Panasonic is pleased to introduce new DMC-FZ47(FZ48) from the LUMIX’s popular FZ series that packs a powerful optical zoom and attractive options including manual operation, adding full-HD video recording capability and the new Creative Control with Miniature Effect mode. The high quality lens unit of 25mm ultra wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens with powerful 24x Optical Zoom newly features Panasonic’s Black Box Nano Surface Coating technology to minimize light reflection that causes ghost and flare. The powerful 24x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 25-600mm) can be increased its power to 32x equivalent with the Intelligent Zoom function taking advantage of the Intelligent Resolution technology maintaining the picture quality even using digital zoom.
Empowered by a 12.1-megapixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor, the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) is compatible with high-speed, large-capacity signal processing required for 1,920 x 1,080 full-HD video recording in AVCHD and high speed continuous shooting. And the advanced image processing LSI, the Venus Engine FHD, assures high picture quality in both photo and video recording. It also compiles the Intelligent Resolution technology to perform the optimum signal processing depending on the part of a picture to give a whole image outstandingly natural clearness with fine details. The Sonic Speed AF and a quick start-up time give the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) super high speed response that helps to catch even the most fleeting photo opportunities. The accuracy and the speed of AF Tracking are also dramatically improved.
For more artistic freedom, manual control is available with DMC-FZ47(FZ48). User can enjoy image shooting expressing their intention not only in photo but also in video, utilizing a host of options including the new Creative Control or Photo Style with a wide variety of preset options.
The LUMIX’s popular iA (Intelligent Auto) powerfully assists in any shooting situations to get the best result. Combined with the outstanding brightness of the lens, the POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and the Motion Deblur mode*, the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) thoroughly prevents any kind of blur - whether the blur is caused by a handshake or the subject's motion. The POWER O.I.S., Face Recognition, Face Detection, AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent D-range Control work appropriately just by entering the iA mode for any user to take beautiful photos with maximum ease.
In addition, the realistic, less-distorted 3D image produced by DMC-FZ47(FZ48) with the 3D Photo mode can also be enjoyed on a VIERA 3D HDTV or other MPO-compatible 3D equipment. Videos can be recorded in MP4 format to play it back directly on the PC or other portable electronic devices without a need of conversion. Together with the photos, users can enjoy their communication with the LUMIX Image Uploader, which realizes instant image sharing via Facebook (photo) or YouTube (video) with any PC on the spot. The 3.0-inch Intelligent LCD has now 460,000-dot high resolution to dramatically, improve visibility during recording and playback.
From outdoor school events to indoor family photograph, the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) powerfully supports recording those spur-of-the-moment memories in high quality photo and video easily with its superior optical and digital performance.
* The picture size may be reduced.
1. 25mm Ultra Wide-Angle, Powerful 24x Optical Zoom
LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT Lens with Nano Surface Coating
for Ultra Versatility in Both Photo and Video Recording
The DMC-FZ47(FZ48) features a high-quality LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT 25mm ultra wide-angle lens with a 24x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 25-600mm). With the newly applied Nano Surface Coating technology, light reflection is dramatically minimized at entire visual light range (380nm-780nm) by applying the extra-low refractive index coating with nano-sized structure on the surface of the lens. It results in the super clear picture with dramatic reduction of ghost and flare. With this Panasonic's black box technology, the image delivered through the lens of DMC-FZ47(FZ48) has exceptional optical performance with stunning clarity that passes Leica's stringent standards. Comprising 14 elements in 10 groups, including 3 ED lenses and 2 aspherical lenses with 3 aspherical surfaces, this advanced lens unit realizes the outstandingly compact body while passing Leica's stringent standards to deliver exceptional optical performance suppressing distortion at wide end and color bleeding at tele end.
Thanks to the Intelligent Resolution technology, the Intelligent Zoom is available with the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) which extends the zoom ratio by approx. 1.3x maintaining the picture quality even combining a digital zoom. This means the 24x optical can virtually extend to 32x equivalent. Furthermore, the Extra Optical Zoom function that extends zoom power to 46.9x (at 3-megapixel resolution) by using the center part of the large CCD to bring subjects even closer.
Not only drawing near the subject distant away with its powerful optical zoom, the 25mm ultra wide angle lens captures approx.196% wider angle of view compared with a standard 35mm camera. It is helpful for shooting dynamic landscape or indoor group portrait.
2. 1,920 x 1,080 60i (NTSC, sensor output 30p) /
50i (PAL, sensor output 25p) Full-HD Video Recording in the AVCHD Format
The LUMIX DMC-FZ47(FZ48) is an advanced photographic tool for recording not only great photos but also beautiful full-HD videos. Now the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) can record high-resolution full-HD 1,920 x 1,080 60i (NTSC, sensor output 30p) / 50i (PAL, sensor output 25p) videos in AVCHD (MPEG-4 / H.264)* format. The AVCHD format features almost twice the recording time in HD quality than the conventional Motion JPEG and excels in the compatibility with AV equipment like HDTVs or Blu-ray Disc players. A special, separate button on the top lets the user instantly start recording video while shooting photos without any having to make any extra settings.
The powerful 24x optical zoom is available in video recording with the mechanism designed to minimize the noise of auto focusing or zooming. With DMC-FZ47(FZ48), there are always two options to record spur-of-the-moment scenes - high-quality photos or videos. The user can simply choose the one that saves precious memories most beautifully.
The popular iA (Intelligent Auto) is also available in video recording. The POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent D-range Control also support shooting beautiful video with ease. For more effective countermeasure against blur, the Active Mode is newly equipped with DMC-FZ47(FZ48) for an option of image stabilization in video recording. In addition to the conventional POWER O.I.S., the Active Mode effectively suppresses blur in video recording especially at wide angle while walking. The Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery, and Low Light modes according to the situation to optimize visual quality. The Intelligent D-range Control makes images look more natural by preventing blocked shadows and blown highlights to optimize the exposure for each part of an image. It also ensures a beautiful reproduction of gradation and details.
The videos also come with the high-quality stereo sound of Dolby® Digital Stereo Creator, to offer highly realistic sound to the video. The Wind Cut function is also available to block out most of the noise from background wind automatically.
It is also possible to take still image while recording video simultaneously (3.5-megapixel). With the Video Divide function, users can divide the video into two sections to shorten or delete the unwanted part on the spot in the camera. You can cut out a clear still image from a video in the camera thanks to the Intelligent Resolution technology. A host of options enhance the usability and fun of recording high quality full-HD video.
Photos or videos recorded in AVCHD on SD Memory Cards are easy to view on a Panasonic VIERA TV. Simply insert the card into the VIERA Image Viewer (SD Memory Card slot) on VIERA TV or Blu-ray Disc Player/Recorder to playback your contents. Alternatively, you can use an optional mini HDMI cable to output the still and motion images you took from the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) directly to the TV for VIERA Link.
In addition, with the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.3 HD Lite Edition, it is easy to view and edit your recorded contents. You may also choose to upload your videos to YouTube or burn them to a DVD disc for archiving.
* Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) videos are output by the image sensor at 30p (NTSC) / 25p (PAL), and recorded at 60i (NTSC) / 50i (PAL). HD (1,280 x 720) videos are output by the image sensor at 30p (NTSC) / 25p (PAL), and recorded at 60p (NTSC) / 50p (PAL).
[For European PAL Areas]
· Motion pictures can be recorded continuously for up to 29 minutes 59 seconds in European PAL areas. Also, motion picture recorded continuously in [MP4] is up to 4 GB.
[For Other Areas]
· Motion pictures in [MP4] can be recorded continuously for up to 29 minutes 59 seconds. Also, motion picture recorded continuously in [MP4] is up to 4 GB.
· Use a card with SD Speed Class with "Class 4" or higher when recording videos.
* SD Speed Class is the speed standard regarding continuous writing.
3. Advanced Signal Processing System with the Hi-Speed CCD
and High Performance Venus Engine FHD
The 12.1-megapixel CCD with 2-channel signal output structure boasts higher signal transfer speed for the operations that require high performance and speed such as 1,920 x 1,080 full HD video recording and high speed continuous shooting. The picture quality is also improved thanks to the higher sensitivity which is made possible by highly efficient light condensation adoption larger on-chip micro lenses.
For the image processor, the Venus Engine FHD is incorporated that features exceptionally advanced signal processing capabilities. By separating chromatic noise from luminance noise and applying the optimal noise reduction to each, you can capture clear and beautiful images even when shooting at high ISO sensitivity levels. The Venus Engine FHD also provides precisely selective noise reduction to the chromatic noise without affecting the border of colors which is judged from the brightness level of a pixel. With the Intelligent Resolution technology, 3 areas - outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation areas are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges more clearness while giving a moderate accentuation to the texture areas to look more finely detailed. To the soft gradation part, superior noise reduction process of the Venus Engine FHD is applied to make it smoother. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative technology, Intelligent Resolution, precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way for it. As a result, images are naturally clear and crisp in both photo and video recording.
Linking smoothly with the Hi-Speed CCD sensor, the Venus Engine FHD processes a large amount of signals at high speed, making it possible to record 1,920 x 1,080 full-HD video recording and high resolution consecutive shots at 3.7 fps in 12.1-megapixel full resolution and max. 10 fps at 3-megapixel recording.
At the same time, the multi-task image-processing engine, the Venus Engine FHD realizes a super-fast response time. The Sonic Speed AF (Auto Focus) gains approx. 35% faster speed at tele-end compared with the DMC-FZ40 by reviewing the algorithm and software processing. The speed in AF Tracking also becomes faster thanks to the improved tracking performance which doubles its sampling frequency.
4. Intuitive Manual Control and Creative Options
including 3D Photo Shooting
The manual control available with the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) elevates the operability even higher. You can enjoy creative shooting expressing their intention not only in photo but also in video, utilizing a host of options including the Creative Control and the Photo Style.
The conventional My Color mode is renewed for Creative Control with a selection of artistic effect modes; Expressive, Retro, High Key, Sepia, High Dynamic, Miniature Effect, Film Grain and Pin Hole. Now it is possible to adjust exposure compensation in the Creative Control mode. In addition, Photo Style is newly added to the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) for the expression of finer nuance. It has Standard, Vivid, Natural, Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait presets while enabling finer adjustment of contrast, sharpness, saturation and noise reduction by each. It is possible to fully customize those settings to make user's own color effect manually in Custom mode. These two modes Creative Control and Photo Style let users at any level of skill enjoy giving photographers' intention to make photos or videos even more impressive.
In video recording, the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) goes further than simply recording HD videos. Apart from the video recording capability of conventional digital compact cameras, the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) also features a Creative Video mode, which lets the user set the shutter speed and aperture manually to make even more impressive videos. Changing the shutter speed brings special effects to videos, which is especially suitable for shooting fast-moving subject. The ability to control the aperture is convenient when there are several subjects at different distances and it is desired to have each of them stand out.
The newly added 3D Photo mode* produces a 3D image in the camera. Take 20 panning shots and the camera automatically selects two most suitable images - one for a right eye and one for the left eye - to synthesize a 3D composite. The 3D image can be viewed on VIERA HDTV. The format of 3D image is compatible with MPO which can be played back on other MPO-compatible equipment such as TV, Digital Photo Frame or Printing.
*The picture size is fixed to 2M (16:9).
5. The Evolving iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode Makes
Every Photo and Video More Beautiful
Panasonic incorporated the Intelligent Auto mode in pursuit of the ultimate ease of operation and the reduction of misshots. In the iA mode, the camera does all the work, leaving you free to compose shots and capture moments. Just press, aim and shoot.
For more effective countermeasure against blur, the Active Mode is newly equipped with DMC-FZ47(FZ48) for an option of image stabilization in video recording. In addition to the conventional POWER O.I.S., the Active Mode is especially effective in active video recording at wide angle such as shooting while walking without deterioration of the image quality. With the DMC-FZ47(FZ48), the Motion Deblur mode* is incorporated to prevent blur even more powerfully. The mode is a comprehensive integration of Intelligent ISO Control which automatically adjusts ISO setting and shutter speed according to the subject's movement and the advanced contrast control system of Intelligent D-range Control that also optimizes the exposure naturally to prevent over/under exposure part in a picture. The camera judges the appropriate shutter speed to suppress the motion blur according to the movement of the subject. The shutter speed can be raised by activating the high sensitivity recording by pixel mixed readout method. The DMC- FZ47(FZ48) thoroughly prevents blur in any shooting situation with a variety of countermeasures optimized for each nature of blur in photo or video recording.
Not only those, the Face Recognition function remembers registered faces to give an appropriate AF/AE on the people while removing the unwanted red-eye. The Intelligent Scene Selector automatically selects whichever of 6 Scene modes - Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery and Sunset - that best suit the shooting situation.
Once you enter the iA mode, these functions happen automatically together with other powerful shooting-assist functions - AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control and Intelligent D-range Control - so you can shoot without the bother of adjusting settings every time conditions change. You can enjoy easy, trouble-free shooting in any situation and get the satisfaction that comes with capturing clear, beautiful images.
*The picture size may be reduced.
6. Friendliness with PCs and Other Portable Electronic Devices
for Sharing Excitement
For higher compatibility with PC, the DMC-FZ47(FZ48) is capable of recording video in MP4 format in addition to the AVCHD. It is possible to directly play back the video recorded in MP4 on PC or other portable electronic devices without extra conversion. Resolution can be selected among 1,920 x 1,080 (20Mbps), 1,280 x 720 (10Mbps), 640 x 480 (4Mbps), all at 30p (NTSC) / 25p (PAL).
The DMC-FZ47(FZ48) also features a new way of communication by sharing photos or videos taken by users. All you have to do is checkmark the photos you want to share and connect the camera to a PC. Uploading starts just by following the guidance. You can add comment and let your friends know the update of your album via e-mail consequently. Facebook can be used for photos and YouTube for videos. Users can join these social networking services without installation of special software. It is easy to share photos and videos on the spot, which means that your friends do not have to wait for you to come back home.
About the Bundled Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.3 HD Lite Edition
The PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.3 HD Lite Edition makes it possible to sort and organize photos not only of those newly taken but also of those stored in your PC with quick start-up and fast read-in of images. For the portraits, the Face Recognition function that recognizes the faces in the picture automatically sorts the photos by the registered faces without picking out each photo one by one when you only want pictures of a specific person.
Recorded videos can be edited with the Short Movie Story function and written into MPEG2 to burn onto a DVD disc. You can also enjoy making photo and video slideshows with a variety of effects and use your iTunes music library as background music. It is also possible to put a title or add comments on the scene utilizing the information from the people's names registered in Face Recognition. In addition to the direct connection of the camera, you can upload photos to Facebook and videos to YouTube or Facebook via this software, too.
* Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.
* The LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lenses are manufactured using measurement instruments and quality assurance systems that have been certified by Leica Camera AG based on the company's quality standards.
* The "AVCHD" is a high definition (HD) digital video recording / playback format jointly established by Panasonic Corporation and Sony Corporation.
* Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
* HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
* Facebook and the Facebook logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Facebook, Inc.
* YouTube is a trademark of Google Inc.
* All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective corporations.
* This unit is compatible with both SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Cards. You can only use SDHC Memory Cards on devices that are compatible with them. You cannot use SDHC Memory Cards on devices that are only compatible with SD Memory Cards. (When using an SDHC Memory Card on another device, be sure to read the operating instructions for that device.)
* Some accessories are not available in some countries.
* The use of recorded or printed materials that are protected by copyright for any purpose other than personal enjoyment is prohibited, as it would infringe upon the rights of the copyright holder.
* Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.
