Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1

Résumé : The TZ1 is a 10x zoom camera that's barely bigger than most 3x zoom cameras.

Conclusion : It's hard not to warm to the TZ1's charms, but ultimately the Nikon S10's cleaner, sharper images and better image stabilisation add up to a superior package.

Résumé : The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1, available online for about $250, is a compact point-and-shoot camera with a 5-megapixel imager and a 10x Leica-branded zoom lens. With Panasonic's effective Mega Optical Image Stabilization, it promises steady shots for ...

Points forts : - Low Price - Simplicity - Good Image Stabilization - 10x Zoom

Points faibles : - Lack of manual control - Zoom control is balky - Poor flash performance - Noisy image quality

Conclusion : The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 was released last year at a time when the ultra-zoom market was beginning to expand and consumers were looking for compact options. The 5-megapixel TZ1 filled that niche, but since its release better cameras have stepped ...

Résumé : Panasonic introduced the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 digital compact camera in Lisbon February this year. During the introduction, it soon became clear that it was an extremely compact Mega zoom digital camera, in fact, one of the world's smallest ...

Résumé : When introduced back in February, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 was the world's smallest 10x optical zoom camera.

Points forts : Fast - fast focus, minimal shutter lag, quick cycle time ; Effective image stabilization ; Comfortable to hold ; High quality build ; Decent flash ; Nice LCD ; Ability to use different aspect ratios (4:3, 3:2, 16:9)

Points faibles : Average battery life ; Noisy pictures that lose detail with heavy in-camera noise reduction ; Flash is easily blocked by an errant finger

Conclusion : Bottom line, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 is a joy to use, but with a few downsides. It's an easy to use camera and has a nice 10x optical zoom with image stabilization, especially given its size. A nice set of scene modes provides plenty of options ...

Points forts : Lens, OIS, build, white balance, easy to use, responsive, nice menus, movie mode

Points faibles : Noisy images in low ISO modes, worse noise in the images at high ISOs and, erm, more image noise problems from noise reduction removing image detail

Conclusion : Great specification and excellent handling is marred by OTT image noise. Nevertheless, it's an interesting and temptingly specified camera