Digital Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50

10.1 megapixels Lumix DMC-FZ50 announced by Panasonic

The Lumix DMC-FZ50 digital camera with 12x zoom has been announced by Panasonic as a successor to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 camera. The Lumix DMC-FZ50 differs from the DMC-FZ30 in a number of areas including Venus III engine, widescreen movies at 848 x 480 pixels at 30 fps, support for SDHC cards, 10.1 megapixel 1/1.8" sensor, hot shoe with TTL flash and support for raw format remains but tiff compatibility has been dropped on the new camera. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 also boasts the highly acclaimed 12x Leica zoom lens with MEGA optical image stabiliser. A major problem with the DMC-FZ30 was image noise at higher ISO levels. Even though the 10.1 megapixel CCD on the Panasonic DMC-FZ50 suggests high noise levels, Panasonic states that noise levels will be lower on the FZ50 due to the Venus III engine. Other improvements include a free angle 207k LCD and improved autofocus.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 Key Features - 10.1 megapixel CCD - 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 image ratios - MEGA optical image stabiliser - Movie clips upto 848 x 480 30 fps with audio. 2gb limit. - Support for Raw, Jpeg and Mov formats - 35 - 420mm (35mm equiv) F2.8 - F3.7 Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Zoom with 55mm lens thread. - PASM modes and scene modes - Multiple, Center weighted and spot metering. -Built in flash and hotshoe with TTL metering. - 230K electronic viewfinder - 2" TFT LCD with 207,000 pixels with flip down and twist. - SD, SDHC and MMC card compatibility - Weight 734g with battery - Size 141 x 86 x 142