Back at CES 2009, Panasonic made quite a lot of announcements, but most of them were related to HDTVs, Blu-ray players and camcorders, rather than digital cameras. However, old “Panny” has not abandoned this field at all, since it has just taken the wraps off a very large number of models, including here two new models in the company's latest ZS series, the line of digital cameras that succeed the TZ series.

The two fresh camera models, the LUMIX DMC-ZS3 and DMC-ZS1, feature a very elegant and slim form factor, complemented by some pretty interesting shooting capabilities. The differences between the two cameras are not exactly significant, and for this reason, we'll talk mostly about the more advanced model (the ZS3) as follows.

Hence, this model sports a 10.1-megapixel sensor, a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens (LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR) and 12x optical zoom. Furthermore, according to Panasonic, this is the world's first digital camera to support HD video recording in “AVCHD Lite 2” mode, which outputs very good quality audio and video clips.

The ZS3 features Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA), which has been enhanced with a Face Recognition function. Moreover, as an absolute novelty for the ZS-Series, the iA mode is also available in Movie Mode, making it easier for users to take photos and record video clips with optimum settings, adjusted to the environment conditions.

The camera also sports an improved image processing system, the Venus Engine HD, which features no less than two different CPUs, used for reducing luminance noise and chromatic noise by separating them into high-frequency and low-frequency noise, and then removing the low-frequency noise. Plus, the ZS3 makes it very easy for users to review their photos and access the various available functions, since it has been equipped with a 3-inch LCD display with wide viewing angles.

The LUMIX ZS1 is actually pretty similar to the ZS3, since it also comes equipped with a 25mm ultra-wide angle and 12x powerful optical zoom. However, there are important differences, since the ZS1 features a 10.1 megapixel CCD, a standard iA mode (no Face Recognition) for still image recording and a 2.7-inch, 230,000-dot Intelligent LCD.

Both of the new Panasonic ZS-Series models are slated to arrive in stores at some point in April 2009 and will retail for $400 (the ZS3) and $300, respectively (the ZS1).

 
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