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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20


Review posted 7/10/2008

Introduction & Physical Views


Click to take a QuickTime VR tour of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20
Click on the Lumix FS20 to take a QuickTime VR tour

Panasonic has launched a new LUMIX FS-Series of digital cameras for 2008, which includes a pair of 10.1-megapixel models, the DMC-FS20 and DMC-FS5. Both feature 30mm wide-angle Leica DC lens with 4x optical zoom. The FS models, a stylish sister-line of the highly-acclaimed LUMIX FX-Series, combines easy operation with a slim and sleek look, enabling both beginner and advanced users to take beautiful digital photos with a model they can slip in their pocket. Both cameras also have Intelligent Auto Mode, an advanced intuitive system of technologies that help users take better photos more easily.

In addition to the powerful Intelligent Auto Mode, the fourth generation high-performance image-processing Venus Engine IV LSI helps produce higher-quality pictures with an advanced signal processing system. It adds a new high-performance noise reduction system that helps reproduce even the most delicate parts of images naturally and without color bleeding. The Venus Engine IV also reduces shutter lag while still enabling high-resolution picture taking, making it easier to capture spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities.

Intelligent Auto Mode is comprised of five functions: Mega O.I.S., Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Quick AF (auto focus

  • MEGA O.I.S. – Gyro-sensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.
  • Intelligent ISO – With Intelligent ISO, the FS20 and FS5 can determine if the photo subject is moving and change the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.
  • Intelligent Scene Selector – Intelligent Scene Selector senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and will automatically select the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode. This intuitive technology, helps the consumer use the most common scene modes that are built into the camera, but often go unused, without making any manual adjustments.
  • Face Detection – Panasonic’s Face Detection detects faces anywhere in the frame and automatically chooses the optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear and crisp. Detecting up to 15 faces, Panasonic’s Face Detection can even track a face if the subject is moving.
  • Quick AF – The Quick AF (auto focus) system starts focus on the subject by just pointing the camera to the subject, thus minimizing the AF time.

Other features of the DMC-FS20 and the DMC-FS5 include internal memory and a 3.0-inch LCD for the FS20 and a 2.5-inch LCD for the FS5 – perfect for easy-to-see viewing of images. Furthermore, these models feature Intelligent LCD, which detects the lighting condition and controls the brightness level of the LCD to offer optimal clarity in any situation, whether dark or light; indoors or outdoors.


Major DMC-FS20 Features:

  • 10-megapixel imager with 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios
  • 4x Leica zoom lens, equivalent to 30-120mm on a 35mm camera
  • Optical image stabilization to prevent camera shake and blurring
  • 9-point AF system with Face detection technology
  • 3.0-inch TFT color LCD with High Angle mode and 100% frame coverage
  • Intelligent Auto, Normal Picture (Program), Movie and 21 scene modes
  • ISO Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600; High Sensitivity Mode (1600 - 6400)
  • 2.5fps Burst mode (Max 4 JPEG Fine images)
  • QuickTime movies, 30fps or 10fps at 640x480/320x240 or 848x480 using 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Built-in flash with auto, fill, slow synchro and red-eye reduction modes
  • TTL Auto White Balance, 5 presets and custom set
  • 27MB of internal flash memory
  • Card slot supports SD/SDHC/MMC card storage
  • Plug-n-Play USB, Mass Storage compliant
  • PictBridge Direct-Print compatible
  • Powered by rechargeable Li-ion battery


The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20 is available in pink, black and silver with an MSRP of US$299.95. The camera kit includes: battery charger, battery pack, battery carrying case, AV & USB cables, hand strap, and software CD-ROM.

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Physical Views

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20



Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20

The DMC-FS20 compared in size to a standard CD disc.




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Features & Controls



Lumix DMC-FS20 Specifications

Camera Type Stylish Compact
KEY FEATURES .
Camera Effective Pixels 10.1 Megapixels
Optical Image Stabilizer MEGA O.I.S. (Mode 1 / Mode 2)
Optical Zoom 4x
Image Sensor 1/2.33", 10.7 Total Megapixels CCD, Primary Color Filter
Extra Optical Zoom 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 4.8x for 7 Mega, 5.7x for 5 Mega, 7.1x for 3 Mega, 2 Mega, 0.3 Mega
3:2 Aspect Ratio: 5.7x for 4.5 Mega, 7.1x for 2.5 Mega
16:9 Aspect Ratio: 5.7x for 3.5 Mega, 7.1x for 2 Mega
Digital Zoom 1 4x
(Max. 16.0x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom)
(Max. 28.4x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Focal Length f=5.2-20.8mm (35mm Equiv.: 30-120mm)
Lens Leica DC Vario-Elmar
Aperture Range Wide: F3.3 / F8.0 (2 steps)
Tele: F5.8 / F8 (2 steps)
PERFORMANCE FEATURES .
Conversion Lens Compatibility No
Focusing Area Normal: Wide 50cm/ Tele 100cm - infinity
Macro / Intelligent AUTO: Wide 10cm / Tele 100cm - infinity
AF Metering Face / 1-point/ 1-point high speed/ 9-point
Focus Normal / Macro, Quick AF On/Off
AF Assist Lamp Yes
ISO Sensitivity Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode : Auto(1600 - 6400) )
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set (Selectable at Portrait, Soft Skin,Self-Portrait, Sports, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity, and Highspeed Burst mode)
Exposure Program AE
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV
Backlight Compensation Yes (at Intelligent AUTO mode)
Auto Bracketing (AE) +/- 1/3 EV ~ 1EV step, 3 frames
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple
Dedicated Button/Mode Switch Dedicated Button: Macro
Mode Switch: Shooting, Playback
Shooting Mode (Mode Dial)/Rec. Mode Dial: Normal Picture, Motion Picture, Intelligent AUTO, Clipboard
Scene Modes SCN (Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-Portrait, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby 1&2, Sunset, Pet, Hi-Speed Burst)
Advanced Scene Mode No
Shutter Speed/Shutter System 8 - 1/2,000 sec.
Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30, 60 sec.
Self Timer 10 seconds / 2 seconds
Auto Review 1sec, 3sec, Zoom, Hold
Review No
Picture Adjustment No
Color Effect Mode No
Color Mode Standard/Vivid/Cool/Warm/Natural/Black & White/Sepia
Recording Format Still Image: JPEG (design rule for camera file system, based on Exif 2.21 standard), DPOF Corresponding
Image with audio: JPEG (design rule for camera file system, based on Exif 2.21 standard)+ QuickTime
Motion Picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Image Quality Fine/Standard
RECORDING IMAGE SIZE (Pixels) .
4:3 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 3648 x 2736
3072 x 2304
2560 x 1920
2048 x 1536
1600 x 1200
640 x 480
3:2 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 3648 x 2432
3072 x 2048
2560 x 1712
2048 x 1360
16:9 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 3648 x 2056
3072 x 1728
2560 x 1440
1920 x 1080
Motion Image (4:3 Aspect Ratio) 640 x 480, 320 x 240
30 fps, 10fps
Motion Image (16:9 Aspect Ratio) 848 x 480 pixels - 30 fps, 10 fps
CONVENIENCE FEATURES .
Burst Shooting Mode Full-Resolution Image, 2.5 frames/sec Max. 7 images (Standard mode), Max 4 images (Fine Mode)
High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 10 frames/sec (recorded in 2M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Unlimited Consecutive Shooting 2 Yes
Intelligent Exposure No
Digital Red Eye Correction No
Easy Zoom/Zoom Resume/Motion Zoom Yes/No/No
Still Image Recording with Audio No
Audio Dubbing No
Real-time Histograms No
Composition Guide Lines Yes (2 patterns)
Built-in Memory approx. 27MB
Scene Mode Help Screen Yes
Auto Angle Detection Yes
Flip Animation No
Travel Date/World Time Yes/Yes
Title Edit Yes
Text Stamp/Date Stamp Yes/Yes
STANDARD FEATURES .
Built-in Flash Type/Mode Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off
0.6 - 6.3m (Wide/ISO Auto), 0.3 - 3.1m (Tele/ISO Auto)
External Flash No
Viewfinder No
LCD Monitor 3.0" Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (230k pixels)
Field of view: approx. 100%
Auto Power LCD Mode, Power LCD Mode, High Angle Mode
Playback Mode 30 & 12-thumbnail display, Calendar Display, Zoomed Playback (16x max.), Playback of Favorite Pictures, Category Playback, Slide Show, Image Rotation, Resizing, Trimming, Protection, Aspect Conv. DPOF Print Setting
OSD Language English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese
Recording Media Built-in Memory
SD Memory Card
SDHC Memory Card
MultiMediaCard
Microphone Yes
Speaker Yes
Interface DC Input, A/V Output (NTSC/PAL), USB
Direct Print PictBridge
Color Silver
Power Supply Lithium-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 1000 mAh)(Included)
AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC)(Optional)
Battery Life 3 Up to 310 pictures (CIPA Standard)
ACCESSORIES .
Included Software PhotofunStudio -viewer-, ArcSoft® MediaImpression™, ArcSoft® Panorama Maker>™, QuickTime, Adobe Reader, USB Driver
Standard Accessories Battery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery Carrying Case, AV & USB Cables, Strap, CD-ROM
SPECIFICATIONS .
Dimensions (H x W x D) 2.25'' x 3.74'' x 0.9''
Weight 0.29 lbs

Footnotes

1.   As digital magnification increases, resolution significantly decreases.

2.   Number of shots may vary depending on memory card size, battery power, picture size, and compression. The consecutive shooting speed varies depending on the memory card or the built-in memory.

3.   Shooting conditions: 73.4°F with 50% humidity;LCD On; Using an SD Memory Card; Starting to shoot 30 seconds after turning on the power; Shooting once every 30 seconds with the flash in full operation for every other shot; Changing the zoom setting from telephoto to wide, or wide to telephoto, for each shot; Temporarily turning the power off after each 10 shots (long enough to lower the battery temperature. For DMC-LC1: Shooting once every 30 seconds, flash in operation for every shot, 77°F(25°C) ambient temperature.

(Specifications as provided by the manufacturer.)




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