Japanese consumer electronics titan Panasonic has added further weight to this week’s digital camera rollout (i.e. the Pentax Optio V20 compact) with the unveiling of the Lumix DMC-FX500, which arrives as a flagship addition to the popular FX range and is also the company’s very first digital camera equipped with a 3.0-inch touch-screen LCD display.
Panasonic reveals its new touch-screen Lumix DMC-FX500. Credit: Panasonic.
According to Panasonic’s National Marketing Manager of Imaging, Alex Fried, the new Lumix DMC-FX500 provides photography enthusiasts with the opportunity to enjoy “a new interface that we think will prove extremely intuitive during playback, photo organisation and of course -- helping to take high-quality photos.”
The DMC-FX500 boasts a hybrid control system that combines conventional joystick control with integrated touch-screen operation, which enables users to implement a host of fine adjustments by touch, using just their finger or the included Lumix stylus tool.
Touch interfacing is also employed to set the camera’s auto focus and exposure in frames by simply touching the on-screen subject when recording, while image titles can be easily added and edited via an on-screen keyboard.
But it’s not just the inclusion of an intuitive touch-screen interface that helps make the DMC-FX500 an attractive proposition for photo buffs of all grades. The new camera also arrives offering an impressive 10.1 mega pixels of performance, a 25mm ultra-wide-angle Leica DC lens, and a 5x optical zoom capacity -- and all for less than $400 USD.
Furthermore, users can look forward to recording 1280x720p high definition (HD) video alongside assistance from the camera’s array of advanced Intelligent Auto technologies. Also, the DMC-FX500 introduces Auto Focus (AF) tracking, which sees the camera following the desired subject even if it should move once the AF feature is set.
Other features available via the Lumix DMC-FX500 include the Venus Engine IV for advanced digital signal processing, Intelligent Exposure, Digital Red-Eye Correction, MEGA O.I.S. blur and shake adjustment, Intelligent ISO, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Continuous AF.
Available in either black or silver upon its release, the Lumix DMC-FX500 is expected to hit retail in May with a recommended retail price tag of around $399.95 USD.
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