Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 – Review – 31

Phil Hanson samples Panasonic’s second Four Thirds camera, now upgraded with the SIGNIFICANT NEW ADDITION OF HD video capture

Panasonic’s Lumix G1 received an enthusiastic review in D-Photo 28, and for good reason. The first Micro Four Thirds camera to reach our shores, it delivered important new features and showed huge promise. Hot on its heels comes the GH1, largely the same camera with the notable addition of HD video.

SPOILT FOR CHOICE

Why two choices? Alluring as glorious 1080 HD may 
be, it eats space on the memory cards and will be 
more than needed for some users’ requirements, 
such as posting to the internet or viewing on small screens.

It’s almost like Panasonic is trying to make up for not offering video on the G1, such is the effort that’s gone into making the GH1 video friendly. For example, although the user can make various settings via menus, the easiest way is just to hit the red button on the camera back near the shutter release, and you’re away under the camera’s automatic control.

Prominent on top of the body is a pair of stereo microphones and a 2.5mm jack for external microphones. Sound is encoded using Dolby Digital Stereo Creator.

DIM THE LIGHTS

It’s the result that counts and the GH1 delivers the goods in both 720 and 1080. The results are among the best I have seen from camera-based video. And thanks to those microphones, sound quality is top class. Video recording is possible in either the AVCHD or Motion JPEG formats, although the full 1920 x 1080 requires the AVCHD setting.

NEW PIECE OF KIT

The test GH1 came bundled with the new G Vario 14-140mm f4-5.8 ASPH image-stabilised lens that was apparently designed with HD video recording in mind, offering continuous, silent auto-focusing and seamless aperture adjustment. Whether for video or still, it’s a classy lens that balances beautifully with the body.

The long zoom range, a 28 to 280mm full-frame equivalent, will be a boon to many, and its only real drawback is the relatively modest maximum aperture. However, image quality is already good wide open. There’s minor vignetting and distortion at the wide end of the zoom — a small price for its overall performance.

THAT VIEWFINDER

Because of its similarity to the G1, this review has been about the GH1’s video abilities. But I can’t resist revisiting the most controversial aspect of Micro Four Thirds — its electronic viewfinder (EVF). Apart from displaying camera setting information, the roles of a viewfinder have been to focus and frame the picture. Today’s autofocus takes care of the first requirement. And an EVF frames the shot as well as ever; the only difference is the way it presents the image to the eye.

Plus, the G1 and GH1 both have a wonderful 3-inch TFT LCD panel that hinges out from the back and adjusts to almost any angle. If only all dSLRs had this feature.

CONCLUSION

The convergence of still and video technology into a single piece of equipment is one of the Next Big Things, and the GH1 is a milestone because of the results it achieves and because it’s such a small, light and compact package.

PANASONIC
 LUMIX DMC-GH1 – SPECS

Manufacturer: Panasonic
Model: Lumix DMC-GH1
Viewfinder: Colour LCD, 
1,440,000 dots
Monitor: Free-angle 3-inch TFT 
LCD, 460,600 dots
Shutter: 1/4000 to 60 seconds, bulb
Aperture: f4-f5.8
ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 
1600, 3200
Shooting Modes: Auto, Scene (Sunset/Party/Baby/Pet), Portrait, Scenery, Sport, Night Portrait
Exposure Metering: Intelligent multiple, centre-weighted, spot
Focus Modes: AF tracking, 23-area, 1-area (selectable), face detection
Media: SD, SDHC
File Format: JPEG, RAW, AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Flash: TTL built-in pop-up
Interface: USB 2.0, composite video out, HDMI video out
Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion
Dimensions: 124 x 84 x 45mm
Weight: 903g with lens, 
battery and card

Contact

www.panasonic.co.nz

PROS

• Good image quality
• Ditto for videos
• A light, compact outfit

CONS

• Limited ‘native’ lenses, accessories
• Maybe the EVF

Design                      18
Performance             18
Features                   18
Image Quality           17
Value for money       16

TOTAL     87/100

This article if from D-Photo issue 31.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 – Review – 30

Harley Ogier dives in to test out a cool-looking waterproof camera.

Panasonic is famous for its Toughbook line of notebook computers designed to military standards. That experience is put to good use in the company’s latest compact digital camera, the rugged DMC-FT1.

Built for action

Cased in an attractive metal shell reminiscent of the Toughbook computer, the DMC-FT1 is water-, shock- and dustproof to recognised industry standards. Sealed hatches protect the battery, memory card and connectors, while folded optics keep the lens assembly entirely within the body and behind a protective outer shell. Altogether this makes for an extremely hardy camera capable of shooting in harsh environments without an additional protective housing.

I gave the DMC-FT1 a test run underwater and it performed admirably. The controls were easy to operate and the screen was clearly visible. Image quality was equal to that of pictures taken on dry land. The camera works in salt water, though a rinse in fresh water is necessary afterwards. If you follow the instructions, you’re unlikely to have any problems shooting at the beach or in the pool.

Shoot fast

Most digital compact cameras have a pronounced start-up delay while they mechanically extend the lens from within the body. Since the DMC-FT1’s lens remains internal, its start-up time is noticeably shorter than average. This is great for spontaneously capturing images, just the thing a ruggedized compact camera is made for.

In keeping with that shoot-from-the-hip mentality, the DMC-FT1 features a dedicated video record button that works in any shooting mode. It means you can switch rapidly between photo and video recording without having to fumble for the mode dial — a potentially difficult task while underwater or hanging from the side of a cliff.

Results

Images taken with the DMC-FT1 are of reasonable quality; colour depth is good and the 28mm (equivalent) wide-angle lens is great for those long New Zealand beaches. However, there’s some noticeable blurring around the edges at that widest zoom level.

The camera’s dynamic range seems quite limited, especially in highly contrasted outdoor shots. An Intelligent Auto shooting mode provides some improvement there, adjusting the camera’s settings to best suit your current environment. While manual options are available in the Normal shooting mode, Intelligent Auto is another convenience feature for the quick-shooting action star who doesn’t have time to worry about exposure compensation or white balance.

Regardless of settings, images do appear a little noisier and slightly blurrier than one would expect of a 12 megapixel camera. That’s not to say resolution has anything to do with image quality, but there’s little point in a 12 megapixel sensor if you end up resizing all of your images down to cut out the noise.

Conclusion

Panasonic’s DMC-FT1 doesn’t take the best pictures in its class. However, many will find this a reasonable trade-off for the camera’s extremely durable and waterproof construction. Underwater housings for existing cameras are available but they are not cheap, so with one built in, you may be getting a better deal that you might think.

If you’re looking for a compact camera to match your active lifestyle, the DMC-FT1 is an excellent option.

Panasonic DMC-FT1 – Specifications

• Manufacturer: Panasonic

• Model: Lumix DMC-FT1

• Effective Pixels: 12.1 million

• Lens: 4.9-22.8mm (35mm equivalent 28-128mm)

• Viewfinder: None

• Monitor: 2.7-inch TFT 
LCD, 230,000 dots, 100% 
frame coverage

• Shutter: 1/1300 to 8 seconds, 
15, 30, 60 seconds

• Aperture: f3.3-f5.2

• ISO: 80-1600 auto, 
1600-6400 selectable

• Shooting Modes: Intelligent 
Auto, Normal Picture, 
Scene, Beach & Surf, Snow, Sports, Clipboard

• Exposure Metering: Intelligent multiple

• Focus Modes: Face, AF tracking, multiple (11-point), 1-point, spot

• Internal Memory: ~40MB

• Media: SD, SDHC, MMC (Still images only)

• File Format: JPEG, AVCHD Lite, QuickTime Motion JPEG

• Flash: Built-in

• Interface: USB 2.0, composite video out, miniHDMI

• Batteries: Rechargeable Lithium-ion, approx 340 images

• Durability: Waterproof (3.0m), dustproof, shockproof (1.5m)

• Dimensions: 98.3 x 63.1 x 23.0mm

• Weight: 184g with battery 
and SD card

Contact

www.panasoniclumix.co.nz

PROS

• Waterproof and durable

• Convenient video recording

CONS

• Average image quality

Design                      17
Performance             18
Features                   18
Image Quality           16
Value for money       16

TOTAL     85/100

This article if from D-Photo issue 30.

Panasonic DMC LZ8 – Review – 24

The latest Panasonic Lumix DMC LZ8 may only be an entry-level compact, but it comes with a big 8.1 million-pixel sensor as well as a 5x optical zoom that covers from 32mm wide-angle to 160mm telephoto. Mix this up with an intelligent auto setting that knows what you are shooting, as well as face detection, and you have a wonderful start to your image making.

Fizzy from the start

It’s not often I open a box and get overwhelmed with the contents, but this little Lumix is wonderful to hold and use. As a first camera this wee minx will do all the work in the intelligent auto setting, and when your confidence and curiosity grow it has aperture and shutter priority as well as full manual control so you can take over.

Intelligence beyond its years

Scene modes are cool. They let you look at what you are shooting and choose the right scene from a list that will suit the situation. There are 19 separate modes to choose from, but for someone who doesn’t know a portrait from a close-up then the intelligent auto will be a godsend, as it selects from Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Night Portrait and Night Scenery, and does it perfectly. It almost makes the need for other scene modes redundant, but this compact will breed inquisitiveness and you’ll want to delve into the array of scenes that include Sport and the long exposure Starry Sky. The Kids and Pets modes let you set the name and date of birth of your babies and pets, then informs you of their age and name each time you take a picture.

Simplified Menus

The LZ8 has a wonderful menu system with a shortcut button that gives you quick access to file size, ISO, white balance, AF mode, burst shooting, image stabilisation and LCD brightness. The default settings are good, but at some stage of using this camera you will want to make adjustments. There is also a zoom shortcut that instantly zooms out to maximum optical zoom with one touch of the button, then maximum digital zoom with a second press, while a third touch will bring the lens back full circle to the wide-angle setting. The zoom control on the shutter release allows you to zoom to where you want in smaller steps.

Inbuilt versus Cards

Having eight million pixels at your disposal will quickly gobble the 20MB of on-board memory, so it makes sense to get a memory card to go with this camera. Even here you have a choice, either SD or SDHC, and with the capability to make decent movies the SDHC card will be the better choice.

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix DMC LZ8 sports a beautiful Leica 5x optical zoom complete with Mega Optical Image Stabiliser, and an 8.1-million-pixel sensor. The intelligent features include intelligent ISO, which automatically detects motion and selects a higher ISO to lessen the chance of camera shake. This entry-level camera can be used as simply as you’d like in the intelligent auto setting, or you can take over completely with full manual exposure. What more could you ask for in a camera?

Specs

• Manufacturer: Panasonic

• Model: Lumix DMC LZ8

• Price: $299

• Effective pixels: 8.1 million

• Lens: 5x optical 5.2-26mm 
 (35mm equiv, 32-160mm)

• Viewfinder: None

• Monitor: 2.5-inch TFT LCD 
 (230,000 pixels)

• Shutter: 60 to 1/2000 sec

• Aperture: f3.3 – f5.9

• ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 
 1600, High Sensitivity Mode: Auto 
 (1600 – 6400)

• Shooting Modes: Program AE, 
 Aperture Priority AE, Shutter 
 Priority AE, Manual, Portrait, 
 Scenery, Sports, Panning, Night 
 Portrait, Self-Portrait, Food, 
 Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, 
 Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, 
 Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby 1&2, 
 Sunset, Pet, High-Speed Burst

• Exposure Metering: Intelligent 
 Auto, Centre Weighted, Spot

• Focus modes: Face, one-point, 
 one-point high speed, three-point 
 high speed, nine-point, Spot

• Media: 20MB onboard memory, SD, SDHC, MultiMediaCard

• File format: JPEG, 
 Motion JPEG AVI

• Flash: In-built

• Interface: USB, A/V output

• Batteries: 2x AA

• Dimensions: 97.5 x 62 x 33.3mm

• Weight: 191g

contact

www.panasonic.co.nz

Pros

• Leica 5x optical zoom starting 
at 32mm

• Big 64mm screen with 
 brightness control

• Clever scene modes as well as 
 manual control

Cons

• AA batteries

• Minimal internal memory

Design                        18
Performance                18
Features                      19
Image Quality              18
Value for money          19

TOTAL     92/100

This review is from D-Photo issue #024.

Panasonic Lumix G1 – Review – 28

Harley Ogier takes the Four Thirds G1 for a test spin and is impressed by its quality pictures

The Lumix G1 from Panasonic is a world first, offering interchangeable lenses in a camera with a purely electronic viewfinder: no mirror, no prism, just Live View taken to the extreme.

The camera uses the relatively new Micro Four Thirds standard for digital compact cameras that was revealed by Panasonic and Olympus last year.

The standard provides equivalent quality to a crop-sensor dSLR, only without the mirror and pentaprism — the arrangement of reflectors that allows a single lens reflex camera to direct light from the lens to either the sensor or viewfinder as required. Removing these elements allows for much smaller designs but prohibits the optical viewfinder central to dSLR cameras.

The Lumix G1 is the first camera to use this standard and boasts a beautiful 1,440,000-dot electronic viewfinder so sharp that it’s hard to see a disadvantage over the optical viewfinder of a more traditional dSLR setup. The contrast and colours aren’t quite perfect, but they do show what the image sensor sees.

Pretty pictures

Image quality is in line with similar dSLR cameras, and far above anything I’ve seen from the digital compact class. Colours appear rich and lifelike in both indoor and outdoor shots. The G1 also displays excellent dynamic range, revealing detail in both dark and light areas of highly contrasted images.

I tested the camera with the optional Lumix 45-200mm OIS telephoto zoom lens (90-400mm in 35mm film terms). Picture quality was brilliant throughout the range and I was able to take some quite decent night shots way out at 200mm. This and the standard Lumix 14-45mm OIS zoom (28-90mm in 35mm terms) are the only lenses currently available but three more will be offered for sale this year.

Control

The G1 is as quick to autofocus as anything else on the market — in fact, I think it’s much faster than your average high-end dSLR can manage in Live View. The lenses can also be manually focused. By default this turns on ‘Focus Assist’, which zooms-in the viewfinder so you can check the focus.

The viewfinder returns automatically to full frame once you’ve stopped turning the focus ring. This isn’t nearly as disorientating as it might sound and allows far tighter control over focus than a traditional dSLR.
Shooting

The only disadvantage I found is the G1’s low frame rate of two to three frames per second (memory card willing). On the other hand, the frame rate is constant: no long pauses after several shots.

Conclusion

Panasonic has created something revolutionary with the Lumix G1. Given the stunning quality of its pilot camera, I expect the Micro Four Thirds standard will easily make headway into the market.

SPECS – PANASONIC LUMIX G1

• Manufacturer: Panasonic
• Model: Lumix G1
• RRP: $1499 (G1 body with Lumix G-VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS zoom lens. Also available as a two-lens kit including the Lumix G-VARIO 45-200mm F4-5.6 OIS zoom lens at $1999)
• Effective Pixels: 12.1 million
• Image Sensor:
• 17.3 x 13.0mm MOS
• Lens: 14-45mm (35mm equivalent 28-90mm)
• Viewfinder: Colour LCD, 1,440,000 dots, 100% frame coverage
• Monitor: Free-angle 3-inch TFT LCD, 460,600 dots, 100% frame coverage
• Shutter: 1/4000 to 60 seconds, bulb
• Aperture: f3.5-f5.6
• ISO: 100-3200
• Shooting Modes: Auto, Scene (Sunset/Party/Baby/Pet), Portrait, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait
• Exposure Metering: Intelligent multiple, centre-weighted, spot
• Focus Modes: AF Tracking, 23-area, 1-area (selectable), face detection
• Media: SD, SDHC, MMC
• File Format: JPEG, RAW
• Flash: TTL built-in pop-up
• Interface: USB 2.0, composite video out, HDMI video out
• Batteries: Rechargeable Lithium-ion, up to 350 images
• Dimensions: 124 x 83.6 x 45.2mm
• Weight: 635g with standard lens, battery and card

Contact

www.panasonic.com

PROS

• Good image quality

• High-resolution viewfinder

CONS

• Low frame rate

This review is from D-Photo issue #028.

Panasonic FZ28 Review – 027

Panasonic has surpassed itself with its latest FZ offering, a camera that has a range of ‘intelligent’ auto options to make taking great pictures even easier. Fraser Kitt says it ticks all the boxes.

Ticking boxes seems to be a daily task, whether it be getting the right milk at the supermarket or finding the most fuel-efficient car. Panasonic has ticked off so many features on my list with its latest super-zoom that I may just have to rethink what I really need in a camera.

Moving experience

The Panasonic FZ28 is not just a flash Harry with its 18x Leica optical zoom, it also has functionality that seasoned digital photographers will lust after.

Call me greedy but I want it all, not just the universal JPEG format but RAW as well and this mega-zoom delivers both.

If you also like to shoot movies then the five different file sizes to choose from will make you happy. For the high-definition enthusiasts the FZ28 offers an HD setting of 1280 x 720 at either 30 or 15fps — you’ll need an SDHC card in the camera to take advantage of this.

Tracking

Focus tracking is a trick you’ll learn to use to make sure your subject is the main focus of the camera. Combine this with continuous shooting and you’ll be rattling off a series of three images at 2.5fps in the largest file size or 5fps when the file size is reduced. This makes shooting children who are playing games so much easier.

Face detection is also fantastic to use and will happily target your subjects and follow them within the frame. It will recognise up to 15 faces, too.

Clever Clogs

Auto Intelligent would have to be one of the best features to ever be included on a camera. Sure, scene modes are a great way of getting the perfect exposure for a certain scene, but having to find them can be a chore.

Put this Lumix into Auto Intelligent setting and it will automatically select from one of five common scenes: Portrait, Scenery, Macro, Night Portrait and Night Scenery. If it detects a person in the shot it chooses face detection to focus perfectly on your subject and give the correct skin tones.

Panasonic has also included intelligent ISO that picks the correct ISO speed to use for the lighting conditions, but the FZ28 also allows you to limit the maximum ISO so that your images aren’t ruined by the enthusiasm of your camera.

The FZ28’s intellect isn’t limited to these few tricks. It also has intelligent exposure with three levels of compensation, which targets highlight and shadow detail and corrects for over or under exposure by altering the ISO in the affected area. Now that is clever.

Superb Lens

The FZ28’s Leica lens is superb. It covers a phenomenal range from 27mm to 486mm that makes it damned near perfect and happily lets you shoot anything from screamingly beautiful vistas to heart-stopping action. My only disappointment was macro photography in low light where it just wouldn’t focus, no matter how hard the low light illuminator worked.

Conclusion

The latest super-zoom from Panasonic is simply wonderful to use thanks to all the auto intelligence. These settings make using this camera extremely simple and the images are reasonable, too.

If you want you can take the moral high ground and use RAW file so you can tinker with exposures after you’ve shot them, and the HD video setting will boost your movie production up a notch or two.

The big 2.7-inch screen is an asset, as is the electronic viewfinder, which is handy to fall back on in bright light. There is so much going for this camera — don’t forget the image stabilizer — that the people at Panasonic really should give themselves a pat on the back.

SPECS:

• Manufacturer: Panasonic

• Model: Lumix FZ28

• Price: $799

• Effective Pixels: 10 million

• Lens: 18x optical 4.8-86.4mm Leica DC Vario-Elmarit (27-486mm in 35mm terms)

• Viewfinder: Colour LCD (201,000 pixels)
• Monitor: 2.7-inch TFT LCD (230,000 pixels)
• Shutter: 60 sec to 1/2000 sec
• Aperture: f2.8-f4.4

• ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, High Sens mode 1600-6400
• Shooting Modes: Intelligent Auto, program, aperture priority, shutter priority, Manual,
• Scene modes: Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Hi-Speed Burst, Flash Burst, Panning, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial Photo, Pin Hole, Film Grain, Motion Picture
• Exposure Metering: Multiple, centre, spot
• Focus Modes: Normal, AF macro, manual, face detection, multi-area focusing, 1 area focus (high speed), 1 area focusing, spot, AF tracking
• Media: 50MB built-in memory, SD, SDHC, MMC (still pictures only)
• File Format: JPEG, RAW, WAV, Quicktime motion JPEG
• Flash: Built-in pop-up flash
• Interface: USB 2.0
• Batteries: Lithium-ion rechargeable
• Dimensions: 117.6 x 75.3 x 88.9mm
• Weight: 417g

Contact:

www.panasonic.co.nz

Pros:

• Intelligent everything
• Sharp lens
• Great ISO range with limiter
• Brilliant battery life

Cons:

Low light macro struggled

This review is from D-Photo issue #027.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Review – 026

Panasonic has produced a camera capable of being the perfect travel companion. The LX3 has a 24mm zoom lens and the ability to shoot RAW files

There are some compelling reasons to own a Lumix LX3. The first would be the divine Leica wide-angle zoom lens. This DC Vario-Summicron may only cover the equivalent of 24-60mm (2.5x) and be built under license by Panasonic, but it has all the hallmarks of a lens fresh out of Germany.

The picture quality is magnificent largely due to the limited zoom range of the lens. The 16:9 aspect ratio is perfect for expressing just how wide 24mm actually is. It will comfortably let you shoot groups and interiors like you would with a dSLR.

RAW attitude

If ever there was an ultimate file format it would have to be RAW. This lets you capture the most image data and then allows for post-production alterations of the picture, letting you adjust white balance, exposure, contrast and sharpness like you were still at the scene.

It will even let you shoot RAW and JPEG at the same time — a handy feature if you need to quickly upload an image to the internet but also need to be able to make subtle adjustments back at the computer.

Easy peasy

The LX-3 may be a weapon in the hands of a professional but all the controls could be a little daunting. For the novice it has IA — intelligent auto — which instinctively knows what type of scene you are shooting.

It then select from five scene modes (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Night Portrait and Night Scenery) to give you the best settings for what you are shooting. This function rocks, even using face detect when it recognises you are shooting people.

Double trouble

There are some clever tricks in this compact and the most interesting of these is double exposure. It enables you to take up to three images on the one frame, allowing you to retake an image as you go through the process.

Take the time to skim through the scene modes to find not only the usual portrait and landscapes but also Pinhole and Film Grain settings. Pinhole gives you a vignette around the edge of the image, while Film Grain makes a black and white image with extra grain to give an aged look. It also has a very good auto-tracking feature that locks on to your subjects and follows them until you finally hit the shutter release.

Conclusion

The ability to slide a bigger flash onto the hot shoe is yet another bonus. The body is beautifully built and the Leica lens is incredibly sharp. Layout is simple and the thumb-controlled jogstick makes navigation a breeze. It has a few foibles that are annoying, such as a nagging desire to up the ISO when you would get a better image using the manually activated flash. Ultimately, I love the 24mm wide-angle lens and the 16:9 picture ratio that emphasises this width. Video fans will love the HD video.

SPECS:

• Manufacturer: Panasonic
• Model: Lumix DMC-LX3
• Price: $899
• Effective Pixels: 10.1 million
• Lens: Leica DG Vario-Summicron 5.1-12.8mm (35mm equivalent 24-60mm)
• Viewfinder: None
• Monitor: 3-inch TFT LCD (460,000 pixels)
• Shutter: 60sec-1/2000sec
• Aperture: f2-f8
• ISO: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 (In Hi Sensitivity mode 1600-6400)
• Shooting Modes: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, Intelligent Auto
• Exposure Metering: Intelligent multiple, spot, centre-weighted
• Focus Modes: Normal/macro, continuous AF, AF/MF switchable, manual, quick AF/MF switchable, continuous AF/MF switchable, one shot AF, AF area select, AF tracking
• Media: 50MB onboard, SD, SDHC
• File Format: JPEG, RAW, Motion JPEG movie
• Flash: Auto, auto redeye reduction, slow sync, forced on/off, flash output adjustment
• Interface: USB
• Batteries: Lithium-ion rechargeable
• Dimensions: 59.5 x 108.7 x 27.1mm
• Weight: 265g

Contact

www.panasonic.co.nz

Pros:

• Wide 24mm zoom lens
• Fantastic build quality
• RAW file + JPEG + HD movie
• 16:9 aspect ratio

Cons:

• Annoyingly ups ISO
• Manual flash
• Limited zoom range

This review is from D-Photo issue #026.

Panasonic TZ1 Review – 012

Clever Lens Design

Panasonic has approached the construction of this 10x optical zoom camera in a different manner. The Lumix DMC-TZ1 uses smoke and mirrors to give the illusion of an ultra compact lens, when in fact the Leica DC Vario-Elmarit incorporates 15 elements in three groups – including three aspheric lenses – that are squeezed into an ‘L’ shape.

The majority of the lens is hidden within the camera body in what is referred to as ‘folded optics’, while the front set of lens elements retract when the camera is switched off. These front elements don’t protrude far from the camera when turned on and only move slightly when zoomed, making the camera extremely easy to keep steady. Panasonic uses its Mega Optical Image Stabiliser, which is neatly tucked inside the camera body.

The Sensitive One

The TZ1 attacks camera shake in two ways. It uses the optical-stabilised gyro system to handle the majority of camera shake, but when the going gets tough, Panasonic brings in the big artillery with a sensitivity range that stretches out to 1600 ISO.

The camera’s normal ISO range goes from 80 to 800, but switch the camera into the Scene settings, select the Hi Sens option and you have the full sensitivity range up to 1600.

The compact size isn’t cluttered with controls and buttons, either, but rest assured you’ll get wonderful pictures each time you push the button. The main control dial lets you select from Movie, Macro, Auto, Playback, Simple and the two Scene settings. The zoom control toggles left and right in front of the shutter release button, while the On/Off button and the anti-shake controls are nestled in this cluster.

The back of the camera is clutter-free too: there’s the sublime 2.5-inch screen, a heap of room for your thumb to rest, and smart placement of the navigation and menu buttons.

Love At First Sight

The Simple mode, symbolised with a cute little heart, is a basic setting that limits the number of functions that are accessible. This makes it easier for you to concentrate on composition.

The body shape is comfortable to hold thanks to the chunky grip that hides the battery and card slot on the right side of the camera. Flip the camera over, and access the battery bay in the bottom and you will find the rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The camera has 14MB of onboard memory, which will be gobbled up very quickly with the camera set at its largest file size. There’s only room for five big files on the in-built memory, but slip in a 512MB card and you’ll be bagging 193 images. The battery is good; ‘under ideal conditions’, whatever that means! – for 260 pictures, so you’d better have a spare battery on hand as well.

Beyond Basics

When you decide to go beyond the Simple mode, you can take advantage of the superb Scene modes. Choose from a staggering 19 different scenes that cover everything from Party to Underwater photography. There’s an optional underwater housing for those winter months that you like to spend in the tropics.

There is only one gripe. When you set a birth date for your child, you can’t set a date earlier than the year 2000. When I inadvertently set my eight-year-old’s birthday at 2097, it said he was 97 years and three months old – oops!

On the plus side, a little animated scene lets you quickly see what it should be used for by using the ‘i’ for information. It gives sound advice too, like using 
a tripod in some situations.

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix TZ1 is already selling well and it’s no wonder. It is different from all the other cameras in this test as it covers such a wide range from 35-350mm, but it is also the best-priced camera here. If you’re looking for a little travel companion and you’re not prepared to take me, then you could find a fun friend in the TZ1.

Lumix DMC L1 Review – 015

The digital SLR category is a fast growing one that also offers manufacturers a welcome shelter from the constant price pressures they face at the lower end of the digital camera food chain. Where once it took over 100 years to truly commoditise the film camera, the point-and-shoot digital has reached this stage within 10 short years.

Unlike their lower-priced siblings, dSLRs are often acquired by consumers for whom the product’s price point tends to be less important than a host of other issues within the decision-making process. The combination of these two factors has seen an explosion of new models from the traditional SLR manufacturers, with Sony and Panasonic being notable new entrants to this area.

Bold Move

Panasonic’s first digital SLR is the Lumix DMC L1. It’s a brave step away from conforming to the norm and will appeal to the serious photographer. But, before we talk about styling and features, let’s first take a look at the background.

Panasonic has been investing heavily in relationships (most notably with Leica and Olympus), and research and development to develop the core technologies and competencies necessary to leapfrog its digital camera business ahead. Some of the milestones along this path include MEGA O.I.S. (optical image stabilisation) and the Venus Engine image processor – the latest versions of both appear in this camera.

The L1 shares a great deal with, yet differs strongly from the Olympus E330, as these cameras were developed in tandem. Both cameras are designed for the Four-Thirds open digital camera system.

As this is not a comparison test, I won’t go to great lengths to explain the differences. Let’s just say that if you’re considering one of these cameras, take a good look at the others before making your decision. They have as many similarities as differences and
a detailed comparison will spin your head off its axis!

A Kit Above The Rest

Leica’s influence is immediately visible from two visual prompts. The camera’s silhouette strongly resembles its M-series rangefinder cameras, yet this is a SLR. The flat top Leica-esque design has necessitated mounting the reflex mirror horizontally in a Porro Prism design. The result? A digital SLR without a prominent pentaprism in the top centre of its body.

Furthermore, the 14–50mm f2.8/3.5 aspherical zoom lens supplied with the camera also bears the Leica name. And don’t ever refer to this as a ‘kit’ lens, as it has none of the hallmarks of one of these optics. It’s not light, slow, inexpensive or compromised. It’s also the world’s first auto focus lens from Leica.

If that’s not enough, it incorporates Panasonic’s optical image stabilisation system to prevent blurred images that result from camera shake. This scans at a rate of 4000 times per second and compensates precisely to extend the user’s ability to hand-hold the camera at slow shutter speeds. As I said, this is no kit lens. L1 buyers will initially be able to supplement this excellent zoom lens from a range of 22 different Four-Thirds standard lenses available from Olympus and Sigma. Panasonic tells us that four other lenses are planned and will follow in time.

What A View!

The build quality is quite superb. The L1 is pleasantly hefty at just over 1000g with the Leica lens fitted and the camera feels like it has been hewn from a block of steel. There is nothing remotely plastic about it and I have to say this is a welcome change from some new cameras that have passed through my hands recently.

Another unusual, but most worthwhile, feature is the Live MOS sensor. This provides a Live View function, permitting the alternate use of the LCD as a large and clear viewfinder in the style of a compact digital. Few dSLRs can perform this trick, which is useful for low-angle, high-angle or surreptitious shooting, where the photographer does not wish to attract attention by bringing the camera up to eye level. Not that anyone could complain about the L1’s optical viewfinder. Once you acclimatise to the fact that it is small and offset to the left-hand side of the camera, the view of the world through it, together with the information it provides, is excellent.

No Fringing

At 7.5 megapixels, the L1 beats a host of competitors offering only six, but it certainly won’t win the pixel count against the new 10-megapixel cameras from Sony, Canon and Nikon. Like all numbers, these only tell part of the story and the files produced by the
L1 are impressive.

The combination of an extremely low-noise CCD and an excellent standard zoom lens results in clear, sharp images devoid of colour fringing or chromatic aberration – despite my attempts to provoke these while testing!

The Venus engine III provides fast start-up at 0.8 seconds, a lag-free shutter release and low power consumption that allows a claimed 450 shots on a single battery charge.

Panasonic Lumix DMC LX2 – Review – 014

When Panasonic introduced this camera’s predecessor, the LX1, it was widely acclaimed for the combination of its 16:9 wide-format CCD and high quality 28mm wide-angle lens. While I never had the opportunity to review that model, I saw images taken by local photographer Paul Sutherland and remember being hugely impressed by the quality, even in large 20×24-inch printed images.

More Desirable

The LX2 retains that wide-lens, wide-format formula but increases resolution with a 10.2-megapixel CCD and ups its desirability factor by adding a larger 2.8-inch LCD screen. Where the previous model was only sold here in silver, the LX2 is also available in a spiffy black finish, which would be my choice if the camera fairy visited.

The Right Direction

Panasonic’s MEGA O.I.S. (optical image stabilisation) system reduces the possibility of blurred images that result from camera shake, and the company’s Venus Engine III image processor intelligently controls and varies ISO and shutter speed depending on the movement of the subject being photographed and the lighting conditions at the time of exposure.

Full manual control of both exposure and focusing is possible via a mini joystick function, which uses directional buttons on the rear of the LX2.

Noise Reduction

A zoom range equivalent to 28-112mm on a 35mm camera offers a great range for everyday use and ideal flexibility for travel photography. 
Three picture formats are available: 16:9, 4:3 and the 3:2 format, producing the ubiquitous 6×4-inch postcard print. Most notable is the reduction in image noise over the LX1. There are two types of noise: luminance noise, which is grey in colour and harder to spot, and chromatic noise, which is easier to see as this is colour noise. Typically noise is apparent as film-like grain or colour artifacts within digital camera images. To the chagrin of LX1 owners, it’s immediately apparent that the LX2 shows significantly less noise than its predecessor.

A Distant View

My only misgiving – and this is not unique to the LX2, as many manufacturers also do this – is that the camera does not have an optical viewfinder as well as the LCD screen. Call me a fuddy duddy, but years of squinting through eye-level viewfinders is a hard habit to break. Holding a camera at arm’s length is less involving, feels less communion-like and is a lot more conspicuous.

Perhaps of greater concern is that even the best and brightest LCDs are still hard to see in bright lighting conditions. I leveled the same criticism at this camera’s closest competitor, the Ricoh GR digital, yet I still like them enormously for their sharp 28mm lenses.

Go Anywhere, Any time

Like the GR, the LX2 is a camera I’d happily pack for a business trip or throw in the car at weekends – just in case. It’s small, fits the hand well and the battery will capture around 300 images on a charge. About the only thing not included in the box is a nice soft case and a large SD card – get yourself one of those 1GB cards and you’re set.

Conclusion

This little Lumix packs a mean punch, producing a big file with sharp, noiseless images that can produce large prints if you manage to capture the shot of the day.

In fact, the LX2’s images will rival many current dSLR cameras. This is high praise and a worthy recommendation to any serious photographer.

Panasonic FZ-50 – Review – 16

If you think big is beautiful then you will love the new Panasonic Lumix FZ-50; it’s physically large, and huge on features. The swivelling screen and colossal zoom range are just two characteristics that will whet your appetite for this 10.1 million-pixel, 12x optical zoom camera.

In 35mm terms the crisp Leica Vario-Elmarit lens extends from 35mm through to a dazzling 420mm. Made by Panasonic under strict controls from Leica, this lens also adopts Panasonic’s own Mega Optical Image Stabiliser lens for sharp images under the toughest lighting.

Panasonic has taken the extra step of also including ISO sensitivity up to 1600 and having a ‘Hi-Sens’ mode in the scene setting for those who don’t understand the pros and cons of upping the ISO. As well as Auto ISO there is Intelligent ISO that raises the sensitivity depending on lighting conditions.

Fast and furious

Speed and accuracy are two attributes of this lens, quickly focusing under any lighting situation and precisely targeting your subject for sharp images almost every time. Should you need to, you can quickly switch to manual focus and use the focus ring.

When shooting at the drift nationals in Taupo, I only had to shift the ISO up to 400 to get sharp images of the racecars in this mad sport. Using the ‘Sport’ setting (one of 12 scene settings) and the continuous Hi shooting mode produced an excellent series of action shots.

The continuous setting lets you rattle off two frames per second, which is all right for playground shots of the kids but it could hardly keep pace with the action 
at the drift racing.

The 2-inch screen, with its 230,000 pixels, is great to use thanks to the swivel-turning motion that lets you reverse it when not in use to help protect it, or spin it into an unusual angle so you can get either a low or high angled shot.

This big bad boy also lets you shoot in either JPEG or RAW formats and comes with included SilkyPix software for editing RAW files on both PC and Mac. Adobe has just released its RAW file converter 3 that lets you edit files from this camera in Photoshop CS2 and Elements 4 and 5. The RAW files are simply fantastic, letting you adjust exposure, white balance and more after a shot has been taken.

Flash bonus

If the built-in flash isn’t doing the job then you can slip a bigger flash on the hot-shoe for more range and power. Panasonic’s DMW-FL28E flash should give you the extra punch you need, with the added benefit of being able to bounce the flash off a ceiling. The built-in flash has a reasonable range that can be extended by juggling the ISO. 
Picture quality is great, as long as you don’t have to alter the ISO higher than 400. Image quality quickly deteriorates with increased noise and a loss of edge detail once you do. Colour is rendered perfectly throughout the lens range and focusing is faultless.

 

Conclusion

This camera is more than just a big zoom with a fantastic image stabiliser, it can make movies and under most conditions it produces wonderful pictures and is only let down when the ISO is pushed up. The Leica lens shines and is the icing on the cake. If you enjoy being able to take control of the exposure but don’t want to carry a multitude of lenses then this chunky monkey could be the camera for you.