Panasonic has announced the addition of two new Lumix cameras, which are all about the zoom. The FZ1000 II marries a big sensor with 16x zoom capabilities, while the pocket-friendly ZS80 goes from 24 mm wide angle to 720 mm at the telephoto end.
The Lumix FZ1000 II doesn't increase the pixel count on its predecessor – 2014's FZ1000 – nor has Panasonic taken the opportunity to increase the camera's zoom prowess. That means it features a 20.1 megapixel, 1 inch CMOS sensor and a 16x optical Leica zoom lens, which equates to 25-400 mm in 35 mm speak.
The DLSR-shaped bridge camera does come with Zoom Compose Assist though, which helps ensure that the subject stays in the frame by quickly zooming out when the subject moves out of shot. Bokeh fans will doubtless appreciate the F2.8-4.0 aperture range, and 5-axis hybrid optical image stabilization is ready to compensate for shaky hands.
The FZ1000 II is primed for action in just 0.09 seconds, there's a front/rear dual dial setup and 13 function button that should put everything you need to take a shot within reach, and the camera is capable of 12 frames per second continuous shooting. It can also record 4K (3,840 x 2,160) video at 30, 25 or 24 frames per second.
Framing up has been given a slight quality bump, courtesy of a 2.36 million dot OLED viewfinder with 0.74x magnification, and a 3 inch, 1.25 million dot free-angle touch display. And included Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11n Wi-Fi make for wireless image transfer via the company's Image app.
Due for release at the end of March, the FZ1000 II is priced at US$899.
The video below has more.
Panasonic has also announced a new pocket-friendly travel zoom camera. The ZS80/TZ95 represents a modest upgrade to the ZS70/TZ90 before it, featuring a 30x optical zoom lens, which can go from 24 mm ultra wide to 720 mm telephoto (35 mm equiv), and a 20.3 megapixel, 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor.
Its Power Optical Image Stabilizer should help images stay sharp at the upper zoom end, and this model also features Zoom Compose Assist to keep track of subjects as they move out of the frame. It's reported capable of 10 frames per second burst shooting, high speed autofocus of approx. 0.1 sec, and can record 4K video.
There's a 2.33 million dot electronic viewfinder and a 3 inch, 1.04 million dot touchscreen display panel that can tilt up above the camera for framing selfies, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are cooked in for remote operation and wireless image transfer.
This model will go on sale at the end of April for $449.
There's more in the video below.
Source: Panasonic
