Panasonic Lumix Event Tower of London: products working together

On Tuesday the 18th of September Product Reviews was invited to the “Panasonic Lumix Event” at The Tower of London where Panasonic shared with me and another writer (Mark) about their vision for “products that work together”.

Although we got a great insight into the future of Panasonic and the way they want their products to work together (for example using SD Cards in Panasonic Plasma TV’s, Laptops, Cameras, Projectors and other products), the main focus of the Panasonic Lumix Event was digital cameras.

Was the event worth seeing? In a couple of words “without a doubt”, I personally walked away from that day understanding more about Panasonic and extremely impressed with their new digital camera range.

There were many Panasonic digital cameras at the event and we got to have a play around with a few, but the focus was on their new DMC-L10-K Digital SLR.

Before we got to the information on the L10, we watched a presentation about Panasonic’s dedication to “The World’s Heritage” and their vision to use “photo” to publize, promote world heritage to a world-wide audience.

This is something I did not know much about, but after the informative presentation about “Our Place - The World’s Heritage” and a new Web 2.0 service called My Place (www.my-place.tv) I not only knew a lot more, but was impressed with the late comer to the digital camera market (Panasonic) and their major commitment to photo culture.

What is Our Place?
Over 800 places around the world are designated as Official World Heritage sites by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. They encompass our planet’s most significant CULTURAL and NATURAL features.

Our Place will tell the stories of these sites and many more. Superb photography and evocative quotes and observations will be combined to tell the stories of Our Place on the planet.
Read a lot more about Our Place

What is My Place?
MyPlace is a photo sharing community open to anyone willing to share photos of their special places in Great Britain & Ireland & why these are special to them.
It’s about the skills of capturing a photograph, the essence of a site, by which the general viewer can recognize it as a place of special significance to the photographer.

They hold competitions that by submitting your best photos; you could be in for a chance to win money off vouchers, Lumix cameras and a World Heritage tour in China. There are weekly, monthly and yearly competitions that you will automatically be entered in to when you submit your photos.
View it in action and join the community at my-place.tv

Back to the event and Panasonic digital cameras
We learned about Panasonic’s amazing technology IA (Intelligent Auto) and how that technology gives the novice camera users the ability to just “Point and Shoot”.
Although I am not a professional at Photography, I do see the need for “IA” to help take the work out of taking photos and let you just capture the moment.

IA (Intelligent Auto) Includes These Features:

• Shake Detection
• Motion Detection
• Face Detection (love this one)
• Scene Detection

More About Intelligent Auto Mode
Panasonic’s unique Intelligent Auto Mode introduces a new concept in simplicity to photography. In this mode, the camera automatically selects the most appropriate settings according to the situation. It works in conjunction with our intelligent technologies - MEGA O.I.S, Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection and Scene Selector. It means that the camera does all the hard work leaving you to concentrate on composing that perfect shot.

Read detailed information about LUMIX Technology

Another impressive fact I learned about Panasonic’s digital cameras is that they make over 90% of the parts themselves and this kind of information should be important to the consumer as it shows that a brand has a lot more control over the finished product to deliver it to the highest quality.

Panasonic DMC-L10-K Digital SLR (main camera at the event)
This camera is something special and with Panasonic knowing that over 80% of camera owners have digital compacts they have included many of the compact features in the L10.

The DMC-L10 features an advanced 2.5-inch free angle LCD for full time live view that offers 270 degree rotation and a versatile shooting style. A 10.1-megapixel Live MOS Sensor provides the beautiful images with delicate gradation and wide dynamic range. The superb image processor, Venus Engine III, boasts a high quality image rendering and high speed response.

Main Features of L10

• 10.1 Mega pixels
• MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer
• Free Angle 2.5 inch Diagonal LCD
• Ergonomic Grip
• 2x, 4x Digital zoom
• Advanced hybrid-type AF system
• Dust reduction with a Supersonic Wave Filter system
• 10.1 Mega pixels
• MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer
• Free Angle 2.5 inch Diagonal LCD
• Ergonomic Grip
• 2x, 4x Digital zoom
• Advanced hybrid-type AF system
• Dust reduction with a Supersonic Wave Filter system

Read detailed information and technical specifications

Event Summery
After the event, I now understand the Panasonic technology a lot more and as such I see their goal to produce digital cameras that do the work while everyone just enjoys taking great pictures.

This is what technology should do and I personally love it.

See below some photos of mark and I at the Panasonic Lumix Event.