Panasonic announced the Lumix ZR3, a successor to last year’s ZR1, with the same 12.1-megapixel resolution and 8x optical zoom lens. The new model adds HD video and intelligent resolution technology that the company claims renders more details than ever.

The ZR3 shares the same long lens with the ZR1. Both cameras have a 25-200mm, 8x optical zoom lens with a Power Optical Image Stabilization system. The new model adds an “intelligent zoom” feature that extends the zoom up to 10x when the resolution is reduced.

The new camera comes with all kinds of “intelligent” technology, as the company bills it. “Intelligent Resolution” renders a higher-quality signal processing by detecting three key areas – outlines, detailed textures, and soft gradations – and analyzing them pixel by pixel to show the most detail possible. Intelligent ISO control and Intelligent Exposure also claim to adjust their settings automatically based on the current scenery.

The new Panasonic ZR3 adds AVCHD Lite video recording, which captures twice the amount of HD video than if it was written in Motion JPEG format. This format of video is also included on a few other recent Lumix releases, including the rugged TS2 and the ultra-zoom ZS7.

To spice up its movie mode, the ZR3 includes Dolby stereo audio and offers a “video divide” function that allows users to edit videos in the playback mode. Another new feature is the “happy mode,” a color mode that over-saturates colors to make them appear more vivid. No word yet on if there is a “sad mode.”

Like the ZR1, the new ZR3 includes a 2.7-inch LCD screen and 40MB of internal memory. Pricing and availability has not yet been announced.