THE JOYS OF A NEW CAMERA

extracted from http://it.asia1.com.sg/reviews/cameras/dig002_20050524.html

Twin wonders
Digital Life 24/05/2005
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 , $519

FIRST LOOKS
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 digital camera straddle between the pocket-sized models and mid-range compacts. The four-megapixels LZ1 has a few tricks up their sleeves to make them one of the top runners in this category.

WORKING IT
I'm particular about the time it takes to focus the image sharply, especially in the longest zoom position of 222mm. Here, shutter lag is kept to a minimum with the improved Venus Engine Plus. I was able to take three consecutive shots in high-speed burst mode in the highest resolution with the LZ1 .

I have come to rely on the Mega OIS image stabiliser circuitry to give me at least a two stop advantage in taking shots in dim, low light conditions. Regardless of the zoom setting, the technology was able to get me crisp images.

As with the other models, you can set one of two modes depending on your shooting style. Mode 1 will continuously monitor the camera for shaky hands and adjust appropriately. In the Mode 2 setting, the image stabiliser will only be called to action upon pressing the shutter release.

The f/2.8 to f/4.5 Lumix DC Vario lens is clean and sharp throughout the zoom range and displays no visible purple fringing due to chromatic aberration. Colours are accurate, bright and true-to-life.

The LZ1/2 also makes a nice travel camera as it uses standard off-the-shelf pair of AA batteries. With the NiMH batteries reaching 2500mAH, I am sure it packs enough juice for a full day's shooting. I did not fully test the pair of Oxyride batteries, but it still showed two full bars after pumping over 100 shots.

LAST SAY
I cannot find any fault in the Lumix LZ1. Recommended for beginners as well as seasoned photographers. - M.K. Wong

Editorial Review:
Product DescriptionMEGA Optical Image Stabilizer Helps Eliminate Blurry Pictures Jitter from shaky hands is one of the main reasons why cameras produce blurry images. We don't expect everyone to have hands of stone when taking pictures, that's why Lumix cameras help solve the problem of unsteady hands with advanced MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer technology. The DMC-LZ1 has a built-in gyrosensor that detects any hand movement and relays a signal to a tinymicrocomputer inside the camera, which instantly calculates the compensation needed. A linear motor then shifts the Optical Image Stabilizer lens as necessary to guide incoming light from the image straight to the CCD. You won't even notice it working, all you'll see are the outstanding results! 6x Optical Zoom in a Compact Body Use the 6x optical zoom together with the 4x digital zoom to enjoy up to 24x zoom power, which approximates a 888 mm zoom lens on a 35mm camera, with a body size as compact as an ordinary 3x optical zoom camera. Snap Off Consecutive Shots at 4 Frames per Second! You can take up to 7 images in Standard Mode and 4 images in Fine Mode with fullresolution. In addition, the Unlimited Consecutive Shooting2 function lets you continue shooting until the memory card or built-in memory is full. All this is made possible by the Venus Engine Plus, which reduces power consumption by about50% compared with our previous Venus Engine.