Announced at the end of July 2004, the DMC-FZ3 is part of the third generation of 'super zoom' cameras from electronics giant Panasonic. Like its predecessors (and the simultaneously announced DMC-FZ20) the FZ3 sports a Leica-branded DC Vario-Elmarit zoom with a whopping 12x optical range (35-420mm equiv) and a constant F2.8 aperture. It also boasts a newly-improved optical image stabilisation system and the Venus II engine, which, according to Panasonic's documentation, is now equivalent to shooting at 3 or 4 shutter speed steps faster - (the figure for the FZ20 was quoted as 2 or 3 shutter speed steps).



Link: DP Review