This week the folks at Technics announced a new turntable, the SP-10R, a Reference Class Direct Drive Turntable with top-level specs. Delivered in early Summer 2018, this device is the company's newest most premium analogue, direct drive turntable - the best of the best. Back in 2016 the standard was set with the SL-1200GAE/G, then in 2017 came the SL-1200GR.
Panasonic's line of rugged Toughbook computers isn't exactly new. It isn't the first time it put out a 2-in-1 detachable laptop form factor either. But Panasonic still has some things to be proud of in its latest Toughbook 33. For one, it sports the latest 7th gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processors. For another, Panasonic boasts that this is the first 2-in-1 Toughbook to use a 3:2 aspect ratio screen, which it bills to be an even better fit for its industry customers.
Joining its newly unveiled Lumix camera is a new lens from Panasonic, its Leica-branded DG Vario-Elmarit 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH. This lens offers a 16-36mm 35mm camera equivalent, and is the newest model in Panasonic's Leica DG Vario-Elmarit F2.8-4.0 Series. The company says its latest lens is a great option for both video and photos, offering a focusing distance range that varies from 'ultra-wide angle to super telephoto.'
Panasonic has launched a new camera in its Travel Zoom ZS Series lineup: the Lumix DC-ZS70. Despite its compact size, this camera packs a bunch of features into its small body, including a 20.3-megapixel sensor and a large 30x optical zoom rate, the equivalent of 24-720mm. The camera is targeted at prosumers, those who are willing to spend more than average to get an above average device, but who don't need something as big or pricey as a full-blown DSLR.
2-in-1 tablets running Windows 10 are on the rise, especially at MWC 2017. Most, if not all, of these tablets have premium looks that also belie a certain fragility. Not so the new Panasonic Toughbook CF-33. At the name so plainly implies, this one is designed to stand the elements and some rough handling to boot. It is, however, no slouch either when it comes to performance. Which is pretty much as it should be, considering you’re paying premium for it.
Panasonic is getting in on the current robot craze, revealing new real-world trials for its HOSPI Autonomous Delivery Robot that will kick off this month. Set to be loosed upon the corridors of the ANA Crowne Plaza Narita hotel, as well as Narita International Airport, the robot - which resembles an armless Dalek of sorts, albeit one with a friendly face rather than an appetite for murdering Time Lords - has already been adopted by a number of Japanese hospitals. Now, Panasonic is curious to see how it does outside of medical settings.
At a time when many manufacturers seem to be moving away from tablets, Panasonic is having none of it and introducing its Toughpad FZ-A2. Designed to survive in a universe that seems to love shattered screens, the Toughpad A2 tablet is fully rugged slate that offers protection against drops, dust, and water. With Panasonic making its enterprise features a major talking point in the Toughpad A2, it's easy to see which segment the company is targeting here.
Yet another Panasonic camera has been bestowed upon us, this model being the Lumix FZ80. The newest addition to Panasonic’s FZ series features the same Venus Engine found in today’s other two camera announcements, as well as a High Sensitivity MOS 18.1-megapixel sensor. Most notable, though, is the FZ80's massive 60x optical zoom, a 20 - 1200mm 35mm camera equivalent. To keep those ultra-zoomed photo sharp, the camera also features POWER Optical Image Stabilization.
Panasonic has unveiled a second digital camera, the LUMIX GX850. This camera sports a sleek, somewhat classic design, though with modern trimmings like a 3-inch 1040K-dot display. The camera is designed to target photography enthusiasts, but also the younger generations in general: it has an increasingly common Self Shot mode for snapping up to 4K selfies, as well as a Beauty Retouch function.
Panasonic has introduced a new flagship digital camera, the Lumix GH5 with support for recording 4K 60p/50p video and snapping up to 6K photos. This mirrorless camera has what Panasonic calls an ‘unimaginably small-sized body,’ something complemented by the Digital LIVE MOS Sensor with a 25-percent greater pixel count relative to the GH4 model. The model also ditches the low-pass filter, among other things.
When CES kicks off early next month Panasonic will reportedly be unveiling some new digital cameras on Jan-4th. Ahead of that official unveil some images and specs of two different camera models have leaked. Those cameras are the Panasonic GF9 and the GH5. The camera that you see in the first images here is said to be the GF9.
Tesla and Panasonic will build solar panels together in a Buffalo, New York factory the two have agreed today, with Panasonic pumping more than $255m into the venture. The deal, which is expected to see production kick off in the summer of 2017, marks a deepening of the business relationship between the two companies as the ambitions of each expands. Panasonic already supplies the lithium-ion batteries that Tesla uses in the Model S and Model X electric cars, for instance.
