Immortalize your son's next soccer match with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20

It is so easy to feel lost when choosing the right camera to buy. Browsing through the arsenal of cameras at any store, you will find a wide variety of choices that will almost certainly leave you in an electronic comatose.

Light weight, zoom compact and stylish point and shoot cameras are flooding the electronics market meeting the growing demands of consumers.

For a camera novice, all cameras look alike and seem to have the same features. However, within a camera family, like Panasonic, each model caters for a different crowd, varying slightly to focus on the differing needs.

One of the more popular choices for quick nice snapshots and ease of use is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. In its press release, it was stated that, "The step-up FH20 will be attractive for sophisticated digital camera users who want a longer zoom, perhaps to take photos of their kids playing sports."

The longer zoom will allow you take take close-up shots of your son playing soccer whilst maintaining its superior quality and still reserving your seat at the soccer field.

Major Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 features:

* 28mm wide angle 8x optical zoom, effective 14.1 megapixels LUMIX DC Vario lens

* Sonic Speed AF

* Fast Start-Up time

* Venus Engine IV, Higher Image Quality with Advanced Signal Processing

* Extended Battery life (approx. 300 shots on a single charge)

* iA Mode (Intelligent AUTO)

* MEGA OIS (optical image stabilizer) Shake Detection

* HD Movie Recording

* Touch Screen feature

* Built-in memory 40MB (expandable to 2GB)

The reason people like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 so much is because of its slim and portable design; its extended battery life; and its easy-to-learn handling. It is highly convenient to bring along anywhere, and does not take up space.

Images produced are crisp and vibrant with its 14.1 megapixel resolution along with a powerful 8x optical zoom lens (35mm camera equivalent: 28-224mm).

Besides its resolution and optical zoom option, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 has a 28mm wide angle lens that allows more subjects to be captured in an image. This is usually perfect for landscape photography and the like.

It also has the capability of recording videos in HD with 1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps in Motion JPEG Format. Lastly, the iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode is the most outstanding feature of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. This function allows the camera to intelligently choose the most appropriate settings for the user depending on the situation or shooting condition.

Even beginners can take outstanding images because of this. There are a few disadvantages to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. In some cases, it has been observed that its performance in low light areas or indoors is a bit unsatisfactory if you are at a distance. Images tend to appear grainy.

It has also been noted to have the same disappointing performance when it comes to taking outdoor photos during a cloudy day. Another complaint that one or two users have mentioned is that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 cannot zoom in once it starts recording videos. It can zoom in prior to recording, but the moment it starts recording, the option is locked out.

Then again, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 is not meant to be a substitute for a camcorder, and has more dedicated features for taking images of great quality. Lastly, it has been mentioned as a minor qualm that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 only stores images in JPEG format.

Nevertheless, the misgivings of this model do not affect its overall quality; and the majority of its owners have been pretty happy with it.

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