New Panasonic Lumix, 18X optical superzoom digital camera features high definition video recording

The DMC-FZ38 packages a 27mm wide angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens with F2.8 brightness and powerful 18x optical zoom1 together with a 12.1-megapixel CCD into a compact body. Taking advantage of the versatile 27mm wide angle powerful 18x optical zoom lens, the FZ38 allows users to record both photo and movie with exceptional creative freedom. The lens unit comprises of 11 elements in 8 groups, including 3 aspherical lenses and 2 ED lenses. Notably 2 ED lenses minimize the chromatic aberration that is likely to occur in telephoto images. This set of lenses secure picture quality high enough to pass Leica’s stringent standards and delivers exceptional optical performance.

The super-powerful 18x zoom lens makes it easy to pull in subjects from far away or to take dramatic close-ups. For an added boost, zoom power can be increased to 35.2x with the Extra Optical Zoom function . The 27mm wide-angle feature is ideal for both broad landscapes and tight indoor shots, letting photographers capture a wider view. The 12.1-megapixel resolution allows photos to be greatly enlarged while still retaining outstanding detail, or edited by trimming and enlarging parts of the photo to print.

To realize the ultra high-speed AF, a number of re-engineering and improvements are made including the adaptation of higher-speed actuator, the optimization of algorithms and the parallelization of software processing element. The result is ultra high speed yet accurate AF performance for users to enjoy the airy shooting that has experienced never before. Panasonic also replaced its linear program processing with parallel processing to achieve an ultra high-speed start-up of 1.2 second, a remarkable 20% decrease from previous models.

The Quick AF system helps keep focus on the subject while the camera is in recording mode even before pressing the shutter button halfway. This improves the chances of getting the shot because the focus is always near the subject and AF time is minimized. The user can activate all of these useful, convenient shooting-assist functions by simply selecting iA mode.

Inheriting the highly regarded features found in the FZ series, the FZ38 continues to push the boundaries, offering further advancements including the new Power O.I.S, ultra high-speed AF and AVCHD Lite motion recording.

Available from September, the FZ38 offers exceptional creative freedom – perfect for beginners through to serious amateur photographers.