Control of image noise becomes an increasingly difficult prospect as the resolution of compact camera sensors increases, and so far the big-name traditional camera companies have stayed at resolutions of eight to nine megapixels. The ten megapixel arena is so far still the exclusive domain of the consumer electronics companies and the smaller camera companies - the likes of Casio, Praktica, Samsung Vivitar, and now Panasonic being the main names so far to have offered ten megapixel compact camera models. (It remains to be seen whether big names like Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, et al. are just late to the game, or whether they've decided to compete on other areas of camera design rather than continuing to push resolutions at the expense of image quality in other areas.)

A successor to the existing DMC-FZ30 model, the DMC-FZ50 couples its ten megapixel imager with the same Leica-branded 12x optical zoom lens with MEGA O.I.S. image stabilisation used in the original camera. The lens yields effective focal lengths from 35 - 420mm - a moderate wide angle to a useful telephoto. ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 1600, with the option to extend this to ISO 3200 in high sensitivity mode - surprisingly higher than the FZ30's ISO 400 sensitivity with a maximum push to 1600, given that the pixel size has come down to fit 25% more pixels into the same sensor dimensions. Images can be previewed or reviewed on a 2.0" LCD display with a better than average resolution of 207,000 pixels (although this is slightly lower than the 235,000 pixel display found in the FZ30). For those who prefer to hold the camera to their eye, there's still a 0.44" color electronic viewfinder with 235,000 pixels.

Focusing is catered for with a 1, 3, or 9-point autofocus function with AF assist lamp. Exposure modes include seventeen scene modes, such as Panasonic's unusual "Baby" modes that allow you to program a date of birth in each, and then have your images tagged with your children's current ages at the time a photo is taken. Exposure variables are determined using an intelligent multiple, center-weighted or spot metering system, and users can tweak the exposure with +/-2.0EV of exposure compensation, in 1/3EV steps. Shutter speeds range from 1/2000 to 60 seconds - quite a bit longer than is common on many digicams - and the DMC-FZ50 offers automatic or manual white balance control with five presets, and two custom white balance modes - letting you save white balance measurements for common situations for later recall. The FZ50 also includes a built-in five mode flash, with a range of up to seven meters at wide angle or 5.3 meters at telephoto, plus a hot shoe for external flash strobes.

The FZ50 offers a higher than average movie resolution of 848 x 480 pixels as seen on some of Panasonic's other recent cameras, as well as lower-resolution 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 pixel options - all of which use the QuickTime MotionJPEG format common on most digicams. The Panasonic DMX-FZ50 draws power from a proprietary Lithium Ion rechargeable battery pack, and records images on Secure Digital or MultiMedia cards, with a 32MB Secure Digital card in the product bundle - good for some photos fresh out of the package, but users will want to buy some much larger cards for day to day use. With such a high resolution still images and movies, plus a RAW file format, the FZ50 is likely to have you burning through your card space in the blink of an eye. In addition, the FZ50 supports the new SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) standard, which extends the maximum capacity to a theoretical 32GB (4GB cards being the largest at the time of this writing), with sustained transfer rates of up to six megabytes per second. There's also both USB computer connectivity, and an NTSC / PAL switcheable video output to show your images on a TV, with the necessary cables included. An Arcsoft software collection and SILKYPIX Developer Studio 2.0SE raw file utility rounds out the product bundle.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-Z50 will ship in September, priced at $650.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
General
Camera Type	EVF
Manufacturer	Panasonic
Model Number	DMC-FZ50
Dimensions	5.5 x 3.4 x 5.6" 140.8 x 85.5 x 142.0mm
Weight	734.0 g 25.7 oz
Planned Price	$649.95
Planned Availability	Sep 2006
Image Capture
Sensor Type	1/1.8" CCD 10.40 megapixels (total) 10.10 megapixels (effective)
Filter Type	RGBG
Aspect Ratio	4:3, 16:9
Image Dimensions	3648 x 2736 (10.0 megapixels)3600 x 2400 (8.6 megapixels)3264 x 2448 (8.0 megapixels)3584 x 2016 (7.2 megapixels)3248 x 2160 (7.0 megapixels)3072 x 1728 (5.3 megapixels)2560 x 1920 (4.9 megapixels)2560 x 1712 (4.4 megapixels)
Capture Speed	Continuous: 2.0 frames per second for 3 frames
Image Quality	3 levels
Image Preview / Review
Viewfinder	Yes, 0.44" Color EVF (235K Pixels) 100% field of view
LCD	2.0", 207,000 pixels 100% field of view
Playback Zoom	16.0x max
Lens
Lens Type	LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT 12x optical zoom
Image Stabilization	Yes
Focal Length	7.4 - 88.8mm (actual) 35 - 420mm (35mm equivalent)
Aperture Range	Wide: F2.8 - F11; Tele:F3.7 - F11
Focusing System	1-point, 1-point high speed, 3-point high speed, 9-point, Spot with AF assist lamp Manual Focus possible (0) steps
Focusing Range	Normal: 12" - infinity (30 cm - infinity) Macro: 2.0" - infinity (5.0 cm - infinity)
Exposure
ISO Sensitivity	Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200* (high sensitivity mode)
Shutter Speed	60 - 1/2000 second
Exposure Modes	Aperture, Shutter, Manual
Metering Modes	Intelligent Multiple, Center Weighted, Spot
Exposure Compensation	+/- 2.0EV in 1/3EV increments
White Balance	Image Sensor - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, Flash, White Set 1, White Set 2, Manual
Internal Flash	Modes: Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off Range: Wide: 0.3 - 7.0m; Tele: 0.3 - 5.3m
Flash Exposure Compensation	+/- 2.0EV in 1/3EV increments
Creative
Scene Modes	Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Panning, Food, Party, Candle, Fireworks, Snow, Starry Sky, Baby1, Baby2, Snow, High sensitivity
Digital Zoom	2x / 4x fixed
Self Timer	Yes, 2 or 10 seconds
Movie Format	QuickTime Motion JPEG with audio 848x480 and 640x480 Max. frame-rate: 30 frames per second
Storage
Recording Medium	SD/MMC, SDHC
File System	Complies with Design Rule for Camera File System (DCF)
File Format	CCD-RAW, Raw, JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
Connectivity
Video	Yes, NTSC / PAL switchable
Computer	USB 1.1
Other	DC In
Power
Battery Type	Lithium Ion rechargeable
Battery Form Factor	Proprietary
Product Bundle
Software	LUMIX Simple Viewer, PhotofunStudio viewer, SILKYPIX Developer Studio 2.0SE, ArcSoft Camera Suite (ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft PanoramaMaker), Adobe Reader, Quick Time, USB Driver
Battery / Charger	1 x Proprietary Lithium Ion rechargeable battery and charger
Flash Memory	32.0MB Secure Digital Card
Other
Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliant	Yes
PictBridge Compliant	Yes
Internal Microphone	Yes
Internal Speaker	Yes