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Digital Camera Reviews and Ratings By manufacturer:
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The Panasonic Lumx DMC-FZ15 is a 4 megapixel digital camera with a big 12x Optical Zoom Lens and Optical Image Stabilization.
Imaging Resource reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15 and writes - 'On the whole, I was very favorably impressed with the Panasonic DMC-FZ15. It has an attractive case, a nice "feel" in the hand, an excellent image-stabilized lens, great versatility, and very good image quality. Its biggest limitation is a very slow shutter response, although it's very fast from shot to shot when manually focused, or in continuous-shooting modes. Image-wise, about my only quibble is that it tends to render skin tones a bit more pink-looking than in real life, something that some users may actually prefer. Rather than repeat all my personal observations again here, I'll just refer interested readers back up to the "User's Report" section of this review. Bottom line, the DMC-FZ15 is a very capable camera that brings a touch of pro quality to a high-end consumer digicam, with an excellent 12x zoom lens, and optical image stabilization to boot. With a full range of exposure control modes, including a full manual setting and no less than nine preset "Scene" modes, the DMC-FZ15 is an approachable camera for both novices and more experienced users alike.'
Steve's Digicams reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15 and writes - 'The Lumix DMC-FZ15 is a great addition to the Panasonic family. It has great image quality, speedy performance, and reasonable price tag of $499. As I mentioned earlier, my only disappointment with the FZ15 is the interruption of the live viewfinder image during autofocus and burst shooting - but that's true of all super zooms with electronic viewfinders today. That issue aside, the FZ15 is a worthy competitor in the super zoom class, and well worth your consideration.'
Following is the press release from Panasonic announcing the FZ15 and the other two new cameras in the range, the FZ3 and the FZ20.
Panasonic introduces the first digital cameras to combine 12x optical zoom with an optical image stabilizer. Integrating unrivalled optical and digital technologies with ergonomic design, Panasonic’s three new 12x zoom Lumix models achieve a level of performance never before seen in digital cameras. New models DMC-FZ3 (3-Megapixel), DMC-FZ15 (4-Megapixel) and DMC-FZ20 (5-Megapixel) feature a versatile, high-performance Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens with powerful 12x zoom (equivalent to a 35 – 420mm zoom lens on a conventional 35mm film camera) and F2.8 brightness throughout the entire zoom range. With their extraordinary telephoto features and precision image stabilizers, these cameras are engineered to capture every detail of distant or quick-moving subjects with superb brightness and clarity.
Panasonic’s MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer automatically detects and optically compensates for hand movement by shifting internal lens elements, enabling the user to capture crisp, clear, distortion-free ultra-telephoto or macro shots of distant or moving subjects, even in low lighting conditions.
“Photographers, especially those who shoot sports, wildlife or live performances, know that it’s difficult to get sharp images if they are using a long lens on a handheld camera. The zoom accentuates every little movement of the hand,” commented Monica Helmer, Marketing Manager for Panasonic. “We’ve incorporated the technology we developed for our camcorders to create Panasonic’s MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer, a true optical image stabilizer that uses the full capacity of the camera’s CCD to compensate for hand jitter.”
These cameras also feature an extra-low dispersion (ED) lens to minimize color aberration (color bleeding) a common problem in high-magnification / large aperture lenses. ED lenses are typically exchangeable lenses designed for single-lens reflex cameras and high-end, professional cameras.
Panasonic has also improved its innovative Venus Engine LSI, the “brain” of the camera that converts the optical data into digital information. The new Venus 2 Engine LSI handles all image processing functions simultaneously from displaying the image on the LCD to writing data to the memory card ¾ as soon as the CCD captures the image signal. This simultaneous, parallel processing results in a quick start-up, increased shutter speed and reduced lag time. The improved LSI also allows faster consecutive shooting than its predecessor. If desired, the camera will keep shooting until the memory card is full.
A conventional LSI generates a luminance signal from the green component of the incoming light. Panasonic’s Venus 2 Engine LSI generates the signal from the red and blue components, as well as the green. This rich information in the luminance signal helps to boost the diagonal, horizontal and vertical resolution, resulting in superb images. The system also uses a low-pass filter to accurately handle the borders between colors and a noise-reduction circuit to help boost image sharpness and clarity.
All three cameras also include a host of sophisticated features such as MEGA BURSTâ consecutive shooting mode, real-time histogram, auto bracketing, color viewfinder and much more.
Posted by Darren in our Panasonic category on July 21, 2004