Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1
£260.00
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The 12.1 megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 is waterproof to a depth of 3m and sports a design that could be described as ‘hard as nails’, with its solid outer shell and chiselled looks. It’s not just cosmetic, as the FT1 can be dropped from 1.5m without any cause for concern.
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The 4.6x optical zoom gives the 35mm equivalent range of 28-128mm. You gain from a tried and tested optical image stabiliser in the form of Panasonic MEGA O.I.S. that gives a stable platform above and below the water. The 2.7in LCD is flanked to one side by the main camera controls that are very easy to operate.
Shooting modes include a variety of useful options. The iA (Intelligent Auto) mode has appeared on a number of Panasonic compacts before now, and is a tried and tested system. It has the ability to assess the scene and interpret what it is you’re trying to photograph. This allows the camera to select the optimum settings for the shot. To put this into perspective, the camera utilises any combination of MEGA O.I.S., Intelligent ISO control, intelligent scene selector, Face Recognition, Intelligent Exposure and AF tracking to deliver the iA exposure.
Fans of moving images will be pleased to see that the FT1 records HD (1280x70pixel) movies in a format called AVCHD Lite, which allows capture of almost twice the recording time of conventional Motion JPEG and therefore saves memory. The video mode utilises the MEGA O.I.S. and can be used with the optical zoom. It can also be used underwater.
With the impressive Venus Engine HD processor controlling the camera’s functions and performance, the FT1 is a more than capable tool. Sensitivity has manual selection between ISO 80-1600, but the auto selection can utilise up to ISO 6400. A HDMI output port is ideal for directly displaying your captured imagery onto a HDTV panel via a HDMI cable.