Panasonic Lumix TZ7
Technological advancements have allowed the Panasonic Lumix digital camera range to go from strength to strength. The Lumix cameras are designed to provide the ultimate in user concenience and picture performance. The new DMC-TZ7 hybrid camera offers a completely new concept in digital photography. While retaining the traditional features of Panasonic’s multi-award winning TZ camera range – such as the incredible 12x optical zoom – the TZ7 pushes the boundaries by offering AVCHD Lite*1 motion picture recording, making the TZ7 a truly versatile proposition.
TZ7 Lumix Single Frame Detail
The TZ7 features a high-quality LEICA DC VARIO ELMAR 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens with a 12x optical zoom. A lens like this, with a range from 25mm to 300mm in 35mm film equivalence, is almost inconceivable in such a small, lightweight camera. Comprising 10 elements in 8 groups, including 2 ED lenses and 2 aspherical lenses with 3 aspherical surfaces, and utilizing new lens material in its design, this advanced lens unit realizes the outstandingly slim and compact body while passing Leica’s stringent standards to deliver exceptional optical performance. The Extra Optical Zoom function that extends zoom power to 21.4x (at 3-megapixel resolution) by using the center part of the large CCD to bring subjects even closer without deteriorating the image quality.
The TZ7 has a 12-megapixel CCD and shoots with up to 10-megapixel resolution. This is because the CCD on the TZ7 is multi-aspect that can reproduce images shot with the lens set from 25mm to 300mm in any of three aspect ratios – 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 – so you can always capture dynamic, richly expressive shots with a wide perspective. The Multi Aspect mode lets you to take an image in all three aspect ratios simultaneously then choose the one that best suits your scene after shooting.
AVCD Lite for Long Recording of HD Motion Images
In addition to Motion JPEG images*2, the TZ7 can record high-definition motion picture*3 in AVCHD Lite. It features almost doubling the recording time in HD quality compared with the conventional Motion JPEG format. The TZ7 also features Dolby Digital Stereo Creator to record high quality audio, so you can match the beautiful motion images with outstanding stereo sound.
Face Recognition Technology
When I was a kid, this would be unthinkable but with the DMC-TZ7 taking great photos is so simple. Panasonic have developed and incorporated Intelligent Auto mode to reduce misshots while making your photo taking simple and convenient. They have advanced this mode by including technology for AF tracking and Face Recognition features – meaning the camera will “remember faces”.
It works by the Lumix camera prompting you to register a face once it has been photographed several times. Once this has been registered on the camera, it will identify the face if it appears in the frame again and will therefore prioritise focus and exposure so that the face is in sharp focus and brightness. This is perfect for group shots – for example – the new feature will give priority focus and exposure to a single person, helping your loved ones stand out from the crowd for that perfect photo snap.
The Venus Engine HD
The high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD has been re-engineered to support the recording of beautiful, high-definition motion images in AVCHD Lite. With its twin CPUs, Venus Engine HD boasts approx. 2.4x processing capability, greatly improving the speed of camera operations.
Super High Resolution LCD for Easy Playback
The TZ7 is equipped with a 3.0-inch, 460,000-dot Intelligent LCD with super high resolution and a wide viewing angle. The screen brightness automatically adjusts in 11 steps as the surrounding brightness level changes, ensuring easy visibility at all times. The big screen reflects fine details, making it easy to check the focus before shooting. It also serves as a small photo and video viewer, allowing the user and friends to enjoy viewing the still and motion images together.
Scenes Modes for Motion Images Too
Designed with users in mind, the scene modes, which are optimized for a variety of still-image shooting situations, are now available for motion images as well. Thanks to a rich variety of 27 scene modes for still image and 17 for motion image (Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self portrait, Scenery, Low light, Food, Party, Candle light, Sunset, Beach, Snow, Aerial, High Sensitivity, Pin hole, Film grain and Underwater), capturing beautiful videos is effortless with the TZ7.
