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Have Lumix, will travel
By Sean Carruthers, posted 11/10/2003 1:22:48 PM

With new Panasonic camera in hand, HUB rolls into Japan

TOKYO -- One week before the start of Tokyo's consumer electronics show, CEATEC, Panasonic gave HUB a sneak peek at its new Lumix digital cameras. Though they are based on previous Lumix models, all offer improved performance.

The star of the launch was the Lumix FZ-10, a high-end, consumer-level camera with a 4 megapixel (MP) sensor and a 12X optical zoom lens. Added to its automatic shooting mode are plenty of features for those who prefer manual controls, including aperture- and shutter-priority modes, a manual focus ring, a hot shoe for flash attachments, and a real-time histogram function balancing images as you take them.

The FZ-10 features a few other improvements, as well. In manual focus mode, a small box in the centre of the LCD shows a 4X magnified portion of the image, allowing you to focus better. You can also depress the auto-focus/manual focus selector switch while in manual mode if you want the camera to help with the focus while letting you control other details.

The Leica lens system allows the camera to maintain a fixed F2.8 brightness across the entire zoom range. (Other cameras with a long optical zoom have trouble getting the same amount of light to the CCD when the lenses retreat into the zoom barrel. The lens system uses 13 elements, including one aspherical Extra-low Dispersion element designed to keep all three colours -- red, green, and blue -- aligned when they hit the CCD sensor.)

One issue raised during the briefing was the relatively low megapixel rating of the camera. While other manufacturers are pushing 5 and 6 MP cameras, a 4 MP sensor seemed a bit low. Panasonic responded that, unlike many competing models, the FZ-10 features a colour filter that reads "Y" information using all three colours on the sensor, not just green, allowing a sharper image with better diagonal resolution. According to Doug Borbath, product manager for Panasonic Canada Consumer Products Division's imaging group, this technology "makes the image resolution comparable to a six-megapixel standard CCD."

The FZ-10 is scheduled to hit Canadian stores in late November, and should retail for about $999 (the list price is slightly higher).

Though it features a lens that scales from 35 through 420 mm, a 1.5X tele-converter lens attachment will be available in early 2004, bringing the lens to 630 mm. Available around the same time will be a wide-angle conversion lens attachment. No prices have been announced. (An interesting side note: the carbon alloy body means the camera itself is light and these attachments don't add much weight. A similar SLR setup could cost $40,000 and weigh many times as much as the FZ-10 with attachments.)