Panasonic Presents Lumix FT4 and FT20 Waterproof Compacts

Panasonic today announced the annual update of its waterproof camera, with the FT4 bringing a few very minor updates to the Lumix FT3.

The Lumix FT4 has the same 12-Megapixel CCD as its predecessor, not to mention the same 28-128 mm lens. Like the FT3, the body is waterproof to 12 metres, shock-proof to 2 metres, and has the same debatable design and handling (including zoom controls on the back of the camera). Video is still 1080i at 50 fps with mono sound and the LCD is the same 2.6-inch affair with just 230,000 dots.

So what's new? Well, there's a new GPS. While FT3 could only geo-tag photos, the FT4 has a built-in map with over a million points of interest pre-loaded. Will that be enough to make users pick the FT4 over the no doubt soon to be discounted FT3? We'll see ...



Almost two years after outing the rather unexceptional FT10, Panasonic is once again set on expanding its waterproof compact range. The Lumix FT20 has nothing in common with its predecessor, however, and it's a fair bit different from its higher-end counterpart, the FT4.

The FT20 uses a 16-Megapixel CCD and films 720p HD video. It has a 25-100 mm lens lifted from the 3D1 and the only thing it shares with the FT4 is unfortunately the 2.6-inch LCD with 230,000 dots.

The good news is that it's waterproof to 5 metres and shockproof to 1.5 metres, which lines it up to rival the Fuji XP50 or the Olympus TG-610.