Panasonic manufactures massive megapixeler
Just keep cramming them in
If megapixels are what persuade you to part with your cash for a camera, then Panasonic’s latest Lumix compact will be right up your alley.
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FX150: 14.7 million pixels
The DMC-FX150 sports a massive 14.7-megapixel sensor which, provided you can get the camera’s other image capabilities set correctly, should mean you’ll always be rewarded with crisp and clear still shots.
Photographers also benefit from a 28mm wide-angle lens and a 3.6x optical zoom to help ensure a crowd of friends sat off in the distance can all be snapped within a single image.
A 3Mp settings gives you 7.7x optical zoom
However, if you’re willing to settle for a three-megapixel image, then the shooter’s optical zoom capability can be boosted to 7.7x for additional magnification.
Decent size LCD but no optical viewfinder
A decent size 2.7in LCD display is built into the rear of the camera and your images will be saved in RAW format onto SD memory cards.
All the usual image settings are also included, ranging from red-eye reduction and optical image stabilisation to face detection.
Panasonic’s DMC-FX150 is set to cost $400 (£200/€235) in the US. A UK release date or price hasn’t been given yet.
COMMENTS
@ christian graffeuille
That's fine if you don't mind an effective sensor size about the same as that of a grain of salt. Bear in mind this sensor will be quite small enough already, without further cropping. What you are essentially talking about is digital zoom, which even PC World have stopped bragging about now.
Mind you, the optical zoom race is equally as mad as the megapixel race, with e.g. the new Fuji F100fs having a 14x zoom but the lens suffering some of the worst ever chromatic aberration of any camera, as a result of the compromises needed to get that in conjunction with a larger than average sensor whilst keeping the camera handleable.
Sensible megapixels (I recall someone did a study that determined that for compact camera size sensors, 6Mp was optimum with current technologies) and sensible zoom. IMHO, obviously!
@Give me more zoom over megapixies any day.
As pointed out in the article, pixels = zoom.
If you are ready to settle for a lower def image, crop the 14Mp one and voila. Zoomed.
Advantage of the pixels:
- you have choice to zoom or detail,
- telelenses need lots of light,
- telelenses make shaky blurry image likely
@Give me more zoom over megapixies any day.
As pointed out in the article, pixels = zoom: just crop if you are ready to swap definition for zoom.
Pixels are better because:
- you have a chioice between zoom and detail
- telelenses need lots of light
- telelenses are easily shaken, resulting in blurry pictures.
The effect of not using a telelens are:
- more depth of field & expanded perspective due to a shorter focal length
- extra manual step to do the cropping afterward.
So no downside to speak of in most cases.
Give me more zoom over megapixies any day.
14mp camera with a 28-100mm (35mm equiv) focal length is like a Ferrari engine in a ford focus... Some parts are really good, but the overall drive is just not quite the same.
Shouldn't that read
"If megapixels are what persuade you to part with your cash for a camera, you're a misguided shallow muppet of a sheep" ?
Quite probably one of Panasonic's densest (i.e. noisiest) sensors yet.
