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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30

By: Dave Etchells

Panasonic's latest in the Lumix lineup, with an eight-megapixel sensor and high quality long-zoom Leica optics.

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Page 2:Comparison with Earlier Panasonic DMC-FZ Models

Review First Posted: 01/18/2006

Comparison With Earlier Panasonic DMC-FZ Models

As of this writing (in early January 2006), Panasonic currently has several long-zoom, optically-stabilized digicams on the market. While there's a steady progression of sensor resolution as you move up the line, other features are not so consistently distributed. Here's a table showing how the features of the different "FZ" models compare:

  DMC-FZ3 DMC-FZ15 DMC-FZ20 DMC-FZ30
List Price
(At introduction)
$399 $499 $599 $699
Megapixels
(Effective)
3.2 4.0 5.0 8.0
CCD Size 1/3.2" 1/2.5" 1/2.5" 1/1.8"
Size 108 x 68 x 85 mm
4.3 x 2.7 x 3.3 in
128 x 87 x 106 mm
5.0 x 3.4 x 4.2 in
128 x 87 x 106 mm
5.0 x 3.4 x 4.2 in
86 x 141 x 138 mm
3.37 x 5.54 x 5.44 in
Weight
(With Batteries)
323 g (11.4 oz) 556 g (19.6 oz) 556 g (19.6 oz) 746 g (1.64 lbs)
Body Material Plastic Metal Metal Metal
Lens Zoom 12x 12x 12x 12x
Lens equiv.
Focal Lengths
35-420 mm 35-420 mm 36-432 mm 35-420 mm
Max. Aperture f/2.8 f/2.8 f/2.8 f/2.8
Manual Focus
Option
No Yes Yes Yes
Supports Conversion Lenses No Yes Yes Yes
LCD Size 1.5" 2.0" 2.0" 2.0"
LCD Pixels 114,000 130,000 130,000 235,000
Stated Flash Range (Auto ISO) 4.6 meters 7.0 Meters 7.0 Meters 7.0 Meters
External Flash Connection No No Hot Shoe Hot Shoe
ISO Options Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400 Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400 Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400 Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400
Image Adjustment Options Sharpness Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness
Scene Modes 9,
One "SCN" mode setting
9,
Two "SCN" mode settings
9,
Two "SCN" mode settings
14,
Two "SCN" mode settings
Noise Reduction Adjustment No Yes Yes Yes
Shot to shot cycle times (Full res JPEGs) 1.56 sec. 0.54 sec. 0.86 1.20
Sound Recording Yes No
(Some question on this, but our eval unit didn't seem to record sound clips)
Yes Yes
Included Memory Card 8 MB 8 MB 16 MB 16 MB

 

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