Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX520

8.5 Rating

A compact, lightweight digicams with an advanced set of functions, touch screen control and above-average performance.The 10.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-FX520 is Panasonic’s first digital camera with a 3-inch touch-screen LCD and a very compact camera for its advanced range of functions. While the touch screen may excite some buyers, photographers are more likely to be attracted by the P, A, S and M shooting modes and the wide-angle Leica DC lens, which supports 5x optical zoom and covers a focal length range of 25mm to 125mm (35mm equivalent).

FIRST LOOK: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

A feature-rich, customisable, G-Micro series camera designed for photo enthusiasts.The latest addition to Panasonic’s popular Lumix G Micro System range has been designed to provoke interest among photo enthusiasts. The new GX1, which will be available locally early in 2012, is the company’s most feature-rich and photographer-friendly model to date. Equipped with the 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor introduced in the G3, it boasts a new rangefinder design, a mode dial and several customisable controls.

FIRST LOOK: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

An advanced digicam with a fast, 18x zoom lens plus support for raw file capture and AVCHD Lite HD video recording capability.Panasonic’s new DMC-FZ35 Lumix camera replaces the popular FZ28 at the top of the super-zoom line-up and offers P, A, S and M shooting modes to please photo enthusiasts, along with AVCHD Lite HD video recording. This ‘First Look’ is based upon a pre-production unit supplied by Panasonic Australia; it will be updated with Imatest results and sample images once a production unit has been supplied.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

9 Rating

A compact, rangefinder-style digicam with a fast, wide-zoom lens and support for raw file capture.Successor to the popular DMC-LX2 model, the Panasonic DMC-LX3 represents a significant upgrade to its predecessor. Panasonic claims to have improved ‘every component’ to deliver a camera that will appeal to DSLR photographers who want a capable compact camera with all the necessary features and functions as a complement to their main camera.

Olympus SP-510 Ultra Zoom

8 Rating

A lightweight, long-zoom digicam with plenty of adjustable controls.An update to the SP-500, the new Olympus SP-510UZ has higher resolution and double the internal memory. It also boasts new “Shakeproof” technologies, which increase sensitivity to ISO 4000 plus an in-camera gyro sensor that detects camera shake and applies software compensation to counteract blurring. This ‘digital image stabilisation’ cannot be compared with optical image stabilisation, which doesn’t reduce image quality.

Olympus Camedia C-770 Ultra Zoom

The test camera produced images with similar colour balance, contrast and saturation levels to those from the C-760 UZ. Not unexpectedly, significantly less noise was found in low light shots, especially at the highest ISO settings. Digital zoom shots were also clearer, but marginally over-sharpened. Artefacts were visible along the edges of contrasting tones, but compression artefacts were not detected. The flash also appeared to have more punch.

Olympus SP-590 UZ

8 Rating

A compact digicam with the longest optical zoom range currently available plus a special Bird Watching mode.Twenty-six times optical zoom is a big ask for a compact, small-sensor digicam, even with optical image stabilisation built-in. Yet that’s what Olympus is offering in its 12-megapixel SP590 UZ model. Equipped with P, A, S and M shooting modes, the SP590 UZ is designed to appeal to photographers who want an extended zoom range without the hassle of carrying extra lenses. Many compromises have been made to achieve these objectives.

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

8.5 Rating

The first PEN series camera with a tilting 3.0-inch widescreen monitor screen.The PEN Lite E-PL3 sits in the centre of the new PEN camera range and features the same image sensor and processor as the flagship E-P3 as well as that camera’s FAST AF system and support for 1080i Full HD video capture. With an RRP $200 less than the E-P3’s, a few features have been lost. The LCD screen has lower resolution but it tilts and provides 16:9 viewing. There’s no built-in flash, no grip moulding, four fewer Art Filters, no level gauge and top flash synch is 1/160 second (instead of 1/180 second).

Olympus Pen E-PL1

8.5 Rating

The first model in the 12.3-megapixel Olympus Pen series of interchangeable-lens compact cameras with a built-in pop-up flash.The Olympus Pen E-PL1 is a third-generation model in a series of cameras pioneered by Olympus with the aim of providing small, interchangeable-lens cameras with sensors significantly larger than those in digicams. While offering the same 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor, SSWF dust removal system and TruePic V image processor as the E-P2, the new model is smaller and lighter in construction, with an aluminium front panel and polycarbonate rear.

Olympus Pen E-P2

8.5 Rating

The latest Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera provides a clip-on EVF and some improvements on the previous model.Olympus is hoping the improvements provided in the new Pen E-P2 will attract new buyers to its MFT System. However, there have been few major changes since the Pen E-P1. A stylish black finish differentiates the new model from its predecessor. The AF system has been tweaked with a firmware upgrade and enhanced with a new Continuous-Tracking AF function. A new accessory port is provided for the new super high-definition electronic Live Viewfinder (VF-2), which is supplied with the camera.