Panasonic
Latest
Wirecutter's best deals: The Fibaro Motion Sensor drops to $50
This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read Wirecutter's continuously updated list of deals here.
Wirecutter02.13.2020
After Math: Let's take a drive
Though Tesla reported its Q4 earnings last Tuesday, the auto industry has sent this week making moves and announcing news. GM is bringing its semi-autonomous Super Cruise system to nearly two dozen models by 2023, ChargePoint is teaming with NATSO to bring a billion dollars worth of the EV charging stations to the nation's highways, and Uber is making claims about finally becoming profitable by the end of the year -- though we've been hearing bold claims like that from the ride-hailing service before. Here are a few of the week's top transportation headlines.
Andrew Tarantola02.09.2020
Toyota and Panasonic will start producing EV batteries in April
Toyota and Panasonic have announced a new agreement to start jointly developing and manufacturing electric vehicle batteries. The two Japanese companies say they're creating a company called Prime Planet Energy and Solutions that will begin producing square-shaped prismatic cells on April 1st. The company will employ approximately 5,100 people initially.
Igor Bonifacic02.03.2020
Panasonic's compact VR glasses see the future in HDR
2020 will be a key year for the future of virtual reality, and if things really take off then we should see a lot more stylish headsets like these goggles from Panasonic. The company says that these are the first VR glasses to support HDR video, and in some of the demo reels I saw the advantages were apparent. One video showed high-res video of a beach captured from a drone, and in HDR a lot of annoying gradation in the sky disappeared and overall quality improved.
Richard Lawler01.09.2020
Panasonic's extra-bright OLED TV is aimed at cinephiles
Panasonic is known for building costly TVs with exceptional image quality, and it's keeping that trend going at CES 2020. Its latest HZ2000 model is the first OLED TV to support Dolby Vision IQ and Filmmaker Mode, features aimed at cinephiles who want to view films exactly as the creators intended. It's built using Panasonic's Master HDR OLED Professional Edition panel, which also delivers up to an extra 20 percent peak brightness compared to other OLED TVs.
Steve Dent01.06.2020
Watch Panasonic's CES 2020 press conference in 7 minutes
Let's be real: Panasonic isn't the most exciting or talked-about technology company. But if you've ever stopped and wondered "what is the Japanese titan up to these days?" then we heartily recommend watching its CES 2020 press conference. The company used its precious stage time to talk about the projection technology it deployed for the Tokyo 2020 'One Year to Go' ceremony and various Disney attractions including Star Wars: Galaxy Edge. Panasonic also touched on the power assist suit that will be used by weightlifting assistants during the 2020 Paralympic Games, as well as CIRRUS, a vehicle-centric data platform that's being trialled in Utah.
Nick Summers01.06.2020
Panasonic introduces its first true wireless, noise-cancelling earbuds
True wireless earbuds are obviously trending. At CES this year, we've already seen models by Harman Kardon, Jabra and Shure. Now, Panasonic and its Technics brand are introducing three more options: the Panasonic RZ-S500W and RZ-S300W and the Technics EAH-AZ70W.
Christine Fisher01.06.2020
Panasonic S1H review: Production quality video in a mirrorless camera
The day that it came out, Panasonic's S1H shot to the top of filmmakers' lists of must-have mirrorless cameras for video. The company's GH5 was already a hugely popular camera among vloggers and videographers, and the S1H is much like that model, on steroids. It has a dual-ISO, 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor that lets you shoot 60 fps, 4K and even 6K video. Better still, it recently became the first-ever mirrorless camera approved for Netflix productions. The fact that it's been poked and prodded by Netflix means you can be confident about the video quality. Still, I was very curious, and I'm sure you were, too, to see what else the S1H can do. At $4,000, it's expensive for a consumer camera, but for TV and film producers, it will actually be a tempting low-budget option -- especially given the artistic possibilities of a full-frame sensor. With a flip-around screen, vloggers with some money (and muscle, because it's heavy) will be looking at this big camera, too. All that said, the S1H is expensive and there are lot of other options in its price range. To see what it's capable of, I brought it into Paris to shoot (a lot of) video and take some photos, too.
Steve Dent11.21.2019
Panasonic's Lumix G9 is less than $1,000 for the first time ever
The Panasonic Lumix G9 4K digital camera body is on sale for $998 on Amazon today. This is the first time we've seen the price drop below $1,000. Considering that the G9's recommended retail price is $1,500, that's a significant discount on an all-around great camera.
Christine Fisher11.19.2019
Panasonic's S1H is the first mirrorless camera approved by Netflix
Panasonic's latest full-frame S1H has become the first mirrorless camera certified for Netflix productions, as part of the streaming company's Post Technology Alliance. Production units are allowed to use it as a main camera shooting in either DCI 4K (4,096 x 2,160) or Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160) resolutions. That gives Panasonic's fledgling full-frame S1 lineup a boost of prestige, and filmmakers a relatively inexpensive way to create Netflix shows.
Steve Dent10.24.2019
Panasonic's modular Toughbook 55 lets you swap out seemingly everything
Panasonic is upping the ante on customization for its Toughbook laptops. The tech firm's new Toughbook 55 touts a highly modular design that lets you add or replace many of the rugged system's components. Add-on packs let you add more ports, dedicated graphics, a fingerprint reader and a second storage drive, while all drives are quick-release to help with upgrades or fixes. You can replace the RAM, as you might expect, but you can even replace the keyboard -- unlike some laptops, you won't have to visit a technician if your input goes haywire.
Jon Fingas09.09.2019
Panasonic's high-contrast dual LCD does a great impression of an OLED
Panasonic's cavernous IFA booth had everything from high-concept beauty products through to cameras and TVs. Regarding the latter, it had two prototype TVs, an advanced transparent OLED that Panasonic has showed off at tradeshows in the past, and a "mega contrast" TV that could, one day, power movie production house mastering monitors.
Mat Smith09.06.2019
Panasonic's S1H is the pinnacle of mirrorless video, for a price
Panasonic was not willing to give away its crown as the ultimate mirrorless camera company for video shooters. It has officially unveiled the 24.2-megapixel S1H and it definitively blows away all rival mirrorless cameras from Sony, Canon and Nikon when it comes to video. For the first time on a mainstream mirrorless camera, you can shoot full-frame, uncropped 6K video (5,888 x 3,312) at 24 FPS, and 60 FPS 4K using a cropped, Super 35 (APS-C) sensor size. The S1H can handle video with 4:2:2 10-bit billion color depth, both internally and externally, for maximum flexibility when editing. Sure, this doesn't measure up to what Blackmagic's Pocket Cinema 6K camera can do -- at least, not yet. But unlike the Pocket 6K, Panasonic's S1H has a continuous contrast-detect autofocus system, a fully-articulating display and in-body stabilization -- huge features for vloggers and shooters on the go. This comes at quite a price, though, so to get a feel for the camera and see how it performs, I shot with a pre-production S1H for a day at Panasonic's launch event in Los Angeles.
Steve Dent08.28.2019
LG, Panasonic and Vizio fight motion smoothing with 'filmmaker mode'
Today the UHD Alliance -- an industry group of various companies involved in getting 4K video to you -- banded together and announced something that couldn't come too soon: filmmaker mode. According to its backers, which include manufacturers like LG, Vizio and Panasonic, the feature will make sure movies and TV shows are seen as intended. That means automatically disabling motion smoothing technology (Tom Cruise will be very happy), as well as ensuring the correct color, aspect ratio and framerate. Until now, figuring out the settings has been something everyone needs to do one their own -- we have some suggestions for you -- with out of the box defaults that can absolutely destroy the viewing experience. As described in the press release, Filmmaker Mode is activated either automatically through metadata in a disc or stream, or via a single button press on the remote, to make it as easy as possible for 4K TV owners to use. Vizio said in a statement that the feature will be available in its 2020 televisions, while we haven't heard from the others. Netflix launched a similar setup with its "Calibrated" mode last year, but this could have a much wider reach. The name and settings will be consistent no matter which brand of TV you're buying. Rian Johnson spoke at the event, while other directors including JJ Abrams, Christopher Nolan, Ryan Coogler and Martin Scorsese offered support in pre-recorded comments. "The thing that sets Filmmaker Mode apart is it will be a pure, clean expression of what the movie was meant to look like when it was made," said Johnson. Ryan Coogler said that "By allowing the artists in the tent to help consult and give feedback to the electronics companies on Filmmaker Mode, we can collectively help make the consumer's experience even more like it is in the cinema."
Richard Lawler08.27.2019
Panasonic S1R review: Big, powerful and too expensive
In a brutal camera market, only the strong survive. Until recently, Panasonic has not just survived, but thrived by focusing on niche, video-centric mirrorless cameras like the GH5. With the S1 and S1R models, though, it's going head-on with rivals Nikon, Canon and Sony in the more competitive, and potentially lucrative, full-frame mirrorless market.
Steve Dent07.29.2019
Leica's V-Lux 5 is a high-end, travel-friendly camera
Leica isn't exactly known for offering cameras that both offer long-zoom lenses and a relatively affordable price, but it's ready to bend those rules a bit. The company has introduced the V-Lux 5, an upscale rebadge of Panasonic's FZ-1000 II long-zoom camera. The differences mostly boil down to a spruced-up design with the signature red dot on the front, but that's not necessarily a bad thing when the core camera is solid -- this is a fairly powerful option for travelers.
Jon Fingas07.10.2019
Tesla is quietly developing its own EV battery cells
Tesla has powered its electric cars using Panasonic's battery cells for years, but it may ready for a greater degree of independence going forward. Employees talking to CNBC claim that Tesla is developing its own "advanced" lithium-ion battery cells as well as the processes to manufacture them at scale. The company reportedly conducts some of its research at a "skunkworks" facility minutes away from its Fremont plant.
Jon Fingas06.26.2019
Netflix details the ‘best’ 2019 TVs for watching Netflix
Choosing what to watch on Netflix can be a time-consuming experience, but actually accessing the platform, and navigating your way around it, doesn't need to be. Some TVs are better at this than others, so Netflix has revealed its official 2019 list of recommended TVs for the best streaming experience. If you're in the market for a new model and this is a key concern for you, the company reckons TVs from Samsung, Sony and Panasonic are your best bet.
Rachel England06.19.2019
Panasonic's cinema-centric S1H mirrorless camera can shoot 6K video
Panasonic has added a third full-frame mirrorless camera to its L-Mount lineup with the launch of the video-oriented Lumix S1H, revealed at Cine Gear Expo 2019. It packs many of the specs we were hoping for but didn't receive with the S1, like 6K video, 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording and V-Log/V-Gamut with a Sony A7 III-beating 14+ stops of dynamic range.
Steve Dent05.31.2019
Do Micro Four Thirds cameras have a future?
For years, photographers and industry pundits have predicted the demise of the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera system. Many believe that the smaller sensor has been superseded by APS-C cameras and the ever-growing lineup of full-frame mirrorless shooters. "Not suddenly, but slowly over the course of the next couple of years," photographer and author Tony Northrup said in a YouTube video last October. The upload, which attracted more than 200,000 views, triggered a wage of counterarguments from prominent MFT users like Peter Forsgård, Joseph Ellis and others. Six months later, there's still no consensus.
Nick Summers04.15.2019