Watch out for Panasonic's release of the very first 3CCD DVD movie camera, VDR-D400. The 3CCD feature of the camera enables it to capture image data by assigning one color to each chip, resulting in more accurate color information as compared to one CCD cams currently available.

The new Panasonic VDR-D400 boasts of 800,000 pixel with its 20x Leica optical zoom. It also has 2.7 inches LCD, which displays crisp and clear pictures, a joystick control for easier navigation and a 16:9 widescreen recording capability. Other features of this new hot gadget is the SD/Sdhc card slot, O.I.S, built-in LED color enhancement light, a video editing software, Hi-speed USB 2, and MPEG-2 recording in XP/SP/LP modes.

The slick design and the eye-catching silver color of the new Panasonic VDR D400 makes it the perfect gadget to show off to your friends on your next vacation or reunion. It weighs 720g (including the batteries) and measures 70x149x90mm. It is poised to take over the market on 1st of September for a hefty price of ¥120,000 (about $1050). But hey, you wouldn't mind spending that much after you see the envious looks from your friends.

News about Panasonic's Lumix DMC-L1 (not the DMX-L1 as our source site says), touted as their 'first real dSLR', has been around for a little while now, but only now has the company decided to formally launch the unit. (We presume that's because they wanted the hype to reach some sort of crescendo before they did so; we're not sure at this point whether or not that's the case.)

We also have some detailed info about the camera that we didn't have earlier. The 145x86.9x80 L1 is a 7.5-megapixel dSLR that's got ISO values between 100 and 1600. It features a Leica D Vario-Elmarit 14-50mm lens with an OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer), a Dust Free Sensor that Panasonic says makes the camera a snap to keep clean (interesting - wonder how that works?), a nice bright 2.5-inch control screen, RAW/JPEG support and compatibility with SD/SDHC cards of up to 4GB capacity.

Not bad, eh? We sure think so, too. All that goodness isn't going to come cheap, though. It's to retail for a little less than 1800 EUR in Japan and 1500 EUR in the States (no clue why), which we hear is an eye-popping 700 EUR more than Canon's renowned 350D. Wonder if it'll be worth it? We'll keep you all posted.

Have a look at some more nice pictures of the Lumix DMC-L1, courtesy of the good folks from Akihabara News.

 

In connection with the planned release of the Leica rangefinder camera, the Leica M system lenses are getting a new code on the bayonet ring. This will enable the coming digital Leica M camera to recognize the lens type, helping the camera to optimize image quality.

All Leica M lenses to be released from July 1 of this year will bear the 6-bit coding. This coding has the six fields in the bayonet ring marked in black and white to represent a number from 1 to 64 in binary code, which will help the planned digital Leica M camera to identify the lens.

All Leica lenses bought in the past can be converted to bear the same coding. This can be done at the Customer Service of Leica Camera AG in Solms or the Leica agencies of other countries and will come with a EURO 95 ($120) price tag. Many of the lenses from 1963 onwards can be converted.

Although the upcoming lenses may now be considered 'digital', they will still be compatible with current analog cameras LEICA MP and LEICA M7, as well as classic models built after 1954.