Digital Camera Review
Feb 15, 2005
- By James Murray
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 is an attractive SLR-shaped camera with 3.1 effective megapixels and a 12x optical zoom lens. At a retail price of $399, this camera is one of the cheapest offered models carrying image stabilization. This is a great option to have when stranded without a tripod or when shooting with the FZ3’s 320 x 240 movie mode. The digital camera employs a 1/3.2-inch CCD with 3.34 total megapixels and a primary color filter along with a strong, Leica 35-420mm (equivalent) zoom lens. The silver-colored camera is designed with simplicity in mind, but it still has plenty of manual control options available. With nice touches like the diopter adjustment and color temperature adjustments on the white balance, the Lumix FZ3 is sure to please intermediate to advanced digital photographers. The FZ3 doesn’t shut out beginners though. It also has a Simple Mode that automates all of the controls except image size, making the camera accessible to an array of users of all levels.
Picture Quality / Size Options (8.0)
The following picture quality and size options are available: 2016 x 1512, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, and 640 x 480, plus a widescreen mode setting at 1920 x 1080. Images can be recorded as JPEG, Motion JPEG or TIFF files. The JPEG files can be compressed to Fine or Standard settings to save space if necessary. All of these options can be found in the Recording menu.
Picture Effects Options (7.5)
Images can be manipulated through the Color Effect and Picture Adjust options in the Recording menu. The Color Effect options are Cool, Warm, Black & White, and Sepia. Each of those settings can be adjusted to Natural, Standard, or Vivid. The Picture Adjust settings have High, Standard, or Low options; the parameters that can be adjusted are Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, and Noise Reduction.