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Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ150 digital camera. Photo provided by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. Panasonic FZ150: Speedy new super-zoom unveiled
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(Friday, August 26, 2011 - 01:01 EDT)

Continuing its announcements for the day, Panasonic has introduced a new flagship super-zoom model for its FZ-series, the Panasonic FZ150.


The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 is based around a twelve megapixel MOS image sensor, and a powerful 24x optical zoom lens offering focal lengths from 25 to 600mm equivalents. The combination of a MOS sensor and a fast quad-core Venus Engine processor allows an extremely swift 12 frames-per-second burst shooting at full resolution, if autofocus is disabled. Even with AF active, the FZ150 is manufacturer-rated for 5.5 fps. It also offers Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) video capture at 60 frames per second.

Continuing its focus on performance, the Panasonic FZ150 includes an updated contrast detection AF system branded as "Light Speed AF", said by Panasonic to allow autofocus lock in just 0.1 second. Other specifications are typical for the FZ series, including both an electronic viewfinder and three-inch LCD panel, full manual exposure, Secure Digital storage, and power from a proprietary lithium-ion cell.

Pricing for the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 digital camera is set at around US$500, with availability slated for late September, 2011. More details can be found in our Panasonic FZ150 preview.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ150 digital camera. Photo provided by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. Click for a bigger picture!
General
Camera TypeEVF
ManufacturerPanasonic
Model NumberNorth America: DMC-FZ150
Dimensions4.9 x 3.2 x 3.7 in.
(124 x 82 x 95 mm)
Weight18.6 oz (528 g)
Planned Price$500
Planned AvailabilitySeptember 2011
Image Capture
Sensor TypeCMOS
1/2.3" (approx. 0.43 in. diagonal)
12.50 megapixels (total)
12.10 megapixels (effective)
Filter TypeRGBG
Aspect Ratio16:9, 4:3
Image Dimensions4000 x 3000 (12.0 megapixels)
3264 x 2448 (8.0 megapixels)
2560 x 1920 (4.9 megapixels)
2048 x 1536 (3.1 megapixels)
1600 x 1200 (1.9 megapixels)
640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels)
4000 x 2672 (10.7 megapixels)
3264 x 2176 (7.1 megapixels)
2560 x 1712 (4.4 megapixels)
2048 x 1360 (2.8 megapixels)
640 x 424 (0.3 megapixels)
4000 x 2248 (9.0 megapixels)
3264 x 1840 (6.0 megapixels)
2560 x 1440 (3.7 megapixels)
1920 x 1080 (2.1 megapixels)
640 x 360 (0.2 megapixels)
Capture SpeedContinuous: 12.0 frames per second
Image Quality2 levels
Image Preview / Review
ViewfinderYes, EVF type; 0.20" Color LCD (201.6K Pixels equiv.), Field of View : approx. 100%, Lens 19.6x
LCD3.0 in. diagonal
460,000 dots (approx. 153,000 pixels)
Lens
Lens TypeLEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT; 14 elements in 10 groups, 2 Aspherical Lenses, 3 ED lenses, 1 Nano Surface Coat Lens
24x optical zoom
Image StabilizationYes
Focal Length4.5 - 108.0mm (actual)
25 - 600mm (35mm equivalent)
Apertu e Rangef/2.8 (wide) / f/5.2 (tele) - f/8.0; Multistage Iris Diaphragm
Focusing SystemContrast Detect: Face / AF Tracking / Multi (23 pt) / 1 pt (Flexible / Scalable)
Has AF assist lamp
Manual focus possible
Focusing RangeNormal: 12" - infinity (30 cm - infinity)
Macro: 0.4" - 4,082" (1 cm - 10,000 cm)
Exposure
ISO SensitivityAuto, iISO, High Sensitivity Auto (1600-6400), 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Shutter Speed30 - 1/2000 second
Exposure ModesAperture, Shutter, Manual
Metering ModesIntelligent Multiple, Center-Weighted, Spot
Exposure Compensation+/- 3.0EV in 1/3EV increments
White BalanceImage Sensor - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Flash, Incandescent, Color Temperature, White Set 1, White Set 2
Internal FlashModes: Auto, Auto/Red- eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red- eye Reduction, Slow Sync./Red- eye Reduction, Forced Off; Flash Synchro; 1st / 2nd
Range: Auto ISO: 0.3 - 9.5m (Wide), 1.0 - 5.1m (Tele)
Creative
Scene ModesCreative Control, Portrait, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Close- up, Scene (Panorama Assist, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Flash Burst, Panning, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial Photo, Photo Frame, High-Speed Video, 3D Photo), Custom, Creative Video
Digital ZoomUp to 4x
Self TimerYes, 2, 10, 10 (3 shots) seconds
Movie FormatAVCHD 2.0, MP4, Motion JPEG; stereo sound with audio
Max. clip length: 6,600 seconds ()
Storage
Recording MediumSD/MMC including SDHC, SDXC, Built-in
File SystemFAT16, FAT32, complies with Design Rule for Camera File System (DCF)
File FormatRAW, RAW+JPEG, JPEG (EXIF 2.3), MPO (3D)
Connectivity
VideoHigh definition: Yes (HDMI)
Standard definition: Yes
ComputerUSB 2.0 High Speed
OtherMini-HDMI with Viera Link
Power
Battery Type7.2V, 895mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable
Battery Form FactorProprietary
Product Bundle
SoftwarePHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.5 HD Edition, SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.1 SE, QuickTime Adobe Reader
Battery / Charger1 x Proprietary Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and charger
Flash Memory70.0MB built-in memory
Other
Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliantYes
PictBridge CompliantYes
Internal MicrophoneYes
Internal SpeakerYes
Tripod MountYes
Notes24x wide-angle zoom with Power OIS optical image stabilization, Full HD 1080p60 movies, Creative Video mode, Creative Control mode, Photo Style mode, 3D Photo mode, Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selection, Intelligent D-Range Control, RAW support, 12fps full-resolution burst mode, Hotshoe.
More Photos
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ150 digital camera. Photo provided by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. Click for a bigger picture!
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ150 digital camera. Photo provided by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. Click for a bigger picture!
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ150 digital camera. Photo provided by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. Click for a bigger picture!
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ150 digital camera. Photo provided by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. Click for a bigger picture!
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ150 digital camera. Photo provided by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. Click for a bigger picture!
 

Original Source Press Release:

Panasonic Expands Popular Lumix FZ Series With Premium 24x Super-Zoom, 3D Shooting Compact Digital Camera

New Panasonic LUMIX FZ150 Digital Camera Packs a Powerful 24x Optical Zoom in High-Quality 25mm Ultra Wide-Angle Leica Lens That Shoots Full HD Video

SECAUCUS, NJ (August 26, 2011) -- Panasonic today introduces the newest addition to its super-zoom LUMIX FZ-Series digital cameras. The new LUMIX DMC-FZ150 is fully equipped with a 25mm ultra wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens and a powerful 24x Optical Zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 25-600mm) available for shooting both stills and videos. Additionally, the LUMIX FZ150 has two of Panasonic’s newest features -- newly advanced Nano Surface Coating technology which helps minimize light reflection that causes ghost and flare -- and the new 3D Photo Mode.

As the top-end model of LUMIX’s popular FZ series, the FZ150 combines a new 12.1-megapixel MOS sensor and the renowned Venus Engine giving the camera high-performance image recording capability in both higher light sensitivity and speed. And as a step-up from the recently announced LUMIX FZ47’s 1920 x 1080 60i video feature, the FZ150 realizes 1920 x 1080 60p Full-HD AVCHD Progressive (MPEG-4 / H.264) format. It is also possible to take still images while recording video simultaneously (3.5-megapixel) and the powerful 24x optical zoom is available in video recording. The FZ150 incorporates a stereo zoom microphone with a Wind Cut function, so that videos come with high-quality stereo sound through Dolby® Digital Stereo Creator.

“Panasonic continues to strive to meet the photography demands of its consumers by providing unique features and advanced technology in all our LUMIX digital cameras,” said Darin Pepple, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “With the 24x Optical Zoom and 3D shooting capabilities the FZ150 is a versatile, powerful camera that gives users endless options to take creative and high-quality images and videos.”

The Light Speed AF of approx. 0.1 sec never misses fleeting photo opportunities. To encourage step-up users to enjoy shooting even more, full manual control is available with the FZ150. Users can enjoy image shooting while expressing their intention not only in photos but also in video, utilizing a host of options including the new Creative Control and Photo Style with a wide variety of preset options. The effective hand-shake correction system POWER O.I.S. now gains Active mode, which helps to record stable video even if shot while walking.

The LUMIX’s popular iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode powerfully assists in any shooting situations to get the best results. Thanks to the Intelligent Resolution technology, Intelligent Zoom is available with the FZ150 extending the zoom ratio by approx. 1.3x, maintaining the picture quality while combining a digital zoom. This means the 24x optical zoom can virtually extend to a 32x equivalent. Not only drawing near the subject that is far away with its powerful optical zoom, the 25mm ultra wide angle lens captures approx.196% wider angle of view compared with a standard 35mm camera. This is helpful for shooting dynamic landscape or indoor group portrait.

The popular iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode is also available in video recording. The POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent D-range Control also support shooting beautiful videos with ease. The Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery, and Low Light modes according to the situation, to optimize visual quality. The Intelligent D-range Control makes images look more natural by preventing blocked shadows and blown highlights to optimize the exposure for each part of an image. It also ensures a beautiful reproduction of gradation and details.

A new 12-Megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor pursuing Resolution, Sensitivity and Speed has been incorporated along with the renowned Venus Engine enabling the FZ150 to excel in image processing power. The combination of these powerful components results in the S/N ratio improvement by 3.9dB (ISO 100) to 4.7dB (ISO1600) compared with the predecessor -- the FZ100. Newly developed Multi-process Noise Reduction applies optimum noise reduction according to the brightness of the part of the picture. Both high frequency noise that occurs in the dark part and low frequency noise in the light part are suppressed even in a picture. As a result, Images recorded in low-lit situations are now dramatically clear.

The Venus Engine has a quad-circuit system for processing large amount of progressive Full HD data at high speed. Not only 1920 x 1080 60p smooth Full-HD video recording, but also super fast consecutive shots at 12 fps (without auto focusing) and 5.5 fps (with auto focusing) in full resolution. It is also compatible with recording high-speed video at 220fps in QVGA. At the same time, the multi-task image-processing engine, the Venus Engine, realizes a super-fast response time. The auto focus gains approx. 50% faster speed compared with the FZ100, achieving Light Speed AF of approx. 0.1 second. The speed in AF Tracking also becomes faster, thanks to the improved tracking performance which doubles its sampling frequency.

The FZ150 provides the new Creative Control mode with a selection of artistic effect modes; Expressive, Retro, High Key, Sepia, High Dynamic, Miniature Effect, Film Grain and Pin Hole. In addition, Photo Style is newly added to the FZ150 for the expression of finer nuance. It has Standard, Vivid, Natural, Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait presets, while enabling finer adjustment of contrast, sharpness, saturation and noise reduction by each.

As a further step-up from the FZ47, the FZ150 is equipped with a hot shoe allowing attachment of various accessories including an optional stereo microphone (DMW-MS1) or an optional external flash (DMW-FL220 / FL360 / FL500). The FZ150 is also compatible with an optional remote shutter (DMW-RSL1) for advanced expression in photography.

The newly-added 3D Photo mode takes 20 panning shots and then the camera automatically selects the two most suitable images -- one for the right eye and one for the left eye -- to synthesize a 3D composite. The 3D image can then be viewed on any VIERA 3D HDTV. The format of 3D images is compatible with MPO which can be played back on other MPO-compatible equipment.

Other features of the Panasonic LUMIX FZ150 include:

  • Motion Deblur Mode, which helps to prevent blur.

  • Intelligent Handheld Nightshot Mode, which generates beautiful night scenery with illumination by layering multiple images shot consecutively.

  • PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.5 BD Edition Software makes it possible to sort and organize photos not only of those newly taken but also of those stored on the PC with quick start-up and fast read-in of images. Recorded videos can be edited with the Short Movie Story function and written into MPEG2 to burn onto a Blu-ray or DVD disc.

The Panasonic LUMIX FZ150 will be available in black for a suggested retail price of $499.99,starting in late-September 2011. For more information on Panasonic LUMIX digital cameras, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix.

  1. The "AVCHD Progressive" is a high definition (HD) digital video recording / playback format jointly established by Panasonic Corporation and Sony Corporation.

Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.
The LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lenses are manufactured using measurement instruments and quality assurance systems that have been certified by Leica Camera AG based on the company's quality standards.
Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective corporations.
This unit is compatible with both SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Cards. You can only use SDHC Memory Cards on devices that are compatible with them. You cannot use SDHC Memory Cards on devices that are only compatible with SD Memory Cards. (When using an SDHC Memory Card on another device, be sure to read the operating instructions for that device.)
Some accessories are not available in some countries.
The use of recorded or printed materials that are protected by copyright for any purpose other than personal enjoyment is prohibited, as it would infringe upon the rights of the copyright holder.
Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.

About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and protect our environment through the company’s Eco Ideas programs. Company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

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