your scene after shooting -perfect for when you want to
take a picture for widescreen TV use but also to make conventional
prints.
Intelligent Resolution Technology Enhances the Possibility of Digital Imaging
The
high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD has been re-engineered to
compile new image processing technology – “Intelligent Resolution”. It
enables the recording of beautiful photos and high-definition movies
with higher quality signal processing.
With Intelligent
Resolution technology, 3 areas – outlines, detailed texture areas and
soft gradation areas are automatically detected. The outline parts are
enhanced effectively to give edges more clarity while giving a moderate
accentuation to the texture areas to make it look more finely detailed.
To the soft gradation part, the superior noise reduction system of the
Venus Engine HD II is applied to make it smoother. Apart from the
uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative Intelligent Resolution
technology precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the
most effective way. As a result, images are naturally clear and crisp
in both photo and movie recording.
Intelligent Resolution
technology also makes possible Intelligent Zoom, which virtually
extends the optical zoom ratio to 1.3x equivalent maintaining the
picture quality even whilst using the digital zoom. The details of an
Image taken in high sensitivity recording tends to be lost in the noise
reduction process, however the Intelligent Resolution works to keep the
detail, improving the picture.
At the same time, the
multi-task image-processing engine Venus Engine HD II supports a
super-fast response time. The shutter release time lag is as short as
approx. 0.006 seconds and the camera’s quick response makes it easier
to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities together with
the Sonic Speed AF (Auto Focus) that lets you lock on the subject
minimum in approx. 0.35(wide-end) / 0.41(tele-end) second[2]
and the short startup time of approx. 1.1 seconds. The
high performance Venus Engine HD II is also energy efficient and
extends the battery life up to 300 shots (CIPA) per a single charge.
Never Forget your Location with Built-in GPS Function
Panasonic’s
TZ series has received world wide acclaim as an excellent travel
companion because of a wide shooting range and hybrid recording
capability of high quality photo and movie. The new TZ10 further
enhances its value by adding a built-in GPS unit[3]
into the camera.
The location data where the photo was taken
is automatically embedded with its latitude and longitude in the EXIF
data. These geo-tagged images can be pinpointed on the maps of social
media internet maps to be shared with your friends and families. Plus,
the TZ10 also shows the name of the town, area and landmarks using an
internal database to give users real-time information of the place when
taking photos to add fun of photo shooting during travel. The
information of landmark exceeds 500,000 , covering 73 countries -
pretty impressive! The photos and movies with their location data are
automatically sorted in the virtual folder alphabetically in the camera
allowing quick access. You can also refer to the location names via the
included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO HD Edition Ver.5.1. It is also easy to
sort or search images by the location names. If this wasn’t enough, the
internal clock of the camera is automatically adjusted to the local
time of the place where the camera is, so you do not have to set the
clock manually whether you go abroad or come back home.
Manual Exposure for More Control
The
TZ10’s iA mode is the perfect camera for every user to be able to take
beautiful shots effortlessly. Going one step further, the TZ10 also
features manual control for advanced expressive photo shooting. It has
A(Aperture Priority) / S(Shutter Speed Priority) / M(Manual Exposure)
modes for advanced users to enjoy the creative shots depending on the
subject or the scene by controlling the shutter speed and aperture.
Each of these modes and iA mode can be quickly set by the mode dial on
the top of the camera unit.
HD Movie Recording
In addition
to Motion JPEG images[4] , the DMC-TZ10 can record
high-definition motion picture in AVCHD Lite. It allows almost doubling
of the recording time in HD quality compared with the conventional
Motion JPEG format. The picture quality is greatly enhanced thanks to
the newly added Intelligent Resolution technology. The TZ10 also
features Dolby Digital Stereo Creator to record high quality audio, so
you can match the beautiful motion images with outstanding stereo
sound, and further offers a one-touch movie button for instant
recording of videos.
The hugely popular and powerful iA
(Intelligent Auto) is also now available in motion image recording
mode. Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) helps prevent handshake when
using high-powered zoom. Face Detection automatically detects a face in
the frame and adjusts focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion on
it so it always turns out beautifully. Intelligent Exposure continually
checks the ambient light level and adjusts the exposure setting as
conditions change to prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows. And
Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal,
Portrait, Macro, Scenery, and Low Light modes according to the
situation to optimize visual quality.
Users can fully utilize
the powerful 12x optical zoom in movie recording. The GPS and
corresponding location information can also be embedded in the video
clips. With the newly added Video Divide function, users can divide the
video into two sections to shorten or delete the unwanted part on the
spot in the camera. You can cutout a still image from a movie in the
camera and Intelligent Resolution Technology makes it possible to
produce 1920×1080 still images from a 1280×720 HD movie even recorded
in AVCHD Lite. A Wind Cut function is also available to block out most
of the noise from background wind.
Still or motion images
recorded in AVCHD Lite[5] on SD Memory Cards are easy
to view on a Panasonic VIERA TV. Simply insert the card into the VIERA
Image Viewer (SD Memory Card slot) on VIERA TV or DIGA Blu-ray Disc
Player to playback your contents. Alternatively, you can use an
optional mini HDMI cable to output the still and motion images you took
from the TZ10 directly to the TV for VIERA Link. You can take maximum
advantage of Lumix camera’s playback functions including the slideshow
in which both still and motion images integrated in the timeline,
category playback according to the scene mode you used or calendar
display and so on. All control is possible using only the TV’s remote
control.
In addition, with the included software
PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.1 HD Edition, it is easy to view and edit your
recorded contents. You may also choose to upload your videos to YouTube
or burn them to a DVD disc for archiving.
Introducing new POWER O.I.S
Panasonic
has incorporated Intelligent Auto mode in pursuit of the ultimate ease
of operation and the reduction of misshots. In iA mode the camera does
all the work, leaving you free to compose shots and capture moments.
Just press, aim and shoot. This mode is now further advanced with the
inclusion of r advanced image stabilization system POWER O.I.S. and
Intelligent Resolution technology for the DMC-TZ10.
Taking
advantage of Panasonic’s accumulated optical technologies, MEGA O.I.S.
(Optical Image Stabilizer) has been incorporated into LUMIX cameras
from the earliest stages of development. MEGA O.I.S. has evolved into
POWER O.I.S. on the DMC-TZ10, with a great performance improvement -
twice the shake suppression capability of the predecessor TZ7.
The
hand-shake component, which is physically generated when pressing the
shutter button or when shooting at night with a slow shutter speed, is
recognized as a low-frequency vibration, for which the new POWER O.I.S.
is particularly effective. This greatly improves the quality of shots
taken at night or indoors where a flash cannot be used, or where the
photographer doesn’t want to use a flash because it would spoil the
mood. It captures beautiful photos in situations that previously
resulted in blurring.
The DMC-TZ10 features Face Recognition
– a function that found popularity in the previous TZ7, and now with
several upgrades. Three face images can be registered for each person,
to raise the detection accuracy. And when the angle of view is changed
horizontally, the name display also rotates for easier reading. The
Intelligent Scene Selector, which automatically selects whichever of 6
Scene Modes – Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery
and newly added Sunset – that best suits the shooting situation.
In
addition, newly incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology is
always activated in iA mode which results in the clearer and higher
picture quality in every photo and movie with extended zoom range with
the Intelligent Zoom equivalent to 16x optical zoom.
Once you
enter iA mode, these functions happen automatically together with other
powerful shooting-assist functions – AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO
Control and Intelligent Exposure – so you can shoot without the bother
of adjusting settings every time conditions change. You can enjoy easy,
trouble-free shooting in any situation and get the satisfaction that
comes with capturing clear, beautiful images.
The new Happy
Mode, a colour mode option in iA mode, optimizes colour, saturation and
brightness to make both photo and movie more vivid and true to the
colour of the scene you memorized.
A 3.0-inch, Super High Resolution 460,000-dot Intelligent LCD for Easy Viewing
The
TZ10 is equipped with a 3.0-inch, super high resolution 460,000-dot
Intelligent LCD with a wide viewing angle and AR (Anti-Reflection)
coating. The screen brightness automatically adjusts in 11 steps as the
surrounding brightness level changes, ensuring easy visibility at all
times. The big screen reflects fine details, making it easy to check
the focus before shooting. It also serves as a small photo and video
viewer, allowing the user and friends to enjoy viewing the still and
motion images together.
Introducing the Super Compact and Versatile DMC-ZX3
Panasonic
Lumix cameras go from strength to strength with technological
advancements designed to offer the ultimate in picture performance and
convenience. Successor to the highly regarded DMC-ZX1, Panasonic’s new
DMC-ZX3 is the latest addition to the award winning Lumix range of
cameras. Offering style and compactness whilst also boasting a powerful
8x optical zoom, and newly added AVCHD Lite movie recording function -
the new hybrid addition is perfect for day trips, business and leisure.
Ultra Compact Zoom
Streets ahead of its competitors, the
new ZX3 offers unparalleled features – incorporating an impressively
powerful 8x optical zoom into a slim and compact body. Featuring such a
powerful 25-200mm high performance lens in a diminutive sized body is
made possible by the lens unit comprising of 0.3mm super thin
aspherical lens and 0.3mm spherical lens. Highly technically specified,
yet astonishingly slim and compact – the ZX3 is a photographers dream!
The
DMC-ZX3 features a 25mm ultra wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens and
powerful 8x optical zoom (equivalent to 25-200mm on a 35mm camera)
together with a 14.1-megapixel high resolution CCD into a compact body.
The lens unit comprises of 9 elements in 7 groups, including 4
aspherical lenses with 6 spherical surfaces.
Thanks to the
newly incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology, the new
Intelligent Zoom is available with the ZX3 which extends the zoom ratio
by approx.1.3x maintaining the picture quality even when using a
digital zoom. This means the 8x optical can virtually extend to 10x
equivalent. Furthermore, the Extra Optical Zoom function extends the
zoom power to 16.9x (at 3-megapixel resolution) by using the center
part of the high resolution CCD to bring subjects even closer.
Intelligent Resolution Technology Assures High Picture Quality for Both Photo and Movie
The
high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD has been re-engineered to
compile the new image processing technology “Intelligent Resolution”.
It enables the recording of beautiful photos and high-definition movies
with higher quality signal processing.
With the Intelligent
Resolution technology, 3 areas -outlines, detailed texture areas and
soft gradation areas are automatically detected. The outline parts are
enhanced effectively to give edges more clarity while giving a moderate
accentuation to the texture areas to look more finely detailed. To the
soft gradation part, superior noise reduction process of the Venus
Engine HD II is applied to make it smoother. Apart from the uniform
enhancement of sharpness, the innovative Intelligent Resolution
technology precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the
most effective way for it. As a result, images are naturally clear and
crisp in both photo and movie recording.
At the same time, the
multi-task image-processing engine Venus Engine HD II supports a
super-fast response time. The shutter release time lag is as short as
approx. 0.005 seconds and the camera’s quick response makes it easier
to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities together with
the Sonic Speed AF (Auto Focus) that lets you lock on the subject
minimum in approx. 0.26(wide-end) / 0.31(tele-end) seconds[1]
and the short startup time of approx. 1.1 seconds. The
high performance Venus Engine HD II is also more energy efficient
compared with the conventional Venus Engine HD II, extending the
battery life up to 330 shots (CIPA) per a single charge.
Record High Definition Motion Images Thanks to AVCHD Lite
In
addition to Motion JPEG images, the DMC-ZX3 can record high-definition
motion picture[2] in AVCHD Lite. It features almost
doubling the recording time in HD quality compared with the
conventional Motion JPEG format. The picture quality is greatly
enhanced thanks to the newly added Intelligent Resolution technology.
The ZX3 also features Dolby Digital Creator to record high quality
audio, so you can match the beautiful motion images with outstanding
sound.
The popular iA (Intelligent Auto) mode is now also
available in motion image recording. Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.)
helps prevent handshake when using high-powered zoom. Face Detection
automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts focus, exposure,
contrast, and skin complexion on it so it always turns out beautiful.
Intelligent Exposure continually checks the ambient light level and
adjusts the exposure setting as conditions change to prevent blown
highlights and blocked shadows. And Intelligent Scene Selector
automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery, and
Low Light modes according to the situation to optimize visual quality.
The
powerful 8x optical zoom is also available in movie recording. With the
newly added Video Divide function, users can divide the video into two
sections to shorten or to delete the unwanted half on the spot in the
camera. You can cutout a still image from a movie in the camera. The
Intelligent Resolution makes it possible to produce 1920×1080 still
images from 1280×720 HD movies even recorded in AVCHD Lite. A Wind Cut
function is also available to block out most of the noise from
background wind.
Still or motion images recorded in AVCHD
Lite on SD Memory Cards are easy to view on a Panasonic VIERA TV[3]
. Simply insert the card into the VIERA Image Viewer (SD
Memory Card slot) on VIERA TV or DIGA Blu-ray Disc Player to playback
your contents. Alternatively, you can use an optional mini HDMI cable
to output the still and motion images you took from the ZX3 directly to
the TV for VIERA Link. You can take maximum advantage of Lumix camera’s
playback functions including the slideshow in which both still and
motion images are integrated in the timeline, category playback
according to the scene mode you used or calendar display and so on. All
control is possible using only the TV’s remote control.
In
addition, with the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition, it
is easy to view and edit your recorded contents. You may also choose to
upload your videos to YouTube or burn them to a DVD disc for archiving.
iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode Further Enhanced with New POWER O.I.S
Following
in the footsteps of the award winning ZX1, the ZX3 of course includes
Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode – a hallmark of Lumix cameras -
featuring Face Recognition, AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control,
Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent Exposure. Additionally, the
new model also features new POWER O.I.S (Optical Image Stabilizer)
which features a double the repression power compared to the
conventional image stabilization system, MEGA O.I.S.
The
hand-shake component, which is physically generated when pressing the
shutter button or when shooting at night with a slow shutter speed, is
recognized as a low-frequency vibration, for which the new POWER O.I.S.
is particularly effective. This greatly improves the quality of shots
taken at night or indoors where a flash cannot be used, or where the
photographer doesn’t want to use a flash because it would spoil the
mood. It captures beautiful photos in situations that previously
resulted in blurring. The Face Recognition function remembers
registered faces to give an appropriate AF/AE on the people.
The
Quick AF system helps keep focus on the subject while the camera is in
recording mode even before pressing the shutter button halfway. This
improves the chances of getting the shot because the focus is always
near the subject and AF time is minimized.
In addition, newly
incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology is always activated in
the iA mode which results in the clearer and higher picture quality in
every photo and movie with extended zoom range equivalent to 10x
optical zoom by the Intelligent Zoom.
Once you enter the iA
mode, these functions happen automatically together with other powerful
shooting-assist functions — AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control and
Intelligent Exposure — so you can shoot without the bother of
adjusting settings every time conditions change. You can enjoy easy,
trouble-free shooting in any situation and get the satisfaction that
comes with capturing clear, beautiful images.
The new Happy
Mode, a color mode option in the iA mode, optimizes color, saturation
and brightness to make both photos and movies more vivid and true to
the colour of the scene you memorized.
Other Versatile Functions Adding to the Photographic Enjoyment
The
ZX3 is equipped with a 2.7-inch, 230,000-dot Intelligent LCD with super
high resolution and a wide viewing angle. The screen brightness
automatically adjusts in 11 steps as the surrounding brightness level
changes, ensuring easy visibility at all times. The big screen reflects
fine details, making it easy to check the focus before shooting. It
also serves as a small photo and video viewer, allowing the user and
friends to enjoy viewing the still and motion images together.
Scene
modes, which are optimized for a variety of still-image shooting
situations, are now available for motion images as well. Thanks to a
rich variety of 28 scene modes for photo and 18 for movie (Portrait,
Soft Skin, Transform, Self portrait, Scenery, Low light, Food, Party,
Candle light, Sunset, Beach, Snow, Aerial, High Sensitivity, Pin hole,
Film grain, High Dynamic and Underwater), capturing beautiful movies is
effortless with the ZX3.
The optional marine case (DMW-MCZX3)
is available for underwater photography even to 40m taking advantage of
25mm to 200mm wide shooting range.
In addition to the
conventional SD/SDHC Memory Card, the DMC-ZX3 accepts next-generation
SD format SDXC (SD eXtended Capacity), that features high potential in
both capacity and data transfer speed. The DMC-ZX3 is compatible with
Windows 7.