Panasonic unveils 2009 Lumix lineup

Reuben Lee | Feb 09, 2009

Models at the event showing off the new Lumix cameras.

Even with the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) tradeshow almost a month away and the global economy flailing, the digital imaging industry is already firing up the pistons, with big guns like Panasonic today showcasing an extensive 2009 camera lineup at its Asia Seminar held in Singapore.

A collection of 11 new Lumix shooters were unveiled, among them six models that had been announced earlier (see the coverage here) with updated models names for the region. Of those six new offerings, the flagship TZ7 offers a compact 12x zoom design, AVCHD Lite video recording and 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens. The FT1 is Pansonic's first rugged outing aimed directly at Olympus' TOUGH series, while the FX48 and touchscreen FX580 add 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens with a new face recognition function.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7

The five new Lumix cameras that were unveiled for the first time today comprised mainly enhancement models from the FS and LS series. Improved features for the FS lineup (FS25, FS15, FS7, FS6 and FS4) include an enhanced iA mode, wide-angle lens and larger LCD displays. The entry-level LS85, which succeeds the LS80, is the only Lumix model powered by AA batteries and minus the Leica lens.

According to a Panasonic spokesperson, the new cameras will roll out gradually across Asia between February and May, with the key models TZ7 and FT1 slated to launch only in Q2 of this year.

At the event, Panasonic also revealed its plans to extend its global market share for its cameras from the current 10 percent (in 27 countries) to about 15 percent for 2009. That would roughly translate to selling about 30 million cameras. According to the company, Asia will be a key market that will help achieve its 2009 goals.

The new Panasonic SW21 (left) and HS80 (right)camcorders.

In addition to Lumix cameras, Panasonic also announced its new lineup of High-Definition (HD) and Standard Definition camcorders which offer a hybrid mixture of hard drive and SD card storage. Noteworthy features among its HD offerings (such as the HS80) are 3MOS sensors, 10.6-megapixel still image capture, and time lapse and relay recording. The high-end SD models feature the industry's longest 70x optical zoom lens with Advanced O.I.S., while the SW21 is the rugged camcorder version of the TS1.

Filed under: Digital Cameras
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