Panasonic debuted two new long-zoom, ultra-compact cameras at CES today. Dubbed the SZ7 and SZ1, these point-and-zooms sit in the middle of Panasonic’s current Lumix lineup and are aimed at casual photographers who could use some extra reach in their everyday cameras.
The SZ series replaces the double-digit FH models—last year’s FH25 and FH27, both of which offered 8x zooms in pocket-sized packages. The SZ7 and SZ1 extend the zoom range out to an even 10x (25-250mm equivalent), and their profiles are even slimmer than their predecessors.
Of the duo, the SZ7 is by far the more capable and exciting shooter. It’s built around a redesigned 14.1 MOS sensor (a different one than the ZS10, for anyone keeping track), apparently capable of supporting speedy burst shooting, in-camera HDR, sweep panoramas, full HD video, and so-called “Light Speed” autofocus. MOS sensors generally offer better low-light quality than their CCD counterparts as well.
A few years ago, the SZ7 would’ve been the top compact zoom in any manufacturer’s lineup. It’s much more serious than the FH25, and more reminiscent of the first speedy CMOS-based compact zooms that came out in mid-2010. Panasonic hasn’t yet announced pricing, but it should be around the $200-230 mark. It will be available in black this spring.
The SZ1 is based around a slower, less-exciting CCD sensor, so it should perform more like a typical budget point-and-shoot that happens to have a long zoom slapped on the front. No info on pricing yet, but it will be available this spring in black, silver, red and blue. Panasonic does not plan to release touchscreen versions of either camera, as they had in years past.