The Panasonic GH5 may have garnered the most attention, there were two other Panasonic cameras announced at CES 2017. The first of these was the Panasonic GX800, which acts as a new entry point in the GX line-up and will cost around £500.
Panasonic LUMIX GX800
As with other recent cameras, Panasonic hasn’t scrimped on the feature set of the GX800. The Micro Four Thirds, rangefinder style, camera features a 16-million-pixel Four Thirds size Live MOS Sensor, with no anti-aliasing filter. It also has the latest Venus engine that also features in the Lumix GH5. The processor and sensor combination allows for a maximum sensitivity of ISO 25,600.
With an emphasis on the younger end of the photo market, the camera features a 3-inch touchscreen, that can flip through 180 degrees offering the ability to shoot selfies, or even vlogging. Those that are thinking of shooting video will be impressed with the cameras ability to capture 30/25fps 4K, as well 60/50fps 1080p, video footage. And, of course, there is built-in wifi connectivity and a range of different colour variations, including a nice silver and tan leather version.
The Lumix GX800 is due to go on sale in March.
Panasonic LUMIX FZ82
The other camera that was announced was the Panasonic Lumix FZ82. It may easy to just dismiss the FZ82 as ‘just a bridge camera’, but for many people it has all the features it needs to be the ideal camera. To start with it has a 18.1-million-pixel 1/2.3in compact camera sensor, which should produce far better images than most consumers will be able to take on their smartphones.
The lens is obviously the biggest selling point of any bridge camera, and the FZ82 has a 60x, 3.58mm-215mm f/2.8 - 5.9 zoom lens, the equivalent of a 20-1200mm on a 35mm camera. A 20mm equivalent focal length is a great addition especially for those looking to photograph their first landscapes, or just make sure their children don’t run out of the frame whilst be photographed. Conversely, 1,200mm will make sure that aspiring wildlife, sports and astro photographers are also happy. Making sure that the lens can be used at longer focal lengths is an optical image stabilisation system.
And it wouldn’t be a Panasonic camera if it didn’t shoot 4K video at 30fps, had the 4K Photo Mode and the Depth From Defocus (DFD) focusing system. In summary, the FZ82 is like a miniature G system camera with a far smaller sensor.
We hope to get our hands on both cameras in the next few months and we’ll try out all the key features
For more information see the Panasonic LUMIX FZ82 and Panasonic LUMIX GX800 product pages
