Panasonic Heralds New Lumix DMC-G5, LX7 and Compacts

Panasonic has announced the latest in their range of G-series mirrorless compact system cameras will be the Lumix DMC-G5. 

Boasting a new - and very comfy looking - grip design that's sure to assist in stable shooting,  the G5 also features a 16 megapixel liveMOS sensor, re-designed Venus Engine image processor and 920K-dot free-angle Touch Screen LCD.

Other notable specs include Light Speed AF,  high-speed continuous shooting at 6 fps, and a pretty neat 1,440K-dot eye-detect EVF that starts the AF focusing as soon as you raise your eye to look through it. 

And, of course, what self-respecting digital camera would be without full HD video capability these days? Certainly not this one, incorporating 1920x1080/50p with stereo audio, full-time AF and Touch AF for executing sweet pull focus, just like the pros!

Along with the G5, Panasonic has announced the latest in their high-end compact series, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 (pictured above). The LX7 looks pretty neat, boasting a super-fast LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMILUX lens with F1.4-F2.3 aperture range. And sticking with the 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor with some signal-to-noise ratio improvements should make the LX7 a snazzy performer in low light.

The replacement for the super-zoom FZ150 comes in the form of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 (pictured above) - a 24x optical zoom model with a constant f/2.8 aperture! Yes, you read that correctly, folks, f/2.8 at 600mm focal length. Panasonic has amazingly fit this into a compact bridge digital camera. What does it mean? Well, it should give you the ability to capture very distant subjects in dimmer lighting conditions than was ever possible before in this type of camera.

Other announcements include the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ60, another big zoom model with 24x optical zoom, similar to the FZ200 but without the faster lens; Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 - a compact bridge camera with a big 21x optical zoom; and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 - a slim and compact camera with high quality 10x optical zoom and Wi-fi capability.

All these exciting brand-spanking models should start to become available some time around September 2012.

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Announcing the Canon EOS M!

We can agree that 2012 has already proved a huge year for Canon, with the release of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, the Cinema EOS system and several new lenses.

The rumour mill started churning very recently about Canon's predicted foray into the Compact System Camera (CSC) market, and by golly it looks like they were right!

As of 2:00pm AEST today Canon has unveiled the Canon EOS M - an all-new interchangeable lens compact with EOS DSLR quality in a tiny package. On paper it almost looks like a shrunken Canon EOS 650D and initial feedback is that this gear is top notch and designed to really shake up this growing camera sector.

Featuring an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor, DiG!C 5 image processor, high ISO range of 100-12800 (expandable to hi-ISO of 25600) as well as the new Hybrid CMOS 31-point AF system, this little powerhouse is capable of producing serious image quality making it attractive not only to new users, but perhaps even seasoned Canon shooters looking for a more portable addition to their kit.

It utilizes the new EFM mount system, compatible with new release proprietary lenses such as the EFM 22mm f/2 STM "pancake style" portrait lens, and via the EF-EOS M mount adapter you can also throw on EF and EF-S lenses make it highly versatile for those with existing Canon DSLR kits.

The Full HD video is also impressive and also includes HDMI Mini output in full high-definition, a rather neat feature in this camera category.The Canon EOS M is shipping to stores around mid-September, and as yet Canon has not released pricing. However, keep an eye on our website and register your interest to stay up-to-the-minute on this exciting new release:

And yes, it is compatible with the new Eye-Fi memory cards.

Catch it soon at Digital Camera Warehouse!

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