Panasonic reveals new compacts for enthusiasts and adventurers

Photography enthusiasts and those who like to take pictures when they’re out roughing it in the wild will have a few new cameras to choose from shortly, as Panasonic reveals new cameras that are heading to store shelves shortly.

The cameras start with the TZ70, a new Lumix model that brings with it a bright live-viewfinder that will work with an eye sensor capable of letting you jump quickly between the viewfinder and the 3 inch LCD on the back.

Panasonic’s TZ70 also appears to be a rather slim camera, but comes with a 30x optical zoom capable of letting you shoot at roughly 24mm to 720mm, making it a long reach camera that doesn’t look like conventional adventure-bound cameras.

There’s even a bit of manual control thrown in here, with a ring around the lens to let owners control exposure or zoom, or even play with shutter speed and aperture settings.

And if you want RAW images like you can get on a mirror-less or digital SLR, you’ll find them here, too, shooting on the 12.1 megapixel sensor, while the video mode captures video at Full HD at 50p while a slow motion mode can grab 200fps in VGA quality, something helped by the autofocus system which works at 240fps, we’re told.

Wireless features are included here, too, handy given there’s an app for iOS and Android, with Panasonic throwing in support for the “jump snap” feature announced with the GF7 which allows you to keep a phone in your pocket before you jump for an action shot. At the apex of the jump, the accelerometer tells the camera to fire the shot, allowing the camera to get a shot of you coming back down.

Panasonic Lumix TZ70

“These key enhancements to the TZ Series capabilities ensure sharp focusing and outstanding images across the gamut of shooting situations,” said Doug Campbell, Senior Product Manager at Panasonic Australia’s Imaging Group.

“This latest model in our best-selling travel zoom series will ensure you can capture even more impressive photos and video while travelling light.”

Pricing for Panasonic’s TZ70 chimes in at $549 with availability in March, and it won’t be the only model coming from Panasonic at this time, joined by the lower model of the TZ57 (below).

While this one lacks the manual ring, you’ll find a 16 megapixel sensor, Full HD video capture, and a screen that flips up 180 degrees to work in a selfie mode, similar to the screen style on the recently announced GF7. The zoom looks to be relatively useful here, too, hitting 20x optical, which is equivalent to 24 to 480mm in the 35mm format.

Pricing for this one is a little different dropping $200 to hit a recommended retail price of $349 in March, also.

Finally, there are three new rugged cameras, ready to push the adventurer you know to more places, with water-proofing sitting at 13 metres, surviving temperatures down to negative 10 (-10) Celsius, shockproof and surviving drops around two metres. Ouch.

Panasonic Lumix FT6

That ruggedisation is found in the Panasonic Lumix FT-6, alongside a 16 megapixel sensor, WiFi, GPS, and 4.6x optical zoom equivalent to 28-128mm, with a recommended retail price of $399 and an availability closer to May 2015.

Panasonic Lumix FT30

Before that, you’ll find a model that cuts the water-proofing down to eight metres and the shock-proofing 1.5 metres, but retains the 16 megapixel sensor and similar 4x optical zoom, with the Lumix FT30 taking this slot and saving $150 in the process to hit an RRP of $249 in March.

Finally, there’s a smallish camera on the way made for the selfie generation, with a 16 megapixel sensor, 12x optical equivalent to 24 to 288mm, 720p HD video capture, WiFi, and a flip up LCD monitor so you can see yourself if you’re taking the odd selfie. Pricing on this one clocks in at $249, with availability in March, also.

Panasonic Lumix SZ10, with its flip-up 180 degree LCD.