Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7
Encyclopedia
The Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FZ7 is a 6 megapixel superzoom
bridge digital camera
that utilizes Panasonic's Venus II Engine
. It features a 12x zoom lens
and several modes of operation. It was replaced in 2007 by the DMC-FZ8
The main improvement over its predecessor, the FZ5, is a thumb joystick that can be used for manual focus
ing and for changing the exposure (shutter speed
and aperture values
) for a full manual shot.
The lens is manufactured by the German
company Leica Camera. An optical image stabilization system is embedded in the lens, reducing blurring by compensating for camera shake.
Video
recording is available at either 10 frames per second ( frame/s)
or 30 frame/s in VGA
(640×480), QVGA (320×240) or wide-screen 16:9 (848×480) resolutions. The image can be directly outputted to a TV via a provided RCA
cable.
The camera was reviewed in April 2006 by PC Magazine
and was awarded Editor's Choice. The camera also won a Gold award in 2006 from DIWA (Digital Imaging Websites Association).
The features are comparable to the ones offered by the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, among other cameras.
Among the main disadvantages is high noise in low-light conditionshttp://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz7/page14.asp.
Lumix
Lumix is Panasonic's brand of digital cameras, ranging from pocket point-and-shoot models to digital SLRs.Compact digital camera DMC-LC5 and DMC-F7 were the first products of the Lumix series released in 2001. They are equipped with Leica lenses....
DMC-FZ7 is a 6 megapixel superzoom
Superzoom
The term hyperzoom or superzoom is used to advertise photographic zoom lenses with unconventionally large focal length factors, typically more than 5× and ranging up to 15×, e.g., 35 mm to 350 mm. The largest ratio for digital SLR cameras is held by the Tamron 18–270 mm, giving 15×....
bridge digital camera
Bridge digital camera
Bridge cameras are cameras which fill the niche between the single-lens reflex cameras and the Point-and-shoot camera. They are often comparable in size and weight to the smallest Digital SLRs , but almost all digital bridge cameras lack an optical viewfinder system...
that utilizes Panasonic's Venus II Engine
Venus Engine
The Venus processing engine for digital cameras is an image processing engine developed by Panasonic, and almost all of their Lumix cameras use a version of it. Image processors operate in four steps: receive data from the CCD sensor, create the Y-color difference signal , perform JPEG compression,...
. It features a 12x zoom lens
Zoom lens
A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens elements for which the focal length can be varied, as opposed to a fixed focal length lens...
and several modes of operation. It was replaced in 2007 by the DMC-FZ8
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is a superzoom bridge digital camera that features:* 1/2.5" sensor 7 megapixel resolution* Fast f/2.8-3.3 Leica zoom lens 12x zoom lens* Mega O.I.S...
The main improvement over its predecessor, the FZ5, is a thumb joystick that can be used for manual focus
Manual focus
In the field of photography, a manual focus camera is one in which the operator has to adjust the focus of the lens by hand. Before the advent of autofocus, all cameras had manually adjusted focusing; thus, the term is a retronym....
ing and for changing the exposure (shutter speed
Shutter speed
In photography, shutter speed is a common term used to discuss exposure time, the effective length of time a camera's shutter is open....
and aperture values
Aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,...
) for a full manual shot.
The lens is manufactured by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
company Leica Camera. An optical image stabilization system is embedded in the lens, reducing blurring by compensating for camera shake.
Video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
recording is available at either 10 frames per second ( frame/s)
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
or 30 frame/s in VGA
Video Graphics Array
Video Graphics Array refers specifically to the display hardware first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, but through its widespread adoption has also come to mean either an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector or the 640×480 resolution...
(640×480), QVGA (320×240) or wide-screen 16:9 (848×480) resolutions. The image can be directly outputted to a TV via a provided RCA
RCA connector
An RCA connector, sometimes called a phono connector or cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals...
cable.
The camera was reviewed in April 2006 by PC Magazine
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
and was awarded Editor's Choice. The camera also won a Gold award in 2006 from DIWA (Digital Imaging Websites Association).
The features are comparable to the ones offered by the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, among other cameras.
Among the main disadvantages is high noise in low-light conditionshttp://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz7/page14.asp.