Panasonic has just announced two new cameras this week as an update to its GX and FZ camera line. The GX8 will be replacing the outgoing GX7 from two years ago while the FZ3000 will succeed the FZ1000 from last year.

The Lumix GX8 will be Panasonic’s flagship compact camera system and features a 20.3MP Digital Live MOS Sensor that works with a Venus Engine imaging processor. The camera’s ISO range goes up to 25,600 and supports 4K video recording both at 24fps and 30fps.

It also has a dual image stabilizer, features high-speed burst shooting modes at 8fps and 6ps, NFC and Wi-Fi connectivity. The camera also comes with a 3-inch LCD monitor that swings outward and swivels to give photographers more flexibility. And just like the GX7, this model also packs an articulating electronic viewfinder.

The GX8 will come in either black of silver and will be available in August for around $1200 body only.

Now, for those looking for a camera with more serious zoom power, Panasonic’s FZ3000 might be the one for you. The camera has a 24x optical zoom and is capable of capturing 4K video at both 24fps and 30fps.

At the heart of the FZ3000 is a 12.1MP high sensitivity MOS sensor with the same Venus Engine image processor as the GX8. The camera’s light sensitivity tops at 6400 ISO and the lens that’s permanently mounted into the FZ3000 is a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 24mm lens with an f/2.8 aperture.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ3000 will be available by October for around $600.  

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It looks like this year’s CES is more of a showcase of product updates rather than of new products. Take for example Canon who has introduced several camera and camcorder models many of which are packing Wi-Fi and NFC.

Heading the announcements is the Canon PoowerShot SX350 HS with a 50x optical zoom lens (24-1200mm, 35mm equivalent). It also comes with a 16MP sensor that is capable of capturing Full HD content and delivers high-speed autofocus and zoom framing assist. The SX350 HS will be joined by the PowerShot SX710 HS and SX610 HS that will have a 30x and 18x optical zoom lens respectively.

The SX350 HS will be sold for $430, while the SX710 HS and SX610 HS will sell for $350 and $250 respectively.

On the camcorder side, Canon introduced four new models under its Vixia range – the HF R42, HF R40, HF R400 and HF G20. The HF R42, R40 and R400 all pack a 53x advanced zoom lens, a DIGIC IV image processing engine, a 3.28MP full HD CMOS image sensor and support for capturing HD MP4 videos at up to 35Mbps and AVCHD progressive 60p videos up to 28Mbps.

All three models are also capable of accessing the web through Wi-Fi. The camcorders will be available by March with pricing to start at $300 for the R400, while the R40 and R42 will retail for $400 and $500 respectively.

For a much steeper price tag, the Vixia HF G20 packs more oomph with 32GB of onboard storage compared to the 8GB on the first three models, 10x optical zoom, 12 hours of full HD recording and an enhanced HD CMOS PRO image sensor. It also features a high-resolution 922-dot 3.5-inch touch panel and Canon’s SuperRange Optical Image stabilizer.

The Vixia HF G20 will be available next month with an estimated price of $1099.

Now if you’re wondering why Canon is putting heavy focus on Wi-Fi connectivity in its latest products; that’s because they are also launching a media station called the Canon Connect Station CS100.

Basically, the Connect Station is a networked attached storage for all the videos and photos you’ve captured with your Canon camera. The box sports 1TB of storage, Wi-Fi, NFC and a wireless remote. It also comes with SD and CF card slots as well as a USB and an Ethernet port.

It also sports an HDMI port so you can connect it to your TV and browse all the images and videos in your collection. Moreover, Canon says the station uses a user interface that automatically organizes user content depending on shooting date, camera type and custom albums.

The device is expected to go on sale around June of this year for around $299.

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Canon is introducing several new camera models in the Philippines that will target various segments of the market including entry-level users as well as power users. The new models include the PowerShot N2 and the SX60HS.

The PowerShot N2 is an update to last year’s N model and targets the young selfie generation with its LCD screen that can tilt 180 degrees. Just like its predecessor, the N2 has several features for its very social-savvy target consumers. These include preloaded filters, a Smooth skin feature for that perfect selfie and Wi-Fi and NFC capability for more convenient sharing of photos.

In terms of hardware, the N2 sports a 16.1MP, 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor that offers an ISO range of 100-3200, a f3.0 aperture and a shutter speed of 1-1/2000 sec. There’s also built-in flash and support for Canon’s iMage Gateway and CameraWindow app.

Then there’s the PowerShot SX60 HS superzoom camera. The device is joining the SX-line we saw last July and features an f/3.4-6.5 lens that achieves 65x optical zoom. The camera sports a 16MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor that offers an ISO range of 100-3200 and a Digic 6 image processor.

The SX60HS also comes with a newly developed grip design, a lens-shift type image stabilization complemented by an Intelligent IS function that analyzes camera movement to determine the appropriate image stabilization method, a 920k-dot HD LCD viewfinder that swivels and tilts for greater shooting flexibility.

Finally, there’s the PowerShot G7X which was first unveiled at Photokina just last month in Germany. Both the cameras are now on sale in the Philippines at open prices. Canon has set initial production at around 40,000 and 50,000 units per month for the G7X and SX60 HS respectively.

For more information about these three new models, you can visit Canon’s website or their Facebook page.

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Canon has just announced a duo of power zoom cameras to add to its growing PowerShot family.

Both the PowerShot SX520HS and the SX400 IS sport a 16MP CCD sensor and a Digic 4+ image processor. They also have a 4-inch LCD viewfinder at the back and comes with their own internal flash.

The more expensive 520HS packs a more powerful f/3.4-6 zoom lens (up to 40x), a shutter speed of 1/2000 seconds and a wider ISO range that reaches up to 3200. The SX400 IS on the other hand sports a 30x optical zoom lens with an aperture of f/3.4-5.8, a shutter speed of 1/600 secs and an ISO range that goes up to 1600.

The 520HS also comes with different exposure models similar to those found in DSLRs (aperture/shutter priority, manual, program and automatic).

Both models will be available in Q3 2014, with the SX400 IS going on sale for $250 in August and the SX520 HS retailing for $400 in September.

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Panasonic today announced the newest member of its FZ line – the FZ1000 that brings 4K video recording to non-DSLR cameras.

The camera comes with a 1-inch 20.1MP high-sensitivity MOS sensor that is said to be four times larger than the 1/2.3-inch sensor of its predecessor allowing the device to capture images with reduced noise. This is also partly thanks to the quad-core Venus engine processor.

The sensor is complemented by a 25mm ultra wide-angle Leica DC Vario Elmarit lens that features an aperture range of f2.8 to f4.0. It offers consumers 16x optical zoom. The device’s zooming capability is achieved through the lens’s 15 elements arranged in 11 groups that provide a smooth and even focus. Moreover, the Leica lens sports a 5-axis compensation system as well as a hybrid optical image stabilizer to suppress handshake movement in almost any direction.

But of course the main highlight of the FZ1000 would be its 4K video recording capability. The camera is able to capture QFHD (3840 x 2160) video recording at 25 frames per second in MP4 format. It can also use recorded 4K video content to extract a frame to create an 8MP photo. Users can also switch to Full HD video recording in case they happen to run out of storage space to save their high-quality content.

Panasonic has also improved the focusing speed of the FZ1000. For starters, boot up time takes only 0.66 seconds, while focus speeds range from 0.09 seconds at the wide end to 0.17 seconds at the telephoto end. High-speed burst shooting is also available at 12 frames per second. The device also uses Panasonic’s light speed autofocus and DFD (Depth from Focus) technology in order to speed up the focusing time.

At the back of the FZ1000 is a 3-inch 921k-dot free-angle LCD with a wide viewing angle that swivels 180 degrees to the side and tilts 270 degrees up and down. The screen has AR coating that minimizes reflection which maintains the screen usability even while shooting outdoors. There’s also a 0.39-inch Live View Finder (LVF) with a 2359k-dot high resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio.

Other notable features of the FZ1000 include 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity, NFC connectivity, Creative Control functionality that lets users add a variety of filters into their images, a 3cm Macro shooting mode, an Intelligent Auto Plus (iA+) mode and a level gauge that detects the horizontal and vertical orientation for better scene composition.

The Panasonic FZ1000 is expected to go on sale in July with pricing information to be released before the launch date.

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Sony’s CyberShot series gets a refresh at this year’s CP+ trade show in Japan. The Japanese manufacturer has unveiled more than five models this year most of which coming from its CyberShot line of point-and-shoot cameras.

Heading the group are three superzoom cameras – the HX400V, H400 and H300; and two compact cameras – the WX350V and the W800.

The $500 HX400V features a 20.4MP CMOS sensor with an f/2.8-6.3, 24-1200mm lens with optical image stabilization that offers up to 50x optical zoom. It has an ISO range that tops at 12800, a 10 fps burst mode, 1080p video recording and 4K still image output.

The HX400V also features GPS, Wi-Fi, NFC, a BIONZ X image processor and a multi interface shoe for various Sony accessories.

Then there’s the H400 ($320), which packs a slightly smaller 20.1MP CCD sensor and an f/3.4-6.5, 24.5-1543mm lens with OIS and offers 63x optical zoom. ISO range tops at 3200. Video recording capabilities as well as burst mode has been reduced to 720p and 0.8fps respectively.

Meanwhile, the $220 H300 packs a 20.1MP CCD sensor, an f/3-5.9, 25-875mm lens (still with OIS) that offers 35x optical zoom. Again, the camera is a watered-down version of the model above it featuring an ISO range of 3200, 0.8 fps burst mode and 720p video recording.

Now on to the compacts. The WX350  ($320) is the more powerful model with the same BIONZ X image processor the HX400V, an 18.2MP CMOS Sensor, an f/3.5-6.5, 25-500mm G lens with OIS that offers up to 20x optical zoom, ISO 12800, 10fps burst mode, 1080p video capture, 4K still image output, Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity.

Lastly, there’s the W800 which costs $80 and features a 20MP CCD sensor, an f/3.2-6.4, 26-130mm lens with 5x optical zoom. It also has ISO 3200, 1 fps burst mode and 720p video capture.

Except for the H300 that makes use of AA batteries, the other four models run on Lithium-Ion cells. Moreover, the H300 will also be the first model to arrive in stores, which will be available this month, while the rest of the crew will hit stores starting March.

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