Product Description

Simply set the 8.1-megapixel DMC-FS3 to iA mode and let the four Intelligent Auto functions team up to help prevent shooting errors. Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation; MEGA Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur; and Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings. The 33mm Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens with 3x optical zoom takes wider shots than an ordinary 35mm lens. This is helpful in small rooms or crowded places, for example, letting you fit more people into a group photo. There's also an Easy Zoom button on the camera top - just press it, and the optical zoom and Extra Optical Zoom instantly extend to full telescopic position. This quick zooming lets you catch even fleeting opportunities. The brightness and contrast of the large 2.5" diagonal LCD adjust automatically in 10 steps as ambient light conditions change, so images are clear, bright and easy to see day or night, indoors or outdoors. f=5.5-16.5mm (35mm Equiv. - 33-100mm) Focal Length 2.5 Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (230K dots) Focusing Area Normal - 50cm - infinity, Macro / Intelligent AUTO - Wide 5cm / Tele 30cm - infinity 8 - 1/2,000 sec. Starry Sky Mode - 15, 30, 60sec. Shutter Speed Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode - Auto(1600 - 6400) ) ISO 27MB Internal Memory (additional memory recommended to store more photos and video) Built-in Microphone and Speaker SD/SDHC, MultiMedia Card Slot Built-in Flash with Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off modes DC Input, AV Output (NTSC/PAL), USB Connections PictBridge Compatible Approximate Battery Life - 320 pictures (CIPA Standard) Approximate Unit Weight - 0.319 lbs

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1243 in Camera & Photo
• Color: Silver
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: B0011Z9VR6
• Released on: 2008-03-07
• Dimensions: 3.72" h x .94" w x 2.03" l, .70 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 8.0-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for photo-quality 16x 22-inch prints
• 3x wide-angle optical zoom; Mega Optical Image Stabilized
• 2.5-inch LCD screen; Face Detection
• Intelligent ISO; Intelligent Scene Selector
• 50 MB built-in memory; captures images to SD memory cards (not included)

Manufacturer Description

The Panasonix Lumix DMC-FS3 features 8.1-megapixels resolution, a f2.8 Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens, 3x optical zoom, and Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto Mode. Also included is a new image-processing LSI, the Venus Engine IV, which contains a more advanced signal processing technology for rendering higher-quality images and produces a faster response time. The FS3 boasts the new Intelligent LCD, meaning the 2.5-inch LCD screen detects the lighting condition and controls the brightness level to offer optimal clarity in any situation, whether dark or light; indoors or outdoors.

Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto Mode is comprised of five distinct technologies designed to provide users with intuitive and automatic camera adjustments no matter the shooting condition and without the user having to do anything manually. Intelligent Auto Mode consists of the following:

• Mega O.I.S. Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.
• Intelligent ISO Can determine if the photo subject is moving and change the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.
• Intelligent Scene Selector Senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and will automatically select the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode.
• Face Detection Panasonic’s Face Detection detects up to 15 faces anywhere in the frame, even if they are moving, and automatically chooses the optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear and crisp.
• Quick AF The Quick AF (auto focus) system starts focus on the subject by just pointing the camera to the subject, thus minimizing the AF time.

Additional features of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3 include:

• Title Edit function which allows the consumer to input text to accompany a photo, for instance, the names of children or travel locations.
• 50 MB internal memory.
• Records WVGA (848 x 480) motion images at 30 frames per second in a 16:9 aspect ratio, ideal for viewing on High Definition televisions, such as Panasonic Viera Plasmas and LCDs.
• Compatible with optional marine case, DMW-MCFS5, for underwater shooting.

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Customer Reviews

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3S
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3S 8MP Digital Camera with 3x MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

The price was right, and I liked the idea of having a Leica lens. I haven't been disappointed - the camera takes excellent photos, indoors and out. It's lightweight, easy to use, and uploading the photos to the computer couldn't be simpler.

You will not be dissappointed...
I am not a spontaneous buyer - I researched the heck out of small, point and shoot cameras. I told my wife I wanted it for her but I really wanted a camera that took good pictures in a multitude of situations, including low light and I wanted to carry it in a small case on my hip.

I attended collage for graphic design and have above average experience with cameras but when it comes to buying a camera, I want the best value for the money. I visited multiple digital camera review sights but I ended up using http://www.steves-digicams.com/ the most. I began with his best camera list under ultra-compact and narrowed it down. After I got it down to three based on features and price, I went out to the stores and tried them out.

The Samsung L210 was eliminated because I had a hard time with the controls. This left the Canon Powershot SD750 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3. I was looking for the least expensive camera I could find. I walked into Circuit City and they had both these cameras. I went from one to the other and back again, using different settings, taking pictures and analyzing the cameras function and use. The FS3 won!!! It cost as much as the cheap looking Samsung L210 but was superior to the Canon Powershot SD750.

I purchased a 4GB Kingston SDHC SD4 with it and it holds almost a thousand pictures at max setting. However, I did have some trouble. I went immediately on a trip and had little time to test my new toy. When I got there I was taking pictures but I threw the camera to my son, who asked to see it (in the Samsonite case of course). He began to receive an error indication a problem reading the card. I then noticed that I lost a bunch of pictures. I was very disappointed. I continued to lose pictures after testing the function and thought it might be related to throwing it or the SD card. I had my PDA there with an older smaller SD card so I swapped it out. I did not experience any more errors or picture loss again.

Upon returning home I was disappointed that I had bought a huge 4GB card that did not seem to work with my camera. However, upon going to Panasonics support site I found an SD Formater that I installed on my Windows Vista computer. After formatting the card and evaluating the cards performance using the same methods to test for the error, I have yet to lose any more pictures. It seemed only do it when the camera was in review mode and when zoomed all the way out until the calendar of days showed. I would then get a read error on the card and loose some pictures but not anymore. Obviously Panasonic only recommends Panasonic SD cards but the Kingston was only like $17 bucks.

The bottom line - buy it. You cannot go wrong. It has tons of features, takes great pictures and my favorite is the excellent indoor, low light pictures. The flash pictures are great also, very soft and even. All at a price you can't beat... Joe

Panasonic Lumix
This is my first digital camera, and thus far I really like the ease of use and quality of the pictures. I also like the size & weight; fits nicely in my pant pocket.