Feature Articles

Hands-on with the New Panasonic LUMIX Cameras

By Seow Tein Hee - 29 Jan 2010

Highlights of the new Panasonic LUMIX Cameras

Panasonic's New LUMIX Lineup for 2010

With the CES and Apple announcements passing by us, we return to our 'regular' programming. Our focus now lies towards the imaging market, with a series of new LUMIX cameras announced by Panasonic. As expected, successors will definitely take center-stage. From last year's Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX65, DMC-FT1, DMC-TZ7 and finally the DMC-ZR1, we now have incremental model numbers for the new updates.

During the Panasonic LUMIX Optical Seminar in Australia, the 2010 LUMIX lineup was given the official unveiling. This included the high performance and stylish FX68 (successor to the FX65), the rugged FT2 (successor to the FT1), the compact superzoom range TZ10 / TZ8 (successor to the TZ7) and finally the compact zoom range ZR3 (successor to the ZR1). But beyond that, Panasonic is also looking at an increased market share within 2010, and we will be seeing more style-centric LUMIX cameras in the months to come.

What came out pretty interesting was a possible update to the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX3, the prosumer range that has been in the market for over a year and a half. During the presentation, we noticed the LX series being presented as one of the categories under its 2010 expansion. While Panasonic wasn't ready to reveal the details as yet, we should be expecting a new LX series within the coming months.

During the presentation, we noticed the LX series being listed as a category that'll be expanded in 2010, hinting of a possible upgrade to the LX series.

Amongst the updates, we see a jump in imaging resolution up to the 14.1 megapixels, and an improved image processor onto the Venus Engine VI and Venus Engine HD II. Beyond imaging features, there are also some substantial additions, such as an embedded GPS chip within the TZ10. Here's a quick listing of the updated models, and the highlights of each LUMIX camera.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX68
  • 14.1-megapixels
  • 1/2.33-inch sensor / 25mm to 125mm / 5x optical zoom
  • F2.8-5.9
  • Venus Engine VI
  • 2.7-inch display
  • 720p video recording
  • Power O.I.S. with iA and Intelligent Resolution
  • 97.0 x 54.1 x 21.8 mm
  • 145g with battery and SD card, SDXC compatible
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FT2
  • 14.1-megapixels
  • 1/2.33-inch sensor, 28mm to 128mm, 4.6x optical zoom
  • F3.3-5.9
  • 10m waterproof, 2m shockproof, -10 degrees Celsius freezeproof, dustproof
  • Venus Engine HD II
  • 2.7-inch display
  • AVCHD Lite 720p video recording
  • Power O.I.S. with iA and Intelligent Resolution
  • 99.3 x 63.1 x 24.3 mm
  • 188g with battery and SD card, SDXC compatible
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TZ10
  • 12.1-megapixels
  • Multi-aspect ratio sensor
  • 1/2.33-inch sensor, 25mm to 300mm, 12x optical zoom
  • F3.3-4.9
  • Integrated GPS
  • Venus Engine HD II
  • 3-inch display
  • AVCHD Lite 720p video recording
  • Power O.I.S. with iA and Intelligent Resolution
  • 103.3 x 59.6 x 32.6 mm
  • 218g with battery and SD card, SDXC compatible
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TZ8
  • 12.1-megapixels
  • Multi-aspect ratio sensor
  • 1/2.33-inch sensor, 25mm to 300mm, 12x optical zoom
  • F3.3-4.9
  • Venus Engine HD II
  • 2.7-inch display
  • AVCHD Lite 720p video recording
  • Power O.I.S. with iA and Intelligent Resolution
  • 103.3 x 59.6 x 32.6 mm
  • 214g with battery and SD card, SDXC compatible
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZR3
  • 14.1-megapixels
  • 1/2.33-inch sensor, 25mm to 200m, 8x optical zoom
  • F3.3-5.9
  • Venus Engine HD II
  • 2.7-inch display
  • AVCHD Lite 720p video recording
  • Power O.I.S. with iA and Intelligent Resolution
  • 97.8 x 54.8 x 26.0 mm
  • 159g with battery and SD card, SDXC compatible
 Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FP3
  • 14.1-megapixels
  • 1/2.33-inch sensor, 35mm to 140m, 4x optical zoom
  • F3.5-5.9
  • Venus Engine VI
  • 3.0-inch TFT touchscreen display
  • 720p video recording
  • Mega O.I.S. with iA and Intelligent Resolution
  • 98.6 x 58.9 x 18.6 mm
  • 145g with battery and SD card, SDXC compatible
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