1. 4 MP CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 11 x 15-inch prints
2. 6x image-stabilized optical zoom; 2.0-inch LCD display
3. Records 320 x 240-pixel motion video ( QuickTime motion jpegs) without sounds; movie length limited only by memory capacity
4. 14MB built-in memory
5. Stores images on SD memory cards; powered by 2 AA-size batteries

Editorial Review :

Jitter from shaky hands is one of the main reasons why cameras produce blurry images. Panasonic does not 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 tiny microcomputer 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!

Customer Review :

Good camera with a flaw

I bought this camera on the strength of other people's reviews. It does take good pictures and the optical stabilizer is great. However, I found that the lack of a viewfinder made it impossible to compose pictures in bright sunlight. This is my first digital camera, and I didn't realize what a problem it would be. I'm used to SLRs. I returned the camera and bought an Olympus C5500. It was a little more money but is WAY more versatile. I do miss the stabilizer, though.

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AMAZING!

I've known what I wanted in a digital camera for several years:
1. Fast shutter release (my Canon S-200 takes 3+ sec., 5+ flash).
2. Small and light (for backpacking, travel).
3. Point and shoot zoom(5X plus with image stabilization).
4. 4+ megapixel, under $250.
5. No proprietary batteries, 2 AA preferred.

Up until now, nothing has come close. Then I read in Business Week that the LZ1 and LZ2 had become the best selling cameras in Japan within several months of their introduction. No independant reviews were available (even CNET) so I bought the LZ1 on the strength of it's technical spec's and my previous experiences with Panasonic products.

I took the LZ1 to the rodeo several days ago to test it under demanding conditions. I used the "sports" setting and burst mode(four exposures in about 1 1/2 seconds under those circumstances), all freehand. The results were stunning! No noticeable shutter lag, no blurry or out of focus pictures, all action frozen. Simply put: point, shoot, you got it!

Notes: Actual weight with 2 batteries is 8.2 ozs. The user interface is the best I've seen: full functioned and simple. Flash shots have shutter lag of approx. 1/2 second. I use Panasonic 2300 mah nmh rechargeable batteries purchased at Costco. Panasonic specs claim 370 pictures with those batteries, 30 seconds between shots, LCD on, flash every shot, full zoom in and out each shot. This camera has no optical view finder. I use a 512mb Sandisc Ultra II SD memory card- a little more expensive, but after having a Viking card quit and swallow 200 pics on another camera, I don't pinch pennies on memory.

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Splendid Little Compact Digital Camera

A professional photographer visiting from New Zealand showed me this camera, which he uses mainly as a sophisticated light meter for his 35mm black and white photography. He said that he's obtained excellent color images using this camera, easily enlarging them to 16 x 20" without no visible loss in quality. I was surprised how well this camera handles, fitting comfortably in the palm of my hand. And thanks to the image stabilized option, I could photograph at a shutter speed as low as 1/15 of a second. The resolution I'd seen from this camera is on par with what I have observed from the Leica Digilux models and the Contax TVS digital camera. In short, this is extraordinary performance from a 4 MP digital camera. Panasonic's latest digital camera comes with a Leica Vario-Elmarit lens, which is as good as the Leica and Zeiss lenses I have seen on other digital cameras. If I had some money to spare as well as space in my camera bag, I wouldn't hesitate buying this little optical jewel of a digital camera.

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Editorial Review :

The new Lumix 10.1 Megapixel Compact Digital Camera with 30mm Wide-Angle lens, features a 4x optical zoom, intelligent Auto Mode and 2.5 diagonal Intelligent LCD

Customer Review :

No review yet

1. Included Accessories - Battery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery Carrying Case, 16MB SD Memory Card, A/V & USB Cable, Carry Strap, CD-ROM includes drivers and software for image transfer to a computer
2. Super-compact model with high image quality & long-lasting power
3. Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT Lens with up to 3x zoom (35mm equivalent - 35mm - 105mm) + up to 4x Digital-zoom
4. 5.0 Megapixels (effective) for still image resolutions of up to 2560 x 1920
5. Optical Image Stabilizer. MEGA O.I.S. technology helps solve the problem of unintentional hand movement that can result in blurry images, particularly with telephoto shots

Editorial Review :

Panasonic DMC-FX7 LUMIX Digital Camera - At less than 1-inch deep, this Panasonic Lumix digital-camera has a metal body for dependability and a Leica Elmarit Vario lens for optic excellence. A rather remarkable new feature is OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer) that helps keep images stable despite the jitter from normal hand movements - a really popular feature that was introduced on camcorders. Speaking of camcorders, this camera can shoot still pictures as well as video/movie images - with or without sound. All images are stored on replaceable and reusable SecureDigital SD memory. 2.5 LCD Viewer built-in Burst Shooting Mode - 3.3fps Selectable Shooting Modes including Simple Mode Exposure Compensation with Auto Exposure Bracketing Audio Dubbing Light Metering - Intelligent Multiple / Spot Mode Self Timer (2, 10 seconds) Motion Image Recording QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) Built-in Multimode Automatic Electronic-Flash Is PictBridge compatible for printing images without requiring a computer Unit Dimensions (H x W x D) - 1.97'' x 3.70'' x 0.95'' / Weight - 0.30 lbs We advise buying an optional 256MB or higher SD card for more flexible use.

Customer Review :

No review yet

1. Point & Shoot Digital Camera Compatible with Secure Digital Memory Card, MultiMediaCard (M)
2. 6.0MP for Clear Cropping and Printing up to 11x17"
3. 2.5" LCD Screen Features Histogram Display to Judge Shot Brightness, Single Image Playback, Indoor/Outdoor Display for Sharper Images, Auto Amplification to Brighten Screen in Low Light
4. 12x Optical Zoom for Extreme Close-Ups from Afar; 4x Digital Zoom for Minor Cropping
5. Shooting Modes: Shooting Assist Functions, Infinity, Macro
6. Still Shot Modes: Fireworks, Landscape, Child, Underwater, Snow, Sport, Automatic Shooting Mode, Night Portrait
7. Features Self-Timer, Electronic Viewfinder (EFV) to Preview the Scene, ISO Auto, Simple Button Layout, PictBridge Enabled, Direct Print Feature
8. Lens-Focus Features: Seamless Zoom, LEICA DC Vario-Elmarit Lens
9. Additional Functions: Video Capture
10. Image Editing: Mega Optical Image Stabilization, On-Camera Cropping, Image Rotation; Movie Modes: VGA-Quality Movie Recording, Movie
11. Flash Modes: Foreced Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-Sync Flash Improves Night Photos, Autoflash, Red-Eye Reduction, Built-In Flash
12. Programmed, Manual, Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority Photo Effects
13. File Format Compatibility: JPEG File Format
14. White Balance: Halogen, Automatic, White Set, Cloudy, Daylight for Adjusting Light

Editorial Review :

MODEL- DMC-FZ7S VENDOR- PANASONIC CONSUMER FEATURES- Lumix Digital Camera- Silver 6-Megapixel Digital Camera with MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer, High Sensitivity Mode & 12x Optical Zoom. Includes Camera, Battery Charger, Battery pack, 16MB SD Memory card, Lens cap, Lens Hood & Adaptor, AV & USB cables, Strap, manual and software.* LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT Lens with a 12x Optical Zoom The DMC-FZ7 features a LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT Lens with a remarkable 12x optical zoom, equivalent to a 36 to 432mm lens on a 35mm film camera. A film camera with an optical zoom this powerful would be so big and heavy, you couldn't handle it with one hand. However, the DMC-FZ7 is small, lightweight and easy to handle. It also has Panasonic's Extended Optical Zoom. While causing minimal deterioration by using the center part of the high resolution CCD, this function magnifies the image to give you total zoom power of 16.5x. * Taking Hand Movement Out of the Picture with Optical Image Stabilization All of us have taken a shot that we thought was focused perfectly, only to have it turn out blurry. The most common cause of this is hand movement. Digital cameras are wonderfully light and compact -- but for the same reason they can also be hard to hold still. Even pressing the shutter button can cause the camera to move. And most people use the LCD monitor (with arms outstretched) to frame a shot -- great for getting the shot you want, but most likely adds to the likelihood of hand movement. Basically, hand movement is a real concern anytime you're taking a handheld telephoto shot, macro shot or self-portrait, or when shooting at night or in dim lighting. The answer to the hand movement problem? An advanced optical image stabilizing system that we call MEGA Optical Image Stabilization. This system uses built-in gyrosensors to detect even tiny camera movement and then shifts a lens

Customer Review :

Great Camera

I hope to write more later. I just recently purchased this camera after researching for several months. We were on a tight budget, so cost was important. I absolutely love the camera -- other reviewers downgraded due to noise levels at higher ISO settings. I rarely use those settings anyway. However, I was a medical photographer for a number of years, also a newspaper photographer and worked in hospital public relations. Have taken thousands of photos of all different kinds. The camera takes some time to get to know, but like any tool, once you know how to work your system, you can get amazing results. In other words, if you know what you are doing, you can get this camera to do just about anything with remarkable results. I would highly recommend it for the money.

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1. Point & Shoot Digital Camera Compatible with Secure Digital Memory Card, MultiMediaCard (M)
2. 6.0MP for Clear Cropping and Printing up to 11x17"
3. 2.5" LCD Screen Features Histogram Display to Judge Shot Brightness, Indoor/Outdoor Display for Sharper Images, Single Image Playback, Auto Amplification to Brighten Screen in Low Light
4. 12x Optical Zoom for Extreme Close-Ups from Afar; 4x Digital Zoom for Minor Cropping
5. Shooting Modes: Macro, Shooting Assist Functions, Infinity
6. Still Shot Modes: Landscape, Automatic Shooting Mode, Night Portrait, Underwater, Snow, Child, Fireworks, Sport
7. Features Self-Timer, Simple Button Layout, Direct Print Feature, PictBridge Enabled, Electronic Viewfinder (EFV) to Preview the Scene, ISO Auto
8. Lens-Focus Features: Seamless Zoom, LEICA DC Vario-Elmarit Lens
9. Additional Functions: Video Capture
10. Image Editing: On-Camera Cropping, Image Rotation, Mega Optical Image Stabilization; Movie Modes: VGA-Quality Movie Recording, Movie
11. Flash Modes: Slow-Sync Flash Improves Night Photos, Red-Eye Reduction, Foreced Red-Eye Reduction, Built-In Flash, Autoflash
12. Manual, Shutter-Priority, Programmed, Aperture-Priority Photo Effects
13. File Format Compatibility: JPEG File Format
14. White Balance: Automatic, White Set, Halogen, Daylight, Cloudy for Adjusting Light

Customer Review :

Great Camera for Pix and Video

I don't need a professional quality camera, nor a "prosumer" model as I want a camera I can easily put in my fanny pack along with some trail mix and a flashlight and hit the trail or tourist spots. This is a nice relatively small camera that has a powerful 12x zoom. I've attached my pix of a semi taken at regular and 12x to give an idea of the distance you can be from your subject and still take a great picture.

I purchased Panasonic's first iteration of this camera, the FZ1, a couple years ago. It was less than 3mp, but that was fine for printing 5x7 (and even up to 8x10). Here's why: the first mark of a good camera is not the megapixel count, but the lens that lets the light in. Four companies make great camera lenses. They are Zeiss, Leica, Nikon and Canon. Nikon and Canon of course make cameras. Certain Sony cameras use Zeiss lenses. Leica makes its own cameras, but Panasonic was able to persuade them to design a set of lenses that Panasonic can use (I imagine in return Panasonic takes care of the digital components and manufacturing for Leica's own series of digital cameras). Although common in video cameras Panasonic was (from what I've read at least) the first to bring image stabilization technology to ordinary digital cameras (despite Canon having developed this for certain of its telephoto L-series lenses and awesome binoculars). Thank goodness! It's vital for zooming as handshake will really spoil many shots.

So anyway, as should now be obvious, a buyer's first consideration should be the quality of the lens as that's what lets the light through and permits focusing on the image. Then is image stabilization. Don't leave home without it (in this respect the reviews I've read say you should set the image stabilization feature to only come on when the picture is being taken rather than keeping it always on). Only after those two features should you think about megapixels. That's why I was perfectly happy having my FZ1 even though it only had 2.1 megapixels. The wonderful Leica lens let in plenty of light and color even at zoom and macro. (TIP: if you're planning to print at 5x7, you can set your image resolution to only 3-4 megapixels rather than the full 6 megapixels and that will allow you to take more pix on the same size memory card while still getting enough resolution in almost all instances to print excellently for 5x7 and more than enough for e-mail or a webpage.)

What I didn't like about the FZ1, however, was the poor quality of the video. That's why when I read that Panasonic had doubled the video quality in the FZ7 and the TZ1 I went and bought a new camera. First I bought the TZ1 as it's even smaller than the FZ1 and it can fit in an off the shelf camera case, but it's only 10x and I just wanted 12x. Now I've got what I want. Hurrah!

In addition to what is now really great Quicktime video (only $30 to download the Quicktime editor from Apple so you can stitch together video segments), you can now select the aspect ratio to either the usual format (4:3) or a panorama format (16:9). Hurrah again!

It's also got a much larger LCD screen so it's much easier to frame shots than it was before.

There's more I could write about the great stuff, but this should suffice. Here's what I feel there is to not like for the average person. First, there's still no good camera case for this camera. It's absolutely shocking to me that the only case I've seen from Panasonic is one in which you stuff the camera in sideways (this is a really easy to fix screwup and they should probably hire Lowe to design a nice camera bag for this). I don't mind putting this camera in my fanny pack (I've done it for almost 2 years with the FZ1 without incident) but I would spend the money for a nice case that fit snugly so Panasonic is just leaving money on the table by not doing so.

Second, I don't understand why I can't zoom in and out when taking video. The Sony H2 reportedly will do this and is also 12x zoom with a Zeiss lens and image stabilization (having just bought the FZ7, I may exchange).

Third, in low light you will get grainier pictures than you might with some other cameras. If you're planning on taking mostly interior night club shots you'll definitely want a different camera (a "prosumer" or better that you can add a more powerful flash too). For me, not a problem. For you, maybe, depends on who you are.

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