Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"Panasonic Singapore very kindly invited a number of photographers for a preview of the GF1. Having watched the Micro Four Thirds movement with great interest since its introduction (Disclaimer: I own a GH1), I signed up as soon as I heard about the event. Micro Four Thirds, for those who are unfamiliar, is a new system developed by Panasonic and Olympus, which uses the same sensor size as the standard Four Thirds system, but removes the mirror and uses a live view system for composing. What makes it exciting is that it allows for small cameras with quality traditionally associated with DSLRs."

Curious about the new Panasonic GF1? Long-time Digital Home Thoughts reader and sometimes-contributor Lee Yuan Sheng got a chance to get some hands-on time with the new camera from Panasonic and put together a great report for Digital Home Thoughts readers. It's well worth the read!

Panasonic is in the midst of running a 30 day giveaway contest, where they're giving away DVD players, video cameras, digital cameras, etc. Entry is easy, though unfortunately it's for people in the USA only.

"Often better blacks dictate higher prices, but in the case of Panasonic's newest line of entry-level plasmas, which includes the TC-P50X1, that's not the case. This HDTV reproduces superb blacks and excellent shadow detail, while costing a relative pittance for a big-screen HDTV. Unfortunately, two major problems prevent it from earning higher praise, namely that it suffers from less-than-accurate color and the presence of faint on-screen lines that may be a deal-breaker to sharp-eyed viewers."

The survival of Plasma TVs may be in question, but that is not stopping Panasonic from coming out with more models for our home theater dollars. CNET breaks down the TC-P50X1 pretty thoroughly from the finish and design to the remote control to colour reproduction. One thing I found surprising with the TV was that it only went to 1366x768 resolution, which I find unusual for 50 inch TVs, however, the rationale behind it makes sense. Supposedly, most people cannot really see the difference between 720p and 1080p for a 50" screen unless you are sitting closer than six and a half feet. I'm not wholly convinced, but I hope the compromise helped shave a few dollars off the TV. CNET's greatest complaint, the colour accuracy would have me second guessing purchasing this TV though, as if I'm going for Plasma, I want a really good experience and not be niggled with colours not looking right.

"The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 (also known as the DMC-ZS3 in the USA) is a brand new ultra-compact super-zoom camera, offering several major improvements on its predecessor, the popular TZ5 model. There's now a 12x, 25-300mm optical zoom lens, both wider and longer than the TZ5's, the megapixel count has increased from 9 to 10, the Venus IV Engine processing engine promises enhanced responsiveness, and the 720p HD video mode is recorded in the new AVCHD Lite format which almost doubles the recording time."

I have the previous generation of this camera, the DMC-TZ5, and it's a nice little unit - well, not so little actually. That's one of my main gripes - it's much harder to fit into my pocket than my other point and shoot camera, a Canon Powerhsot SD870. But with the 10x optical zoom and 720p video, I can forgive the Panasonic camera for being a little bulky. The successor to my DMC-TZ5 is this new DMC-TZ7. Zoom is boosted to 12x, it's 3mm wider, there's that new AVCHD Lite for video, and it has stereo microphones - even a wind-cut function to block wind noise. Nice!

With a son on the way, suddenly I have a lot more to think about when it comes to capturing all the precious moments I know are going to happen. I'm pondering whether or not the TZ7 (which is actually the ZS3 in North America - I know, so confusing) is a worthy upgrade over what I have now. Does it offer enough improvements to warrant replacing what I have now? The ZS3 comes in red, which is simply awesome (I love red gadgets!), but I'm wondering if I'd get more milage out of getting one of their new rugged cameras (the DMC-TS1D) instead. Thoughts? Opinions? I guess I'd better read this review first...

"Look, we don't really "get" people who aren't willing to buy the latest and greatest thing regardless of the price and / or current economic state, but evidently there's a rather large sector still clinging to their antiquated DVD format. Blu-ray proponents Panasonic, Philips, and Sony are looking to change all that by knocking down the tab a few notches."

For those of you harping over the high prices of Blu-ray technology, from players to burners to movies, it looks like there might be a light, albeit dim, at the end of the tunnel. The unification of license granters should reduce the cost of everything Blu-ray, though only marginally since it only affects the cost of the license. Still, it's welcome news and leads me to believe that one day, there will eventually be Blu-ray technology that costs what DVD technology costs today.

"Its electronic gadgetry is gathering dust on the shelves of high street stores, nobody is buying new fridges and the mountain of unsold plasma televisions is growing by the day. However, in desperation, Panasonic has hit on the perfect counter-attack against the consumer slump: it has ordered every member of staff to go out and buy £1,000 of Panasonic products."

So you're Panasonic, and in rough economic times you're hard pressed to boost profits. So what do you do? Put the squeeze on your employees and "encourage" them to purchase about $1466 USD worth of Panasonic products. Oh, and this is after slashing salaries and bonuses. Having your salary cut is better than losing your job, but for a company to apply pressure to their employees to burn through their savings to purchase company products? That crosses the line into corporate abuse of power.

"Fans of flexibility will be bending over backwards to grab a glance at the latest offering from Panasonic. The FX500 features a 5x optical zoom that starts at 25mm (in 35mm terms), featuring the company's O.I.S anti-shake system. The FX500 is also the first Panasonic to feature a touch-screen interface, which can be controlled using either fingertips or the included stylus."

This camera definitely would have been a contender in my recent search for the ultimate compact point-and-shoot camera (I ended up with a Canon SD870IS which I'll be putting through the paces the next couple weeks while on vacation in Washington DC). It's pretty unbelievable that Panasonic has managed to fit a 5x optical zoom plus a 25mm equivalent ultra-wide-angle lens in such a compact body. The touchscreen interface is a feature I'd need to experiment with before I'm sold (I typically like tactile feedback), and I'm not too sure I'd want to be fumbling with a stylus while trying to frame the perfect shot. It looks really good on paper, but I'd wait for some photo samples and reviews before jumping on the bandwagon.