Panasonic Lumix LZ20 Unveiled With 21x Optical Zoom

This week the folks at Panasonic have revealed several new cameras, one of the more fabulous of which is the Lumix LZ20. This device is a "super zoom" digital camera with 21x optical zoom and a 25mm ultra wide-angle lens. This lens' 35mm camera equivalent is a 25-525mm lens, here though working with an Optical Image Stabilizer and the LZ20's 16-megapixel high resolution CCD sensor – this unit also has advanced image processing LSI which supports both high quality video and photos.

This device is a super-compact and delivers what Panasonic describes as a "exceptional, high quality images." Marc Sorkin, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Marketing Company of North America, noted also that, "the camera's 21x optical zoom can be extended to 48.5x with the Extra Optical Zoom function to draw in distant subjects which is helpful in shooting dynamic landscapes."

NOTE: Have a peek now at our hands-on experience with a whole collection of Panasonic devices revealed this week!

This camera's Optical Image Stabilizer is said to prevent blur without deterioration of image quality at high zoom. It's also able to produce high quality images even whilst recording at ISO 1600 and max. We'll be trying out the fabulous ISO 6400 in High Sensitivity mode, of course.

You've got iA mode – that being Intelligent Auto mode – made specifically for those who want to use such bits as the Optical Image Stabilizer, Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent Exposure without taking the time to activate and calibrate each one. Six Scene modes are also available including Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery and Sunset.

You can record HD video in 1280 x 720p at 30 fps in Motion JPEG, you get bundled software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 8.2 Lite Edition, and you've got a 3.0-inch 460,000-dot LCD on the back to make sure you see everything clearly. Pricing and availability coming soon!