The Panasonic DMC LS80 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens. Zoom can be increased to a maximum of 4.8x when shooting at low resolutions. 4x digital zoom is available as well.

The focal length of the lens is equivalent to 33 - 100mm in 35mm format. The aperture works in the range Wide: F2.8 / F8.0 and Tele: F5.1 / F14.

• Special resolution for widescreen television playback
• Special resolution for 6 x 4 inch prints
• Image stabilisation
• Self timer
• Colour options - Standard, Natural, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm

In macro mode the DMC LS80 can focus from 5cm away from your subject.

The 2.5 inch LCD screen is made up of around 230,000 pixels. It also has a high angle mode. This makes it easier to see the screen if you need to hold the DSC LS80 above eye level to take a photo.

The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 6.3m when the zoom is not being used. This reduces to 3.1m when the zoom lens is in use. The flash modes are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On and Forced Off.

The scene modes available to you are: Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-Portrait, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby 1&2, Sunset, Pet and Hi-Speed Burst.

Panasonic are one of the only brands to offer a special widescreen television, movie mode (resolution 848 x 480 pixels). Sound can be recorded. The top recording speed is 30 frames per second and zoom can be applied before recording starts.

A few more advanced features you can use are ISO sensitivity (Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode : Auto(1600 - 6400) ) ), exposure compensation (1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV), white balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set (Selectable at Portrait, Soft Skin,Self-Portrait, Sports, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity, and Highspeed Burst mode)) and bracketing (+/- 1/3 EV ~ 1EV step, 3 frames).

In starry sky mode the maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds. In all other modes shutter speeds work in the range 8 - 1/2,000 seconds.

There is a burst mode that allows you to capture up to 7 photos at a top speed of 3 frames per second. A slower consecutive shooting mode is also available. This allows you to shoot continuously until the memory card is full.

All the necessary cables and software are supplied to attach the Panasonic DMC LS80 to a computer, television set and compatible printer. Panasonic DMC LS80

Description:	8 megapixels with a 3x optical zoom
Ease of Use:	9
Features:	8
Colour:	8
Macro:	8
Indoors:	7
Value for Money:	8
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	8
Image Quality:	7
Build Quality:	8
Total:	79
Verdict:	This camera outperforms many cameras with a similar specification and price tag. It really comes into its own with its ease of use. You will also find one or two features that are not normally associated with entry level cameras such as image stabilisation and widescreen movies.
Review Date:	May 2008
Click for:	Specification Sample Images Features

Camera	Rating
Canon Powershot A580	82
Canon Powershot A470	81
Olympus FE-360	81
Olympus FE-20	81
Olympus FE-370	81
Samsung Digimax S760	79
Panasonic DMC LS80	79
Sony DSC S730	77

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 LS80