Steve's Digicams - Breaking News - Panasonic 01/29/2008 Press Releases

PANASONIC ADDS NEW COMPACT, AA-BATTERY POWERED DIGITAL CAMERA TO ITS 2008 LUMIX LI

SECAUCUS, N.J. (January 22, 2008) – Panasonic today introduced its newest LUMIX digital camera, the DMC-LS80, which features advanced, yet easy-to-use settings that help even the entry-level digital photographer take great photos. Encased in a compact design and powered by AA batteries, the LS80 offers convenience and increased usability. With a newly developed LUMIX DC VARIO lens system, 3x optical zoom and 8.1-megapixel high resolution, the LS80 is feature-rich and user-friendly digital camera, all at an affordable price.

At the core of the DMC-LS80's easy-to-use operation is a comprehensive system of intelligent technologies that operate within the camera automatically, without any extra effort from the user. The Panasonic LUMIX LS80 integrates four distinct features aimed at making it easy to capture perfect images.

• MEGA O.I.S. – Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and an Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) lens system shifts to compensate, preventing hand-shake from creating a blurry image and instead, providing a clear and crisp photo.
• Intelligent ISO – With this feature, the digital camera can determine if the photo subject is moving and change ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus enabling a blur-free photo.
• Auto Macro – The LS80 automatically switches to the Macro setting when in close proximity to the photo subject, ideal for those extreme close-up shots.
• Quick AF – With the Quick AF (Auto Focus) system, the LS80 will focus on the photo subject without the user needing to press the shutter button, producing the fastest shutter speed by minimizing the AF time.

"Continuing on the success of our 2007 line of LUMIX digital cameras, all our 2008 models will also include two advanced anti-blur technologies, Intelligent ISO and MEGA O.I.S., helping all our consumers – from the beginners to the advanced DSLR-users – take high-quality photos they are proud to share," said Alex Fried, National Marketing Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Committed to the idea that digital photography should be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience, our Panasonic LUMIX digital cameras offer intuitive features, like Auto Macro, that are seamlessly integrated into the photography process, so the user doesn't need to change any settings."

Another new intuitive technology of the LS80 includes the Intelligent LCD, which means the brightness of the LCD automatically adjusts as the ambient light level changes. With the Intelligent LCD, which comes with 230,000-dot high resolution, images are clear, bright and easy to see – regardless whether it is day or night; inside or outside.

Other features of the DMC-LS80 include:

• Venus Engine III Processor: High-quality, high-performance image processing with the Venus Engine III. With its multi-task image processing capability, the Venus Engine III boasts outstanding response time. Shutter release time lag is as short as 0.005 second*. In the consecutive shooting mode, it is possible to shoot at 2.5 frames per second in full resolution**; and in High-Speed Burst shooting mode***, the LS80 fires off an incredible 5.5 shots per second. Also, with unlimited consecutive shooting, the user can snap photos continuously until the SD Memory Card is full ****.
• High Definition Compatible: With the LUMIX LS80, consumers are able to take 1920x1080 pixel photos, ideal for viewing on wide-screen (16:9) High Definition televisions. The complete Panasonic VIERA line of Plasma and LCD HDTVs comes equipped with an internal SD card slot, so viewing digital photos is as easy as taking the SD card out of the LS80 and inserting it into the front of the Panasonic VIERA.
• Video Recording: In addition to recording standard VGA (640 x 480), the DMC-LS80 can also record WVGA (848 x 480) motion pictures at 30 frames per second. Fitting a wide-screen HDTV perfectly, these wide-aspect motion images make for impressive viewing.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LS80 will be available in pink, black and silver models in February 2008 for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of .95.

*Not including the time for AF.

**Maximum 7 images in standard mode / 4 images in fine mode.

*** In 2-megapixel(4:3), 2.5-megapixel(3:2), 2-megapixel(16:9) recording

**** The speed of the consecutive shooting varies depending on the memory card. The number of recordable pictures depends on the memory card size, battery life, picture size and image compression.

About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company

Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: MC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In its commitment to provide consumers with extensive imaging resources, Panasonic LUMIX established the Digital Photo Academy, a series of nationwide workshops designed to instruct consumers how to optimize the features on their digital cameras and produce high-quality photos. Panasonic is honored to support OUR PLACE – The World’s Heritage, a project that will create the world’s largest photographic collection of UNESCO World Heritage sites, with acclaimed photographers exclusively using LUMIX digital cameras to capture all images. Information about Panasonic LUMIX digital still cameras and its affiliated programs is available at www.panasonic.com/dsc.