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Panasonic updates three Lumix camera lineups with tougher bodies and better viewfinders

Panasonic updates three Lumix camera lineups with tougher bodies and better viewfinders

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Great video cameras get better

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Panasonic

Panasonic just announced a handful of new cameras at the Photokina show in Cologne, Germany. Each camera serves as an update to a different one of Panasonic’s camera lineups, bringing them deeper into the world of 4K and building on the existing feature sets.

The first is the new Lumix G85, which is a sort of successor to the GX85 that Panasonic released this past spring. The G85 takes a lot of the same features from the GX85 — the 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor, the 5-axis image stabilization, the 4K video capabilities — and puts them into a much bigger, much more rugged body that’s splash and dust resistant. Where the GX85 looked like a bulky point-and-shoot, the G85 looks like a trim DSLR.

There are some new features, too, like a 2.36-million dot OLED electronic viewfinder, and a 3-inch LCD touchscreen on the back that flips and spins all the way out to the side. The G85 body will retail for $899 starting in October, and Panasonic will sell it with a 12-60mm kit lens for $999.

OLED viewfinders in the G85 and FZ2500 are a nice touch

Panasonic also announced the Lumix LX10, which the company referred to as the "LX7 on steroids." It has an all-metal body, 5-axis image stabilization, and uses the same kind of 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor found in the ZS100 point-and-shoot that was announced at CES. (That sensor is twice the size of the one found in the LX7.) Panasonic is really touting the lens on this camera, which ranges from 24-72mm (35mm equivalent) and has a variable aperture of f1.4-f2.8. The LX10 can shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second, and 1080p video at 120 frames per second, but there’s no EVF here — just a 3-inch, 1-million dot LCD touchscreen that can tilt out 180 degrees. The LX10 will cost $699 when it goes on sale in November.

Panasonic G85, LX10, and FZ2500 in photos

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Lastly, Panasonic announced the Lumix FZ2500, a camera that caters to the more professional video crowd. The FZ2500, according to Panasonic, is basically a new version of the popular G4, just with a fixed lens. The FZ2500 offers 20x optical zoom, with a 35mm equivalent range of 24-480mm and a variable aperture of f2.8-4.5. Panasonic crammed 16 lens elements into the FZ2500’s lens to pull this off, and promises a smooth zoom comparable to what you’d find in professional camcorders.

The FZ2500 has a 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor and can shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second. It can also shoot stills at up to 12 frames per second. It sports the same kind of 2.36-million dot OLED viewfinder found on the new G85, and a 3-inch 1-million dot tilting touchscreen. Panasonic will start selling the FZ2500 in December for $1,199.