Panasonic Offers New Digital Cameras
Panasonic has introduced the LUMIX DMC-ZS3 and DMC-ZS1 compact digital
cameras. The LUMIX ZS3 features 10.1-megapixels, a 25mm ultra-wide-angle
lens and 12x optical zoom. The ZS3 also features a LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR
lens and High Definition (HD) video recording ability, known as AVCHD
Lite.
"The
LUMIX ZS3 is a powerhouse performer with enormous versatility. Compared
with the TZ-Series, it extends the power of the optical zoom from 10x to
12x and expands the wide-angle lens from 28mm to an ultra-wide 25mm,
giving it the range for virtually any shooting situations," said David
Briganti, national marketing manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer
Electronics Company. "Despite its superior lens specifications and
functionality, the ZS3 is remarkably smaller and lighter than its
predecessors, making it easier to carry on travels and everyday shooting
opportunities."
The ZS3
digital camera features HD video recording in "AVCHD Lite". Compared
with the conventional Motion JPEG format, AVCHD Lite allows longer
recordings with HD visual and audio quality.
This
combined with a well-considered control interface, which includes a
dedicated movie recording button on the camera's back panel, makes the
ZS3 a hybrid model that performs for both still and motion image
capture, says Panasonic.
The ZS3
also expands Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) mode with the addition of
Face Recognition -- a feature that "remembers" faces from previous
shots. When a registered face appears in the frame, the camera will
prioritize focus and exposure to capture it.
New
this year to the ZS-Series, iA mode is also available in Movie Mode. It
automatically selects the most suitable Scene mode and helps to correct
handshake, focus and brightness problems.
The
company says playback with the ZS-Series is also easy. You need to
insert the camera's SD Memory Card into the VIERA HDTV's Image Viewer SD
Card slot for a photo slideshow. Alternatively, you can connect the
camera via an optional HDMI mini cable, the DMW-HDC2, to a VIERA
Link-equipped Panasonic VIERA HDTV and use the television's remote
control to run mixed slideshows of photos and videos.
The ZS3
features a 3-inch, high resolution 460,000-dot Intelligent LCD with a
wide viewing angle, to improve visibility during recording and
playback.
The
ZS1, like the ZS3, features a 25mm ultra-wide angle, 12x powerful
optical zoom. Distinguishing it, the ZS1 features a 10.1 megapixel CCD,
a standard iA mode (no Face Recognition) for still image recording and a
2.7-inch, 230,000-dot Intelligent LCD.
The
DMC-ZS3 will be available in silver, black, blue and red for a suggested
retail price of $399.95, while the DMC-ZS1 will be available in black
and silver for $299.95.
Both
models will be available in April 2009.
