Panasonic have announced the “World’s Slimmest Digital Camera” at the IFA Consumer Electronics Show. The Panasonic SV AS10 measures 51.5 by 103.7 by 13.5 (mm, approx. excluding protrusions), with the slimmest part of the camera being a mere 9.9 mm. The SV AS10 uses state-of-the-art technology and the SD memory card which is no bigger than a postage stamp to achieve its tiny dimensions.

The SV-AS10 will be available in Germany as of October in the colours silver, blue and orange. There’s no word yet on pricing or availability in the rest of the world.

Website: Panasonic SV AS10

Panasonic Press Release 29/08/2003 - Extracts

D-snap - the SD Sensations

Catch them, the most wonderful moments of your life - and capture them as video, photo or audio file. Panasonic is presenting the trend of the year with the D-snap products: Three trendy digital products, based on the modern SD memory card technology, that are so compact that they even fit into every trouser pocket. The D-snap SV-AV100 is the first MPEG2 SD camcorder in the world*1. As big as a credit card and yet in ?MPEG” standard (DVD quality) it attains the standards of the current “large” camcorders with 10x optical zoom. Of course it also makes simple digital photos. The photo professional among the D-snap products is the SV-AS10. It is the thinnest digital camera in the world*2 and shoots its photos with 2 Mega pixel. With its bright colours, silver, orange or blue, it brightens up daily life - and thanks to an integrated MP3 player, even provides the fitting sound track as an option. The third of the trio is the D-snap SV-AV20, that already accompanied Lara Croft in the action movie “Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life” and which is a true allrounder where SD functions are concerned. Taking films, making photos, listening to music and recording speech memos are always possible ? any time and anywhere.

D-snap stands for mobility, creativity and freedom: Thanks to state-of-the-art technology and the SD memory card which is no bigger than a postage stamp, the SD allrounders of Panasonic are so light, that they even fit into the smallest of handbags and into the breast pocket of a shirt. The numerous possibilities of use and various extra features makes your own creativity boundless. The SD memory card makes the user absolutely flexible. The perfect motif directly before your eyes and no free memory? Not with the SD memory card! The small memory card is already available with a storage capacity of 512 megabytes and a data-transfer-rate of 10MB/sec. and will soon crack the gigabyte limit.

There are no limits to photo fun with this D-snap: Weighing no more than 57 grams, it offers a fantastic image quality with 2 million pixels. Thanks to the 5x digital, the SV-AS10 also ?catches? motifs in the further distance. With the help of the revolving lens you can easily stage yourself, too: The lens can be turned by 180 degrees and thus makes it possible to take amusing self-portraits and unusual takes from extraordinary angles as, for instance, over the heads of a crowd or around a corner. The image can, of course be controlled via display. Even series of pictures are possible: D-snap takes up to 3 shots a second. Thanks to the integrated flash, the takes are a success, be it night or day. The red eye reduction gives red eyes no chance. Three different photo mode macros (for close-ups at up to a closeness of 10 centimetres), night-time scene and auto always set the motif into the right light. The multi-talent also takes moving pictures with 320 x 240 pixels. A particular gag: Photos with audio comment! Thus the SV-AS10 makes a snapshot, for instance of the party guests and records the congratulations at the same time as audio file. Forgetful? The SV-AS10 can also be used as a dictaphone.

To avoid laborious operating steps from impeding the fun factor, all the functions of the SV-AS 10 can be controlled via the practical jogball. It is therefore super easy to riffle through the stored images, to edit photos or to compose them as slide shows ? at any place and without PC and a tangle of cables.

The SV-AS10 would not be a D-snap, if it did not have another special highlight to offer: Apart from a high-quality digital camera, it is also a music player for MP3, AAC and WMA formats. One charged battery guarantees 10 hours of the best of sounds for your ears. The player can be controlled, without having to take it out of your pocket, via remote cable control. Unbelievable, but true: The super compact AS10 even has an integrated loudspeaker.

The SD sensation SV-AS10 will be available in Germany as of October in the colours silver, blue and orange.