28mm wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens with 4.6x optical zoom

A retracting lens with folding optics is used in this 4.6x zoom lens system, which lets you take shots from 28mm wideangle to 128mm telephoto. This gives you the flexibility for virtually any shooting situation - even underwater, where your movement is restricted and the angle of view becomes especially important for composing your picture.

AVCHD Lite

The FT1 records HD motion images with 1280 x 720-pixel resolution while zooming in and out. It uses the AVCHD Lite (MPEG-4/H.264), which achieves higher image quality and stores less data than the conventional Motion JPEG. You can also use the iA mode to shoot motion images, and let the camera do all the work for you. This user-friendly mode automatically selects the most suitable Scene mode and helps correct blurring, focus and brightness problems. All you do is aim and shoot. iA is the easy way to capture beautiful HD movies.

Intelligent Auto (iA)

Just set the camera to iA mode, aim and shoot. The camera does the rest, automatically activating seven detection and correction functions. These include:

MEGA O.I.S. - helps prevent blurring due to shaky hands

Intelligent ISO Control - helps prevent blurring caused by subject motion.

Intelligent Scene Selector - selects the optimal scene mode for the situation.

Intelligent Exposure - adjusts the brightness of dark areas in the image.

Face Detection AF/AE - helps deliver clear portraits.

AF Tracking - locks the focus onto your moving subject.

Face Recognition in iA Mode

iA mode now includes Face Recognition, a function that "remembers" registered faces. When there's a familiar face in the frame, it optimizes the focus and exposure so that the face is in sharp focus and bright. This newly evolved technology makes it easy to get beautiful photos of a loved one in a group of people.

2.7" LCD Screen

The DMC-FT1 incorporate an easy-to-see, large, 2.7-inch 230,000-dot high-resolution LCD for comfortable viewing while both monitoring shots and playing back the results. The Intelligent LCD function detects the light condition and automatically boosts the LCD backlighting by max. 40% when shooting outdoors in bright sunshine, and adjusts the frame rate when shooting in low-lit situations.

Venus Engine HD

The imaging power of LUMIX has evolved even further. Improved circuitry greatly reduces picture noise while preserving exceptional resolution, sharpness and color reproduction. The Venus Engine HD boasts two CPUs which achieve the long-time HD motion picture recording in AVCHD Lite (MPEG-4/H.264) while maintaining low power consumption.

HDMI Output and Viera Link

The FT1 is equipped with an HDMI output terminal for direct transmission of digital image and sound signals. Just connect the camera to an HDTV using a single HDMI mini cable (purchased separately), and and it's even easy to enjoy slideshow, in which both still and motion images integrated in the recorded timeline. If you have a VIERA TV, you can control the camera's playback functions with VIERA's remote control unit.

Optical Zoom in Movie

The FT1 allows you to zoom in and out while shooting motion images.

Panorama Assist

A Panorama Assist mode makes it easy to take a series of images to combine into a panorama shot, while checking the degree of overlap between adjacent shots. This is great for shooting landscapes that are too wide to capture in a single shot.

Macro Zoom

Using the digital zoom function, you can pull subjects even closer than the closest point possible with the wide-angle setting, and capture dramatic close-ups.

Photo Frame Mode

In Photo Frame mode, you can compose your shot while displaying one of the frames registered in the camera. This is a quick, easy way to produce photos with attractive borders.