28mm Wide-angle* 10x optical zoom Leica DC lens and 9.1-megapixelCCD in a compact Body

The9.1-megapixelTZ15 couples a 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens with 10x optical zoom into a compact body. Comprising 11 elements in 9 groups, including an ED (extra-low dispersion) lens and 3 aspherical lenses, this advanced lens unit surpasses Leica's exceptional standards and delivers an outstanding optical performance. The 28mm wide-angle lens makes capturing dynamic wide-perspective shots of a sweeping landscape or large architectural structure as well as fitting a whole group of people into a group shotindoors easy.This powerful zoom also works during motion picture recording. Meaning,you can always capture dynamic, richly expressive shots with a wide perspective.

 

Great Photos Everytime - Intelligent Auto Technology

Panasonic incorporated the Intelligent Auto mode in pursuit of the ultimate ease of operation and the reduction of misshots. Mega O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) to compensate for hand-shake and Intelligent ISO Control to detect and suppress motion blur are built into all Lumix cameras, as the industry's most advanced countermeasures against blurring. Both image stabilizing technologies have been further advanced in detection accuracy and correction effect thanks to the new image-processing LSI, Venus Engine IV.

In addition to these two paramount anti-blurring technologies, Panasonic continues pursuing the ideal that anyone at any technical level of photography should be able to take beautiful pictures with ease, by incorporating the Intelligent Auto mode. Increasing the number of scene modes is one thing and taking advantage of them is another, and that's where the Intelligent Scene Selector comes in. It automatically sets the appropriate scene mode according to the scene you're going to take from among the most frequently used scene modes, such as Portrait, Scenery, Macro, Night Scenery and Night Portrait mode. The Face Detection system helps the camera to recognize human faces and to focus and set the exposure automatically. Up to 15 faces can be recognized simultaneously. The Quick AF system allows the camera to keep focusing on the subject even without pressing the shutter button halfway, to get the best results from every shooting opportunity by minimizing the AF time.

These multi-capable functions happen automatically, so you can shoot without the bother of adjusting settings every time conditions change - the powerful Intelligent Auto Mode does all the work for you. You can enjoy easy, trouble-free shooting in any situation and get the satisfaction that comes with capturing clear, beautiful images.

 

Advanced 3.0-inch large intelligent LCD with 460,000-dot high resolution for easy shooting and playback

TheTZ15 incorporates a large 3.0", 460,000-dot high-resolution LCD screen for clear playback of shots and footage. Intelligent LCD function detects light conditions and automatically adjusts LCD backlighting (a maximum of 40% when shooting outdoors in bright sunshine and by adjusting frame rates when shooting in low-lit situations) as well as using the pixel mixed readout method to ensure the clearest possible image is captured. Detecting precise lighting conditions and automatically controlling brightness levels with a total of 11 steps, allows this function to produce the clearest possible image in any situation.

The High Angle mode makes the LCD screen extremely easy to view when the camera is held high, for example when shooting over a crowd.

 

High-Speed, High-Quality Image-Processing LSI Further Evolves into the Venus Engine IV

New image-processing LSI, the Venus Engine IV, features more advanced signal processing technology for rendering even higher-quality images.

Parallel noise reduction in both luminance signal and chromatic signal processing systems, a technology established by the preceding Venus Engine III, has been further advanced. The luminance noise is two-dimensionally separated and only the low-frequency noise is eliminated without affecting the high-frequency noise that greatly influences resolution. The information of the change point between colours is minutely stored for precise determination of edges dramatically reducing colour bleeding. This not only produces a clearer image in high ISO sensitivity recording, but also accurately reproduces details in low-lit areas of pictures taken at low ISO sensitivity.

The Venus Engine IV also elevates the detection accuracy and corrective effect in both Mega O.I.S., which prevents hand-shake, and Intelligent ISO Control, which minimises motion blurring. These new cameras feature the multi-task image-processing engine, Venus Engine IV which supports an incredibly fast response time. The shutter release time lag is a very quick 0.008 seconds enabling users to capture those spur-of-the-moment shots easily.

 

Intelligent Exposure - Corrects Exposure Automatically.

Newly incorporated into the TZ15 Intelligent Auto Function is Intelligent Exposurethat increases exposure only in under-exposed areas by detecting the brightness level part-by-part in the picture. For example if the background of an image includes sky, theTZ15 automatically adjusts the aperture and shutter speed to keep the setting slightly under-exposed. This prevents a washed-out,dullness common with some cameras, as it brightens the area by only increasing the ISO in that area. If the background of an indoor portrait receives insufficient lighting from a flash and becomes dark, the ISO sensitivity is raised only in the low-lit area to make the image brighter without causing graininess in the subject's face, resulting in a well balanced picture.

The multi-capable functions are automatic and allow for shooting without the bother of adjusting the settings every time conditions change as the powerful Intelligent Auto Mode does all the work.