Hasta La Gadget!

We’re not sure what’s going in France at the moment but a bevy of new 12 megapixel Panasonic Lumix cameras have broken loose with or without corporate approval. Let’s start with the rugged €399 DMC-FT1 (pictured). It features a 12 megapixel (1/2.33-inches) with a 28-128mm optically stabilized 4.6x zoom Leica lens and a 2.7-inch LCD. It’ll survive drops of up to 1.5 meters, water to a depth of 3 meters, while surviving storage in the dustiest of apartments. It’ll even shoot 720p video in “AVCHD Lite” format… whatever that is. Next up are the €429 DMC-TZ7 and its £329 DMC-TZ6 little buddy. The TZ7 couples a 12x optically stabilized zoom (25-300mm) with the ability to shoot 720p HD video in that same AVCHD Lite format and reviewable on a biggie (but relatively common) 3-inch LCD.

Also outed is the €299 FX550 with 5x zoom, 720p video capture, and a 3-inch touchscreen buzzing along with haptic feedback. It’ll even handle aperture and shutter priority modes in addition to manual exposure for those who wish to push their amateur credentials to the edge. The €299 DMC-FX40 dials things back with a skinnier chassis and smaller 2.5-inch LCD while ditching the manual stuff. Check ’em all in the gallery.

[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]

Read — FT1
Read — TZ7
Read — TZ6
Read — DMC-FX550
Read — DMC-FX40

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Panasonic’s DMC-FT1, TZ7, TZ6, FX550, and FX40 cameras outed by French authority originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been waiting for SLR quality pics out of a camera you can slip into your pocket (and we’re not talking cargo pants here), Panasonic’s 14 megapixel Lumix DMC-FX150 is sadly not your product. However, if you’ve been looking for something that can take shots approaching the quality of something like a Canon G10 but do so in a more slender form factor, keep reading. PhotographyBLOG‘s review of this higher-end of the point ‘n shoot range finds it to be quite good, capturing great images in bright light with very few chromatic aberrations. However, darker shots (bane of the pocket cam market) are still somewhat problematic, as the built-in optical IS fails to keep images sharp and noise appears at ISO 800 and above. Despite those annoyances the $399 camera (yours for about $100 less if you don’t mind bargain hunting) scored overall high marks, becoming one of the best quality shooters you can buy and have a hope of fitting in your skinny jeans.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FX150 reviewed, perfect for higher-end casual photographers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s what you’re looking at: At CES, Panasonic set up a demo to show off the new Auto-Focus Tracking capability in its new camcorders. WIth this feature, you touch the subject/object directly on the camcorder’s LCD that you would like to remain in focus and to be followed.

In our video, a camcorder is focused on and tracking a miniature train. The camcorder is also plugged into a large LCD screen so you can easily see the focusing cross hairs targeting the train. It’s pretty sweet. For more info on the new camcorders, check out our story on PCMag.com.

The 54-story tower planned to house The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Los Angeles and JW Marriott when it opens in 2010 will also include an 8,000 sq ft screen on its eastern face, without disrupting the view of guests inside. The result of a deal between property owners AEG and sponsor Panasonic, the 50-foot by 160-foot screen will live in the neighborhood of the new Yankee Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys new home. No word on the exact res, but there will no doubt be plenty of HD as the entire complex, including Staples Center and Nokia Theatre, is getting Panasonic screens installed as part of the deal. Our reservations are already in, check after the break for an illustration of the future layout.

Continue reading L.A. Live convention center / hotel includes gigantic, see-through outdoor screen

Filed under: CES, HDTV

L.A. Live convention center / hotel includes gigantic, see-through outdoor screen originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, with the floor open, is the first real day of CES. By now we’ve seen a good deal of gear from the big companies, and here’s the best so far.

Palm Pre : Number one with a bullet. If we told you three months ago that Palm would own CES, would you have believed us? But this phone is for real, and from the looks of it right now, it very well could be the morale lift Palm so badly needed.

And the rest, in no particular order:

Samsung BD-4600 Blu-ray Player: Wall-mountable, networked, 1.5-inches thick, and really, really nice looking.

Samsung Luxia LED TV Lineup: Samsung loosed a whole series of ultra-thin, LED-backlit, network-connected LCDs, winning the Battle of the TV Announcements hands down.

Vizio Connected HDTVs: These Vizios stream just about everything possible over wireless-N: Amazon, Blockbuster and Netflix VOD, Pandora, Flickr, Rhapsody, plus any other Yahoo web widget.

Sony Vaio P: Sony’s Vaio P is something we haven’t seen before: a 2.08:1 aspect ratio (1600×768) on a 1-inch thick portable. Something different in the very, very generic netbook field.

Casio 1,000fps Point and Shoot Cameras: Both the EX-FC100 and the EX-FS10 bring the EX-F1’s slo-mo capture goodness to a point and shoot. Casio’s still the only folks in the super slo-mo field, and they’re continuing to kill.

LG’s GD910 Watch Phone: It was a non-working, behind-the-glass prototype last year, but one of every gadget head’s boyish dreams will come true later this year: A watch that’s a phone.

Eee Keyboard: Asus took the crazy cake with their still-shadowy home theater keyboard. With an onboard processor (of some kind), a touchscreen and keyboard and wireless HDMI, it makes perfect sense as a unique home-theater machine.

Sony Cyber-shot G3: We’re all about putting web browsers on as many things as possible, and Sony’s found another way to get one into our pants: A super-slim wi-fi-equipped Cyber-shot G3 that’s the world’s first to surf the web.

Panasonic Portable Blu-ray Player: Panasonic’s DMP-B15 is the world’s first portable Blu-ray deck. Your laptop probably doesn’t have a BD drive, but this will ensure you can watch hi-def 1080p on a tiny, tiny screen on your next flight.

And there you have it. Good stuff you may or may not be able to afford in ’09? Disappointment of disappointments? Discuss.

• Also out CES day two’s Best of the Rest.
[CES 2009]