Digital Camera and Photography: Tips, Information and News | Neocamera Blog

Let’ say that it has been a slow summer in terms of digital camera news… until now. Today we got a announcements from both Panasonic and Fuji. Starting with Panasonic, we have 2 ultra-zooms the FZ100 and FZ40. They both share the same new ultra-wide 24X optical zoom lens equivalent to 25-600mm. They both come with the usual bells-and-whistles of ultra-zooms: full-manual controls, manual focus, image stabilization.

The FZ100 is the high-speed CMOS version of a Panasonic ultra-zoom.  It sports a 14 megapixels sensor and a mechanical shutter than can sustain 11 FPS. The FZ100 also has a 60 FPS capture mode using an electronic shutter at 3.5 megapixels. The FZ100 can record full 1080i video using its fast sensor.  It has a 3″ LCD with 460k which can rotate away from the camera body.

The FZ40 comes as a more natural upgrade to the ultra-zoom lineup with a conventional 14 megapixels sensor. Since it lacks the high-speed sensor, this one records 720p HD movies. Both cameras use the space-efficient AVHCD codec. This model also has a 3″ LCD but with 230K pixels.

The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 is a nice follow-up to the LX3 advanced compact digital camera. The biggest difference is an increased zoom range, now going from 24-90mm at F2-F3.3, compared to 24-60mm F2-2.8. It also features a port for an EVF add-on.  The interface has been changed slightly to make it easier to change camera settings.

The FX ultra-slim line-up has also been updated with a touch-screen-based FX700. I still strongly feel this is a bad idea but every manufacturer seems to want to have one in their line-up. The FX700 boasts a nice bright lens going from 24-120mm at F2.2-5.9. This one is built around a CMOS sensor, probably the same as the FZ100, which it uses to shoot continuously at 10 FPS and record 1080i HD video.

The last update from Panasonic is actually a down-grade from the TS2, to become the less-touch TS10. This one can be submerged to 3m below the surface and dropped from 1.5m. We’re guessing Panasonic want to see how little ruggedness people actually want. The TS10 sports a 14 megapixels sensor and an internal 4X optical zoom lens equivalent to 35-140mm.

The third-dimension is big and Sony has been producing 3D LCD televisions for a while now but 3D media is  quite sparse. Certain Blu-Ray players can show the few 3D- compatible disks that are available but using these new Sony digital cameras, regular people can easily produce their own 3D contents. The new Cybershot DSC-WX5 and Cybershot DSC-TX9 both feature a 12 megapixels CMOS sensor which can be used to produce a sweeping panorama in 3D.

To obtain a standard (2D) sweeping panorama, the camera basically records image slices while it is being moved in a sweeping motion. The camera then assembles the slices into a single panoramic image. The 3D version works the same way except that 2 images are produced, one for each eye. The images differ in perspective because they are taken from different slices of the same subject area. This clever approach allows 3D to be captured using a single lens, as opposed to the traditional dual-lens (and therefore dual-sensor) approach which requires bigger and more exepensive gear. The difference is that the dual-lens approach captures the two perspectives from a single camera position while the 3D sweeping panorama approach requires camera movement for obtaining multiple perspectives.

The flagship of the two is the ultra-compact WX5 which measures just under 1″ thick and can capture 12 megapixels images and 1080i HD video using the space-efficient H.264 file-format. It also features an ultra-wide angle 5X optical zoom lens equivalent to 24-120mm in 35mm terms.  The ISO range goes from 125 to 3200 for exceptional low-light capabilities. A 2.8″ LCD with 460k pixels appears on the rear of the WX5 as well.

The TX9 is ultra-slim at less than 3/4″ thick with a non-protuding 4X optical zoom lens going from ultrawide 25mm to 100mm in 35mm terms. This one can also captute 1080i HD video in H.264 format. It features a huge 3.5″ LCD tocuhscreen with 920K pixels. Progressive video is also available at 720p and at the odd non-widescreen resolution of 1440×1080. The CMOS sensor gives these cameras the ability to shoot continuously at up to 10 FPS. Several modes take advantage of this by combining a burst of nearly-identical show to produce an improved image.

The same 3D Sweeping Panorama capability has been added recently to their NEX-3 and NEX-5
interchangeable-lens cameras via a firmware update. The NEX-3 and NEX-5 are currently available while both WX5 and TX9 ship in September for a suggested price of $300 and $400 USD respectively.

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