Panasonic has launched its new DMC-FZ100 and DMC-FZ45 Lumix cameras which are designed specifically for sports photography.

The new top-of-the-line of Lumix popular FZ series packs a powerful optical zoom and creative options including manual operation, adding HD movie recording capability, a statement said.

The newly developed Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens also extends the optical zoom range from 27mm to 25mm at wide end and the zoom power from 18x to 24x. Also the newly developed 14.1-megapixel MOS sensor lets the cameras record high quality 1920x1080 full HD movie as smooth as 60i (NTSC) / 50i (PAL).

Featuring a new image processing LSI the Venus Engine FHD assures high picture quality in both photo and movie recording. It also compiles the Intelligent Resolution technology to perform the optimum signal processing depending on the part of a picture to give a whole image outstandingly natural clearness with fine details, the statement said.

“The new DMC-FZ100 and DMC-FZ45 are perfect gadgets for those into sports photography,” commented Hitesh Ojha, senior product manager – AV Categories, Consumer Electronics Department, Panasonic Marketing Middle East FZE.

“The FZ100 is a true Hybrid that offers 1080 Full High Definition recording, while the FZ45 offers ultra-wide angle and telephoto pictures in one stylish body,” added Ojha.

The powerful 24x optical zoom on the new FZ series can have its power increased to 32x equivalent with the Intelligent Zoom function taking advantage of the Intelligent Resolution technology maintaining the picture quality even using digital zoom.

The manual control on the new FZ series elevates the operability even higher with the incorporation of new jog dial. Focus switch is newly equipped on the lens barrel true to the system camera. User can enjoy creative shooting expressing their intention not only in photo but also in movie, utilizing a host of options including Creative Movie mode and My Color mode, he said.

The FZ100 comes with a 3.0-inch free-angle Intelligent LCD, with 460,000-dot high resolution to dramatically improve visibility during recording and playback. The battery life is also as powerful as approximately 410 pictures shooting thanks to the highly energy efficient MOS sensor and image processing LSI, the Venus Engine FHD.

The FZ series cameras also feature a high-quality Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 25mm ultra wide-angle lens with a 24x optical zoom(35mm camera equivalent:25-600mm). Comprising 14 elements in 10 groups, including 3 ED lenses and 2 aspherical lenses with 3 aspherical surfaces, this advanced lens unit realizes the outstandingly compact body while passing Leica's stringent standards to deliver exceptional optical performance suppressing distortion at wide end and color bleeding at tele end.

The FZ100 and FZ45 house a newly developed image processor. The Venus Engine FHD features exceptionally advanced signal processing capabilities. By separating chromatic noise from luminance noise and applying the optimal noise reduction to each, allow for capturing clear and beautiful images even when shooting at high ISO sensitivity levels.

The Venus Engine FHD also provides precisely selective noise reduction to the chromatic noise without affecting the border of colours which is judged from the brightness level of a pixel. The Intelligent Resolution technology is another feature of the Venus Engine FHD. With the Intelligent Resolution technology, 3 areas — outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation areas are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges more clearness while giving a moderate accentuation to the texture areas to look more finely detailed.

The latest version of software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.2 HD Edition comes bundled with the cameras. The PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.2 HD Edition makes it possible to sort and organise photos not only of those newly taken but also of those stored in the PC. Speeding up its processing time, the Face Recognition function that recognises the faces in the picture and the software automatically sort the photos by the registered faces without picking out each photo one by one.-TradeArabia News Service