Panasonic announces the Lumix G97 and ZS99, two new point-and-shoot cameras
posted Friday, December 20, 2024 at 9:24 AM EST
Panasonic just announced two new cameras, the Lumix G97 Micro Four-Thirds and Lumix ZS99 point-and-shoot, both perfect for everyday photography.
- Panasonic Lumix G97 Hybrid Mirrorless Camera with 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens - available to pre order
- Panasonic ZS99 Digital Camera (Silver) - available to pre order
The Lumix G97 is the successor of the G95, retaining much of the design elements that made it popular with the Micro Four-Thirds community and bringing some nice upgrades. The G97 gets a brand new 1,840k-dot fully articulating LCD which can be viewed from any angle. It also features modern connectivity with its USB-C port and Bluetooth 5.0, both provide faster data transfers and power efficiency. The G97 also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack and microphone input for better audio capture when shooting video.
At the heart of the Lumix G97 is a 20.3MP CMOS sensor and the Venus Engine image processor which deliver sharp still images and UHD 4K video. There is a built-in 5-axis Dual I.S. 2 system that provides 5-stops of compensation when shooting handheld, giving sharper photos and video in low-light environments.
Point-and-shoot cameras have been extremely popular in the last few years, and the new Panasonic Lumix ZS99 looks like it will be a crowd favorite. It features an impressive 24-720mm (35mm equivalent) F/3.3-6.4 Leica DC Vario-Elmar 30X optical zoom lens, covering wide to long telephoto. The lens features five double-sided aspherical elements that help minimize spherical aberrations and distortions throughout the entire range for maximum image clarity and sharpness.
The ZS99 is capable of shooting 4K video at 30fps and 1080 slow motion at 120fps. It can also shoot 4K bursts which record 8MP stills at 30fps for up to 15 minutes and supports 4K Pre-Burst to capture 30 frames before the shutter button is pressed. The point-and-shoot also has a unique feature called Post Focus that allows users to tap a specific region of the image that will be in focus during playback to create an 8MP JPEG.
The body houses a 3.0-inch 1,840K-dot rear touchscreen LCD that can flip up for front-facing photos and video. The ZS99 has a USB-C port for charging and data transfer while Bluetooth 5.0 and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi allows for wireless connectivity.
The Panasonic Lumix G97 is priced at $849.99 and will be available starting February 2025 with the 12-60mm kit lens. The Lumix ZS99 will also be arriving in February and will cost $499. Both cameras are now available for pre-order at B&H and Adorama.