Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 and DMC-FX33 Digital Cameras - Press Release

[Photo-John]

PANASONIC INTRODUCES TWO NEW COMPACT LUMIX
DIGITAL CAMERAS WITH BRAND-NEW INTELLIGENT AUTO MODES

Stylish DMC-FX55 and DMC-FX33 Boast User-Friendly Features,
Such as Face Detection and Intelligent Scene Selector

SECAUCUS, N.J. (July 24, 2007) – Panasonic today introduced the newest additions to its FX-series of compact digital cameras, the LUMIX DMC-FX55 and DMC-FX33. Like the entire 2007 LUMIX line, the two new models incorporate Panasonic’s revolutionary Intelligent Image Stabilization technologies, and are the first Panasonic cameras, along with the newly introduced DMC-FZ18, to offer Intelligent Auto Mode, a system which combines Mega Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S) and Intelligent ISO Control with three new features: Face Detection System, Intelligent Scene Selector and Continuous Auto Focus. Both models combine 8.1-megapixels with a 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC lens with 3.6x optical zoom.

The new Intelligent Auto Mode available on both the DMC-FX55 and DMC-FX33, include:

• Intelligent Scene Selector, which automatically selects the appropriate scene mode from the most frequently-used modes such as Portrait, Scenery, Macro, Night Scenery and Night Portrait;
• Face Detection System, which helps the camera to focus, set auto exposure and detects up to 15 human faces, capturing them clearly and brightly; and
• Continuous Auto-focus, which allows the camera to maintain focus on the subject without having to press the shutter button halfway and allowing for best results of a photo opportunity by minimizing the auto-focus time.

“With our Intelligent Auto Modes, the DMC-FX55 and DMC-FX33 are the perfect combination of performance and style, giving consumers a user-friendly digital camera in a sleek and compact body that makes it easy to carry,” said Alex Fried, National Marketing Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “Also featuring a 28-mm wide-angle LEICA DC lens and MEGA OIS, these cameras allow the on-the-go consumer to capture high-quality images with incredible features and convenience.”

Intelligent Image Stabilization, a feature across the entire 2007 LUMIX digital camera line, comprises two features – MEGA O.I.S. which helps compensate for the effects of hand-shake; and Intelligent ISO Control, which takes into account the photo subject is moving and adjusts the ISO setting. Combining these two anti-blur features helps allow the DMC-FX33 and DMC-FX55 to photograph clear, crisp images.

In addition, the DMC-FX55 and DMC-FX33 feature the Venus Engine III, which supports a new High Sensitivity mode that allows images to be shot at a setting of up to ISO 6400. This is sensitive enough to capture subjects in low-light conditions without the need for a flash. Also, the high-speed Burst Shooting mode enables up to seven shots to be taken per second.

Other advanced features include:

• The DMC-FX55 has a 3-inch LCD screen and the DMC-FX33 comes with a 2.5-inch LCD screen.
  
• 27 MB of built-in memory, perfect for backing up SDHC/SD Memory Card recording.*
  
• The new Title Edit function allows the inputting of text to provide additional context to images. Additional functions for adding information to photos include the Text Stamp function and the Travel Date function.
  
• Category Playback sorts images into categories, such as portraits, events, baby, etc. to allow for easy playback and creation of slideshows.
  
• Clipboard function allows the user to hold and retrieve certain images that may be useful on a trip, such as a photo of a map or train schedule.
  
• The DMC-FX33 is compatible with a marine case for underwater shooting.
  
• The DMC-FX55 will be available in silver, black and pink, while the DMC-FX33 will come in silver, black, blue and brown.
  
• Both cameras will be available in September 2007. The DMC-FX55 for an MSRP of $349.95 and the DMC-FX33 for an MSRP of $299.95.

* 1 MB = 1 million bytes. Usable capacity will be less.

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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.

[Photo-John]

Dimensions (W x H x D)	Approx. 94.9 x 57.1 x 22.8 mm ( 3.74 x 2.25 x 0.90 inch)
Weight	Approx. 143g. (0.32 lb) Approx. 165g with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.36 lb)
Camera Effective Pixels	8.1 Megapixels
Image Sensor	1/2.5", 8.32 Mega Total Pixels CCD Primary Color Filter
Optical Zoom	3.6x
Extra Optical Zoom	4:3 Aspect Ratio: 4.6x for 5Mega, 5.7x for 3Mega, 2Mega, 0.3Mega 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 4.6x for 4.5Mega, 5.7x for 2.5Mega 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 4.6x for 3.5Mega, 5.7x for 2Mega
Digital Zoom	4 x ( Max. 14.3 x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom ) (Max. 22.7x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Focal Length	f=4.6-16.4mm (35mm Equiv.: 28-100mm)
Lens	LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT 7 elements in 6 groups (5 Aspherical Lenses / 6 Aspherical surfaces)
Aperture	Wide: F2.8 / F8.0 (2 steps) Tele: F5.6 / F16 (2 steps)
Optical Image Stabilizer	MEGA O.I.S. (Mode1 / Mode2)
Focusing Area	Normal: 50cm - infinity Macro / Intelligent AUTO / Motion Picture / Clipboard : wide 5cm/Tele 30cm - infinity
AF Metering	Face / 1-point/ 1-point high speed/ 3-point high speed/ 5-point/ Spot
Focus	AF-Macro On/Off, AF/MF Switchable, Manual Focus(Joystick), One Shot AF, Continuous AF On/Off
Focus	Auto Focus System, Normal / Macro (Dial)
AF Assist Lamp	Yes
ISO Sensitivity	Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1250 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode : Auto(1600 - 6400) )
White Balance	Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / Flash / White Set1/2
White Balance	Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set White Balance Adjustment (±10steps, except for auto set) (Selectable at Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Sports, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity, and High-speed Burst mode)
Exposure	Program AE
Exposure Compensation	1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV
Scene Mode	Dial: SCN (Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High sensitivity, Hi-Speed Burst, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial photo),Intelligent AUTO, Playback, Normal Picture, Macro, Motion Picture, Print, Clipboard
Shutter Speed	8-1/2000 sec Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec
Self Timer	2sec / 10sec
Auto Review	1sec, 3sec, Zoom
Review	1x / 4x / 8x
Color Mode	Standard, Natural, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm
Recording Format	Still Image: JPEG(Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard), DPOF corresponding Image with audio: JPEG (Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard)+ QuickTime Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Recording Image Size	Still Image: 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 2448 pixels, 2560 x 1920pixels, 2048 x 1536 pixels,1600 x 1200 pixels, 640 x 480 pixels 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 2176 pixels, 2560 x 1712 pixels, 2048 x 1360 pixels 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 1840 pixels, 2560 x 1440 pixels,1920 x 1080 pixels
Image Quality	Fine / Standard
Motion Picture	4:3 Aspect Ratio: 640 x 480 pixels, 320 x 240 pixels 30 fps, 10 fps 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 848 x 480 pixels 30 fps, 10 fps
Burst Shooting Mode	Full-Resolution Image, 3 frames/sec Max. 7 images (Standard mode), Max 4 images (Fine Mode) High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 7 frames/sec (recorded in 2M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Unlimited consecutive shooting	Yes
Still Image Rec. with Audio	5 Seconds
Audio Dubbing	Max. 10sec
Real-time histogram	Yes
Composition Guide line	Yes (2 patterns)
Built-in-Memory	approx. 27MB
Scene Mode Help Screen	Yes
Auto Angle Detection	Yes
Travel Date / World Time	Yes / Yes
Title Edit	Yes
Text Stamp / Date Stamp	Yes / Yes
Built-in-Flash	Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off 0.6 - 6.3m (Wide/ISO Auto), 0.3 - 3.1m (Tele/ISO Auto)
LCD Monitor	3.0" Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (230K Pixels) Field of View : approx. 100% AUTO Power LCD Mode, Power LCD mode, High angle mode
Playback mode	25-thumbnail display, 9-thumbnail display, calendar display, zoomed playback (16x max.),Playback of favorite pictures, Creating still pictures from a motion picture Category Playback (playback and slideshow of pictures in category) Slide show (duration is adjustable, also manual controllable), image rotation Resizing (selectable number of pixels), trimming, protection, aspect conv. DPOF print setting
OSD language	English,German,French,Italian,Spanish,Polish,Czech ,Hungarian,Russian,Chinese(Traditional),Chinese(Si mplified), Netherlandic,Thai,Korean,Turkish, Portuguese, Arabic, Persian, Japanese
Recording Media	Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard
Microphone	Yes
Speaker	Yes
Interface	DC Input, AV Output (NTSC/PAL), USB
Power	Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 1000mAh) (Included) AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional)
Battery life (approx.)	280 pictures (CIPA Standard)
Included Software	LUMIX Simple Viewer, PhotofunStudio -viewer- ArcSoft Media Impression, ArcSoft Panorama Maker USB Driver
Standard Accessories	Battery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery carrying case, AV Cable, USB Connection Cable, AC Cable, Strap, CD-ROM

[Photo-John]

Dimensions (W x H x D)	Approx. 94.9 x 51.9 x 22.0 mm ( 3.74 x 2.04x 0.87 inch)
Weight	Approx. 132g. (0.29 lb) Approx. 154g with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.34 lb)
Camera Effective Pixels	8.1 Megapixels
Image Sensor	1/2.5", 8.32 Mega Total Pixels CCD Primary Color Filter
Optical Zoom	3.6x
Extra Optical Zoom	4:3 Aspect Ratio: 4.6x for 5Mega, 5.7x for 3Mega, 2Mega, 0.3Mega 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 4.6x for 4.5Mega, 5.7x for 2.5Mega 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 4.6x for 3.5Mega, 5.7x for 2Mega
Digital Zoom	4 x ( Max. 14.3 x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom ) (Max. 22.7x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Focal Length	f=4.6-16.4mm (35mm Equiv.: 28-100mm)
Lens	LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT 7 elements in 6 groups (5 Aspherical Lenses / 6 Aspherical surfaces)
Aperture	Wide: F2.8 / F8.0 (2 steps) Tele: F5.6 / F16 (2 steps)
Optical Image Stabilizer	MEGA O.I.S. (Mode1 / Mode2)
Focusing Area	Normal: 50cm - infinityMacro / Intelligent AUTO / Motion Picture / Clipboard : wide 5cm/Tele 30cm - infinity
AF Metering	Face / 1-point/ 1-point high speed/ 3-point high speed/ 5-point/ Spot
Focus	Auto Focus System, Normal / Macro (Dial)
AF Assist Lamp	Yes
ISO Sensitivity	Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1250 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode : Auto(1600 - 6400) )
White Balance	Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set White Balance Adjustment (±10steps, except for auto set) (Selectable at Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Sports, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity, and High-speed Burst mode)
Exposure	Program AE
Exposure Compensation	1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV
Backlight Compensation	Yes (at Intelligent AUTO mode)
Auto (AE) Bracketing	+/- 1/3 EV ~1EV step, 3 frames
Light Metering	Intelligent Multiple
Scene Mode	Dial: SCN (Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High sensitivity, Hi-Speed Burst, Starry Sky,Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial photo, Underwater), Intelligent AUTO, Playback, Normal Picture, Macro, Motion Picture, Print, Clipboard
Shutter Speed	8-1/2000 sec Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec.
Self Timer	2sec / 10sec
Auto Review	1sec, 3sec, Zoom
Review	1x / 4x / 8x
Color Mode	Standard, Natural, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm
Recording Format	Still Image: JPEG(Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard), DPOF corresponding Image with audio: JPEG (Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard)+ QuickTime Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Recording Image Size	SStill Image: 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 2448 pixels, 2560 x 1920pixels, 2048 x 1536 pixels,1600 x 1200 pixels, 640 x 480 pixels 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 2176 pixels, 2560 x 1712 pixels, 2048 x 1360 pixels 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 3264 x 1840 pixels, 2560 x 1440 pixels,1920 x 1080 pixels
Image Quality	Fine / Standard
Motion Picture	4:3 Aspect Ratio: 640 x 480 pixels, 320 x 240 pixels 30 fps, 10 fps 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 848 x 480 pixels 30 fps, 10 fps
Burst Shooting Mode	FFull-Resolution Image, 3 frames/sec Max. 7 images (Standard mode), Max 4 images (Fine Mode) High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 7 frames/sec (recorded in 2M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Unlimited consecutive shooting	Yes
Still Image Rec. with Audio	5 Seconds
Audio Dubbing	Max. 10sec
Real-time histogram	Yes
Composition Guide line	Yes (2 patterns)
Built-in-Memory	approx. 27MB
Scene Mode Help Screen	Yes
Auto Angle Detection	Yes
Travel Date / World Time	Yes / Yes
Title Edit	Yes
Text Stamp / Date Stamp	Yes / Yes
Built-in-Flash	Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off 0.6 - 6.3m (Wide/ISO Auto), 0.3 - 3.1m (Tele/ISO Auto)
LCD Monitor	2.5" Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (207K Pixels) Field of View : approx. 100% AUTO Power LCD mode, Power LCD mode, High angle mode
Playback mode	225-thumbnail display, 9-thumbnail display, calendar display, zoomed playback (16x max.),Playback of favorite pictures, Creating still pictures from a motion picture Category Playback (playback and slideshow of pictures in category) Slide show (duration is adjustable, also manual controllable), image rotation Resizing (selectable number of pixels), trimming, protection, aspect conv. DPOF print setting
OSD language	English,German,French,Italian,Spanish,Polish,Czech ,Hungarian,Russian,Chinese(Traditional),Chinese(Si mplified), Netherlandic, Thai, Korean,Turkish, Portuguese, Arabic, Persian, Japanese
Recording Media	Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard
Microphone	Yes
Speaker	Yes
Interface	DC Input, AV Output (NTSC/PAL), USB
Power	Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 1000mAh) (Included) AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional)
Battery life (approx.)	280 pictures (CIPA Standard)
Included Software	LUMIX Simple Viewer, PhotofunStudio -viewer- ArcSoft Media Impression, ArcSoft Panorama Maker USB Driver
Standard Accessories	Battery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery carrying case, AV Cable, USB Connection Cable, AC Cable, Strap, CD-ROM

[Photo-John]

One of our members, megan, attended the Panasonic release event for the new Lumix DMC-FX55 and Lumix DMC-FX33. She has posted a report on the event, the new cameras, and new features. It's actually a mini review of the new digital cameras and includes high-res sample photos.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 and DMC-FX33 Introduction >>