How to select the right Panasonic point-and-shoot 
This article has been updated as of October 15, 2009.
Panasonic has a long history of producing electrical components and appliances. From its humble beginning in 1917 till today, the company has undergone several changes, and has successfully overcome several economic recessions. The founder of the firm, Konosuke Matsushita initially branded its products as National, but most of them are under the Panasonic umbrella now. Today, many people still affectionately refer to the company as Matsushita Electrical.
The Lumix DMC-FT1 is Panasonic's first rugged digicam.
The Lumix DMC-F7 and DMC-LC5 were the first point-and-shoots to roll out from the factory, and Panasonic kept building on the success of each camera to improve on the next and introduced several features that became a model for other brands to follow.
The Japanese firm was one of the first companies to incorporate an optical image stabilizer (known as Mega O.I.S.) in its point-and-shoots, and this was a challenge as it had to integrate the stabilizer elements into a compact form factor. It succeeded, and soon other manufacturers quickly adopted this feature as well. This year, Panasonic's introduced a new image stabilizer system--Power O.I.S.--which promises to let users shoot, handheld, at even slower shutter speeds.
Last year, scene recognition technology, or intelligent Auto (iA) as Panasonic calls it, was introduced, and this feature proved to be very popular among consumers because it made snapping pictures a zippier affair.
To make its cameras more appealing to consumers, the company has included HD-quality video capture in most of its point-and-shoots, even entry-level ones. This has become a trend for competing brands to replicate. Panasonic told CNET Asia it will continue to innovate and bring more "revolutionary concepts and value-added features" to the industry, so consumers can expect even better cameras in the future.
After much research on the various markets globally, Panasonic diversified its shooters to satisfy different the target audience in specific regions. This is why there are so many classes for its point-and-shoots. If you've set your eyes on one but not quite sure which is suitable, we've put together a comprehensive guide for its lineup.
Click on the images to find out more about the series.
Click on the brand names to find out more about their cameras.
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