Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 Offers Enhanced Version of the DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

(Image Credit: asia.cnet.com)

The latest Micro Four Thirds digital camera of Panasonic, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, was announced recently by the company. The upcoming camera is an enhanced version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 and features a better twelve-megapixel camera sensor, better handgrip, enhanced LCD, and a better touchscreen interface.

Although the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 is promoted as a point-and-shoot camera, it features an interchangeable lens and has a number of features that facilitates its use among novice camera enthusiasts.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 also offers the iAuto shooting mode, which is a full automatic mode that makes life easier for neophyte photographers.

The user interface of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 was also enhanced that allows users to have more control on the shooting modes that they want to use with the addition of more conventional physical controls. The camera also offers a 920k dot touchscreen while the iAuto mode will recommend the use of the Art Filter to enhance the images taken by the users.

Real-time preview will be made available to users through the Live View display of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5. Users will also see how the Art Filter looks like using the Live View display of the camera.

Users will be able to use a number of different scenes through the Scene Guide on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, which will allow them to fully optimize the settings on the camera.

The precision and speed on the autofocus system on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 is enhanced as focusing speed was increased by ten percent through the Venus Engine. Spot focusing can also be done with a simple touch on the rear screen of the camera,

Burst shooting on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 was enhanced through the improvement in the image engine and the focus speed of the device. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 is also capable of shooting four frames per second due to the enhancement on the camera.

The ISO setting of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 reaches 12800, which is a two-fold increase compared to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3. The megapixel count on the camera remains the same as its predecessor although image noise will reportedly be reduced since the circuitry of the camera was repositioned under the chip.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 is set to be released into the market soon and will come in two different kits with three color options, red, black, and white.

The price tag of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 is $599 and $749 for the standard 14mm to 42mm zoom lens model and the retractable 14mm to 42mm power zoom lens model respectively.

Image of Panasonic Lumix GF 5 Leaked

Panasonic Lumix GF 5

(Image Credit: slashgear.com)

An image of an upcoming Micro Four Thirds digital camera from Panasonic was supposedly leaked recently although some observers have some doubts on the reliability of the supposed image of the Panasonic Lumix GF 5.

The leaked image shows that the Panasonic Lumix GF 5 looks like a combination of the body of the Panasonic Lumix GF3 and the grip of the Panasonic Lumix GF1. The upcoming offering of Panasonic will feature a twelve-megapixel sensor that has an enhanced signal-to-noise ration which will give it a quality similar to the Panasonic Lumix GF3.

The Panasonic Lumix GF 5 will also feature an ISO of up to 12800 while the autofocus is reportedly fast. The fact that the image looked like a vintage filtered photo and the skipping of a number from the Panasonic Lumix GF3 has resulted to doubts on the veracity of the supposed image.

However if the leaked image is genuine, the Panasonic Lumix GF 5 will hint that Panasonic is branching its Micro Four Thirds series to two directions, for the serious photographers and ordinary photography enthusiasts. The G, the GH, and the  GX series of camera is designed mainly for serious photographers while the GF series has less features and controls compared to the firmer.

Since the Panasonic Lumix GF 3 was not much of a success, some observers are speculating if the Panasonic Lumix GF 5 will be able to help flagging sales of the company.

Value for Money Digital Cameras in the Market

With the current economic crisis, consumers are trying to find the best value for their money whenever they purchase anything. This is especially true when it comes to purchasing digital cameras. Consumers want to purchase value for money digital cameras that offer excellent features but will not leave them with a hole in their pockets.

Canon PowerShot Elph510 HS

The Canon PowerShot Elph510 HS is an ultra-compact camera which offers a zoom lens for faraway shots. This value for money digital camera offers a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 28mm to 336mm zoom lens, and a 12MP CMOS sensor which offers better performance and enhanced lowlight images. Although these value for money digital cameras were priced at $350 when it was initially released, it is already available at less than $200 at some retail outlets.

Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

Another value for money digital camera from Canon is the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. This high-end mega-zoom digital camera is sold at a price $50 less than its original price tag. Some industry watchers may have some other choices for this category of digital cameras but their prices have remained quite high. In comparison, this value for money digital camera from Canon is sold at around $380 and it features a 35x ultra-wide angle zoom lens, vari-angle LCD, impressive image quality and numerous shooting modes.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 with its interchangeable lens is another value for money digital camera that consumers may want to consider purchasing if they are shopping around for a new toy. This particular camera may be considered as a bridge camera or in a category between the point-and-shoot and DSLRs. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 was initially priced at around $600 when it was initially offered but has recently gone down to around $380. This value for money digital camera offers a 14mm to 42mm lens that is interchangeable and is considered to be the most reasonably-priced in this category.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 is another value for money digital camera which is basically a point-and-shoot unit that features a bigger imaging sensor and enhanced lens compared to other compact cameras. This value for money digital camera offers users manual control on the aperture and shutter speed. Its original price was around $500 when it first came out in 2010 but has gone down to around $360 even though it recently received an important firmware update which enhanced its image quality and autofocus performance.

These are just some value for money digital cameras that consumers may take into consideration when they decide to purchase a new digital camera. Although there may be newer cameras in the market that offer better features, they may be offered at prices that will easily discourage any photography enthusiast.

Another Superzoom Camera from Panasonic

I have always been partial to bridge cameras, especially the ultra and superzoom models. And when Panasonic released another superzoom camera, it immediately piqued my interest. Ever since I purchased my trusty old Olympus C-760, I would immediately search the net each time a new bridge camera would come out into the market to check out its specs. One of the latest bridge cameras from Panasonic is a 14.1 megapixel beauty with a ultra-wide angle and powerful optical zoom lens. Aside from the latest LEICA DC VARIO-ELMART lens, which boosts its optical zoom from 25 mm all the way to 600 mm, the DMC-FZ100 also boasts of having a full HD movie recording capability.

The FZ100 has a 14.1 MOS sensor that allows it to record high quality 1980x1080 full HD movies. The same high speed sensor also allows it to to have one of the fastest burst shooting in the industry at an 11 fps on a 14.1 megapixel resolution using its mechanical shutter and up to 60 fps using it 3.5 megapixel recording mode.

Image blurs due to the movement of the subject or handshake has also become a thing of the past with the brilliant brightness of the lens and the Power Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S). This is especially useful if you are into sports photography or simply want to shoot moving objects.  Its Face Recognition function also allows it to remember faces allowing it to make the necessary AF/AE adjustments when taking pictures of people.

Although I would focus more on the optical zoom and image quality of bridge cameras, there are a lot more that this camera has to offer such as the Venus Engine FHD, which allows it to have a rapid response time allowing it to record a number of consecutive high resolution shots and full HD movie recording, an Intelligent Scene Selector, which allows it to automatically adjust the modes according to the shooting situation, an Intelligent Exposure function that helps it avoid overexposing or underexposing the image and an efficient battery system which allows it to take 410 shots for a single charge. The kit also comes in with a bundled software, the PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.2 HD Edition that can be installed on your PC.

All of these features are packed in a camera that is priced much lesser than a full-blown Digital SLR camera. This is definitely on bridge camera I would not mind putting on my wish list.

Source: Panasonic