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Panasonic made a splash last year at Photokina with its Lumix DMC-CM1 smartphone, even though its release was limited to French and German markets. The company is using CES to announce U.S. availability of the Android device, even though it won’t be available for sale here until the summer.
You can refer to our Photokina hands-on report for more detail on the device, but on a basic level it’s an unlocked LTE phone running Android KitKat with a 20-megapixel, 1-inch image sensor, a 28mm f/2.8 prime lens, Raw and JPG image capture, and the ability to capture 4K video, albeit at just 15fps.
It includes 16GB of internal memory and has a microSD slot for storage expansion. Panasonic is planning on selling it as an unlocked device in the U.S. with support for T-Mobile and AT&T GSM networks. The only real sticking point is the price—at $999, it carries a premium when compared with competing smartphones and cameras.
Meanwhile, Panasonic is leading the competition in 4K video capture, and is bolstering its camcorder lineup to keep pace in that arena. The HC-WX970 and VX870 are being launched at CES, and both can capture 4K video at up to 30fps. The two cameras are almost identical—the WX970 sets itself apart thanks to its Twin Lens design. An additional 720p HD camera sits on swing-out LCD so you can capture picture-in-picture video. The VX870 also supports picture-in-picture capture, but you’ll need to pair your smartphone with it via Wi-Fi in order to facilitate that, as it lacks a second physical lens.
Both video cameras feature a Leica Dicomar lens with a 20x lens and utilize an 8-megapixel 1/2.3-inch image sensor. Even though the video output is 30p, the sensor samples the scene at 60fps, which minimizes rolling shutter and improves autofocus speed. You can record at 60fps if you switch to 1080p recording, but 24p isn’t available at all. Both models include hybrid stabilization, which mixes digital and optical technology to steady footage along 5 axes. The WX970 is priced at $999 and the VX870 is $899. Both will go on sale in late February.
The company is also updating a number of its 1080p camcorders at lower price points. The V770 ($599), W570 ($449), V270 ($299), and V160 ($229) will all be available in the same late February timeline.
Panasonic is also announcing a few new Lumix compact point-and-shoot camera models at CES. The most serious of the bunch is the ZS50, an update to the ZS40 ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) superzoom. It maintains the same 30x (24-720mm equivalent) zoom lens, but its image sensor resolution has been dropped from 18 megapixels to 12 megapixels, which should produce cleaner images at higher ISO sensitivities. The EVF has also been improved—it’s now a 0.2-inch LCD with a 1,166k-dot resolution, and an eye sensor has been added to automatically switch between the EVF and the 3-inch, 1,040k-dot rear LCD.
The ZS50 includes built-in Wi-Fi, but it omits the integrated GPS that was found in the ZS40—if you want to add location data to your photos, you can do so via Panasonic’s smartphone app, which includes a location log function. The other noticeable change is the addition of a control ring around the ZS50’s lens. It’s priced at $399 and will ship in March.
If you don’t need an EVF, but still want a longer zoom, the ZS45 is an option. It uses a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor and a 20x (24-480mm) zoom lens. Panasonic is billing it as a good camera for selfies, as it has a screen that faces all the way forward, zoom rockers on both the front and rear of the shutter release, and integrated Wi-Fi. It’s priced at $299 and will go on sale in March.
Also shipping in March is the TS6, a $299 rugged camera that offers modest updates to the older TS5 ($664.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , and the budget-minded TS30, a $179 rugged camera that isn’t quite as tough and uses a low-cost CCD image sensor.
The final new Lumix model is launching in April. The SZ10 is a slim budget model with a 12x zoom lens, Wi-Fi, and a 16-megapixel CCD image sensor. It’s priced at $199.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/news/panasonic-lumix-cm1-smartphone-coming-to-us