The Panasonic Lumix GF6 features an articulated screen and a Venus Engine image processor designed to improve photography in low light.
The tilting, 3in (180°, 1.040-million-dot resolution), touchscreen is claimed to deliver a 20% improvement in colour reproduction and ‘dramatic’ suppression of external reflections.
The Panasonic Lumix GF6 houses a 16-million-pixel Live MOS imaging sensor, borrowed from the GX1, that is said to incorporate ‘advanced noise-reduction systems’.
A spokesman added: ‘The controllable area of noise has been expanded by approximately 64x in size. This makes it possible to remove large blocks of noise which, formerly, were hard to detect and helps produce clear, smooth images, especially for nighttime scenery.’
Photographers can expand ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 and shoot video in full HD.
The Panasonic Lumix GF6 has 19 filter effects, five more than the GF5 it replaces, comprising: old days, sunshine, bleach bypass, toy pop and fantasy.
Also included are filters such as retro, expressive and dynamic monochrome.
At the time of writing, the Panasonic Lumix GF6 was hailed as the world’s first interchangeable-lens camera with Near Field Communication Wi-Fi.
Near Field Communication allows contactless communication between compatible devices. Images can be transferred by touching the devices together – or holding them very close to one another – without users having to tediously re-enter Wi-Fi authorisation login details each time.
The Panasonic Lumix GF6 is also designed to enable photographers to shoot stills and video remotely, using a tablet or smartphone.
Users should also be able to control the camera’s exposure settings, focusing and zoom in this way, according to Panasonic – once they have downloaded Panasonic Image App software to their Apple iOS or Android devices.
The Panasonic Lumix GF6 includes Light Speed AF, designed to capture fast-moving subjects clearly, and AF tracking.
A function lever has been added for ‘one-hand control’, allowing adjustment of zooming and aperture, for example.
The camera also incorporates features designed to help beginners improve their photography.
A scene guide provides technical tips and advice on the best lens to use for a chosen scene.
The Panasonic Lumix GF6 is due to go on sale at the end of this month, priced £449 in a kit with a 14-42mm lens.
It will be available in a choice of black or white.
Panasonic has no current plan to launch a body-only version.
The camera, which has a claimed start-up time of 0.498secs, was unveiled to European photography journalists at an event in Vienna, Austria.
