Panasonic has unveiled the Lumix DMC-GH1, the latest in its entry-level, interchangeable lens DSLR series. The DMC-GH1 is equipped with HD video, professional-level still photography capabilities and a 12.1-megapixel resolution.

In HD mode, the GH1 records at full HD 1080p/24 frames per second (fps) video resolution or at smooth HD 720p/60fps movie resolution. Both settings record in AVCHD (MPEG-4) format with a silent motor and continuous autofocusing (AF) settings. Creative Movie Mode allows users to manually set shutter speed and aperture settings.

Sound is recorded in high-quality stereo settings with the Wind Cut feature and the Dolby Digital Stereo Creator. Sound quality can be further enhanced with an optional stereo microphone.

The 3-inch Live View Finder-which is visible from any angle-allows users to view camera effects, such as the exposure, aperture and shutter speed, before taking the photo. A built-in eye sensor automatically switches the viewfinder on and off when the user looks at or away from the screen.

Air (Intelligent Auto) modes include Face Recognition; Optical Image Stabilization to reduce blurring; AF Tracking to lock onto moving subjects; Intelligent Exposure to improve blocked shadows and blown highlights; and Intelligent Scene Selector to detect common shooting situations such as portrait, night portrait, scenery, night scenery and close-up.

The Contrast AF system includes multiple-area AF with up to 23 focus areas, one-area AF with a selectable focus area, face detection and AF tracking. The multi-aspect type sensor allows users to take photos in a 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 aspect ratio.

The GH1 comes equipped with a long-zoom interchangeable lens, the Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH/MEGA optical image stabilization, and has a focal-length range (in 35mm-equivalent terms) of 28-280mm. It is also compatible with the full line of four-thirds lenses.

The camera is available as a kit with the Vario HD lens and has a suggested retail price of $1,499.