Panasonic plans dip into entry-level digital SLRs
updated 03:10 pm EST, Fri March 9, 2007
Panasonic Entry DSLR
Panasonic intends to launch a digital SLR camera targeted at a wide audience, the company's camera planning manager Ichiro Kitao said at the PMA photography expo. The firm hopes to expand its Lumix SLR cameras beyond the pro-oriented $2,000 L1K by introducing a low-cost model for photographers just moving beyond fixed-lens cameras. Its features will be at least as powerful as the L1K in most areas, Kitao said: a 10-megapixel sensor, live preview LCD, image stabilization, and a dust removal system are certain to be part of the camera. It should also ship with a Leica lens and support the Four Thirds mounts used by Olympus lenses.
The Japanese camera maker expects to ship the camera later this year, though it hasn't committed to a specific launch window. The addition will mark the latest addition to the increasingly popular basic DSLR market, which was helped by the introduction of the Canon Digital Rebel XTi and Nikon D40. [via CNET]
