Harman-Kardon FZ20 User Manual

Take the shake out of every shot.

Good-Bye Hand-Shake!

MEGA O.I.S.

OFF

Blurry zoom shots Blurry shots in dimly lit rooms

MEGA O.I.S.

ON

Fast, precise image stabilisation.

MEGA O.I.S.

(Optical Image Stabiliser)

LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT Lens

ED Lens

Aspherical Lens

MEGA O.I.S.

*The lens structure shown here is an artist's image.

Aspherical Lens

Showing the FZ20 lens structure*

High-Sensitivity CCD

Venus Engine II LSI

Hand-Shake Ruins More Photos Than Anything Else

Has this ever happened to you? Just as your baby struck the cutest smile, or the 1st place runner stepped over the finish line — you caught it all in a
photograph, only to find out later that it was totally ruined by blurring. This can destroy even the greatest shots. Many people think it's due to poor
focusing, but the real problem is hand-shake.

Several Reasons Why Hand-Shake Happens

Digital cameras are wonderfully light and compact, but that also makes them shake more easily when you press the shutter button. In fact, even larger
models that are easier to hold can shake when you're using a powerful zoom setting. Compared to shooting with a tripod, handheld zoom shots often
contain considerable jitter. And there's even more to think about. Since you're often using the camera's LCD monitor instead of a viewfinder to frame your
shots, you hold the camera farther away from your body. Even a pro finds it difficult to avoid hand-shake with this posture.

Hand-Shake Is Hiding Just About Everywhere

There are so many shots that lend themselves to hand-shake – like ones you take in the spur of the moment, in a dimly lit room, with only one hand, at
night, or with your zoom – and it is so sad to see important shots come out blurry.

04

Blurry macro shots Blurry spur-of-the-moment shots Blurry shots of night scenery

Advanced Panasonic Technologies Take Out the Shake

Jitter from shaky hands is far and away the biggest single cause of blurry shots. LUMIX cameras help solve this problem with advanced MEGA O.I.S.
(optical image stabiliser) technology. A built-in gyrosensor detects any hand-shake and a signal is relayed to a high precision control circuit built into the
Venus Engine II LSI, which instantly calculates the compensation needed. A linear motor then shifts the O.I.S. lens as necessary to guide incoming light
from the image straight to the CCD. Panasonic's highly evolved Venus Engine II LSI makes this process even faster and more accurate. This helps extend
the MEGA O.I.S. correction range all the way to 3 or 4 steps below (slower than) the shutter speed that is generally considered to be the limit for handheld
shooting, which is calculated by the formula "1/focal length (1 divided by the focal length)." In addition to giving you clear, sharp shots, MEGA O.I.S. also
expands your shooting possibilities.

The O.I.S. lens is driven by a linear
motor, providing quick, precise
optical correction for the hand­shake detected by the gyrosensor.

Two Image Stabilisation Modes to Meet Different Shooting Needs

In new LUMIX models there are two different O.I.S. modes to meet different shooting needs. This image stabilisation system is a Panasonic original. It was
developed to help compensate for camera movement, but its main goal is to achieve the highest possible image quality in the resulting photo. MEGA O.I.S.
helps you get the clearest shots possible.

Compensates for jitter all the time.

Mode 1

In this mode, image stabilisation
is continuously on. It helps you
to compose shots in the LCD
monitor and to see the focusing
condition more clearly.

O.I.S. lens moves

continuously.

Maximum correction for higher quality images.

Mode 2

This image stabilisation mode, a Panasonic original, was
developed to help you obtain some of the clearest
photographs possible, despite unintentional hand-shake. It
corrects the image the moment you press the shutter button,
providing maximum compensation in all directions. Since the

O.I.S. lens remains near

the image centre until you shoot.

light is received near the centre of the lens, this mode gives
you clearer, sharper pictures and higher resolution.

05

High-speed response gets the shot, in real-life colours.

Hello Vivid Memories!

High-speed, high-precision
image processing LSI.

Venus Engine II

High-Resolution Processing with Minimal Colour Bleeding

In the previous generation of LUMIX models, we improved diagonal
resolution by 50% over earlier models by extracting luminance signals
from all of the pixels – red, green and blue. Our new LUMIX cameras
go a step further. By further adding the luminance signal from the
green pixels in areas with horizontal and vertical lines, we have raised
horizontal and vertical resolution by 10% compared to the former
Venus Engine while preserving the superb diagonal resolution. The
result is fine, detailed image rendering with no colour bleeding.

Venus Engine II

Previous type

*Images are simulated and are provided to show the nuances in feature performance.

Adding to the Beauty with Digital Processing

The many advantages of the Venus Engine II extend even into the optical
area to raise the limits of lens performance. The digital correction
capability of this advanced LSI corrects colour aberration in telephoto
shots and vignetting, which are inherent in every optical lens. This
combines with the high optical precision of the Leica DC lens to achieve
even higher image quality. In
addition, the Soft Skin Detail
function detects skin areas and
activates a low-pass filter and digital
toning process to improve
complexions when shooting portraits.

Natural, True-to-Life Colour

Our new 12-axis independent colour
adjustment achieves more precise
colour reproduction than the conventional
4-axis (red, green, yellow and blue)
adjustment.

2R-G-B

R-GR-B

34

R+B-2GR+G-2B

B+G-2R

2

1

B-GG-B

127

2B-R-G2G-R-B

118

109

B-RG-R

5

6

Super-Fast Shutter Response

We slashed the shutter release time lag to about 0.006 second
minimum by increasing both the circuit speed itself and the point at
which the shutter release signal is detected. We also shortened the
shutter interval to around 0.3 second minimum*. These improvements
help make LUMIX extremely quick and responsive, a camera that's
truly a pleasure to use.

Press the shutter button

Venus Engine II

Shutter interval 0.3 second*Release time lag 0.006 second

Previous type

*Not including the
time for AF.

Shutter response figures vary depending on the model.

Shutter interval 1 second*Release time lag 0.1 second

Take a Series of Shots Sufficiently

The Venus Engine II offers fast, consecutive shooting at 3 or 4 frames
per second* with full resolution. The new Unlimited Consecutive
Shooting function** lets you keep on shooting until the memory card is
full. You can take a series of shots, then choose the one you like best
and delete the rest.

*4 frames per second for FZ3 (Max. 13 images in Standard mode) and FX2 (Max. 10 images in
Standard mode). 3 frames per second for FZ20 and FX7 (Max. 7 images in Standard mode).
**Depending on memory card size, battery power, picture size, and compression. The
consecutive shooting speed varies depending on the memory card.

A Choice of Auto-Focus Distance Metering Methods

The auto focus (AF) system in new LUMIX models goes well beyond conventional
1-point and spot distance metering. It adds 3-point metering that prevents the
system from mistakenly focusing on the area between two subjects, and 9-point
metering that helps assure proper focusing no matter how the subject is framed.
The 3-point metering mode also focuses more quickly, making it easier to get
clear, sharp shots of a subject moving horizontally.

1-Point AF 3-Point AF 9-Point AF Spot AF

06

Heir to a tradition of excellence.

Leica DC Lens

The Elmarit and Summicron lenses made by Leica Camera AG are highly acclaimed. Some of the same cutting-edge technologies

that make these lenses so exceptional have been adapted to the digital camera. The LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT and LEICA DC
VARIO-SUMMICRON – two lenses that follow in the Leica tradition of excellence. Although small in size, they have a large, bright
aperture, meeting the stringent quality standards established by Leica.

Minimal Spherical Aberration

The use of several aspherical lenses virtually eliminates spherical aberration. The result is extremely precise image rendering
with minimal distortion, even in wide-angle shots.

Sharp Resolution All the Way to the Edges

Even enlarged images captured with a Leica DC lens are crisp and clear right to the edges.

Less Flare or Ghosts

A Leica multi-coating process applied to the lens helps to prevent the fogging caused by flare and ghosts that can result from excessive light.

*Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.
The Leica DC lenses are manufactured using measurement instruments and quality assurance systems that have been certified by Leica Camera AG based on the company’s quality standards.

07

-K (Black)

-S (Silver)

MEGA Optical Zoom

F

5

Megapixels

12

MEGA Optical Image Stabiliser

*Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.
The Leica DC lenses are manufactured using measurement instruments and quality assurance systems that have been certified by Leica Camera AG based on the company’s quality standards.

Z

x Optical Zoom (48x with Digital Zoom)

20

09