The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 is a 5-megapixel digital camera with a high-quality Leica 12x optical zoom. The Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 12x zoom is equivalent to a 36 - 432mm zoom on a 35mm camera and has a constant F2.8 brightness throughout the entire zoom range. Panasonic's advanced MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) enhances the camera's telephoto zoom capabilities, helping to deliver sharp, vivid images even when taking handheld telephoto shots or shooting in low light. This feature uses motion sensors, which detects even slight hand movement and integrally links the lens control to the motion of the camera to reduce jitter.

Incredibly responsive, the DMC-FZ20 captures consecutive shots nearly as quickly as a motor-driven film camera. As soon as the camera's CCD captures the image signal, Panasonic's multi-tasking Venus Engine II LSI simultaneously displays images on the LCD while writing data to the memory card, significantly reducing lag time between shots. To capture sudden events as they unfold, the MEGA BURST recording feature enables consecutive rapid-fire shooting, capturing 3 frames per second with undiminished quality from frame to frame.

The DMC-FZ20 features Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual exposure modes as well as Macro, Portrait, Sports, Panning and Night Portrait picture modes. Single or Continuous auto focus, Spot AF Switching and AF Lock. Other features include High Speed and Low Speed Continuous, AE Bracketing and Timelapse recording. The camera also captures QuickTime 320 x 240 motion video at 30 or 10 frames-per-second with audio, the length is limited only by available memory space.

The DMC-FZ20's histogram feature functions like a digital light meter, providing a graphic representation of the luminance level of the pixels composing an image. By using the histogram, users can exercise more precise exposure control for quality photos. The histogram can be displayed on the camera's 2-inch LCD screen while an image is being recorded and also after a shot has been taken.

Power is supplied by a proprietary lithium rechargeable battery pack that is charged outside of the camera. The charger is small and very portable and allows you to charge one battery while using another. Images and movies are stored on removable Secure Digital (SD) memory cards which are available in capacities up to 512MB.

Major DMC-FZ20 Features:

• 5-megapixel effective CCD for images up to 2560 x 1920 pixels
• Leica DC-VARIO ELMARIT 12x zoom, equivalent to 36-432mm on a 35mm camera
• Optical image stabilization to help prevent camera shake and blurring
• Venus Engine II LSI for robust camera operations
• Mega Burst continuous capture @ 3 or 2fps up to 7 images (4 in Fine mode)
• Macro focus with autofocus down to 1.9 inches
• 2.0-inch TFT color monitor with 130,000 pixels
• Eye level color electronic viewfinder with dioptric adjustment
• Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual modes
• Macro, Portrait, Sports, Panning, Night Portrait picture modes
• High Speed and Low Speed Continuous, AE Bracketing and Timelapse modes
• 320 x 240 QuickTime movies, 30fps or 10fps w/audio
• Shutter speeds from 1/2000 to 8 seconds (Shutter priority and Manual modes)
• Built-in flash with auto, fill, slow synchro and red-eye reduction modes
• Intelligent Multiple and Spot exposure metering
• TTL Auto White Balance, 5 presets and custom set
• Secure Digital memory card slot, 16MB card included
• Plug-n-Play USB, Mass Storage compliant
• PictBridge Direct-Print compatible
• Li-ion rechargeable battery and rapid charger included

The Lumix DMC-FZ20 is available in black or silver and has a suggested retail price of $599.00. The camera comes with a lens hood to help diminish flare and ghosting when photographing extremely bright scenes. Also included are: a rechargeable battery pack and charger; 16MB SD Memory Card; A/V cable; USB connection cable; lens cap; carrying strap and software on CD-ROM.

The 2004 Lumix 12x Super-Zoom Family

The 5-megapixel FZ20 and the 3-megapixel FZ3.

The 5-megapixel FZ20 and 4-megapixel FZ15.