Panasonic’s new compact digital camera, the LUMIX DMC-SZ9, comes in a slim and sleek body, offering 10× optical zoom, Full HD video capture at 1920×1080 pixels and Wi-Fi support. The versatile LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR wide-angle lens with 25 mm focal length and 10× optical zoom 25-250 mm in 35 mm camera equivalent perfectly combines with the Intelligent Zoom function, which allows you to increase the zoom range to 20×.
Panasonic’s new compact digital camera LUMIX DMC-SZ9, wrapped in a slim and sleek body, offers 10x optical zoom, Full HD video shooting at 1920×1080 pixels and Wi-Fi support.
The versatile LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR wide-angle lens with a focal length of 25 mm and a 10× optical zoom 25-250 mm in 35 mm camera equivalent perfectly combines with the Intelligent Zoom function, which allows you to increase the zoom range up to 20×. And the MEGA O optical image stabilization system.I.S. Effectively suppresses blur caused by hand shake when shooting at long focal lengths.
The combination of the 16.1 megapixel MOS sensor and the Venus Engine image processor has realized not only superior image quality but also the highest shooting speed.
And with Wi-Fi support, you’ll be able to connect the camera wirelessly to your smartphone-no more cables to worry about. Plus, it’s now possible to display the camera’s image on your smartphone, allowing you to remotely control focus, zoom and shutter release.
Special modes have been added to make shooting more fun: Creative Control, Creative Retouch, Creative Panorama, and Beautiful Retouch. And aspiring photographers will love the well-established iA Intelligent Auto mode, designed to make shooting stills and movies easier.
LEICA DC wide-angle lens with 10× optical zoom
The DMC-SZ9 is equipped with a LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR wide-angle lens with a focal length of 25 mm and 10× optical zoom 25-250 mm in 35 mm camera equivalent . This lens has 9 elements in 7 groups, including 4 aspherical lenses with 6 aspherical surfaces.
And with Intelligent Zoom, you can double the zoom range without sacrificing image quality thanks to Intelligent Resolution technology.
16.1 megapixel MOS sensor and Venus Engine FHD image processor
The new 16.1 megapixel MOS sensor found in the DMC-SZ9 offers high speed output and superior light sensitivity, resulting in many advanced features.
So, high-speed output technology enables the camera to shoot at 10 fps with mechanical shutter and 5 fps with continuous autofocus. Plus, the Light Speed autofocus system and fast start-up time will keep you from blowing a unique shot.
Full HD movies are recorded at 1920×1080 60i NTSC /50i PAL , and a dedicated button on the camera body lets you instantly start capturing video directly from photo mode.
Shoot and share photos and videos over Wi-Fi
The DMC-SZ9 is equipped with Wi-Fi, enabling new ways to capture and share photos and movies. You can control your shots with your smartphone, the image your camera sees on your smartphone screen at 30 fps and you can control the zoom, focus, exposure and shutter release. GPS allows you to add location information to photos.
Creative control, Creative Retouch and Panorama
The DMC-SZ9 comes with the award-winning Creative Control and Creative Retouching, which offers 14 different filters.
The new Creative Panorama mode lets you take a series of horizontal and vertical panoramic photos, each partially overlapping the previous one.
Other features to enhance your camera’s capabilities
– HDR mode allows you to take several shots at once with different exposures, and then combine them into a single shot with no overexposed or underexposed areas
– the camera is equipped with a microHDMI connector, with the appropriate cable you can output photos and videos to an HDTV equipped with HDMI input
– adapter and USB charging
– Intelligent 3′ LCD screen with 460000 dots and wide viewing angles.
The LUMIX DMC-SZ9 sounds like a great compact camera with its optical zoom and Intelligent Zoom feature. But I’m curious, how does the Intelligent Zoom work exactly? Does it use software enhancements or does it have a physical component? And how does it compare to other cameras in terms of image quality when using the increased zoom?
The Intelligent Zoom on the LUMIX DMC-SZ9 is a software-based feature. It uses advanced algorithms to digitally enhance the zoom capability beyond the camera’s optical zoom range. Unlike traditional digital zoom, Intelligent Zoom preserves image quality by analyzing and optimizing the image data. Although it cannot match the image quality achieved by optical zoom, it performs better compared to regular digital zoom, resulting in better detail and clarity when using increased zoom. Therefore, while it may not be on par with optical zoom, it provides a viable option for capturing distant subjects with improved image quality compared to other cameras using regular digital zoom.
How does the Intelligent Zoom feature of the LUMIX DMC-SZ9 compact camera work and enhance the optical zoom up to 20x?