The DMC-GH2 mirrorless lens-interchangeable camera equipped with the "H-FT012" lens unit
The back side of the H-FT012. Two optical systems can be seen.
Its thickness is 20.5mm.
Panasonic Corp will release the "H-FT012," an interchangeable lens unit that enables the Lumix G series of mirrorless cameras to shoot 3D images, Oct 29, 2010, in Japan.
The company disclosed the details of the lens unit at photokina2010, one of the world's largest trade shows on cameras, which is running from Sept 21, 2010, in Cologne, Germany .
Panasonic showcased a prototype of the H-FT012 at IFA2010. Its price is ¥26,250 (approx US$310).
Equipped with two optical systems inside the lens mount, the lens unit allows to take two pictures at the same time.
"Compared with a method of creating 3D images by using images shot at different times, the H-FT012 can take an image of an moving object in 3D without distortion," Panasonic said.
The diameter and height of the H-FT012 are 57mm and 20.5mm, respectively. It weighs 45g. And the focal distance is 65mm (35mm film equivalent). The lens unit can be used with the DMC-GH2 mirrorless lens-interchangeable camera, which was announced this time, and the DMC-G2, which was released in April 2010 (The firmware of the DMC-G2 has to be updated).
In addition to the H-FT012, Panasonic announced two other interchangeable lens units. One is the "H-H014," a 14mm wide-angle lens (35mm film equivalent: 28mm). It is a so-called "pancake lens" with a maximum aperture of 2.5. The H-H014 will be released Oct 8, 2010, at a price of ¥49,875.
The other is the "H-FS100300," a zoom lens with a focal distance of 100-300mm (35mm film equivalent: 200-600mm). It will be released Oct 29, 2010, at a price of ¥80,850.
With the three new lenses announced this time, the number of interchangeable lenses for the Lumix G series increased to 10. Also, Panasonic is now developing a single focus lens with a focal distance of 25mm (35mm film equivalent: 50mm) and a maximum aperture of 1.4 as well as zoom and wide-angle lenses with higher brightnesses.
