News

Panasonic has announced a new firmware update for its interchangeable LEICA
D SUMMILUX 25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025) lens, which is compatible with the Four
Thirds standard digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, including Panasonic's
LUMIX DMC-L10. With the firmware update, the LEICA D SUMMILUX 25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025)
adds contrast auto focus (AF) to the single focal length lens, making it more
suitable for taking snapshots and portraits where the photo subject is able
to stand out due to an intentional out-of-focus background.



Panasonic invites all users of LEICA D SUMMILUX 25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025) lenses
to download the updated firmware to enjoy this advanced technology that lets
users take high-quality photos with ease and accuracy. Notably, with the use
of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-L10 digital SLR, this update allows the LEICA D SUMMILUX
25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025) lens to take professional-quality portraits as it combines
Panasonic's Face Detection feature with the contrast AF.



Users will be able to download the latest firmware that allows the LEICA D SUMMILUX
25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025) lens to take advantage of contrast AF at 4:00 GMT on
March 12, 2008 at the following link: http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/.



www.panasonic.com/dsc

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The 20.3-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 is the follow-up to the GX7, which was the top model of the viewfinder style G series mirrorless cameras. Like the GX7, the Panasonic GX8 looks like a classic rangefinder camera, but has a tiltable electronic viewfinder that uses a high resolution OLED display with 2.36 million RGB dots.

Panasonic announced the new LUMIX DMC-FX75, a super-slim digital camera that features a 24mm ultra-wide-angle f/2.2 bright LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON lens with 5x optical zoom, which can be used while shooting High Definition video. The slim and stylish LUMIX FX75, a 14.1-megapixel digital camera, is one of Panasonic’s high-performing hybrid models with the ability to not only take high-quality still photos, but can also record HD video in the AVCHD Lite format.

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Shutterbug and Panasonic are happy to announce the winner of our "Inspirations"
Photo Contest, conducted on the web site Galleries at www.shutterbug.com. Jim
Semonik, who resides in central New Jersey, submitted his image and won the
votes of judges and web commentators alike. Jim's shot was taken in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida. Said Jim, "I saw the boat and took about 60 pictures
of it over two mornings -- the first day was overcast the second was perfect.
I still have 59 other shots from every possible angle."



As
to his growing love of photography, Jim said, "I had an interest in photography
back in the `70s but marriage, daughters (who had a nasty habit of wanting
to eat!) put hobbies on hold. Digital rekindled my creative spirit and I have
been trying to improve. I started with an HP 2MP camera went to a Fuji 3MP,
then 6 MP and finally took the plunge on a Nikon D50. The kids are grown now
and I love to travel. I get to see some interesting places because of my job
but I fell in love with the Southwest and the Islands. It's probably that
mid-life Jimmy Buffett deal!"

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Panasonic
has introduced two new Lumix digital still cameras with 12x optical zoom and
MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer). Models DMC-FZ5 and DMC-FZ4 offer 5.0-megapixel
and 4.0-megapixel resolution, respectively, and incorporate a newly developed
12x optical zoom equivalent to 36mm to 432mm (DMC-FZ5) / 35mm to 420mm (DMC-FZ4)
on a 35mm film camera lens. The 12x optical zoom combined with 4x digital zoom
magnifies images by as much as 48x, enabling users to capture images of subjects
at longer distances. Both cameras feature a high-performance LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT
lens.



Panasonic first introduced the MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer with its DMC-FZ1
digital still camera in 2003; and, in 2004, was the first to market a digital
camera with 12x zoom and MEGA O.I.S. Panasonic's MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer
automatically detects and corrects for hand movement, providing precise compensation
with no image quality degradation. This technology is especially appreciated
when taking telephoto shots or when using slow shutter speeds to capture the
atmosphere in dimly lit scenes.



Panasonic's LSI Venus Engine II handles image processing, LCD functions, and
writing to the memory card simultaneously, making these cameras responsive with
an industry-leading release time lag of 0.008 seconds minimum for the DMC-FZ5
and 0.006 seconds minimum for the DMC-FZ4; and shutter interval of approx. 0.4
seconds minimum for the DMC-FZ5 and 0.3 seconds minimum for the DMC-FZ4. The
LSI also enables fast consecutive shooting capability, capturing sequential
shots at a rate of 3 frames (DMC-FZ5) or 4 frames (DMC-FZ4) per second at full
resolution. An unlimited consecutive shooting function allows the user to take
photos in succession until the memory card is full. The LSI also improves horizontal,
vertical and diagonal resolution.



Auto angle detection, a new feature, records whether an image was taken horizontally
or vertically and displays it accordingly, whether viewed on the camera's LCD
or on a connected TV.



Other features include fast AF; selectable manual functions (such as aperture-priority
AE, shutter-priority AE and manual exposure); a Simple Mode, in which most settings
are made automatically; real-time histogram; color viewfinder; built-in flash,
and more.



www.panasonic.com



MODEL AVAILABILITY MSRP

DMC-FZ5 April 2005 $499.95

DMC-FZ4 April 2005 $449.95

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Panasonic just introduced the new 16-megapixel DMC-GF7 mirrorless camera. The Panasonic GF7, like the new Fuji XA-2, offers selfie-friendly shooting features including a 180-degree flip-up monitor in a classic styled camera.