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 Click on the Lumix LZ3 to take a 360° tour Panasonic introduces two new models to its compact, affordable and consumer-friendly LZ series of Lumix digital still cameras for 2006. The six megapixel DMC-LZ5 and five megapixel DMC-LZ3 incorporate Panasonic’s top-rated MEGA Optical Image Stabilization, large and bright LCD displays, 6x optical zoom, and a 1-point high-speed autofocus feature that is new to the LZ product line. The MEGA Optical Image Stabilization, which Panasonic puts into all of its cameras, moves the lens to compensate for the slight hand movements most people make when taking a picture. It’s hand movement that leads to most blurry pictures, a common complaint for amateur photographers. With MEGA Optical Image Stabilization, pictures come out clear, even when using the zoom feature or shooting in low light. The LZ5 and LZ3 also have Panasonic’s Venus Engine Plus, the processor that manages image capture and energy use for the cameras. Both cameras also come packaged with Panasonic’s Oxyride AA batteries, which feature longer life and power than alkaline batteries. With Venus Engine Plus and Oxyride, users can get the most out of their picture-taking experience. With Venus Engine Plus and Oxyride, the LZ5 can take up to 235 images and the LZ3 up to 250. (The LZ5 and LZ3 also can use alkaline and NiMH rechargeable AA batteries.) The LZ5’s 2.5-inch LCD and the LZ3’s 2.0-inch LCD are greatly improved over the previous cameras in the LZ series, with higher sensitivity for viewing in low-light situations as well as easy viewing from angles, which helps the user when holding the camera overhead for a high-angle shot. In addition to the 5-point, 3-point high speed, 1-point normal speed and Spot autofocus, the LZ5 and LZ3 can be set to 1-point high-speed autofocus. This setting reduces autofocus time by about 40 percent compared to previous models. An autofocus assist lamp is also added for the first time to the LZ series cameras. New features include an additional six scene modes, bringing the total to 14. That, plus Simple Mode, which offers easy shooting to novice photographers, makes these two cameras ready for just about any picture-taking situation.
Both the LZ5 and LZ3 have 14 megabytes of built-in memory, so they are ready to take
pictures right out of the box. For additional picture-taking capacity, the cameras take SD
Memory cards. Picture files can be transferred from the internal memory to an SD card and
vice versa. Pictures can also be transferred to a computer using the included USB cable.
Major DMC-LZ3 Features:
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3:2 - 2560 x 1712, 2048 x 1360
16:9 - 2560 x 1440, 1920 x 1080
Motion Image 4:3: 640 x 480, 320 x 240
Optional: AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries, AA Alkaline Batteries
AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC)
(Specifications as provided by the manufacturer.)
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Features & Controls
UK visitors BRAVIA KDL-40V3000 40" LCD TV (Widescreen, 1920x1080, 1800:1, Freeview, HDTV)
Lumix DMC-LZ3 Specifications
Image Sensor
1/2.5" CCD, Primary Color Filter
5.36 Total Megapixels
5.0 Effective Megapixels
Lens
Lumix DC Vario 6x Optical Zoom
f=6.1-36.6mm (35mm equivalent: 37-222mm)
F2.8 - F4.5 max. aperture (Wide-Tele)
4x Digital Zoom (up to 24x when combined with 6x Optical)
8 Elements in 7 Groups (2 Aspherical Lenses)
Aperture
Wide: F2.8 - F5.6 (2 steps)
Tele: F4.5 - F9 (2 steps)
Focusing Area
Normal:
Wide: 1.64 feet; Tele: 3.94 feet-Infinity
Macro:
Wide: 0.16 feet; Tele: 1.64 feet-Infinity
Focus
TTL Contrast-Detect AF System
Normal/Macro, 5 points / 3 points high speed /
1 point / Spot-focusing / 1 point high speed
Optical Image Stabilizer
MEGA O.I.S. (Mode 1 / Mode 2)
Image Processor
Venus Engine II™ LSI
Recording Image Size (Pixels)
4:3 - 2560 x 1920, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480
Motion Image (Quick Time Motion JPEG)
30 or 10 fps with audio
Length of movies depends on available memory.
ISO Sensitivity
Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 (High Sensitivity Mode: 800 - 1600)
White Balance
Auto/Daylight/Cloudy/Halogen/Flash/White Set
White Balance Adjustment
(except for Auto WB)
Exposure Modes
Program AE
Scene Modes
SCN1 and SCN2 is user-settable for:
Portrait, Sports, Food, Scenery, Night Scenery, Night Portrait, Fireworks, Party, Snow,
Baby, Soft Skin, Starry Sky, Candle, Soft Skin, Baby1, Baby2, High Sensitivity
Exposure Compensation
1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV
Auto Bracketing AE
+1/3EV-1EV Step, 3 Frames
Light Metering
Intelligent Multiple
Shutter Speed
8 - 1/2,000 sec.
Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30, 60 sec.
Self Timer
10 seconds / 2 seconds
Picture Adjustment
Natural, Standard, Vivid
Color Effect Mode
Cool, Warm, Black & White, Sepia
Image Quality
JPEG - Fine/Standard
Mega Burst® Shooting Mode
Full-resolution image:
Standard Mode: Up to 5 images at 3 or 2 frames/sec.
Fine Mode: Up to 3 images
Still Image Recording with Audio
no
Audio Dubbing
no
Built-in Flash Mode
Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction,
Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction
Forced On/Off
Flash Output Adjustment (1/3EV step, -2 +2EV)
Wide: 0.5 - 4.2m (ISO Auto)
Tele: 0.5 - 2.6m (ISO Auto)
High Sensitivity Mode: 0.8 - 5.7 (Wide), 0.8 - 3.5 (Tele)
External Flash
No
Real-time Histograms
Yes
LCD Monitor
2.0" Diagonal TFT LCD Display (85k pixels)
Field of view: approx. 100%
Viewfinder
LCD monitor
Built-in SD Card Slot
Yes
Recording Media
14MB internal memory + optional SD Memory Card (SD)
Microphone
no
Speaker
no, beeps only
Conversion Lens Compatibility
No
Auto Review
1 sec/3 sec/zoom
Quick Review
1x/4x/8x/16x
OSD Language
English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, German, Italian, French
Playback Mode
25, 16 or 9-Thumbnail Display
Zoomed Playback (16x max)
Image Rotation
Slide Show
Resizing
Trimming, Protection
DPOF Setting
Direct Print
Yes, PictBridge compatible
Interface
DC Input, Video Output (NTSC/PAL), USB 1.1
Power Supply
Included: Two Oxyride™ AA Batteries
Battery Life
Up to 250 pictures (CIPA Standard) with included Oxyride batteries
Up to 390 pictures with NiMH or 175 pictures with alkaline type.
Dimensions (H x W x D)
2.44" x 3.94" x 1.77"
Weight
0.41 lbs
Included ArcSoft® Software
ArcSoft PhotoImpression
ArcSoft Panorama Maker;
ArcSoft PhotoBase
Other Included Software
Lumix Simple Viewer
USB Driver
Included Accessories
Two AA Oxyride™ Batteries,
Video & USB Cable, Strap,
CD-ROM
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