Panasonic Introduces First 3.3 Megapixel Digital Camera That Uses Both 120MB Superdisk Diskettes and Floppy Disks

SECAUCUS, N.J. (August 30, 2000) - With the introduction of the new PV-SD5000 PalmCam® SuperDisk digital camera, Panasonic achieves another first: It's the first to introduce a 3.3 million-pixel digital camera that uses both 120MB SuperDisk Diskettes and traditional 1.44MB floppy disks.

While both disk formats are computer compatible, the new SuperDisk camera is also USB-compatible, enabling the camera to be connected via the included cable, to the USB port on a PC or MAC for a much faster data transfer rate than the usual serial port connection. And, when connected to the computer via the USB cable, the camera can also double as an external SuperDisk drive to backup all of your data.

Bringing digital photography to a new and exciting level are features such as a Rapid Fire function that enables the user to take continuous shots without waiting for the camera to refresh between images; a multi-erase feature that lets you mark, then erase specific images, and one-touch buttons that let the user manually set key functions, such as focus, exposure and aperture.

The PV-SD5000 digital camera uses a 0.55-inch CCD that contains over 3.3 million pixels to take photos that are extremely crisp and vivid. The images can then be viewed on the built-in, bright 2.5-inch color LCD monitor, and deleted if desired or saved for later use. A high-quality back light system makes it easier to see images even when shooting outdoors.

The camera uses one lithium ion battery pack, which can be recharged in the included charger. The camera also features a built-in flash for low-light situations and an automatic multiple flash function to reduce the occurrence of "red eyes" in your subjects. Other image-capturing features include:

• Motion Image Recording with Audio - record up to a twelve-second 320x240 mini movie with audio to playback or post on the Internet.
• Burst Recording - an ideal way to record quick moving objects. When activated, this feature can record up to 5 images when you press the shutter button.
• Still Image Recording with Audio - an ideal way to record brief verbal messages (five seconds) to accompany your individual still images.
• Time Lapse Recording - Use this feature to set your camera to record images at different intervals.

The PalmCam digital camera is equipped with a 3x optical zoom equivalent to a 35-105mm lens on a 35mm camera. An added 3x digital zoom can also be used for picking up details of far away images. Other features include a self timer and automatic white balance. The aperture can automatically be adjusted from F2.0 to F8, and shutter speed is automatically adjusted from 1/30th to 1/1,000th of a second (1/4th to 1/1,000th of a second in slow shutter mode).

The PV-SD5000 includes one 120MB SuperDisk Diskette, AC adapter charger, DC cable, rechargeable lithium ion battery pack, USB driver software, PalmCam file converter software, video cable for viewing pictures on a standard television set, USB cable, camera strap, lens cap, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, and QuickTime software. It will be available in October, 2000, with a suggested retail price of ,099.95