The Panasonic DMC LS1 is a standard point and shoot digital camera. Its main attraction is its ease of use. Therefore it is likely to appeal to anyone who enjoys taking photographs, but would like a camera that they could just pick up and use. It can handle all the normal social photo opportunities such as holiday snaps, parties and get togethers, plus shots for the family album. The DMC LS1 is a four megapixel model with a three time optical zoom lens.
Image Quality
All in all I was very happy with the set of test photos produced by the DMC LS1. The highlights were the portrait shots, both indoors and outdoors. Areas where the camera could have performed better were in the colour and lowlight tests.
Running through the test shots starting with the outdoor scenic shots you will see that this camera copes well with this type of photo. The shots are sharp and clear. There is a loss of detail in the darkest areas of the shot, but this is a common problem with more or less all consumer level models. On the whole colours are handled well, especially for trees and bushes. I would like to have seen more depth of colours in the sky. This is an issue that shows up in the dedicated colour test where I would normally expect to see deeper colours, especially blue.
Both portrait shots come out very well. This is most impressive indoors where cameras in this price bracket tend to struggle. The DMC LS1 manages to rise above these problem and produces a well lit shot. Normally cameras find it hard to focus in these conditions, but there are no problems here. The camera also copes well with red eye and the test picture is completely clear of it. The outdoor portrait is also pleasing and shows natural skin colours.
I like the macro photo and this bodes well for close up shots. It managed to produce a clear photo that brings out the detail well.
Rounding off the test shots is the photo of bottles taken in more or less complete darkness. In these conditions the camera does find it difficult to focus properly, although the photo is well lit.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. A constant criticism of digital cameras is the delay in between clicking the shutter button, the picture being taken and also the camera being ready to take the next picture. From a pure shutter lag view the DMC LS1 took a picture and recorded it in 1.09 seconds. This is a slow time.
In terms of recycling times I was able to take five pictures in the space of 12.58 seconds. That works out at a rate of 2.52 seconds per picture. I am not claiming that this is the most scientific tests, but it should give you an indication of the recycling speed of the camera. This is a slightly slower than average time. My test is carried out indoors under standard conditions and it is possible that you would see better results outside.
Shutter lag is often a problem with digital cameras in this price range. Even so I would have liked to see the DMC LS1 clock a faster time.
Features
The three times optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 35-105mm in 35mm format. Built into the lens is an image stabiliser. This can help to reduce the likelihood of camera shake when you are taking a shot. The optical zoom is backed up by a four times digital zoom. For close up work there is a macro mode that can get you in as close as 5cms.
For composing images there is a 2" LCD screen. This is also used for accessing the menu system. There is a facility to adjust the brightness of the screen. This can come in particularly handy on very sunny days when the screen is hard to see. There is no viewfinder.
The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 4.2m. This drops down to 2.4m when the optical zoom is in use. The flash modes you can use are Auto, Auto with Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync. With Red-eye Reduction, Forced On and Forced Off.
Supporting the automatic mode are a number of preset scenes. These help the camera to take the best possible shot in the conditions. The scenes available are Portrait, Night Portrait, Sports, Scenery, Night Scenery and Fireworks.
For when you would like to appear in the picture there is a self timer that can be set to either a two or ten second delay. To change the colour of the picture there are settings for Cool, Warm, Black and White and Sepia. To help get the shot right there is also a histogram.
You can shoot silent movies with the DMC LS1. The duration of each movie is only limited by the capacity of the memory card. The maximum resolution is 320x240. The top recording speed is 30 frames per second.
Among the more advanced features are ISO sensitivities between 64 and 400, exposure compensation (1/3 EV step, -2 - +) intelligent multiple light metering, shutter speeds between 8 and 1/2000 seconds, plus bracketing (+/- 1/3 EV -1EV step, 3 frames). There are white balance settings for Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Halogen and White Set. There is also white balance adjustment available. The camera also has a continuous shooting or burst mode.
Panasonic supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the DMC LS1 to a computer, television set and a PictBridge compatible printer.
Ease of Use
The DSC LS1 is a straightforward digital camera. There is a control dial on the top of the camera. You use this to select the shooting mode. For example still images or movies. There are buttons on the back of the camera controlling flash mode, self timer and for accessing the menu system. The menu system itself is easy to understand, but if you are confused by the options available you can switch the camera to Simple Mode and the menu options are cut down to the bare necessities.
Cost
You can pick up a Panasonic DMC LS1 for around £135. This compares to around £100 for a Fuji Finepix A345, £120 for a Nikon Coolpix 4600 and £125 for a Sony DSC S40. The DMC LS1 is more expensive than its rivals listed here. You are paying for better picture quality then you will find with the Fuji and Nikon models, so in many ways it is a choice between this camera and the Sony DSC S40.
Style
This is a typical shiny, silver, rectangular digital camera. It is made out of plastic as are just about all models in this category. The 2" LCD screen is a good size, but it is a shame that a viewfinder couldn't be squeezed in as well. The camera has dimensions of 93.5 x 63 x 30.7 mm and weighs in at around 142g.
Batteries and Memory Card
Power is supplied by two AA batteries. To keep running costs down it may be worth considering using rechargeable batteries. The camera has a special economy mode that helps to conserve the battery. You can place the camera in economy mode by using the dial on the top of the camera. The only noticeable difference to you is that the LCD screen dims.
Panasonic has built 14mb of memory into the DMC LS1. I was able to take eleven photos before the memory was full. Therefore you need to pick up a high capacity memory card to go with the camera. It is compatible with SD memory cards.
Click here to save money on SD cards.
Points I like:
Overall picture quality
Indoor portrait shot
Simple mode for ease of use
Where it is not so hot:
Noticeable shutter lag.
No viewfinder
Summary
The Panasonic DMC LS1 scores highly in terms of all round picture quality. It is also very easy to use and even has a simple mode to make it even more straightforward. This camera is a good choice for anyone looking for a no fuss four megapixel digital camera.
Panasonic DMC LS1 Front View
Panasonic DMC LS1 Back View
Panasonic DMC LS1 Top View
Sample Menus
| Panasonic DMC LS1 Summary |
| Description: | Four megapixel digital camera with a three times optical zoom lens. |
| Ease of Use: | 10 |
| Features: | 7 |
| Colour: | 7 |
| Macro: | 8 |
| Indoors: | 8 |
| Value for Money: | 8 |
| Style: | 7 |
| Movie Mode: | 7 |
| Image Quality: | 8 |
| Build Quality: | 7 |
| Total: | 77 |
| Verdict: | The Panasonic DMC LS1 scores highly in terms of all round picture quality. It is also very easy to use. This camera is a good choice for anyone looking for a no fuss four megapixel digital camera. |
| Review Date: | July 2005 |
| Click for: | Sample Images |
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