Both the Lumix DMC-LC33 and DMC-LC43 were announced back in March at the PMA trade show, and the DMC-LC33 is already shipping in the US and Japan. Japanese consumers will soon get a second color choice for that camera, with the current silver-bodied version being supplemented by the new black-bodied DMC-LC33-K. The LC33-K will go on sale from August 23rd, with pricing as-yet not disclosed.

Meanwhile, the DMC-LC43-N (the designation for the Champagne Gold body color) is set to start shipping in Japan from September 20th with monthly production of 20,000 units. As with the DMC-F1 and -LC33, the LC43 uses the "Venus" LSI, which the company says is aimed at high speed and image quality. The camera is essentially identical to the LC33 except for the higher-resolution sensor, a rather limited maximum ISO rating of just 200, and a bundling of rechargeable batteries / charger instead of disposable alkalines.

The low ISO rating of the LC43 is presumably due to high noise caused by the combination of 4.23 megapixel resolution in a smaller-than-average 1/2.5" sensor . This is probably the same sensor previously used in Olympus' Stylus 400 Digital, although Olympus has managed to extract a maximum ISO of 320 in that camera.

Specifications and product photos for both cameras follow. Sample photos from the DMC-LC33 can be seen here, :

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC33
Lens	Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens 7 elements in 6 groups (3 aspherical lenses)
Camera Effective Pixels	3.2 Effective Megapixels
CCD (Image Sensor)	1/2.5", 3.34 Total Megapixel CCD, Primary Color Filter
Resolution	2048 x 1536 pixels 1600 x 1200 pixels 1280 x 960 pixels 640 x 480 pixels 320 x 240 pixels (Motion Image Recording)
Aperture (Iris)	F2.8 - 4.9
Optical Zoom	3x
Digital Zoom	3x Variable
Focus Distance	f=5.8-17.4mm (35mm equiv: 35-105mm)
Focusing Area	Normal: 19.7" (50 cm) - infinity Macro/Simple: Wide: 3.9" (10cm) / Tele: 19.7" (50 cm) - infinity
Focus	Auto Focus System, Normal/Macro (Dial), Spot AF On/Off (Spot Mode)
ISO Sensitivity	Auto / 50 / 100 / 200 / 400
White Balance	Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Halogen / White Set
Exposure	Program AE
Exposure Compensation	1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV
Auto (AE) Bracketing	1/3 EV-1 EV Step, 3 Frames
Light Metering	Intelligent Multiple / Spot (Spot Mode)
Shooting Modes	Simple, Normal, Picture, Macro, Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Moving Image
Shutter Speed	8 - 1/2,000 sec
Self Timer	10 seconds / 2 seconds
Image Quality Adjustment	Natural, Standard, Vivid
Color Effect Mode	Cool, Warm, Black & White
Image Modes	Fine / Standard
Image Formats	Still Image: JPEG (design rule for camera file system) Still Image w/ Audio: JPEG (design rule for camera file system) & QuickTime (Still Image w/ Audio) Motion Image: QuickTime (Motion Image with Audio)
Motion Image Recording with Audio	Approximately 10 frames/second @ 320 x 240 pixels (maximum recording time deponds upon memory card capacity)
Mega Burst Imaging	About 4 frames/second with full-resolution image Max. of 5 frames (Fine Mode) / 8 frames (Standard Mode)
Still Image Recording with Audio	5 seconds
Audio Dubbing	Maximum of 10 Seconds
Flash	Built-in
Built-in Flash Mode	Auto, Auto/Red Eye Redux, Slow Synchro/Red Eye Redux, Forced On/Off
Interface for Optional External Flash	No
LCD Monitor	1.5" Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT Color LCD with 114,000 pixels & Adjustable Brightness (± 3 steps)
Viewfinder	Optical Viewfinder
Built-in SD Card Slot	Yes
Memory Types	SD Memory Card (16MB Card Included) MultiMediaCard (Optional)
Microphone	Built-in
Speaker	Built-in
Interface	DC Input, A/V Output, USB
USB Port	Yes
Power Supply	Batteries (x2): AA Alkaline (included) AC Adaptor (Optional)
ArcSoft Editing Software Package	ArcSoft PhotoBase, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft PhotoPrinter Pro, ArcSoft Panorama Maker
SD Viewer for DSC	Yes
Included Accessories	16MB SD Memory Card, AA Batteries (x2), A/V Cable, USB Cable, Strap, Software CD-ROM
Conversion Lens Compatibility	No
Auto Review	Image Automatically Displayed for Approx. 2 seconds
Delete	Single Page Delete / Multi Page Delete / All Delete
LSI Type	Venus Engine LSI
Low Pass Filter	No
MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer	No
Multi-Task Image Processing	Yes
Model Color	Silver
Dimensions (H x W x D)	2 5/8'' x 3 3/4'' x 1 1/3''
Weight	0.48 lbs
.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC43
Lens	Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens 7 elements in 6 groups (3 aspherical lenses)
Camera Effective Pixels	4.0 Effective Megapixels
CCD (Image Sensor)	1/2.5", 4.23 Total Megapixel CCD, Primary Color Filter
Resolution	2304 x 1728 pixels 1600 x 1200 pixels 1280 x 960 pixels 640 x 480 pixels 320 x 240 pixels (Motion Image Recording)
Aperture (Iris)	F2.8 - 4.9
Optical Zoom	3x
Digital Zoom	3x Variable
Focus Distance	f=5.8-17.4mm (35mm equiv: 35-105mm)
Focusing Area	Normal: 19.7" (50 cm) - infinity Macro/Simple: Wide: 3.9" (10cm) / Tele: 19.7" (50 cm) - infinity
Focus	Auto Focus System, Normal/Macro (Dial), Spot AF On/Off (Spot Mode)
ISO Sensitivity	Auto / 50 / 100 / 200
White Balance	Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Halogen / White Set
Exposure	Program AE
Exposure Compensation	1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV
Auto (AE) Bracketing	1/3 EV-1 EV Step, 3 Frames
Light Metering	Intelligent Multiple / Spot (Spot Mode)
Shooting Modes	Simple, Normal, Picture, Macro, Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Moving Image
Shutter Speed	8 - 1/2,000 sec
Self Timer	10 seconds / 2 seconds
Image Quality Adjustment	Natural, Standard, Vivid
Color Effect Mode	Cool, Warm, Black & White
Image Modes	Fine / Standard
Image Formats	Still Image: JPEG (design rule for camera file system) Still Image w/ Audio: JPEG (design rule for camera file system) & QuickTime (Still Image w/ Audio) Motion Image: QuickTime (Motion Image with Audio)
Motion Image Recording with Audio	Approximately 10 frames/second @ 320 x 240 pixels (maximum recording time deponds upon memory card capacity)
Mega Burst Imaging	About 4 frames/second with full-resolution image Max. of 5 frames (Fine Mode) / 8 frames (Standard Mode)
Still Image Recording with Audio	5 seconds
Audio Dubbing	Maximum of 10 Seconds
Flash	Built-in
Built-in Flash Mode	Auto, Auto/Red Eye Redux, Slow Synchro/Red Eye Redux, Forced On/Off
Interface for Optional External Flash	No
LCD Monitor	1.5" Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT Color LCD with 114,000 pixels & Adjustable Brightness (± 3 steps)
Viewfinder	Optical Viewfinder
Built-in SD Card Slot	Yes
Memory Types	SD Memory Card (16MB Card Included) MultiMediaCard (Optional)
Microphone	Built-in
Speaker	Built-in
Interface	DC Input, A/V Output, USB
USB Port	Yes
Power Supply	Batteries (x2): AA Ni-MH (Included) Battery Charger (Included) AC Adaptor (Optional)
ArcSoft Editing Software Package	ArcSoft PhotoBase, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft PhotoPrinter Pro, ArcSoft Panorama Maker
SD Viewer for DSC	Yes
Included Accessories	16MB SD Memory Card, AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries (x2), Battery Charger, A/V Cable, USB Cable, Strap, Software CD-ROM
Conversion Lens Compatibility	No
Auto Review	Image Automatically Displayed for Approx. 2 seconds
Delete	Single Page Delete / Multi Page Delete / All Delete
LSI Type	Venus Engine LSI
Low Pass Filter	No
MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer	No
Multi-Task Image Processing	Yes
Model Color	Silver
Dimensions (H x W x D)	2 5/8'' x 3 3/4'' x 1 1/3''
Weight	0.48 lbs
.