panasonic

There are some places that cell phone cameras just can't go, which is why the rugged, waterproof compact camera segment seems to be one of the fastest growing. Panasonic has two new tough cams ready for release, including a new flagship in the TS4 and a budget-minded option in the TS20.

The Panasonic Lumix SZ7 compact. With more and more people using their cellphone to take photos, Panasonic is attempting to fight back by squeezing more camera into less space. The freshly announced Panasonic Lumix SZ7 and SZ1 both feature an impressive zoom range of 10x or a 25-250mm 35mm-equivilent. However, we are still waiting to hear from Panasonic regarding specifics about these cameras, including official dimensions and lens aperture. 

Our first glimpse of Panasonic's 3D compact camera came back at the IFA Berlin tradeshow, but now it's officially making its way to store shelves. The aptly-named 3D1 uses a pair of independently-zooming 25mm lenses each with 4x optical zoom to create true 3D photos and videos. 

When it was announced, Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GF3 was billed as the smallest Interchangeable Lens Compact (ILC) on the market. Of course, Pentax swooped in with its Q model and took that title away, and Sony’s new NEX-5N is about 8mm shorter than this Panasonic. Bragging rights aside, the GF3 is aimed squarely at casual shooters looking for the image quality of a large-sensor camera. As such, the GF3 foregoes both a hot-shoe and an accessory port in pursuit of cost cutting and size reduction.