Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 3MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom
by Panasonic
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: PanasonicModel: DMC-FZ3PP-S
Product features:
- 3-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 10-by-13-inch enlargements
- Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens 12x optical zoom lens combines with 4x digital zoom for 48x total zoom
- MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer keeps low-light and telephoto images sharp; 0.008-second shutter release lag
- Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 8MB SD card included
- Powered by lithium-ion battery pack (included with charger)
- Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]
- Aperture 3
- Pixelmator [Old Version]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 3MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom
Customer Review: lumix dmc-fz3 combines great features
Summary: 5 Stars
One thing I don't think was mentioned by any other reviewers. The lens itself is not threaded, but it comes with an adapter that is. This adapter is used for mounting the free hood and for attaching filters. This was something I hadn't thought much about, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 55mm filters I had for my old camera will work with this adapter. Hence, you don't have to buy the lens protector filter mentioned in the back of the manual. Any inexpensive 55mm UV filter will do the job of protecting your lens from scratches. And with such a nice lens, don't you want to protect it?
This brings me to what I think is one of the most overlooked features in the consumer camera market... the lens. Listen, folks, the lens is the most important part of any camera. So, you have to tip your hat to Panasonic for not skimping in this area.
Everybody looking at digital cameras seems to look mainly at MP (megapixels), but 3MP is good enough for photo quality 8X10's if you don't do a lot of cropping and enlarging. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on features that will actually help me take better pictures, not just bigger ones. And this camera is loaded with such features. Consider also that if you get a higher MP camera, you also need a bigger, more expensive memory card as well.
This camera is admittedly too large to be pocketable, which may be an issue for some people, and if you use the adapter for filters it makes it even more bulky. However, it's pretty light weight (due largely to the battery type) and I like a camera that fits into the hand nicely instead of feeling like a toy. Also, there is a reason why professionals lug around those big cameras. It's because they take better pictures... if you know how to use them properly. Most people don't realize that a telephoto lens is not just for taking pictures of things far away. They are also great for portraits. (Read elsewhere on the internet to find out why.) And for taking pictures of my son's football games, the more zoom the better.
I've seen postings on the internet where people who have bought digital cameras are wondering why they can't seem to get good pictures in certain situations. The answer is simple. Most cameras are made for the average user who wants something small and simple. They aren't made to work well in extreme situations. I had this problem with basketball games with my old digital (fast action in fairly low light). With my old digital, all I could do was change the ISO sensitiviy, and that made the pictures grainy. Also, my old digital was slow, so I'd often miss a good picture by about half a second.
One of the great thing about this camera for me is that my wife, who wants things to be simple, can use the camera in "simple mode". So, she can take great pictures of kids birthday parties and such without having to learn all the features of the camera. I'll probably go ahead and use the "simple mode" sometimes too, but for basketball games, I have the option of using shutter-priority or manual modes, and hopefully will be able to achieve better results. And with the 12X optical zoom, it should be great for football games too.
BTW, another feature that I like is the energy saving feature which will turn your camera off automatically for you. Maybe most digital cameras have this feature, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway. On my old 35mm camera, I was always accidentally leaving it on and killing the batteries.
Anyway, on the whole, I think this camera is a great choice.
The SD viewer software does the job of copying data off the camera, but beyond that it doesn't seem to do much. I haven't tried the other software that came with the camera. Anyway, I'll probably still use the software that I already had. My Canon color printer came with some pretty good software for printing photos. (BTW, I love my Canon printer!) I also use Microsoft PictureIt, Olympus Camedia Master Pro (you don't have to own an Olympus camera to purchase their software), and others.
More Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 3MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom reviews:
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Description of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 3MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom
Panasonic DMC-F23 Digital Camera is among a small group of digital-camera products that delivers amazing optics. It's shaped like an SLR but doesn't have lens interchangeability. Why should it? Its built-in 12x zoom lens has an astounding (35mm equivalent) focal length of 36mm - 432mm - that's quite a range. And what a great lens! The Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens on the DMCFZ3 follows in the Leica tradition of excellence. Although it is small in size, it has a large, bright aperture, meeting Leica's stringent quality standards. A Leica multi-coating process helps to prevent the fogging caused by flare, and ghosts that can result from excessive light. Even enlarged images captured by the DMCFZ3 are crisp and clear -- right to the edges. The 12x lens is quite the monster (equivalent to a 36mm - 432mm zoom in a 35mm camera) and will really bring distant objects up close. And the aperture of f2.8 throughout the entire zoom range means crisp, clear images even at full zoom or in low light. F2.8 means the lens is capable of opening more than lenses with higher f-stop numbers, allowing it to gather more light, which gives you faster shutter speeds, and therefore, crisper images. Add PictBridge and SecureDigital Media-card capability - this should be your digital camera. Focus - Auto, Normal/Macro (Dial), Continuous AF, AF Trigger (Shutter/Focus Button) Mega O.I.S. Optical Image Stabilizer Still Image Sizes (Pixels) - 2016 x 1512, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480, 1920 x 1080 1.5 Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display Connectivity - DC Input, A/V Output (NTSC/PAL), USB Has PictBridge compatibility Built-in Microphone and Speaker Scene Modes - Portrait, Sports, Landscape, Night Landscape, Panning, Night Portrait, Fireworks, Party, Snow, Moving Image Unit Size - 2.69 x 4.25 x 3.34 / 10 ounces Panasonic USA Warranty - 1 Year Parts, 90 Days LaborDigital Cameras
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