Panasonic has announced today the new LUMIX model, the DMC-FZ7.

The camera features a 6.0-megapixel CCD sensor, a 12x optical zoom (equivalent to 36mm to 432mm on a 35mm film camera) LEICA DC lens and the image stabilizing MEGA O.I.S. system.

Panasonic engineers have decided to drop manual focus ring and manual zoom ring and have chosen a joystick, which allows easy manual control on focusing in addition to the manual exposure setting.

The 1.8-Inch LCD monitor for FZ5 has become large as 2.5-Inch for FZ7 gaining much brightness even in the low-lit situations thanks to the pixel-mixed readout method performed at the CCD.

In addition, users can set now a maximum ISO of 1600, but the manufacturer announces a significant decrease in resolution.

The DMC-FZ7 is powered by the LSI Venus Engine II, which corrects chromatic aberration that tends to occur at edges especially in telephoto shooting and peripheral vignetting. The release time lag is of 0.008 sec minimum and shutter interval of approx. 0.5 sec.

Consecutive shooting performance boasts the capability of sequential shots at a rate of max three frames per sec at full resolution. An unlimited consecutive shooting function allows you to take photos in succession until the memory card is full.

The zoom ratio can be extended up to 16.5x in the 3-Megapixel recording thanks to the Extra Optical Zoom function with minimal deterioration, by intentionally using the center part of the CCD. The zoom range can be totally extended to 66x when combined with 4x digital zoom.

Maximum aperture for the DMC-FZ7 ranges from F2.8 to F3.3.

The latest member of the Lumix lineup is compatible with the following accessories: the 1.7x tele conversion lens (734mm on a 35mm film camera) and the 0.7x wide conversion lens (25.2mm on a 35mm film camera); these can be applied by attaching the lens adaptor between the camera unit and the conversion lens.

Shooting through close-up lens, ND filter and MC protector is also possible.