31.01.12
Panasonic expands its outdoor range with DMC-FT20 and DMC-FT4
Panasonic has added two new cameras for outdoor use, the DMC-FT20 and the DMC-FT4, to its rugged design FT series especially geared for active outdoor use.
DMC-FT20
The 16.1-megapixel DMC-FT20 is aimed at active families and everyday use, with a waterproof rating of up to 5m. It is freezeproof down to -10 degrees C and shockproof to 1.5m and with dustproof reliability.
Thanks to rubber padding and reinforced glass and carbon resins inside the camera, the FT20 features an airtight body protected against water immersion, dust and sand. Panasonic boast that the FT20 is drop proof from a height up to 1.5m in accordance with the "MIL-STD 810F Method516.5-Shock" test standard. The lens unit is protected by a supplementary damper to absorb the force from shock impact. All components including the lens unit are re-examined to endure the temperature as low as -10 degrees C to make the FT20 freezeproof.
The Lens
The 16.1-megapixel DMC-FT20 features a newly developed 25mm ultra wide angle 4x optical zoom lens. The folded optics method is adopted to secure the toughness of the lens unit. 25mm ultra wide angle of view enables shooting dynamic landscapes or group portrait without letting them protrude out of a frame. The 4x optical zoom increases its power to 8x equivalent with the Intelligent Zoom function with minimum deterioration of image quality, says Panasonic.
Video
The DMC-FT20 records dynamic HD video for up to half an hour in 1280 x 720p. The format is MP4, which has high compatibility with PCs or smartphones for editing or sharing the videos. The recorded videos can be directly uploaded to YouTube. The DMC-FT20 incorporates a dedicated video button to switch between photo and video recording quickly. The 4x optical zoom is also available in video recording as well as Active Mode that minimizes hand shake even when the video is recorded while walking.
Lumix DMC-FT4
The FT4 is a bit tougher than the FT20, boasting of being waterproof to 12m for up to an hour. For deep sea divers or scuba divers, when coupled with the optional DMW-MCFT3 Marine Case, the FT4 is waterproof to 40m.
It is dustproof and freezeproof down to -10 degrees like the FT20, and has a Leica DC Vario-Almar lens in folded optics, a 12.1-megapixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor and the advanced image processing LSI Venus Engine.
Equipped with GPS
With a clever GPS function, the DMC-FT4 shows the name of the Country/Region, State/Prov./County, County/Township, City/Town/Village and Landmark using the internal data to give users real-time information of the place when taking photos. The photos and videos with the location names are automatically sorted alphabetically in the virtual folder in the camera.
Panasonic’s FT series are specifically designed for active outdoor use, utilising a compass, altimeter and even barometer to show and record altitude, barometric pressure and orientation data. The barometer also works as an indicator for depth underwater.
The lens
The newly incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology, Intelligent Zoom is available with the DMC-FT4 which extends the zoom ratio by approx. 2x maintaining the picture quality even when combining the digital zoom. This means the 4.6x optical can virtually extend to 9.3x equivalent.
Higher signal transfer speed
The 12.1-megapixel CCD with superior 2-channel signal output structure boasts higher signal transfer speed for the operations that require high performance and speed such as 1920x1080 full-HD video recording and high speed continuous shooting. The picture quality is beyond that of standard rugged design digital compact cameras thanks to the higher sensitivity which is made possible by highly efficient light condensation adoption larger on-chip micro lenses.
Both the FT4 and the FT20 will be available from March 2012, the FT4 in a choice of black, blue, white or orange, and the FT20 in a choice of black, blue, red or orange.
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