PANASONIC’S ULTIMATE COMPACT HIGH-PERFORMING DIGITAL CAMERA WITH SUPERB PHOTO QUALITY – EVEN IN LOW-LIGHT
Panasonic LUMIX LX5 features new high sensitivity CCD and F2.0 Leica lens for shooting stunning photography and vivid High Definition videos
MISSISSAUGA, ON (July 21, 2010) – Panasonic Canada Inc. announced today the LUMIX DMC-LX5, the ultimate compact, high-performing digital camera offering photo enthusiasts the ideal camera for capturing professional-quality photos and High Definition (HD) video. With an ultra-bright F2.0 ultra-wide-angle 24mm LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON lens, the LUMIX LX5 minimizes image distortion, resulting in stunning, true-to-life images with outstanding resolution and detail. The 24mm wide angle lens offers extraordinarily large viewing space, and now the optical zoom is extended to 3.8x (90mm) making the LX5 even more versatile.
“The Panasonic LUMIX LX-Series cameras have been extremely popular models for us with professional photographers and photo buffs who value the superb image quality a compact, affordable digital camera offers,” said Doug Borbath, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Canada Inc. “We expect the same enthusiasm, if not more, for the LUMIX LX5, which features improvements to the lens and processing – resulting in even better images.”
The Panasonic LUMIX LX5 is a unique compact digital camera offering superb image quality along with a super-bright lens and increased creative modes. The F2.0 lens is twice as bright as a F2.8 lens, making it easy to produce beautiful photos with a soft-focused background thanks to the shallow depth of field provided by the extra light. In addition to the newly-designed lens, the LUMIX LX5 features an image processing engine that combines technologies resulting in professional-quality photos, especially in low-light situations. Like its predecessor, the LUMIX LX5 features the highly-acclaimed 10.1-megapixel CCD, but features an expanded dynamic range resulting from an increase in the sensitivity and saturation levels of the sensor.
The newly developed Venus Engine FHD image processor enables higher-speed, higher performance while incorporating the Intelligent Resolution technology. The triple CPUs in this imaging engine dramatically speed-up processing while achieving exceptional noise reduction performance. With its high-sensitivity CCD and the brightness of the lens, minimum illumination of the LUMIX LX5 is as low as three lux while shooting video.
In addition to capturing high-quality still photos, the LUMIX LX5 can record HD videos in AVCHD Lite, a format that allows almost doubling the recording time in HD quality compared with the conventional Motion JPEG format. Creative video shooting features include Creative Movie mode, where users can set shutter speed and aperture manually to make even more impressive movies. My Colour mode and Film mode are available for more extended expression and creativity when shooting photos as well as videos. The LUMIX LX5 also features Dolby Digital Creator to record high quality audio and the 3.8x optical zoom is available while shooting video.
The LUMIX LX5 has also been redesigned externally – with a thicker grip making it easier to hold and a newly-incorporated turn-and-push jog dial to make selecting and changing settings faster. The LUMIX LX5 also features a hot shoe, which allows for the attachment of a widevariety of accessories, such as an optional Live View Finder which helps shooting under strong daylight with high visibility or an external flash. The 1:1 square format setting is added in the aspect ratio option which can be selected with a switch on the side of the lens barrel.
Other features of the Panasonic LUMIX LX5, include:
- The redesigned three-inch 460,000-dot high resolution Intelligent LCD has a High CRI (Colour Rendering Index) backlight LED which greatly increases the colour reproduction, making it more visible in shooting and playing back images in any light conditions.
- Battery life is extended to shoot 400 photos (CIPA) per a single charge.
- A wide-variety of accessories, including a Live View Finder (DMW-LVF1), External Optical View Finder (DMW-VF1), Wide Conversion Lens (DMW-LWA52), Conversion Lens Adaptor (DMW-LA6), MC Protector (DMW-MC52), ND Filter (DMW-LND52), PL Filter: DMW-LPL52, External Flashes, Leather Case (DMW-CLX5) and a Battery Pack (DMW-BCJ13). Each sold separately.
The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX5 will be available in black in late-August 2010 for a suggested retail of CAD $499.95.
Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.
The LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lenses are manufactured using measurement instruments and quality assurance systems that have been certified by Leica Camera AG based on the company’s quality standards.
The “AVCHD” is a high definition (HD) digital video recording / playback format jointly established by Panasonic Corporation and Sony Corporation. The “AVCHD Lite” is a subset of the “AVCHD format” for HD digital video cameras with HD video recording restricted to 720P. The new “AVCHD Lite” Logo and the “AVCHD Lite” License are restricted to devices within the AVCHD Video Camera category. Digital cameras have been added to the AVCHD Video Camera category.
The “AVCHD Lite” and the “AVCHD Lite” logo are trademarks of Panasonic Corporation and Sony Corporation.
AVCHD Lite motion images recorded onto an SD Memory Card or a DVD disc cannot be played on a device that does not support the AVCHD standard.
Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
YouTube is a trademark of Google Inc.
All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective corporations.
This unit is compatible with both SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Cards. You can only use SDHC Memory Cards on devices that are compatible with them. You cannot use SDHC Memory Cards on devices that are only compatible with SD Memory Cards. (When using an SDHC Memory Card on another device, be sure to read the operating instructions for that device.)
Some accessories are not available in some countries.
The use of recorded or printed materials that are protected by copyright for any purpose other than personal enjoyment is prohibited, as it would infringe upon the rights of the copyright holder.
Panasonic and LUMIX are registered trademarks of Panasonic Corporation. All other trademarks are property of the respective owners.
Panasonic products are marketed in Canada by Panasonic Canada Inc. (PCI). PCI is an affiliate of Panasonic Corporation (PC) of Japan, one of the world’s largest producers of electronic and electric products for consumer, business, and industrial use. Consumers seeking more information on the company’s products can call Panasonic’s Customer Care Centre at 1-800-561-5505 or access Panasonic’s home page at www.panasonic.ca.
I’m wondering, will the Canadian release ever get the white colour one instead of just black?
I’ll ask.
However, in general, whenever I do ask the manufacturers why they don’t get all the colours, they point to their research on what sells in the Canadian market. So, don’t hold your breath waiting for it to come here — better, write/email them to let them know there is demand for it.
Oh right. I apologize. It’s about what merchandise that sells. I’m just being eclectic when it comes to colours heheh. I personally prefer the white one since most come in black and to me it kind of gets tedious. But I read the specs and they’re amazing. I’m glad Panny isn’t jumping on the ‘pixel count’ bandwagon. Thanks again for the feedback. =)