Panasonic G85, FZ2500 and LX10 unveiled: A trio of hot new cameras arrive just in time for Photokina
posted Monday, September 19, 2016 at 7:14 AM EDT
It's finally here, ladies and gents: The biennial Photokina tradeshow in Cologne, Germany kicks off tomorrow, explaining the raft of announcements around these parts of late. And now Panasonic has joined in the festivities, launching three hot new cameras that will take its Lumix camera line into the next year -- the mid-range Panasonic G85 mirrorless camera, Panasonic FZ2500 large-sensor long-zoom camera, and Panasonic LX10 large-sensor compact.
Panasonic G85: A mid-range Micro Four Thirds compact system camera
The Panasonic G85 -- known in Europe as the Panasonic G80 -- is to last year's G7 what the GX85 was to the preceding GX8, but in a DSLR-styled (and newly weather-sealed) body complete with viewfinder hump. Sensor resolution remains at 16 megapixels, but the removal of the optical low-pass filter should translate to greater per-pixel sharpness. Panasonic has also redesigned the G85's shutter mechanism to reduce noise and vibrations, added an even more powerful Dual Image Stabilization system, increased the burst rate and buffer depth, ported over some of its clever shooting modes like 4K Photo, Post-Focus and Focus Stacking, and improved the camera's video-capture feature set.
Available from October 2016, the Panasonic G85 is priced at US$900 body-only, or US$1,000 in a kit with weather-sealed 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. Much more on this model can be found in our in-depth Panasonic G85 hands-on preview. And for you pixel-peepers out there, we even have a series of test lab First Shots available! (With early firmware, but we're told these are "production quality" images.)
Panasonic FZ2500: An enthusiast-friendly, 1"-sensor megazoom
The Panasonic FZ2500, meanwhile, will be alternately known as the Panasonic FZ2000 or Panasonic FZH1 in some markets. A followup to the FZ1000, the Panasonic FZ2500 boasts a longer-zooming lens with stepless aperture control, three-stage built-in ND filters, a roomier viewfinder, higher-res and touch-screen LCD monitor, and a whole raft of changes aimed at making this camera more useful to video pros.
Available from December 2016, the Panasonic FZ2500 is priced at around US$1,200. Much more information can be found in our detailed Panasonic FZ2500 preview!
Panasonic LX10: A premium 1"-sensor compact with a really bright lens
Finally, we come to the Panasonic LX10, which again will have different names in some markets -- alternately either the Panasonic LX15 or Panasonic LX9. This model pairs a really bright Leica DC Vario Summilux-branded 24-72mm f/1.4-2.8 zoom lens with a premium all-metal, pocket-friendly body and a 1"-format sensor.
Available from November 2016, pricing for the Panasonic LX10 is set at around US$700 in the US market. Find out plenty more on this interesting rival to Sony's RX100-series in our in-depth Panasonic LX10 preview!