Panasonic is refreshing its camera lineup with a quartet of shooters aimed at photographers of all stripes, including an advanced compact camera, a super-zoom and a mirrorless camera that can record video at 4K/60 frames per second. Here's a brief rundown of all four cameras, three of which are due out later this year.
The small, pocketable Lumix LX-10 ($699) is a higher-end compact camera that boasts a 1-inch 20.1 MOS sensor and can record video at up to 4K/30 fps, while measuring 4.2 x 2.4 x 1.7 inches and weighing 0.68 pounds with a battery and SD card. It has a fast f/1.4-2.8 lens with a zoom equivalent of 24-72mm and an ISO range up to 12,800 (25,600 extended). The LX-10 looks to be solidly built, with an all-aluminum frame and a 3-inch tilting LCD touch panel on its rear. Other features include 5-axis image stabilization and a host of knobs (including one around the lens) that let you take full manual control over the camera. Expect the LX-10 to hit shelves in November.
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For those who like to get close to the action, but don't want to carry — or can't afford — a DSLR as well as a telephoto lens, the Lumix DMC-FZ2500 ($1,199, available in December) has a 24-480mm equivalent zoom lens, a 1-inch 20MP CMOS sensor and 5-axis image stabilization. It, too, can record video at up to 4K/30 fps and shoot still photos at up to 12 fps. It has an OLED Live View Finder and an articulating 3-inch touchscreen on its back. Its lens has an aperture of f/2.8-4.5, with a 9-blade diaphragm and 16 lenses in 11 groups.
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Built for the rugged outdoors, the Lumix G85 ($999 with a 12-60mm lens; $899 body only) has a splash- and dustproof chassis with 5-axis in-body image stabilization as well as 2-axis optical image stabilization in the lens. Its 16MP CMOS sensor can record video at 4k/30 fps, and the camera can output images in real-time via its micro HDMI port. It also has a 3.5mm jack for attaching an external microphone, essential when you want good audio to go along with your video. The G85 will be available in October.
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Lastly, Panasonic teased the Lumix GH5, a mirrorless camera that can shoot 4K video at up to 60 frames per second, twice the rate of other cameras, which will result in much smoother motion. Using a new 18-MP sensor, it can also extract 18-MP still images from video. Not much else is currently known about this camera, which, based on hands-on photos from Engadget, is slightly smaller than a DSLR. Pricing for the GH5 has yet to be announced, but the camera should come out early to mid-2017.
