Hot on the heels of
CES 2009, Panasonic got an early jump Friday on the impending slew of PMA
camera announcements by revealing three sub-$200 additions to its Lumix line.
Leading the charge is the 12-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15, a 29mm, wide-angle, 5X optical Leica zoom lens model that also features Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto mode for optimizing in-camera settings for the shooting environment.
Lumix DMC-FS15In addition to optical image stabilization, ISO optimization, face detection, and automatic scene selection, the FS15 has a revamped Intelligent Auto mode that adds autofocus tracking, which tracks a moving subject in the frame and keeps it in focus, as well as an Intelligent Exposure mode that refines detail in shadowy and dark scenes. New to the line, the Intelligent Auto mode is accessible via a dedicated button on the camera, rather than from in-camera menus. The $200 Lumix DMC-FS15 will be available in black, silver, and blue, starting in March.
Lumix DMC-FS7Also new to the Lumix line is the 10-megapixel DMC-FS7, a slightly lower-end version with a 4X optical zoom Leica lens (no wide angle), as well as a more limited, button-accessible Intelligent Auto mode that lacks the autofocus tracking and Intelligent Exposure mode of the FS15. The Lumix DMC-FS7 will also be available in March—in black, silver, pink, green, or blue—for $160.
The last new addition to the Lumix line is the AA-battery-powered, 8-megapixel Lumix DMC-LS85, which has the same button-accessible Intelligent Auto mode as the DMC-FS7 (optical image stabilization, ISO optimization, face detection, and automatic scene selection).
Lumix DMC-LS85To conserve battery power, the LS85 auto-adjusts its 2.5-inch LCD’s brightness levels depending on the lighting environment. The Lumix DMC-LS85 will sell for $120 beginning in April, and will be available in black, silver, and pink.
For more new camera and camcorder announcements, see our slide show of the
hottest cameras from CES.
