Panasonic

The new LUMIX DMC-FP8 digital camera is part of Panasonic's new FP-Series, which pursues excellence in both design and function. The LUMIX FP8, with 12.1 megapixels, features a high-quality 28mm wide-angle, 4.6x Leica DC lens with folding optics - encased in a futuristic-looking stylish body.

The FP8 also features advanced functions including high-speed Auto Focus (AF) and Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) suite of technologies. Panasonic's iA, a popular feature on LUMIX cameras, now includes POWER Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) which features double the repression power compared to the previous image stabilization system, MEGA O.I.S. The hand-shake generated when pressing the shutter button, or when shooting at night with a slow shutter speed, is significantly minimized by the improved POWER O.I.S. to help reduce blurry photos.Read more

The Panasonic HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 weigh just 0.5 LB, yet still features a 16x optical zoom, touch screen and can shoot an amazing 1920 x 1080 Full-HD video. The HDC-SD10 will record to SDHC/SD memory cards as recording media and the HDC-TM10 features Twin Memory, which records onto both an 8 GB built-in memory and an SDHC/SD memory card.

16x optical zoom of the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 is supported by the Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer). The Advanced O.I.S. corrects hand movements 4,000 times per second! Also, both of these camcorders will feature the iA (Intelligent Auto) function, which automatically sets the most suitable Scene mode according to shooting conditions.

The suggested retail prices of the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 are $549.95 and $599.95 respectively. The TM10 will be available in black and silver models, while the SD10 in black only. All models will be available in September 2009.

First unveiled at CES, the Panasonic DMP-B15 was and still is the only portable Blu-ray player. Well, starting today, Panasonic is now shipping this awesome little device.

At a MSRP of $800, the DMP-B15 features an 8.9-inch WSVGA display and includes Panasonic's VIERA CAST Internet accessibility, BD Live functionality and an SD card slot. The battery is said to hold around a 2.5 hour charge.

You can easily connect the DMP-B15 to an HDTV via HDMI cable, and use it as a stand-alone Blu-ray Disc player. Also, the player can also be connected to an HD-Audio compatible AV receiver with a home theater speaker system, enabling you to enjoy movies with outstanding surround sound.

Get the full press release here.

Panasonic is launching new, Class 10 rated, SDHC cards next month in the UK; we should see these cards in the U.S. shortly after that. These cards will be offered in 4, 8, 16 and 32GBs and should have a maximum speed of 22MB/sec. These SDHC cards, dubbed as the Panasonic Gold Series, will be the first ones in the world to achieve a Class 10 rating. The Gold series will allow users to record HD video with the DSLR cameras much more easily, due to the higher transfer rates the cards offer.

Panasonic is also releasing a Silver series with a Class 4 speed specification and maximum speed of up to 20MB/s. Currently, there is no information on a price for any of these cards. Get the full press release here.

The Panasonic HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 will feature a 16x optical zoom, touch screen control, iA with AF tracking and Advanced O.I.S (Optical Image Stabilizer). As far as storage goes, the SD10 will record only to a SD/SDHC Memory Card, while the TM10 offers 8GB built in memory and support for a SD/SDHC Memory Card.

Panasonic has added an excellent new feature to these camcorders, too. The "Pre-Rec" function records three seconds of images into an internal memory buffer. Then, when the Record button is pressed, the three seconds prior are added at the beginning of the clip being recorded. This is excellent if you're at a sports game and just miss a big play.

Currently, these new camcorders are slated for a June release in the UK at 529.99 Euro / US$721 / 69,348 Yen and 499.99 Euro / US$680 / 65,423 Yen. But expect to see a global launch soon after that.

For information on compatibility with external image and video viewers, click here.

[Panasonic UK]

Panasonic just announced a new contest, called "Panasonic Living In HD 30x30" in which Panasonic will give away an HD product every day in May. Daily winners will have a choice of one of three 2009 Panasonic products from its line of LUMIX digital cameras and HD Camcorders.

The three prize options include two LUMIX Digital Cameras featuring 720p HD video recording (the DMC-ZS3 and the DMC-TS1 which is also waterproof and dustproof) as well the new HDC-TM20 1080p HD Camcorder with 16GB internal memory.

More information about the contest (including rules and requirements), can be found online at www.livinginhd.com/go/promo/30x30entry.