Panasonic Lumix ZS20 14.1 MP High Sensitivity MOS Digital Camera

Jun 13
07:57

2012

Roberto Sedycias

Roberto Sedycias

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If there is one thing that has been true of mid-range point-and-shoot cameras in the 12 to 14 MP range lately it is that there has been some lack of quality control when it comes to things like controlling chroma, ghosting, spherical aberration at close range and such, well it looks like that has been taken care of.

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With the Panasonic Lumix ZS20,Panasonic Lumix ZS20 14.1 MP High Sensitivity MOS Digital Camera Articles the newest member of Panasonic's mid-range point-and-shoot ZS line, the camera manufacturer has taken the Leica optical package that it favors and has improved on it by adding a new nano surface coating for the lens that gives you full control of ghosting and removes one of the issues that has plagued the mid-range point-and-shoot (P+S) crowd of cameras.

Indeed, this is where much of the innovations seems to be going on right now as camera manufacturers realize that not everyone out there can or will afford the latest and greatest digital single lens reflex or reflex-backed camera that offers 18 or 20 MP, not when you can control things and still offer 14.1 MP resolution in one of the thinnest form factor cameras on the market. This is exactly the tack that Panasonic has taken with its new Lumix ZS20. Not only it is probably the thinnest 20X image camera on the market, but it also offers an improved MOS Venus image control engine that allows you to take your mind off the mechanics of shooting an image and, instead, lets you concentrate on the image, while the camera does the work.

For example, the new 14.1MP MOS sensor produces fine images and can shoot in burst mode at 10 fps. Further, you can install 32 GB of memory using a standard SDHC memory card so that you can shoot up to six hours of 1920 by 1080 high-definition resolution video imagery at 60 p. At this speed, it is compatible with other AVCHS devices and MPEG-4. However, if you slow it down a bit to 30 p, you have instant compatibility with MP4 devices.

That's some camera built into a 4.1 by 1.1 by 2.3 inches camera that weighs in at 6.6 ounces. You can also easily use the rear three-inch viewfinder to compose your images while the camera handles things like shake with auto stabilization. The two-step 20X zoom capability allows you to use the camera's wide angle lens to the fullest and still keeps blur out of the image. Indeed, you can use the ZS20 to capture quick moments in many lighting conditions.

The ZS20 makes use of the currently hot iAuto mode where everything is handled for you, and it also has an interesting feature in that its microphone is a zoom mike that helps you to pull in sounds. Much of this Dolby-compatible sound is made possible by the Wind Cut feature that cuts down on wind noise while bringing up background voices.

The ZS20 offers high dynamic range and helps to not only provide auto stabilization at long lens settings, but it also helps to suppress blur in all modes and offers AF tracking mode plus auto ISO control so you can keep on shooting.

It also offers multi-scene modes and allows you to handhold images what makes this technology amazing is the mid-range it is in.

Finally, if you activate the GPS mode and load the DVD map imagery program you can not only geo-tag your images, but you can pinpoint any trip you take just by using the GPS and mapping feature. It is nice to see the travels and routes you have taken.

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