News tagged with "panasonic"

Panasonic is now offering its Lumix DMC-XS1 compact camera - which was first introduced at CES in January - with ten custom 'skins'. The themes for these skins include pop art, gift wrapping, floral nature, digital, texture, and Japanese traditional. The XS1 features a 16 megapixel CCD, 5X (24-120 mm) optical zoom with image stabilization, a 2.7" LCD, and 720p video recording. The new 'skinned' XS1s are priced at $149 - a $20 premium over the red, silver, and black models that are currently available. We don't know yet if these designs will be available outside of the US in the future.

We've just posted our Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 preview, covering Panasonic's newest Micro Four Thirds mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The G6 comes barely a year after the G5, and offers several updates, including a 1.44 million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder and the same sensor as the GH2. Its body has also been restyled and the touch-sensitive technology of its fully-articulated screen has been upgraded. Like its little brother the GF6, the G6 also includes built-in Wi-Fi connectivity with Near Field Communication (NFC). Click through for our hands-on preview.

Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-LF1, the first in a new line of Raw-shooting enthusiast compacts. The LF1 marries the sensor from the LX7 to a longer, slower lens and adds an electronic viewfinder. The camera combines a 12MP 1/1.7" CMOS sensor with a 28-200mm equivalent F2.0-5.9 lens and finds room for a 202k dot-equivalent electronic viewfinder. It becomes the fifth Panasonic model to offer Wi-Fi for remote control and wireless communication that can be set up using NFC.

Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-G6 - the latest in its mass market series of DSLR-styled mirrorless cameras. The G6 gains considerably improved movie capabilities, including full exposure control, an external mic socket and the sensor from the GH2. It also adds the NFC-aided Wi-Fi for simple remote control and image download that we first saw in the GF6.

Panasonic has created the Lumix G Vario 14-140mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS, a second-generation 10x zoom for Micro Four Thirds cameras. The lens offers a smaller, lighter, less-expensive alternative to the original G Vario HD 14-140mm F4.0-5.8 ASPH Mega OIS. The latest version features three aspheric and two ED elements and an internal focus design with linear stepper motors to make the most of the faster focus processing of the latest Micro Four Thirds bodies.

Just Posted: Our Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 review. The GH3 is the latest model in Panasonic's range-topping series of Micro Four Thirds cameras that aims to offer a tool as suited to keen film makers as enthusiast photographers. The GH3 has added a host of video industry-requested features as well as promising the best-yet stills image quality from a GH camera. However, the last year or so has seen other camera makers take an interest in movie shooting, so has Panasonic done enough to stay ahead? Read our review to find out.

Just Posted: Our hands-on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 preview. The GF6 expands the capabilities of Panasonic's GF series away from the point-and-shoot focus that it had increasingly pursued. The latest model adds a more sophisticated touch-screen and additional control points that will benefit a range of users but it's the NFC-mediated Wi-Fi system that we found really interesting. Add this on top of the 16MP sensor from the GX1 and you have a compelling combination of features. Click through to find out more.

Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF6 - a 16MP entry-level mirrorless camera with Wi-Fi. Like many of its competitors it has a capacitive touchscreen, that can tilt both downwards and upwards to face forwards for self-portraits. It gains a compact-camera style zoom lever around the shutter release that can alternatively be used to set exposure compensation, and an exposure mode dial on the top plate. It's also the first interchangeable lens camera with Near Field Communication (NFC) that allows setup of Wi-Fi connections with compatible smartphones and tablets, simply by tapping the devices together. Movie recording is available at 1080p30 in either MP4 or AVCHD format.

Panasonic has posted the promised firmware updates for its movie-focused Lumix DMC-GH3 mirrorless camera, the 14-42mm and 45-175mm power zooms and the 45-150mm lens. The GH3 update adds the ability to shoot 1080p60 footage in MP4 format and lets users connect to a computer via Wi-Fi by entering the computer name (NetBIOS names for Mac). Meanwhile the lens updates promise improved autofocus performance in AF Continuous mode when mounted on the GH3.

DxO Labs has released version 8.1.4 of its DxO Optics Pro software. Both the Elite and Standard versions gain Nikon Coolpix P7700, Nikon 1 J3, Olympus XZ-2 iHS, and Panasonic DMC-GH3 support. The update also adds more than 200 lens and cameras combinations for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma, Tokina, and Zeiss users. These modules join the existing list of over 11,000 combinations. Click through for the download link.

We've just added more pages of content to our hands-on preview of the 16MP Panasonic GH3, Panasonic's flagship GH-series Micro Four Thirds camera. These pages represent our progress so far towards the completion of a full review. We've added our full complement of studio tests, including resolution, noise and dynamic range, a small gallery of 'real world' samples and updated first impressions. Click through for a link to the 12-page preview.

We've just posted an update to our preview of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3, adding updated product photography (the camera we originally used had a non-final grip material) and three pages of studio comparison images, both JPEG and Raw. We're working on the remaining studio tests, and intend to add at least four more pages to this preview in the next few days, with a samples gallery and more detailed impressions on the camera's handling and performance. Look out for that towards the end of the week, but for now, click through to go to the updated preview. 

ACD Systems has extended the Raw support offered by its ACDSee Pro 6 and ACDSee 15 software packages. Version 6.2 of the Pro version and and ACDSee v15.2 gain support for an additional 19 cameras including the Canon EOS M, Nikon D5200, Sony SLT-A99V and the Olympus E-PL5. This update also includes performance improvements. Click through for more information.

Panasonic has announced firmware updates for its Lumix DMC-GH3 high-end movie-focused mirrorless camera, the 14-42mm and 45-175mm power zooms and the 45-150mm. The GH3 update will allow users to connect to a computer via Wi-Fi by entering the computer name (NetBIOS names for Mac). It also adds an MP4 1080p60, 28Mbps mode to video recording. Meanwhile the lens updates promise improved autofocus performance in AF Continuous mode when mounted on the GH3. The updates will be available at the end of this month.

Panasonic UK has announced a 'Try Before You Buy' service for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Micro Four Thirds camera allowing customers to borrow it as a kit along with the 12-35mm for 48 hours. This offer is available across a number of UK retailers with no obligation to purchase. The company says the scheme lets customers 'road test' the camera before committing to such a big purchase. Click through for the list of 28 participating retailers.

DxO Labs has released version 8.1.3 of its DxO Optics Pro software. The Elite edition extends support to the Leica M-E, M9, and M9-P rangefinders. Both the Elite and Standard versions gain Nikon D5200, Panasonic DMC-FZ200, and Canon SX50 HS support. The update also adds 260 lens and cameras combinations for Canon, Leica, Panasonic, Sigma, Sony, Tamron, Tokina, and Zeiss users. These modules join the existing list of over 10,000 combinations.

CP+ 2013: Panasonic is considering which cameras it needs to appeal to the different demands for Micro Four Thirds in different countries. We spoke to Michiharu Uematsu, Special Adviser, Imaging Business Group and Yoshiyuki Inoue, Senior Engineering Planner, Marketing Team, Imaging Business Group. They explain the challenges of making and marketing a high image quality compact and suggest the GH3 won't get focus peaking.

Panasonic has devised a method to increase the sensitivity of image sensors, by replacing the near-universal colour filter array with prism-like 'Micro Color Splitters' to generate colour information. The key advantage is that all of the incoming light is directed to the sensor, instead of half or more being absorbed by the colour filter dyes. This promises to deliver images with less noise in low light. The development is published in the journal Nature Photonics, and outlined in a press release on Panasonic's website.   

CP+ 2013: Panasonic has added a 42.5mm F1.2 portrait lens and 150mm F2.8 super-telephoto prime to its lens roadmap for Micro Four Thirds, for release in the near future. The lenses, shown in prototype form at Photokina 2012, last September, are shown as being ready for release just after the 14-42mm II ASPH. kit zoom launched this week.

CP+ 2013: Panasonic has announced the Lumix G Vario 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II Asph. Mega O.I.S - its latest affordable kit lens for Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras. The 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II is the company's fourth variable aperture standard zoom (following the 14-45mm, original 14-42mm and 14-42mm power zoom), and gains two aspherical elements to help make the lens smaller than the existing version. The 14-42mm II will be available as a kit option with both the DMC-GF5 and DMC-G5 in most markets.