Panasonic adds rugged duo

Panasonic FT4
Panasonic has unveiled two new rugged compacts

Panasonic has unveiled two new rugged cameras to sit in its line-up of compact models with the addition of the FT4 and the FT20.

The FT4 has been designed to be waterproof down to 12 metres, shockproof from 2 metres, freezeproof to -10 degrees and is also dustproof.

Not only that but it also features built in GPS technology that is equipped with over a million place names along with a compass, altimeter and barometer, especially designed for outdoor use.

Alongside its rugged features, the FT4 includes a 12.1 million pixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor and an advanced image processing LSI Venus Engine.

Lens tech

The inbuilt Leica lens is a 28mm wide-angle with a 4.6x optical zoom, comprising 10 elements and a prism unit in 8 groups to include 1 ED lens and 5 aspherical lenses and 6 aspherical surfaces. Intelligent Resolution tech provides an Intelligent Zoom to extend the ratio by around 2x, while still promising to maintain the picture quality.

1080p video recording is also available, along with the ability to shoot 3.7 frames per second in 12.1 million pixel full resolution, or 10fps at 3 million pixel recording.

Meanwhile, the FT20, also introduced today, features waterproofing down to 5m, freezeproofing to -10 degrees and shockproofing from 1.5 metres. It is also dustproof.

With a 16.1 million pixel sensor, the FT20 features a 25mm wide angle 4x optical zoom lens. It contains 11 elements and a prism unit in 10 groups, including an ED lens and 5 aspherical lenses with aspherical surfaces. Unlike the FT4, it is not made by Leica.

On this model, video recording is available at 720p.

Shooting assist functions such as Mega O.I.S., AF tracking, Intelligent ISO Control, Face Recognition, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent Exposure are available on both models.

The Panasonic Lumix FT4 and FT20 UK price have yet to be confirmed, however we do know that they will both be available in choice of colours.

Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.