Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10S 4MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom (Silver)

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [10.77mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00011CS30
• Item model number: DMCFZ10K
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,925 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 16, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The 4-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10 offers a host of professional features at an affordable price. It includes a 12x optical zoom with image stabilization, full manual controls (with a manual focus ring), a hot shoe accessory connector, and movie mode with audio. This Lumix model (the DMC-FZ10S) has a silver body; the DMC-FZ10K has a black body.

Optics and Resolution
With its 4-megapixel CCD sensor, you can capture up to a 2304 x 1728 pixel image for prints up to 11 x 17 inches. It also has 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, and 640 x 480 pixel resolution settings (and 1920 x 1080 for display on HDTV wide screen TVs with a 16:9 aspect ratio).

No Zoom	3x Zoom	6x Zoom	9x Zoom	12x Zoom

The Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens features an F2.8 brightness throughout the entire 12x zoom range, which is equivalent to a 35-420mm zoom lens on a conventional 35mm film camera. (The DMC-FZ10 also has a 3x digital zoom.) Its precision lens, extraordinary telephoto features and no-lag processing speed enable this camera to capture every detail of distant or quick-moving subjects with superb brightness and clarity. The Lumix DMC-FZ10 image stabilization system uses gyroscopes within the camera to sense camera shake and shift the lens elements to compensate for the movement--thus enabling you to shoot at a slower shutter speed.

About Panasonic's MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer

Handheld telephoto shots, or shoot- ing in low-light conditions, often magnifies unintentional hand move- ments into blurry images (above, top). This optical technology (bottom) provides precise compen- sation for these movements without any degradation of image quality.

Movie Mode
In addition to taking still photos, the DMC-FZ10 can also record 320 x 240 movie clips at either 30 or 10 frames per second (fps) with audio. Your video length is limited only by the size of your memory card. The included 16 MB card can hold 25 seconds of 30 fps video.

More Features
In addition to the variety of convenient automatic controls, the DMC-FZ10 has full manual controls for exposure, focusing, and white balance. Manual exposure capability gives you complete freedom for capturing images according to your preferences, including intentional overexposure or underexposure. The manual focus ring provided on the lens barrel, like traditional camera lenses, allows you to focus on the particular part of your subject according to your preference. Advanced histogram functions on the DMC-FZ10, like a digital light meter, provide a graphic representation of the luminance level of the pixels composing an image for more precise exposure control for quality photos.

Incredibly responsive, the DMC-FZ10 captures consecutive shots nearly as quickly as a motor-driven film camera. As soon as the camera's CCD captures the image signal, Panasonic's multi-tasking Venus Engine LSI simultaneously displays images on the LCD while writing data to the memory card, significantly reducing lag time between shots. To capture sudden events as they unfold, Panasonic's exclusive Mega Burst recording feature enables consecutive rapid-fire shooting, capturing 4 frames per second with undiminished quality from frame to frame.

Other features include:

• 2-inch LCD display with 130,000-pixel resolution
• Flash modes: Auto, Red-Eye Auto, On, Red-Eye On, Red-Eye Slow Sync
• Focus modes: Auto Focus System, Manual Focus, Normal/Macro (Dial), Spot AF On/Off (Spot Mode), Continuous AF On/Off
• Audio recording with images up to 5 seconds

As an added bonus, Panasonic includes a lens hood, which comes in handy when you're shooting outdoors. The lens hood is threaded for 72 mm filters, as well.

Designed for action shots, Panasonic's Mega Burst imaging captures up to eight full-resolution shots in two seconds.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on either Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMediaCard (MMC) memory cards. A 16 MB SD card is included with the DMC-FZ10. At the 2304 x 1728 pixel setting, the 16 MB card can hold 8 images at Fine Quality mode or 16 at Standard Quality mode.

Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB 1.1 connectivity, which means the camera can be connected to any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Power and Size
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included). It measures 3.4 x 5.5 x 4.2 inches and weighs 19.4 ounces (550 grams).

What's In The Box
This package includes the Lumix DMC-FZ10S (silver) digital camera, 16 MB Secure Digital memory card, rechargeable lithium-ion battery (CGA-S002A), AC adapter/battery charger, lens hood, lens cap, neck strap, USB and A/V cables, and 139-page printed manual. It also includes the following software:

• ArcSoft PhotoBase--Transfer images from an SD Memory Card to a PC that "footnotes" and display them in a list
• ArcSoft PhotoImpression--Adjust colors and process images to create calendars, cards, etc.
• ArcSoft Panorama Maker--Merge separate photos to create a single image
• ArcSoft PhotoPrinter Pro--Select numerous photos to print together as one group
• SD Viewer for DSC--Makes it easy to check image data on an SD Memory Card. Use it to create slide shows and save them on an SD Memory Card (For Windows)

From the Manufacturer

The Lumix DMC-FZ10S is a great digital camera with a lot of functions suitable for the novice photographer or the professional. 12x Optical Zoom Select Lumix digital cameras have an incredible 12x optical zoom (theequivalent of a 420mm zoom on a 35mm camera) that lets you capture the details of a distant subject up close and personal. The DMC-FZ10S and DMC-FZ10K are the industry's first 4-megapixel consumer digital camera with a 12x optical zoom. Plus, its F2.8 brightness across the entire 12x zoom range provides extraordinary image-rendering performance and puts you in control over a wide variety of shooting techniques. You can capture broad, sweeping landscapes with wide-angle shots, or portraits that fix the subject in a sharp focus while a softer-focused background provides the perfect contrast. Leica DC Lenses All of our Lumix digital cameras are equipped with world-renowned Leica DC lenses to offer you the ultimate in digital photography. Venus Engine LSI Generates the luminance signal of the primary color CCD using all three colors (red, green, blue) for improved diagonal image resolution, compared to conventional CCDs that use only one color (green) to do so, resulting in rich, expressive images. This LSI also handles image processing, LCD functions, and writing to the memory card concurrently, for an overall quick camera response. MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer Offsets unintentional hand movement while you're taking pictures to give you clear, sharp images even when taking handheld telephoto shots or shooting at night. This optical technology provides precise compensation for movement with no image quality degradation. 4 Effective Megapixel CCD All Lumix digital cameras have a megapixel CCD (charged coupled device), which converts optical data into digital information. It lets you capture crisp, clear images in high resolution, and helps bring out a full range of expressive color and detail. The DMC-FZ10S/DMC-FZ10K and DMC-LC43 are the only Lumix digital cameras with a 4 effective megapixel CCD. Our other Lumix digital cameras have between 2.0 and 3.9 effective megapixel CCDs. Manual and advanced functions for more expressive photography -- manual focus ring, advanced histogram, aperture and shutter priority In addition to the variety of convenient automatic controls, the DMC-FZ10S/DMC-FZ10K has full manual controls for exposure, focusing, and white balance. Manual exposure capability gives you complete freedom for capturing images according to your preferences, including intentional overexposure or underexposure. The manual focus ring provided on the lens barrel, like traditional camera lenses, allows you to focus on the particular part of your subject according to your preference. Advanced histogram functions on the DMC-FZ10S/DMC-FZ10K, like a digital light meter, provide a graphic representation of the luminance level of the pixels composing an image for more precise exposure control for quality photos. SD Remote Storage and Printing Capabilities Thanks to our Lumix cameras' use of SD memory cards, a variety of SD-compatible accessories make storing and printing your photos easier than ever -- and you don't even need a PC! These products include the small, handheld SV-PT1 SD Media Storage carrier with 5GB hard disk, the pocket-sized SV-P20 SD Mobile Printer, and the SV-AP10 Digital Photo Printer, which lets you connect to your TV to print photos right in your living room. Shooting Mode Dial Most of our Lumix cameras feature a Mode Dial that gives you a variety of settings to choose from to help give you the best shot possible based on your shooting environment. Mega Burst Imaging This feature allows you to take consecutive pictures at an incredible quick rate, making it perfect for capturing fast-moving objects in high resolution. You can then view your shots on the camera's LCD screen to choose the shot you want and delete the rest. LCD Monitor The LCD screen on Lumix cameras lets you view your photos in detail before and after you take them. Our DMC-LC5S/DMC-LC5K cameras feature a 2.5" screen, while the rest of the Lumix lineup is equipped with a 1.5" screen. Built-in Flash The built-in flash has an automatic setting, perfect for indoor use or in dim lighting, as well as a variety of manual settings, including "red eye" reduction modes. Select models feature a flash with more advanced functions, including the DMC-FZ1K/S which also features a pop-up flash. Built-in SD Card Slot SD memory card Built-in SD Card Slot SD Memory Cards combine high storage capacity, rapid data transfer, and flexibility - all in a card about the size of a postage stamp. Our Lumix cameras feature a built-in SD card slot, which lets you record digital images onto an SD memory card (included) or a MultiMediaCard (optional), and then transfer them to a PC3, SD printer, or SD media storage device. Intelligent Multiple Metering Mode Provides incredible exposures by helping to improve brightness, color temperature and focus information. It also helps to determine the best exposure setting in difficult shooting situations - such as when there is intrusive backlighting. USB Port Faster than a standard serial interface, the USB Interface in our Lumix cameras makes transferring images from your camera to your PC quick and easy. Motion Image Recoding with Audio Using the QuickTime Motion JPEG format, our Lumix digital cameras can record moving images with audio at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The maximum time for each recorded segment varies depending on the camera model and SD card capacity. Photo Editing Software The photo editing software included with all of our Lumix cameras lets you turn your home computer into a virtual photo studio. Built-in Speaker The speaker allows you to listen to the audio recorded on your motion and still image recording segments as you play them back on the LCD screen. Built-in Microphone The microphone allows you to record audio when using the motion and still image recording features.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressiv specs, still ....., January 6, 2004

By 

Oliver Wolter "Oliver Wolter" (Köln) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10S 4MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom (Silver) (Electronics)

This is a top of the line point'n shoot camera. Without any doubt the 12x optical zoom with image stabilizing and fast 2.8f aperture along the whole zoom range of 35-420 mm (35mm equiv.) are the icing on the cake. Nevertheless I'm slightly dissapointed about this camera because the specs read like my dream camera and the engineers from Panasonic just couldn't keep it together. Why? - I will cover this later.

I was so anxious about getting my set together that I bought a bag first going by the size of the FZ1 - big mistake. The FZ10 is about double the size. Definitly no camera to slip in your pocket.

Battery are pretty expensive, about 50$ a piece. A good replacement, not from Panasonic but way cheaper and even higher in the mAh rating is AC-CGAS002 (the barn were you get `em from is great). Charge and running time equal almost 1hr.

The Tripod adapter blocks access to the battery and memory compartment.

In dcresource the macro is described to work only in the automatic macro mode. So you couldn`t go by your own settings (manual). Good news - not true-. What is also not described in the manual, the camera does the same macro in manual mode. Literally up to the lense, almost touching it, with super sharp images.

Personally, I do prefer the manual mode for several reasons and this is where my dissapointment starts. In a dim light situation, still enough to take a decent picture, the LCD is pitch black. It is not broken, that's just the way it is. The techs from Panasonic told me something about achery techniques and how to shoot over the body. I call it a "Misconception". Also the brightness of the flash is not displayed, saying the LCD should get brighter when flash is activated. Still you get nice pictures - with dim light focusing slightly advanced to some other digital pointers- just you don't see the composition and focusing. I consider this the major drawback of this camera. Surprisingly enough though, if you switch to Automatic mode the LCD display in the very same dim light situation with exactly the same setting, is fine. Aperture- or Shutter priority are also good in this respect. I say it again, this applies only to dim light situations in manual mode. In standard light situations you won't notice.
Talking about low light situations, the flash is quite impressiv. Gives you also the option to compensate (-2/+2). This is very helpful if you don't wanna compensate the flash by shutter/aperture.

Lense cap has no string to hold it to the body - risk of losing it.

I am an avid Photoshop user. So I like the auto braket function to take 3 consecutive shots with different esposures for different layers in the software. Still after every shot you have to kick the bracket in again. There is no button to enable this function permanently like cameras for only a fraction of the price do. I wouldn't mind that if it were not so long winded to get to that function. Between changing the shutter/aperture in Manual mode, engaging the bracket to -1/+1 and back again, it is necessary to push 9 buttons. (Wanna count? exposure/dial up/3x dial right/3xdial up/exposure.) And this after every shot, huhhh.

Most people won't mind, but it takes only jpeg format. No non-compression formats available. This camera lets me take considerably more pictures (about 165) with 256mb than my Dimage s414 (about 125), which also happens to be a 4 MP camera - each camera in the best jpeg settings. With best settings this camera takes file sizes wich average about 1,5MB (Dimage S414 about 2MB). OK not every manufacture uses compression to the same extend, and in this setting Panasonic has surely found a nice compromise between quality and compression. Still I would be happier if Panasonic had tweaked its compession less aggressively, in order to achieve higher quality (but lager file size). Expecially since non-compression is missing and this camera is supposingly more oriented towards the prosumer section.

Nevertheless the picture quality is superb across the whole zoom range (the lense seems to make up for it).
I read reviews were people complained about noise. I figure they chose the wrong ISO (Auto ISO?). Try to use 100, 50 if possible. Everything from ISO 200 on gets indeed noisy, so is it with other cameras. And the fast lense 2.8f over the whole zoom range together with the Image Stabilizer give you quite some options here.
The image stabilizer works great. I think this feature should become as much of an standard as it is for camcorders. This from Panasonic should be a wake up call for the other manufactures to install it in there ultrazooms.
Very positive is the overall speed of the camera. SD memory might help it. Run-up, Burst mode and time between shots is very fast. High Burst gets you 4-5 shots in 2sec. After that you are ready again after about 4 sec. I consider this to be very fast. The only issue in the Burst mode is that it freezes the picture in the LCD screen. Burst makes sense for moving objects. And that is were you find it almost impossible to keep your object in focus when you just see a series of taken pictures with a delay of about 0.5 seconds.
The purple fringing, which often comes along with extreme zoom lenses seems to be moderate. I haven't seen any so far with taken lots of pictures in situations where this is supposed to be most present, like against the sun with darker objects in front. Still it is mentioned in some of the reviews.

Verdict: Even thought I wrote critically this shouldn`t distract from the fact that this is a state of the art point'n shoot camera with a great Leica lense and a stabilazation system you won't find in any other model of this category.
So giving away some of my high expectations this is still an excellent camera which will epeal to the advanced photographer with a need for an extreme zoom.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Prosumer camera!, February 16, 2004

By 

G. Pierce - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10S 4MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom (Silver) (Electronics)

Lumix DMC-FZ10S

4Mpel, 12x optical zoom, non-pocket camera, $550ish

Wow! Finally an affordable camera with MORE features, functions and image quality than my old 35mm SLR camera. At about $550 this has to be the best semi-pro camera around. The specs are impressive, but the ease of use brings the full potential to your fingertips. While it can take great pictures as a point-and-click camera - easily beating the Canon G3-G5 - the real power comes when you begin going manual.

Conventional wisdom holds that you should buy a digital camera from an established film camera company. Well, this camera combines the excellence of a lens/camera company - Leica - with a great Electronics Company - Panasonic - the best of both worlds!

For a sound byte: The Lumix takes GREAT pictures! The lens is an incredible 12x optical zoom (equivalent to 35-420mm 35mm) that works well at both ends of the range (yes it does have a bit of chromatic aberration at full zoom, but only at a 200% blow-up on the screen). The macro works down to a few inches! The lens is rather fast for the zoom - f2.8 and the equivalent ASA is 50 to 400. So a good lens, a good sensor, then comes the really great part: the electronics.

It has a very low shutter lag, fabulous MANUAL focus (beating all the SLR's that I have seen!), Image stabilization that makes the handheld 12x optical work (don't try handheld at 1/30sec full zoom, but hey what do you expect for a 420mm lens??), a delay timer for both tripod/handheld AND run-and-get-in-the picture, fast multishot, exposure bracketing, a red eye reduction that works, full 30fps movie mode, great review functions on camera and everything in the viewfinder - for those of us needing reading glasses, this is a dream! I could go into detail on all the features, but that is just an owner's manual read. It works and easy to control, at least for a right hander (I'm guessing it would be a pain for a leftie.)

I wish they had more controls on the compression - less compression would be nice since in low light the compression artifacts do show up. The 4MPEL image sensor really seems to be a good capture device.

Bottom Line: For a serious amateur, this is a great camera. For a pro, this might take the place of many SLR's. An real amateur can go all automatic and get great pictures and have room to move to better pictures with manual later. It doesn't fit in your pocket, but it takes great pictures!

Jerry

This is the fifth digital camera I have owned. I replaced my Canon IS90 with the Lumix and am pleased I did. I still look longingly at the Nikon D100 6MP and the Canon EOS-10D, but I can't justify the difference in price to compare to the Lumix.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i've give this camera 8 starts if it was possible., April 17, 2004

By 

M. Parra "skaitey" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10S 4MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom (Silver) (Electronics)

This is an amazing camera. I have been researching what camera to buy for the last few months! and I haven't found a camera that comes close to this one.
First of all the camera is big, so if you want a small zoom camera this isn't it. I'd recommend the Panasonic DMC fz1 or the Olympus C-750 models.
This camera comes the closest to perfect for me and what i've wanted in a camera.
Pros:
(1) leica lens (fyi leica makes $2000 cameras, so for this camera to have a leica lens, it's got to be good).
(2) the camera has auto and manual focus, and auto and manual modes so u can either point and shoot or learn to take pix with the more advanced features.
(3) movie mode is very descent and it has good sound.
(4) has a 16:9 ratio for 1 photo size (quality) setting, so u can take a pic and it'll be in widescreen...cool huh?
(5) all the modes on the dial, portrait, night portrait, panning (makes a moving object in sharp while the background is blurry), sports, macro.
(6) battery life is good. lasts pretty much all day.
(7) has this cool flip animation, you can make movies with ur clay figurines, if you'd like!! take a pic of a figurine and move it slightly every time and when done itll convert it into a quicktime movie.
(8) of course, the super ultra yummy zoom! how could i forget that? that's what got me interested in the camera in the first place.
(9) aperture range of the lens is f2.8 throughout the focul range from wide to telephoto.
(10) menus are easy to navigate and quick.
(11) can use conversion lenses for wide and tele.
(12) burst mode, can take 4-5 pics quick.
(13) histogram on play and record mode - good for composition measuring.
(14) turns on in about 2-3 secs after getting lens ready.
(15) great photo quality!!! which is the most important thing!!
(16) creativity for pictures!!!

Now for cons:
(1) of course, price.......but ah well...shouldn't be a con, nice things cost money!
(2) i found that you cannot thread filters to the lens (lens not threaded) so can't protect lens with a (for example a UV filter to leave on permanently.) But can thread filters (72mm) to the lens hood (the camera package includes) which attaches to the lens barrel, (lens hood) roughtly 2-3 inches wide.
(3) and the movie mode.....cant use the zoom!!!! wonder why!?!
(4) extra batteries are expensive, and hard to find at ur local store.

despite these 4 cons i have found in the last 3 months of researching for the perfect zoom camera, this has gotten to the closest i've found.
Also, get a SD card at least 256megs or larger and start shooting away!!!!