Panasonic announced today that it will begin winding down the production of photovoltaic cells it creates at Tesla's Gigafactory in Buffalo, New York. The two companies aren't ending their partnership entirely, as Panasonic said in its announcement today that it will continue working with Tesla in Nevada, with this decision having "no impact" on that particular team-up.
In a demonstration in Osaka, Japan, Panasonic demonstrated the new world's highest brightness blue laser. They've done this with a couple of technologies/techniques, using wavelength beam combining (WBC) with a direct diode laser (DDL) to produce a single, highly powerful blue beam. With this technique perfected, beam quality remains the same while power increases as the number of laser sources grows. The laser power can be immense!
Panasonic HDR-capable UHD VR glasses shown this week at CES 2020 showed the world that such devices needn't look like a boxy nightmare. Where the first several generations of VR headset from companies like Oculus and HTC brought about a new sort of design language with the hunk-on-face look, the Panasonic design looks like they dropped in from an alternate dimension to bring us some VR glasses that'd be right at home in The Matrix.
If you think carefully back to last year's CES event, you may remember Panasonic's announcement of an odd home security camera built discreetly into the top of a floor lamp. The model offers a less conspicuous alternative to obvious home security cameras, blending in better with the home decor while making it harder for thieves to figure out whether they're being watched.
Panasonic has officially and fully detailed the Lumix S1H full-frame camera it first revealed back in May. The model is targeted at filmmakers seeking a camera that can also be used for photography, offering unlimited 6K video recording as well as 5-axis in-body image stabilization, Dual Native ISO, support for HDR, and more. In addition to the full specs, we finally have details on the model's price and availability.
Tesla is quietly developing its own battery cell production technology, despite a longstanding partnership with Panasonic, as the automaker takes clearing one key manufacturing bottleneck into its own hands. Panasonic and Tesla have worked together since 2014, and collaborate on the Tesla Gigafactory where batteries are made.
Panasonic has unveiled the new Lumix S1H full-frame mirrorless camera, the first model to ever support 6K/24p 3:2 aspect ratio video recording, according to the company. This full-frame addition to the Lumix S series also supports recording 'cinema' video in 5.9K/30p 16:9 and 10-bit 4K/C4K 60p resolutions. Panasonic says its new S1H model offers a wide color space and rich gradation that is 'virtually equal to' what users get from cinema cameras.
Tesla's Gigafactory 1 is too much of a risk for further investment, Panasonic has reportedly concluded, with the EV company's battery partner freezing its plans to expand the facility while Tesla looks to squeeze more out of existing capacity. The hiccup in the relationship comes on the heels of Elon Musk suggesting Tesla would look to multiple battery suppliers for its Shanghai factory, along with the automaker missing its Q1 2019 production goals.
Panasonic has a new rugged Micro Four Thirds camera, the Lumix G95, promising advanced image stabilization, 4K video, and 20.3-megapixel stills. Rather than focusing primarily on either photography or videography, Panasonic is pitching the Lumix G95 as an all-rounder, and it has the specs to match.
Joining its newly launched FZ1000 II digital camera is a new compact travel zoom model, the Lumix TZ95, from Panasonic. The TZ95 packs a bunch of features into a tiny body, offering photographers more options than they'll get from their smartphone, but without the bulk of larger, heavier digital cameras. Among other things, the Lumix TZ95 features 4K video recording, a zoom lens, and optical image stabilization.
Panasonic has quietly launched an update for its Lumix FZ1000 ultra-zoom digital camera. The new FZ1000 II point-and-shoot model features a fairly substantial body coupled with a 20.1-megapixel high-sensitivity MOS sensor and a 16x zoom lens. Buyers get a variety of features, including support for 4K video recording, at a price that undercuts mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
The Panasonic LUMIX S1R and Panasonic LUMIX S1 were revealed in full detail this morning with a set of new lenses. These two Panasonic LUMIX S series cameras roll with 4K 60p/50p (PAL area only) video recording, rugged durability (when protected sufficiently, of course), and what Panasonic suggests is "expandability." The LUMIX S1R's specs start with a 47.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, while the LUMIX S1 sports a 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor.