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ZS5

Quick Take: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS6

CNET did not review the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS6, but we did review the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and the DMC-ZS7, which are very similar.

The ZS6 is essentially the ZS5 in the body of the ZS7. The advantages of the ZS6 over the ZS5 include a stereo mic for movie recordings, a Mini-HDMI output for direct playback on an HDTV or monitor, and a 3-inch 460K-pixel display. The ZS6's lens, image processor, and sensor are the same for the ZS5, and as such we expect the ZS6's shooting performance and photo quality to be the same as the ZS5'… Read more

First Take: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 is a step down from the company's top-of-the-line compact megazoom, the ZS7. The 12x f3.3-4.9 25-300mm-equivalent lens and body size are the same, but the ZS5 sheds the ZS7's GPS receiver, stereo mic, and ability to record HD movies in AVCHD Lite format (it records in Motion JPEG at up to 720p, though). The ZS5 also has a lower-resolution, smaller 2.7-inch LCD.

However, all those cuts lead to a $100 worth of savings, so if you don't need or want those extra features, the ZS5 is worth checking out.

CNET … Read more

GPS, manual controls added to Panasonic 12x megazoom

Replacing the very popular Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3, the company's top-of-the-line compact 12x megazoom, is the DMC-ZS7. The 12x f3.3-4.9 25-300mm-equivalent lens stays the same as in the prior model, but gets a bunch of new extras including built-in GPS.

The GPS will add latitude and longitude to the EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data and display real-time location information during shooting and playback. Stored in the internal memory are more than 500,000 landmarks, covering 73 countries, that will be displayed on the 3-inch, 460K-dot LCD while taking a picture of the landmark and tagged in the … Read more