Panasonic Australia has announced the coming release of the Lumix DMC-TZ20 and DMC-TZ18, the sixth generation in its popular TZ Series designed for travellers.
The new cameras feature an impressive 16x optical zoom, 24mm wide-angle Leica DC lens, with the TZ20 (pictured right) also offering Full HD AVCHD movie recording and GPS functionality.
The built-in GPS function on the TZ20 has been upgraded for faster searches of over one million landmarks, while its new 3-inch, 460,000-dot Smart Touch Intelligent LCD includes Touch AF, Touch Zoom and Touch Shutter modes.
The 14.1 megapixel MOS sensor allows the TZ20 to shoot at 10 frames per second in 14-megapixel full resolution.
Handheld Night Shot mode takes advantage of this high-speed sensor, combining consecutive shots to produce a blur-less, beautifully illuminated night shot without the need for a tripod.
Improved ‘Sonic Speed delivers approximately 49 per cent faster speed than the TZ10.
The TZ20 boasts an enhanced iA (Intelligent Auto) mode. In iA, the camera does all the work, leaving the user free to compose shots and capture moments.
Active Mode is now added to the conventional POWER OIS (Optical Image Stabiliser) in to minimise blur when recording movies at wide-angle. Intelligent Handheld Night Shot captures night scenes. Intelligent Burst Shooting mode automatically sets the frame rate of burst shooting according to a subject’s movement, while Motion Deblur mode minimises the blur from subject movement by updating the motion detection (Intelligent ISO Control) and brightness control (Intelligent Exposure) to gain as high a shutter speed as possible.
Other iA modes include Face Recognition and Intelligent Scene Selector, and flash is now optimised more precisely according to the scene, so that, for example, portrait shots using flash are not overexposed.
The TZ20 is also equipped with the new 3D Photo mode which produces realistic 3D images. Take 20 panning shots and the camera automatically selects the two most suitable images – one for the right eye and one for the left eye – to produce a 3D composite. The 3D images can be viewed on a Viera 3D HDTV or played back on other MPO-compatible 3D equipment such as TVs, digital photo frames or printers.
The TZ18 records dynamic HD video in 1280 x 720p at 30fps, in addition to WGA (848 x 480) and normal VGA (640 x 480). iA modes for easy shooting include POWER OIS, Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Recognition, Intelligent Exposure and AF Tracking.
The new Lumix Image Uploader offering direct, instant image sharing via Facebook (photos) or YouTube (movies). Users can checkmark the items they want to share in the camera, connect it to a PC, and use the easy to follow menu guide to upload.
Both cameras will be available in April, with the TZ20 at an RRP of $599 and the TX18 at $499.
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