Panasonic Lumix SZ5 Wi-Fi Pocket Superzoom Camera

Wi-Fi-enabled cameras have been around for quite a while but it’s only recently that I believe they’ve matured into something really useful. Case in point – Panasonic’s new SZ5 pocket superzoom camera makes it easier to share photos on the Web by using a smartphone as a wireless router so you can transfer images to the phone and then upload them to your favorite social networking site. That means no more having to choose between a good photo taken with a real camera and the immediacy of a camera phone photo. Besides built-in Wi-Fi, the 14-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 has a 10x 25-250mm Leica optical zoom lens, a 3-inch LCD display, 720p HD video and Panasonic’s excellent iA (Intelligent Auto) shooting mode.

Camera phone photos dominate on social media. But as good as camera phones have become, they’re still very limited compared to even an entry-level point-and-shoot with a 3x zoom lens. I’ve been harping on this fact for a couple of years now and almost never use the camera in my own smartphone. So I’m pleased to see camera companies like Panasonic start to incorporate Wi-Fi for smartphone connectivity. In the past, built-in camera Wi-Fi needed to connect to an actual wireless network. Why bother with that when everyone already has a wireless device in their pocket? Now, let me hand the mic over to Marc Sorkin, Senior Product Manager of Panasonic’s North American imaging division and let him give you their pitch:

“With the rise of social media and file sharing, consumers have become accustomed to capturing spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities on their smartphone device. But, smartphones do not offer the same image quality and offer less creative control than a traditional digital camera, leaving consumers torn between capturing quick-sharing photos or capturing truly stunning photographic imagery. Panasonic has created the LUMIX SZ5 to fill the gap between smartphone devices and traditional digital cameras. This new camera model fulfills the needs of consumers who are looking for high-quality photos that can be uploaded easily onto their social networking sites and shared with friends quickly and seamlessly.”

I’ve been accomplishing the same thing with an Eye-Fi SD memory card (Eye-Fi Mobile X2 Pro Review) in whatever point-and-shoot camera I happen to be using. But recently cameras like the new Panasonic Lumix SZ5 have started to bypass the need for the Eye-Fi card. They’re probably also a lot more user-friendly. The Eye-Fi card is a bit finicky to set up and use. Panasonic took things a step further with an iOS / Android app that not only connects with your camera but also allows you to remotely zoom, focus, playback, take pictures and even use your phone to tag photos with GPS location data.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 will be available in black or silver. Panasonic didn’t include pricing or a release date in the SZ5 press release. We’ll update this page with that information when they make it available.

Panasonic Lumix SZ5 Press Release >>