Panasonic DMC LZ1 Review

The Panasonic DMC LZ1 is a four megapixel digital camera. The feature that makes it stand out from the crowd is its 6x optical zoom lens. This is twice the standard length. It is a very easy to use model and the DMC LZ1 is very reasonably priced when you take into account its lens size. It is likely to appeal to anyone who is looking for a straightforward point and shoot digital camera with increased zoom capabilities.

This camera also has optical image stabilisation to help combat blur caused by camera shake.

Apart from one shot I was delighted with the quality of the images I was able to take with the DMC LZ1. For a camera in this price range the overall standard is very good indeed. Looking through the images there were two points that really stand out. The first one is the sharpness of each shot and the second one is the vibrant colours the camera managed to produce.

Image sharpness and colour are probably best illustrated by the outdoor scenic shots. The greens and blues in the pictures are really vibrant. Another point worth mentioning about the clarity of each shot is the fact that the pictures are sharp right up to the edge. With some cameras focusing tends to fade as you move away from the centre of the camera. For a four megapixel camera the resolution and detail the camera is able to capture is excellent.

There is one area where the camera does lose some of the detail though. This is in the very bright, white areas. This is a weakness many other cameras suffer from as well. I found the extra capacity of the zoom lens over more standard cameras came in really handy.

The outdoor portrait shot is pretty standard of its type and there is not much to report. It was taken at a time of year where the colder weather drives a lot of the warmth out of the picture. I tried using the flash to brighten the image up, but felt this overcompensated and produced an image that was too bright. Therefore the sample image you will see is without the flash as I consider this to be the better photo.

The indoor portrait is one of the best I have managed to produce in terms of sharpness and detail. It is well lit too and indicates indoor shots in fair light should not be a problem. The shot does show a degree of red eye though.

The indoor shot of bottles taken in more or less total darkness proves to be the disappointment of the set. Despite a number of attempts I was unable to get the camera to focus properly. I put this down to the lack of an Auto Focus (AF) Illuminator. Out of the indoor shots I always pay more attention to the portrait shot as this is the type of shot and conditions you are likely to encounter on a more regular basis.

The test for colour comes out as I would expect it to. The colours are strong without being overdone. They have a pleasing, natural feel to them.

The macro shot is another I think is comparable with the best I have taken. Again it is a very sharp image and suggests this camera would be more than capable of taking shots you could use for online auction sites.

Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. With digital cameras there can be a delay between clicking the shutter button and the photo being captured. This can lead to missing the picture you wanted. Shutter lag is a major problem if you are taking shots of moving subjects such as animals, sports scenes and children.

I was able to take a single shot in 0.45 seconds and five shots in 10.30 seconds. For a single shot this is not one of the fastest cameras I have reviewed and this time puts it below average. Therefore I would like to save seen a faster time.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The 6x optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 37-222mm in 35mm format. This is supported by a 4x digital zoom function. The lens has aperture ranges of F2.8 / F5.6 (wide) and F4.5 / F9 (tele). For close up photography there is a macro mode that allows you to focus from 5cms away from the subject.

There is a 2" LCD screen. This is used for composing and reviewing images as well as accessing the menu system. The screen is made up of around 85,000 pixels. You can display a variety of useful information on the screen including a battery warning indicator, space left on the memory card, gridlines to help you line up the shot and a histogram to help with exposure levels. The brightness of the LCD can be adjusted. This can be useful in lowlight situations and on bright sunny days. There is no viewfinder.

The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 4.2m. This drops down to around 2.6m when the zoom lens is fully extended. The flash modes available to you are automatic, red eye reduction, slow sync, always on and always off.

There are a number of shooting modes to try. The default mode is automatic. In this mode all you need to do is line up your shot and take the picture. You also have access to a full range of menu options. If you find the menu confusing in any way you can switch to easy mode. The camera will perform the same way it does in automatic mode, but you are presented with a cut down version of the menu showing you only the most important items. Another mode almost identical to automatic is economy mode. In this mode the camera saves battery power by reducing the brightness of the LCD screen.

To help you take the best possible shot in differing situations there are a small number of scene modes available. All you need to do is select the most appropriate scene. The camera will then decide the optimum settings to use. The available scenes are portrait, sports, scenery/landscape, night scenery, night portrait, fireworks, party and snow. Help text is available in scene mode to explain how to best use each type of scene.

For when you would like to appear in the picture yourself there is a self timer. The delay can be set to either two or ten seconds.

There are a selection of picture effects available. These give you the opportunity to be a little creative with your photography. You can shoot in black and white or sepia. There are also cool and warm settings available to you. The colour levels can be adjusted to standard, natural or vivid.

The movie mode is a bit limited. The maximum resolution is 320x240 and the top frames per second speed is thirty. Zoom is disabled in movie mode and there is no microphone to record sound. The duration of each movie is only limited by the capacity of the memory card.

Among the more advanced features are intelligent multiple light metering, ISO sensitivity (auto, 64, 100, 200 and 400), white balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Halogen, White Set and White Balance Adjustment) and exposure compensation (1/3 EV step, -2 - +2 EV). Shutter speeds range between 8 and 1/2000 seconds.

Burst shooting and continuous shooting are available. For burst shooting you can take a maximum for seven photos at a rate of four frames per second. When I tested this I must admit I was unable to get anywhere near taking four frames in a second. In continuous shooting mode the number of shots you can take is only limited by the space available on the memory card, but photos are captured at a slower speed than in burst mode.

Panasonic supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the DMC LZ1 to a television set, computer and PictBridge compatible computer.

This camera scores highly for ease of use. As with all the Panasonic cameras I have tested I found the menu system to be among the most straightforward I have used. On the top of the camera you will find a control dial. This is used to set the shooting mode. Shooting modes include automatic, easy, movie mode, photo review, economy mode and scene mode. On the back are buttons to control flash and the self timer. You should find more or less everything you need at your fingertips.

You can pick up a Panasonic DMC LZ1 for around £125. This compares to around £135 for a Fuji Finepix S3500, £192 for a Pentax SVi and £155 for a Panasonic DMC LZ2.

At £125 this camera offers excellent value for money. The zoom lens is twice as long as standard and when you take into account ease of use and picture quality this camera really is a bit of a bargain.

The DMC LZ1 looks a lot like many other digital cameras. It is a standard rectangular box shape and is a shiny silver colour. The body is made of plastic. There is a small grip on the front to help you hold the camera steady when you are taking a shot. With dimensions of 100.5 x 63.5 x 32.9mm and weighing 178g it is too large to fit easily into a pocket, but with a case it is no big deal to carry around with you.

Two AA batteries are required to run the camera. Panasonic estimates you should be able to take around 215 pictures with the DMC LZ1 before the batteries need to be changed.

Images are stored on SD cards. There is no card supplied with the camera as there are 14MB of storage built into the camera. I was able to take eight shots using the default settings before the memory became full. Therefore it makes sense to buy a high capacity card to go with your camera. Click here to save money on SD cards..

Ease of use
Outdoor picture quality
Longer optical zoom
Layout and design
Value for money

No viewfinder
Below average shutter lag time

If you do not want to spend a fortune on a digital camera, but you are still looking for image quality then buy the Panasonic DMC LZ1. It is rare that I make such a recommendation for a camera, but at this price I think the camera is an absolute steal. It is so easy to use and is certainly worth the money.

Panasonic DMC LZ1 Front View

Panasonic DMC LZ1 Back View

Panasonic DMC LZ1 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Panasonic DMC LZ1