Mark Goldstein from PhotographyBlog has posted his review on Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5, new 6.0 megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera with 6x optical zoom (equivalent to 37-222mm ), Image Stabilizer and 2.5″ LCD. He gives the camera 4 out of 5 stars and writes;

“The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 produced images of average quality during the review period. The 6 megapixel images were quite soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, as you can’t change the in-camera setting.

So overall, the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 is a stylish, easy to use, versatile point and shoot camera that is afflicted by an old problem. The noise issue is by no means a show-stopper, particularly if you live in a sunny climate or tend to shoot mostly outdoors, but it does stop me from recommending this camera more strongly.”

>> Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 Latest Price

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Mark Goldstein has recently posted sample photos from the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01, the world’s smallest point-and-shoot digital camera (released on 14.02.06) with 28mm wide angle Leica DC zoom lens, featuring a 6.0 megapixels (CCD), Leica DC 3.6x optical zoom (equivalent to 28-102mm) lens, Image Stabilizer, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen

>> Go to Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 Sample Photos
>> Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 Review Roundup & Sample Pictures
>> Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 Latest Price

Mark Goldstein has recently posted sample photos from the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1, the world’s smallest point-and-shoot digital camera (released on 14.02.06) with 10x optical (equivalent to 35-350mm) Leica DC zoom lens, featuring a 5.0 megapixels (CCD), Image Stabilizer, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen.

>> Go to Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Sample Photos
>> Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review Roundup and Sample Photos
>> Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Latest Price

Cliff Smith has posted his review (with some full-res pictures) on Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1, a 8.4 Megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera with 4x optical zoom and a 2.5″ LCD Screen. He gives the camera 7 out of 10 and writes:

“In terms of picture quality, the LX1 comes very close to being superb, but it does have a few annoying flaws that really let it down. The resolution of the big 8.4MP sensor is excellent, and there’s no doubt that the 16:9 format works extremely well for a wide variety of subjects. The AF system is a little on the slow side, especially in low light, but it is usually accurate, as is the multi-point metering system. Colour rendition is very good, and it almost goes without saying that the Leica lens provides outstanding edge-to-edge clarity and a minimum of barrel distortion even at wide angle.”

>> Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 Review Roundup
>> Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 Latest Price

DigicamReview has recently posted a review on Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ30, a 12x optical zoom (equivalent to 35mm to 420mm on a 35mm film camera) inheriting MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and 2″ swivel LCD screen

“Image quality is very good, the images have very good colour, with rich saturation, contrast, and detail, although with higher than average noise. Purple fringing was quite low, as was red-eye. The camera did a good job focusing even in low light thanks to the focus-assist lamp. I did not notice vignetting in photos, nor did I notice barrel or pincushion distortion. There is a very good range of image sizes, and a very good choice of compression options (including RAW and TIFF). The macro mode is good, and provides good detail and colour. Auto white balance and metering seemed to be good. The movie mode is good, providing 640×480 and 30 frames per second with sound, and optical zoom. The camera gives very good control over image quality, allowing you to change the colour warmth, saturation, contrast, sharpness and noise reduction in camera.”

>> Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ30 Review Roundup & Sample Photos
>> Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ30 Latest Price

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Ben Long has recently posted his review on Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 , a 8.4 megapixels point-and-shoot digital camera with 2.5″ LCD screen, at CreativePro.

“That said, there’s a lot to like about the LX1. You won’t give up any critical controls compared to an SLR, and the raw format and adjustable aspect ratios give you more image-editing and compositional options than you’ll normally have on a small camera.

The noise issue is a problem but not a total deal-breaker for me. You can treat the noise issue with software, and for landscape shooting, the camera’s ISO 80 and 100 are very clean. If you think you’ll shoot mostly indoor snapshots in low light, you might want a different camera. Otherwise, the LX1 is an excellent option for the SLR shooter who wants a smaller alternative for occasional use.”

>> Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 Review Roundup

CameraLabs has recently posted a review on Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ30, a 12x optical zoom (equivalent to 35mm to 420mm on a 35mm film camera) inheriting MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer)

“With 1700 and 1750 lpph of horizontal and vertical resolution respectively, the FZ30 roughly matches the performance of Canon’s EOS-350D with its kit lens. Both cameras are out-resolved by the Fujifilm and Sony models, a result which corresponds to their respective Megapixel ratings.

All-in-one cameras normally suffer from much higher noise levels than digital SLRs because their sensors tend to be physically smaller. This is clear when comparing the Panasonic FZ30 with the Canon 350D. Impressively, the Fujifilm S9500 maintains very low noise levels considering its small sensor size, but smearing is apparent at 1600 ISO. “

>> Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ30 Review Roundup

Dave Etchells has posted a review on Panasonic Lumix FZ30 at ImagingResource and writes:

“Our laboratory resolution chart revealed sharp, distinct line patterns down to about 1,400 lines. Extinction occurred closer to 2,000 lines. Use these numbers to compare with other cameras of similar resolution, or use them to see just what higher resolution can mean in terms of potential detail. Beware that while you might be able to make out what looks like distinct lines at numbers higher than those we’ve mentioned here, the camera is just doing its best to continue interpreting the lines. If you zoom in and follow them from the wider portions, you’ll see the lines converge and reappear several times, so the “lines” are really only artifacts generated by the camera’s imaging system.”

Patrick Singleton had his hands on the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5, a new 6 megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera from Panasonic with Image Stabilizer and 2.5″ LCD. He liked how the camera has clean, and simple design, with an excellent image stabilization, solid construction, nice powerful and flash illuminates scene evenly and reasonable price. However, the did not like how the camera show lots of noise and marginal color accuracy, LCD display not good enough to inspect images, and the inaccuracy of exposure in challenging setting.

In conclusion he wrote: “Getting an image-stabilized 6x zoom in a 6 megapixel compact camera for under $280 seems like quite a coup – or getting that for under $230 in a 5 megapixel camera. We like the LZ5 and LZ3’s simple interface, the solid construction and the plain styling. Panasonic’s image stabilization is great – it’s effective and simple to use. We give the company credit for putting it on low-priced cameras, too.

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Panasonic has announced three new point and shoot digital cameras. The first one si Panasonic DMC-LS2 which will replace the budget DMC-LS1. The 5 Megapixel DMC-LS2 has 3x optical zoom with optical image stabilizer and runs on two AA batteries.

The other two cameras are Panasonic DMC-LZ5 (6.0 Megapixels) and DMC LZ3 (5.0 Megapixels) which replacing DMC-LZ1 and LZ2. Both cameras have 6x optical zoom lenses with optical image stabilizer, large LCD, and they run on AA batteries.

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