Digital Home Thoughts: Panasonic Announces DMC-FZ150 and DMC-FX90 Digital Cameras

The two new cameras from Panasonic's announcement look like the top-of-the-line for their respective lines; The DMC-FZ150 is a 24x superzoom camera with a stabilised 25-600mm equivalent f/2.8-5.2 zoom lens, a new 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, a HVGA 3" articulated LCD, 1080p videos at 60 FPS in AVCHD, with sound recorded through its stereo microphones, and a host of manual controls. There is a tiny jack that looks like it might take a microphone, but if it is anything like the GH1 I have, expect the automatic gain control to play havoc with your sound levels anyway. Available in late September for US$500.

Next up is the DMC-FX90, a ultra-compact with WiFi (of the 802.11n variety). It appears that the camera supports an adhoc connection with a smartphone, and photos can be shared using the Panasonic supplied iOS or Android app. Sorry Windows Phone users, you are out of luck here. There is also the usual direct sharing feature, using the sole button on the back of the camera to initiate the process. The rest of the camera is pretty basic for a 2011 compact: a stabilised 5x 24-120mm f/2.5-5.9 zoom lens, a 12 megapixel CCD, 3" HVGA touchscreen (again, almost no hardware buttons on the back of this camera), and 1080i videos at 60 FPS in AVCHD. There is something about the slab design I like a lot though. Availablility and pricing unknown. Photo of the FX90 after the break.

DCResource.com Coverage of FZ150

DCResource.com Coverage of FX90