Panasonic Lumix DMC FT1 Rugged Digital Camera

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 waterproof, shockproof and dustproof digital camera

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 is a dustproof, waterproof and shockproof, point-and-shoot digital camera that you can confidently take to places where normal cameras really shouldn’t go. Whether accompanying you on the beach when the surf’s up, or even on the ski slopes, you can take memorable photos and video images of your outdoor activities without fear of damaging your camera. With a resolution of 12.1 megapixels for still pictures and 1080p for video, the Lumix DMC-FT1 lets you capture a mixture of high quality still photographs and AVCHD Lite High Definition (HD) video images, no matter where you go.

Built for rugged use, the ultra-robust Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-FT1 is internally reinforced with glass and carbon resins and incorporates rubber padding to protect against falls of up to 5 feet on to hard surfaces. The airtight/waterproof casing of the DMC-FT1 is designed to prevent damage from dust and sand and even allows you to take underwater pictures in depths of up to 10 feet. Taking Photographs and shooting video clips is made easy by the large 2.7-inch, 230,000-dot Intelligent LCD screen with wide viewing angle on the reverse of the camera. The screen automatically adjusts to the prevailing lighting conditions during recording and playback to ensure clear visibility, and the display panel is specially thickened for use under water.

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The Lumix DMC FT1 is equipped with a LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR 28mm lens and a 4.6x optical zoom that shifts from 28mm wide angle to 128mm telephoto for a variety of applications and shooting conditions, including underwater photography. The optical zoom can also be used when recording moving images and the FT1 includes a 3x digital macro zoom function for capturing extreme close up still images - perfect for snapping small insects, flora and sea-life. The camera has a maximum shutter speed of 1/1300, with a shutter release time lag of only 0.005 seconds for capturing spontaneous photo opportunities. The aperture opens between 3.3-5.9 mm and the sensitivity settings extend all the way up to 6400 ISO – sensitive enough to shoot pictures in near-darkness without having to use the flash. The flash burst function produces continuous flash pulses, making it possible to take a sequence of shots in quick succession when using the flash.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC FT1 incorporates Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode with an array of useful built-in features to help you take better pictures and videos. Optical Image Stabilisation (O.I.S) reduces handshake when using the zoom and the Face Detection function automatically senses when a face is in the frame and modifies the focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion for enhanced visual clarity. Face Recognition 4 recognises faces from previous shots and allows them to be registered in order to assign prioritised settings for shooting when they next appear in frame. The FT1’s Intelligent Scene Selector automatically adjusts to ambient lighting conditions and selects from Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery and Low Light options to maximise the visual quality of a scene. The Beach & Surf mode automatically adjusts white balance for shooting on the beach, or in shallow water, and the Panorama Assist scene mode allows you to align consecutive shots to create dramatic panoramas. There are 26 scene modes for still images and 17 for motion format that optimise the cameras settings for a wide variety of shooting applications. The camera easily switches between still and video modes by the press of a button and the wind-cut function reduces background wind noise when shooting motion images outdoors.

The Lumix DMC-FT1 is equipped with an energy-efficient Venus Engine HD that supports the camera’s many high-performance functions and delivers up to 340 shots per single charge of the battery, thanks to its low-power consumption. The Venus Engine HD makes it easy to view photos or movies recorded in AVCHD Lite by using the camera’s SD Memory Card in the Panasonic VIERA® HDTV’s Image Viewer, or by connecting the camera via an optional HDMI mini cable to a VIERA Link™-equipped Panasonic VIERA HDTV.

The Panasonic FT1 comes with PHOTOfunSTUDIO 3.0 HD Edition software for viewing, editing and archiving your stored content. With PHOTOfunSTUDIO 3.0 HD Edition, you can edit and remove unwanted segments of video clips recorded in AVCHD Lite and burn AVHD Lite content directly onto a DVD disc or convert it to MPEG2 format. The software also incorporates Face Recognition which detects any registered faces stored and makes viewing and archiving photos of a specific person much easier. Also use the Lumix DMC-FT1 to upload your video clips straight to YouTube.