When it comes to specifications, the DMC-FS20 offers plenty. It’s a 10.1-megapixel camera with a 1/2.33in CCD. The 4x optical zoom lens has a 5.2-20.80mm focal length, equivalent to 30-120mm on a 35mm camera, and it’s nice to see Panasonic putting a wider-than-average lens on the DMC-FS20.

The 3in LCD screen takes up almost all of the available space

Other features include image stabilisation; face detection; ISO settings ranging from 100-1600; a shutter speed range of 8-1/2000s; image resolutions ranging from 3648 x 2736 to 1920 x 1080 pixels; movies in both 640 x 480 (VGA) and 320 x 240 (QVGA) resolution at 30f/s and 10f/s, respectively; 21 scene modes, including, portrait, pets, sports, baby, night scenery, Starry Sky, which offers a slow shutter speed up to 60 seconds in length; and high speed burst.

Oh, and Panasonic has also included 50MB of internal memory, which is sufficient for storing nine images at the highest resolution, or 20 5MB images.

When it comes to operating the DMC-FS20, it’s pretty easy, because this camera is designed to do everything but press the shutter button for you. In the Intelligent Auto mode, all shooting parameters are taken care of, so it’s just a case of pointing and shooting. In the Normal Picture mode, you can tweak a number of settings, including ISO, white balance and autofocus, but it has to be said that your tweaking is confined to choosing between various pre-sets.

Point it and shoot

We liked the way the DMC-FS20 operated, but there were one or two quirks. The multiple menu options make for a fussy camera, and there are times when you wonder whether you need to press the Mode button, the Menu button or the Quick Menu button to change a particular parameter. And quite why Panasonic has decided to split the scene modes into two lots is a puzzle, especially as you can scroll between the two modes.