panasonic dmc-zs35w digital camera with 3.0-inch tft lcd review price

I purchased this camera in the hopes of using it as a decent travel camera on a recent trip to the Philippines. Based on it"s specs and mostly the ability to wireless transfer photos to my mobile devices, I took a chance on it. I was fully aware of the limitations of point and shoot cameras, having owned several in comparison to the DSLR"s I also owned, but I wasn"t looking to get really amazing shots on this trip, but certainly really good ones weren"t out of the question. However, in using the camera in a variety of situations (indoor, outdoor, low light, bright day), I would say that the results fell incredibly flat. Beyond the Programmed Auto mode (which was average at best), all of the other modes were consistently poor and inconsistent. In the lead for this poor performance was the HDR mode, which rendered somewhat average to poor landscape pictures, and absolutely terrible portrait pictures (all portrait pictures would have this "fake" skin tone). But by far the biggest issue I had with this camera was the incredibly slow performance of all menu and shooting functions. From start-up to first shot, it was always a minimum of 5 seconds. This is an infinite amount of time when your perfect moment could be gone that quickly. The same lag extended to switching camera modes as well. This became maddeningly frustrating many times during my trip, as I would have to wait for the camera to play catch-up, and often would miss the shot I had intended. I hope they can fix this with a firmware update in the future, but considering many of the "reviews" I"ve read on this, it"s not looking like there is enough negative feedback to make this happen any time soon.

After years of using Canon products, my first foray into another manufacturer"s camera was sorely disappointing, and probably one mistake I will be careful to avoid in the future.

The Lumix DMC-ZS35 (TZ55 outside of North America) is a compact travel zoom camera with a 20X, 24-480mm equiv. lens and 16 megapixel "high sensitivity" MOS sensor. Its 3-inch (460k dot) LCD can flip upward by 180 degrees for self-portraits. The camera can shoot continuously at 10 fps, and can also record Full HD video at 1080/30p. Built-in Wi-Fi allows for remote control of the camera, as well as photo sharing.

We tested the camera’s ability to produce accurate colors by using it to photograph an industry standard color chart. The chart, manufactured by color gurus GretagMacbeth, shows 24 colors from around the spectrum. Imatest analyzed the images of the chart and output the following depiction to show the variations in color. The inner vertical rectangle of each tile shows the ideal colors from the original GretagMacbeth chart, the outer frames show what the Panasonic TZ3 produced, and the inner squares show the ideal color corrected for luminance by the software.

Colors are generally close to what they should be, but to get a better idea of how correct or erroneous colors are the following graph is provided. It shows each of the 24 colors around the spectrum. The ideal colors are shown as squares and the TZ3’s colors are shown as circles. The line connecting the shapes shows the degree of error and saturation can be determined by the direction the camera’s color is moving. The outer edges of the frame are oversaturated while the center is undersaturated.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 performed extremely well. Hardly any of its colors are very far from where they should be. Its saturation is nearly perfect too at 101.3 percent. The camera’s 5.17 mean color error score is one of the best we’ve seen from a compact digital camera, and so is the overall 11.61 color score.

The presets didn’t perform as well as they should. Under cloudy outdoor light, the auto setting was more accurate. The same can be said of the other presets. The only preset that performed better than the auto setting was tungsten light, and both tungsten and auto weren’t very accurate anyway. The presets should generally be avoided. Either chance it with the auto setting or be sure with the custom setting.

The Panasonic TZ3’s 7.2-megapixel resolution is an upgrade from previous slim ultra-zoom models. We tested the TZ3’s resolution to see how effective it is at capturing all the details and nuances in our industry standard resolution chart. Using the TZ3, we photographed the chart at various exposure settings and uploaded the pictures to Imatest imaging software.

The software analyzed the images and selected the sharpest one, which was taken using an aperture of f/4.7 and a focal length of 20mm and the lowest ISO setting of 100. More descriptive numerical resolution results are output as units of line widths per picture height (lw/ph), which describes the number of alternating black and white lines of equal thickness that the sensor can detect across the frame without blurring them together.

The 7.2-megapixel TZ3 resolved 1729 lw/ph horizontally with 1.7 percent oversharpening and 1635 lw/ph vertically with 1.65 percent undersharpening. The earlier TZ1 oversharpened images, so this seems to have been addressed and fixed in this model. The TZ3 performs better than average for its pixel count and certainly better than its Lumix sibling, the 7.2-megapixel Panasonic FX50. That camera read 1342 lw/ph horizontally and 1232 lw/ph vertically.

Good news for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3: its 7.2 megapixels capture a good amount of detail, which puts it above average comparable digital cameras.

In the bright lighting of our studio, most cameras should automatically choose the lowest ISO setting possible. The TZ3’s automatic ISO setting instead chose ISO 200 and produced more noise than it should have in such nicely lit conditions. Think your bright outdoor pictures are perfectly clean? Think again – or use the manual ISO settings.

The noise is generally quite low. Even at the highest ISO 1250 only 1.7 percent of the image is speckled with noise, as opposed to 4 or 5 percent in many other compact digital cameras. There is a reason for this though. The TZ3 applies an in-camera noise reduction system between ISO 200 and 400, which accounts for the slight dip in noise on the chart.

The in-camera noise reduction has its drawbacks. When looking at the solid colors of the image up close, it looks like areas have been smoothed over, sacrificing details. Overall though, the noise reduction has a positive impact on high ISO images. Shots of faces taken with the TZ3 would bode well because of the smoothing and lack of color-noise.

*With the studio lights dimmed to 60, 30, 15, and 5 lux, we set out to determine how functional the camera is in imperfect lighting situations. We photographed the color chart in these low light conditions and ran them through Imatest software, which output the following pictures with the same tiles as in the color section above.

The Panasonic TZ3’s images are well-lit and accurate with the mean color error staying under 7.5. This is fantastic! The mean percentage of noise stayed under 2 percent, which is also pretty incredible for such dim conditions.

Long exposures are possible on this camera, but only at ISO 100 in the Night Scenery and Starry Night shooting modes. We test all of our long exposure tests at ISO 400, and this camera’s longest exposure at this setting is only 1 second. Thus, we’re skipping this portion of the low light review.

Nevertheless, whether you’re at a candlelit restaurant, fireworks show, or evening party, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 should provide well-lit, clean, and accurately depicted images.

We test the dynamic range of digital cameras by photographing a backlit Stouffer film step chart at different ISO settings. The Stouffer chart has a row of rectangles ranging from extremely bright to extremely dark. The ISO sensitivity directly correlates to the dynamic range of the image. Generally, the higher the sensitivity is boosted, the less detail and tones captured. Below is a chart showing the manual ISO settings on the horizontal axis and the number of exposure values captured on the vertical axis.

Surprisingly, the dynamic range actually increases from ISO 100 to 200 which is very uncommon. This was tested several times but the results came out the same every time. Both the 100 and 200 settings garnered excellent results at or above 8 exposure values. After 200 though, the dynamic range takes a steep dive and then continues its shallow dip into the lesser end of the range. The lesson to take from this test: if you want interesting photos with lots of dynamic range, limit your ISO selection to 100 or 200.

The Panasonic TZ3 takes its sweet time starting up and extending its lens before snapping its first shot. The official time came to 2.7 seconds, so have your camera on long before the action happens.

There are three burst modes on this digital camera. The high burst mode snaps 5 pictures in 1.5 seconds with each shot coming 0.4 seconds after the previous one. The low burst mode took the same 5-shot burst but at a more leisurely pace with each shot coming a half-second after the other. The infinite burst mode snapped pictures at the same half-second pace but recorded until the memory card was full. It’s unclear why Panasonic even includes the low burst when the infinite moves at the same pace and records for much longer.

This camera’s metering and auto focus system are slow. It took them 0.6 seconds to get their acts together and snap a picture. When the exposure is locked, though, things are snappy and the shutter lag is hardly measurable.

Under the same lighting we performed the color test, we shot footage of a video test chart. The colors weren’t as accurate as they were in still images; the mean color error shot to 13 and saturation to 116.4 percent. The average amount of noise remained fairly low at 0.385 percent of the image. This is actually quite good when compared to other compact digital cameras; most movie modes perform far worse than the still recording modes.

The image became much softer when the lights were dimmed to 30 lux. Colors suffered with a mean color error of 15.4. The inaccuracy of the color is one thing, the awful saturation is even worse. It dropped to only 63.2 percent, making the colors look extremely dull and lifeless. The average amount of noise jumped considerably to 1.26 percent of the image, more than in any of the still images even at the highest 1250 ISO setting.

Footage of the video test chart was loaded into Imatest software and analyzed much the same way still images are analyzed. The results are output in the same line widths per picture height (lw/ph) measurement too. The Panasonic TZ3 resolved 267 lw/ph horizontally with 17.3 percent undersharpening and 545 lw/ph vertically with 5.6 percent undersharpening. These numbers aren’t great and should still keep the camcorder market healthy.

Like most modern point-and-shoots, the Panasonic Lumix TZ3 lacks an optical viewfinder. Instead, the camera is equipped with a well-endowed 3-inch LCD screen. The LCD has a 100 percent field of view that enables users to accurately compose a frame when using the monitor; images shouldn’t cut off at the top or bottom the way other LCD viewfinders often do. The downside to a camera without a viewfinder is that users are forced to frame their photos using the LCD, which is a drain on battery power. To compensate, Panasonic includes Power Save and Auto Review modes that allows users to change the increments for how long the LCD or camera stays on.

Thanks to the large screen size and sufficient resolution, TZ3 will instantly get a nice view of their images following the shot. The images can be magnified by 16x, allowing users to check focus on-the-spot. A group of people huddled around the camera should be pleased with the large screen, though it does solarize slightly when viewed off-axis. The monitor showed significant solarization, however, when viewed at extreme vertical angles. Overall, the LCD is a nice feature with its large size, ample pixel resolution, and 100 percent field of view.

Equipped with flash functions for Auto, Auto and Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync and Red-eye Reduction, Forced On and Forced Off, the Panasonic TZ3 covers basic flash functions. Unfortunately, the camera does not have a soft flash mode that many point-and-shoots offer, which would have greatly benefited the TZ3’s overpowering flash.

Panasonic also adjusted the focal range on this camera. While the TZ3 and the older TZ1 both carry 10x zooms, the TZ3’s lens extends from f/4.6-46mm (equivalent to 28-280mm in traditional 35mm film format), while the TZ1’s optics provide a more-magnified 35-350mm equivalent focal range.

To assist the TZ3’s far-reaching zoom lens, Panasonic included optical image stabilization to reduce blur. Panasonic’s Intelligent Image Stabilization system - tagged MEGA O.I.S. - is an optical stabilization system designed to reduce handshake. The camera also offers Intelligent ISO Control, which boosts sensitivity to freeze moving subjects.

The zoom lens focuses at a range of 1.64 feet in normal mode and 6.56 feet – infinity in telephoto mode. With an aperture range from f/3.3 – 11, the lens provides ample depth of field for portraits or landscapes. The lens is constructed of 11 elements in 9 groups with 3 aspherical lenses, 4 aspherical surfaces, and 1 ED lens.

The Panasonic TZ3 isn’t the thinnest camera around, but then again, who said you have to be thin to be beautiful? The TZ3 has some curves to it and still retains an attractive look. The stainless steel body maintains a clean design that should make any owner of this compact camera proud. All the buttons, despite placement, are engrained well into the body with tight seals, supplying a reassuring click upon depression. The camera has an overall luxurious appeal, more in the vein of a four-door sedan, than a sporty two-seater.

Measuring 4.20 x 1.47 x 2.37 inches, the Panasonic TZ3 isn’t the smallest or largest compact camera around. The camera bridges the gap between a pocket-friendly point-and-shoot and a higher zoom compact camera. The TZ3 isn’t made to go clubbing with and won’t fit comfortably in a pants pocket. It is, however, portable enough to fit comfortably into a jacket pocket. The camera’s tight seals and covered port system will allow it to be securely transported.

At 8.16 ounces (about half a pound), the TZ3 is heavier than many point-and-shoots because of its metal exterior, but it is still light enough for any traveling backpacker. Its size and weight lends itself to active vacationers rather than socialites who like their cameras as tiny as their cell phones.

The Panasonic Lumix TZ3 handles well, especially compared to other point-and-shoots. The slopping right hand grip on the front of the camera and a small bump on the back provide sufficient support, especially for one-handed shooting and self-portraits. Handling would have received higher marks if Panasonic had included extra rubber gripping, but hey, we can’t always have it all. As usual with point-and-shoots, left-handed photographers will be out of luck. The lens is flush to the edge of the camera, making it difficult for users to place their left fingers there without obstructing the field of view.

The Panasonic TZ3’s menu system is easy on the eyes. With an effective color scheme (red for record, green for play) and easy-to-read font, the menu interface makes navigating the camera’s functions simple.

When the mode dial is set to the record mode, the camera displays two tabbed menus: (1) Rec (for Record for exposure and focus controls), and (2) Setup (for camera settings). The menu uses a combination of text and icons. There are one-too-many text abbreviations that might have users scratching their heads. For instance, a user might have to stop for a second to realize that "Col. Mode" really means "Color." The menus also display icons that require the user to flip through the manual to decipher. For example, users are supposed to know that an icon of six squares with an arrow on top represents the Fine Quality setting.

The Panasonic TZ3 is a fairly easy to use camera right out of the box. With a target audience of advanced point-and-shooters, the camera fairs well for its handling and easy-to-read menu system. Improvements to the button placement and menu abbreviations would make a future edition of the camera a superior compact ultra-zoom.

Panasonic’s auto mode is called Simple mode, represented by a heart shape on the mode dial. As the name implies, the basic auto mode limits manual control so that users can shoot spontaneously without having to consider exposure details or the like. Simple mode uses fixed settings: auto white balance, Intelligent ISO , multi-pattern metering, and one-area AF.

The Panasonic Lumix TZ3 offers a good amount of control for recording videos. The camera captures QuickTime Motion movie files with sound in standard 4:3 aspect ratio or at wide 16:9. Users have the option to change file size and record at a standard 640x480, email resolution of 320x240, or a wide 848x480 resolution at either 10fps or 30fps, up to 2GB.

The TZ3’s movie mode provides smooth video recording with the option to change white balance setting and metering modes. Unfortunately, users cannot change the zoom or the focus once recording has started. Users can, however, set zoom and focus before video capture begins. There are no built-in editing movie functions like splicing, but users can record videos in black-and-white or sepia.

For those times when you spontaneously spot Bon Jovi at the library, a fast drive mode is necessary to catch as many pictures as possible. The Panasonic TZ3 offers three types of drive modes to take photos in succession. Users can access High speed, Low speed, and Free shooting (as Panasonic calls it), through the Record menu, Intelligent ISO, Macro, or Scene 1 and 2 menus.

With the exception of zoom, users can change most of the control options (such as image quality, white balance, and metering) in the drive modes. Burst speed is reliant on image size/quality and ISO sensitivity settings. ISO 400 or higher slows down the consecutive shooting - most likely due to the application of additional high ISO noise reduction. The camera’s High and Low speed shooting allows for full resolution shooting at 3fps or 2fps, respectively, at Fine or Standard quality. The Free mode allows for unlimited consecutive shooting at 2fps until the memory is full. A counter is displayed on the monitor, indicating the remaining storage space.

The benefit of the Panasonic TZ3’s updated 3-inch screen is that users can check out their photos on the spot. The playback mode can be accessed in two ways. First, users can view photos using the "Rev" (Review) button on the four-way controller, which accesses a limited playback mode, but offers quick access to view a photo while still in Record mode. Second, when the mode dial is set to Play, a full range of editing tools is available.

Users can view their images as 9 thumbnails, 25-thumbnail, calendar view, or as singles. As single photos, users can magnify images up to 16x, so they can check for focus and blinking eyes. Playback mode also includes built-in editing functions such as trim, rotate, and dual display, which gives a preview of two photos side-by-side.

With a healthy dose of 21 scene modes, the Panasonic TZ3 covers the basics with presets like Portrait and Landscape and then adds some interesting modes, including Aerial Photo and Underwater modes (to be used with an optional underwater housing case).

Panasonic also updated the scene modes with the addition of Sunset and Pet modes. The Pet mode is an interesting feature. Like the Baby1 and Baby2 scene presets, the camera documents the age of the child or animal after setting the subject’s birthday to the camera’s built-in clock/calendar. While EXIF data with time stamp information is already attached to every image, the pictures in Pet and Baby modes spell out the exact month and day of the subject’s age, such as "2 month, 19 days."

Users can access scene modes through Scn1 and Scn2 positions on the mode dial. Each preset mode is represented with an icon. Additional text descriptions of the modes - and even reminders - appear when necessary. The camera defaults to the last selected shooting mode before the user turned off the camera. The extensive list of presets is dispersed between two scene modes (Scn1 and Scn2). It’s not really necessary to have two scene modes, but the duo of settings reduces the number of buttons users need to push before getting the easy preset button mode that has their preferred combination of camera settings.

As with most point-and-shoots, the Panasonic Lumix TZ3 offers manual control of white balance, ISO sensitivity, metering, and AF settings. However, the camera does not offer control over shutter speed or aperture like higher-end compacts or SLRs.

Users have a fair amount of control over the auto focus system. With both single and continuous focus, users can switch between five settings: spot focusing, 1-area focus, 1-area high speed, 3-area, and 9-area. The camera is capable of focusing normally at 1.64 feet and beyond. Zoomed in, the camera can accurately focus at 6.56 feet to infinity or 1.96 feet to infinity when zoomed out.

The camera also offers a Macro focus mode, located on the top mode dial, for close up photos. With a focal range of 3.28 inches to infinity in telephoto macro mode, the camera effectively captures details at close range.

In practice, the TZ3"s auto focus system worked well in wide, normal, and macro shooting. The camera handled low light and low contrast scenes effectively, and was able to track moving subjects well in ample lighting.

Like the majority of point-and-shoots, this 10x optical zoom camera does not provide a manual focus setting. This is unfortunate since the TZ3"s large screen would offer an ideal focusing window.

The Panasonic TZ3 offers basic exposure control. It has a standard exposure compensation range of +/- 2 in 1/3 steps. With live preview, even beginners will be able to identify the exposure modes. As a safety net, there is also a bracketing option that takes 3 frames in succession at +/- 1 in 1/3 steps.

The Panasonic Lumix TZ3 offers a well-rounded metering system. The metering options are multi-pattern, center-weighted, and spot at 1, 3, or 9 points.

The Lumix camera offers a strange mix of white balance options. It has the basics - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, and Shade - but leaves out a fluorescent setting, a key setting that most point-and-shoots offer. Despite its lack of a fluorescent mode, the auto white balance still produced decent results under fluorescent lights.

The camera does offer a few advanced features. Uses can view white balance functions with the live preview without having to set it. The TZ3 also allows users to set white balance manually.

One of the TZ3’s biggest upgrades is its new Intelligent ISO system. Marked by the "I" icon on the mode dial, the Intelligent ISO system detects motion and sets the ISO and shutter speed accordingly, making the function ideal in fast-paced situations such as shooting sports or trying to capture running kids. With Intelligent ISO, the camera can focus at 0.16 feet from the subject in Macro or at 6.56 feet in Telephoto mode. There is a limit of ISO 400, 800, or 1250 when using the Intelligent ISO system.

Other ISO options are Auto (at 200 ISO), 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1250 at full resolution, a higher sensitivity setting that comes with the updated Venus Engine III processor. The TZ1’s ISO topped out at 800 (in auto mode), making the TZ3 more flexible in low-light.

The Panasonic TZ3 has automatic and manual shutter speed controls. Users can manually select from the following preset slow shutter options in the main menu: 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and 1 second. For automatic settings, the camera has a range of 8 to 1/2000 of a second or longer exposure settings of 15, 30, or 60 seconds in Starry Sky Mode. Like most self timer settings, the shutter speed is set for either 2 or 10 seconds, enough time for the photographer to jump into a group photo.

The Lumix TZ3 selects the aperture automatically. In wide shooting, the camera captures at f/3.3 – 8.0 (in 2 steps), allowing enough light to pass for accurate exposures at ISO 400 or more. In telephoto, however, the camera captures a limited f/4.9 – 11.0 (in 2 steps) that might have users boosting ISO sensitivity to compensate.

The Panasonic TZ3 has plenty of picture options, which are accessed through the main menu. Picture size depends on one of the three selected aspect ratio options:

Panasonic TZ3 users who want to experiment with shooting will be able to do so with the camera’s picture effects modes, available for still and video recordings. Color modes include Standard, Natural, Vivid, Cool, Warm, Black and White, and Sepia. This allows a user to shoot in black-and-white without having to convert color after capture through a computer editing program. There isn’t a dedicated contrast or hue mode, but the camera does offer the Vivid option to intensify color.

The Panasonic TZ3 comes with a motley crew of programs. The Lumix Simple Viewer 1.2E is an extremely basic organizer with a split-screen design. The left side of the screen displays thumbnail views of the photo collection, and the right side shows an enlarged view of the selected photo and extensive EXIF data. Photos can be divided by Latest Pictures, My Favorites (that can be selected in the camera) or by Date Folder. There is a Rotate function and Enlarge options for full-screen slideshows, but the program lacks other editing functions such as crop or red-eye fix, typically found in other basic software. While the program’s design is nice, it isn’t worth installing because of its limited capabilities.

The Panasonic TZ3 has a plastic hinged door on its right side to keeps its ports safe. Below the door is an AV Out port for television connection and DC In port for USB computer connection. We prefer to see rubber port covers on compact point-and-shoot models, since they"re generally more effective in keeping out dirt and moisture.

For users who want to bypass the computer altogether, the PictBridge-compatible Panasonic TZ3 comes with a convenient Print Mode feature, a dedicated print button on mode dial. Users can easily connect the camera to a PictBridge-compatible printer via a USB connection. The camera gives options for the number of prints, sizes, and layout. *

*The Lumix TZ3 is compatible with SD, SDHC, and MMC media. The camera also carries 12.7 MB of internal memory, which is enough to store 2 still 4:3 images at full resolution. The memory media shares a slot with the batteries.

Clipboard – Because this camera if marketed to the world traveler, the Panasonic TZ3 comes with a new Clipboard feature that captures text and graphics with image stabilization and high zoom, ideal for keeping timetables and maps stored on the camera. The Clipboard shoots at a fixed 4:3 aspect ratio and can record 5 seconds of audio, enough time to record "¿Donde está la cerveza?" attached to a map of the city. The Clipboard feature stores the images on the 12 MB of internal memory so that users can easily access the important information through the mode dial.

*World Clock / Travel Date *– This feature helps the globe trotter remember what day it is. With the world clock and travel date information, users can keep their photos accurately documented with correct time zones. The camera returns to a default Hometown clock once the travel date has expired.

Optional Underwater Housing – The Panasonic Marine Case (DMW-MCTZ3) can be purchased for an additional $259.95 to protect the camera during underwater shooting. The optional marine case weighs more than 7 pounds and allows for 120 feet of submergence.

With a price tag of $349, the Panasonic TZ3 is a good value for a select niche market of consumers looking for a small point-and-shoot with a longer, stabilized zoom lens. There are plenty of image-stabilized, 10x optical zoom cameras out there, but none retain the point-and-shoot simplicity and basic design of the TZ3.  It competes with tiny, itsy-bitsy point-and-shoots that don’t offer the high zoom, and heavier, SLR-styled compacts; however, no other camera currently offers its feature set in a point-and-shoot design.

Panasonic Lumix TZ1 – Bargain shoppers may also be interested in the Panasonic Lumix TZ1, which has similar features but not the high price tag. As the predecessor to the TZ3, the TZ1 carries a 5-megapixel count, less than the TZ3’s 7.2 megapixels. The TZ1, last year’s version of the TZ3, is fitted with the same 10x Leica lens with optical image stabilization. Although the TZ1 was introduced at the same initial price, it can now be found online for less. Users will have to forfeit the TZ3’s higher ISO settings of up to 3200 (at lower resolution) from the TZ1 maximum of 1600 ISO (at lower resolution) and a smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen versus the TZ3’s 3-inch display. The TZ1 is a viable option for consumers who want to 10x optically stabilized zoom lens, but don’t care about the newer Intelligent ISO Control or Clipboard feature.

Nikon Coolpix S10 – The 6-megapixel Nikon S10 had an introductory price of nearly $400, but Nikon has marked it down to the same price of the Panasonic TZ3 at $349. With the Nikon S10, users will gainWi-Fi capabilities, face priority, and a swiveling, but smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen. Both have 10x optical zoom with optical image stabilization, or as Nikon calls it, sensor-shifting "Vibration Reduction." The Nikon S10 also records video but lacks the wide 16:9 shooting of the Panasonic TZ3.

Point and Shooters – The Panasonic TZ3 is made for advanced point-and-shooters who may be looking for a longer zoom upgrade from their first digital camera. Basic users will also enjoy its automatic features, while mature point-and-shooters will also benefit from more control options.

*Budget Consumers *– The Lumix TZ3 falls in the mid-range, $300 category. It definitely isn’t the cheapest camera around since there are basic automatics that sell for about $100, but the TZ3 is a well-priced camera for a 10x optical zoom.

Gadget Freaks – Gadget lovers won’t be too impressed with the Panasonic TZ3, since other cameras offer similar features. The one thing that might grab their attention is the fact that the long lens camera can go underwater with the help of an optional marine housing.

*Manual Control Freaks *– Not so much. While the Lumix TZ3 has some controls for shooting aspect ratio, white balance, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity, the camera lacks Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority or full manual modes. Those who lust for full control should consider other compacts that offer more manual options.

Pros / Serious Amateurs – Serious hobbyists or professionals would have better luck with higher zoom compacts or SLRs, but they might consider the Panasonic TZ3 as a back up camera for vacationing.

As the follow-up camera to the TZ1, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 offers many improvements. Panasonic added an Intelligent ISO Control system, Clipboard function, wider focal length and higher ISO sensitivity. The Panasonic TZ3 fills a niche market of travelers who long for a high zoom that is still compact. This 10x zoom camera with optical image stabilization meets the need of advanced point-and-shooters who are looking for an upgrade to their first digital camera. With the option to purchase an underwater casing, the travel-friendly TZ3 is ideal for capturing photos in a variety of conditions. In terms of image quality, the TZ3 is far superior to its predecessor, displaying impressive color reproduction, wide dynamic range, and solid video performance. For consumers looking for a portable, automatic camera with a long, optically-stabilized lens, the TZ3 is one of the best values on the market.

Many die-hard film photographers attack digital cameras’ abilities to produce accurate colors. While this may be true of low-end digital cameras with low-quality imaging processors, this is not always the case. The Panasonic Lumix LZ2 houses a 1/2.5-inch CCD with 5.36 total and 5 effective megapixels that works with a Venus Plus imaging processor. To test the quality of the processor in terms of color, we photographed several exposures of the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart and imported the images into Imatest Imaging Software. Using the software, we compared the LZ2’s color output to that of the original chart. The results can be seen in the modified chart below. The outer square of each tile represents the LZ2’s color, while the inner square shows what that color looks like when corrected in a software program. The smaller vertical rectangle represents the ideal color on the original chart.

If the colors look too similar, read on. The same information is shown below in a different configuration. This time, the circles represent the Panasonic LZ2’s colors, while the squares represent the tonal ideal. The most accurate colors are the ones where you can’t even see the squares because the shapes are so close together. The farther the circle is from the square, the less accurate that particular color.

The Panasonic Lumix LZ2 performed quite well on this color test, earning a 9.43 overall color score. Most of the colors are a bit off, but they all remain close to the ideal, except the #4 green and #15 red. This camera will make red lipstick appear brighter than ever.

**The Panasonic Lumix LZ2 advertises 5 effective megapixels on its 1/2.5-inch CCD. To test the resolution of the imager, we take several photographs of the ISO 12233 resolution chart and analyze them in Imatest Imaging Software to see exactly how many pixels the camera used to form the image. When a camera uses 70 percent of its advertised pixel count, we consider it a "good" performance; within 80 percent, the camera is designated as "very good" and anything exceeding 90 percent is dubbed "excellent." The LZ2 received a "good" designation by using 76 percent of its advertised pixels. At its best, the digital camera used 3.73 megapixels to take a picture.

When the camera’s ISO settings were set automatically, somewhat noisy images were produced. The LZ2 received an overall auto ISO noise score of 3.22, which is a bit below average for compact digital cameras in terms of auto noise scores. However, average is not the goal and does not mean good in this case. Most digital cameras disappoint when it comes to their performance in the automatic ISO setting, producing noisy images in most shooting situations other then daylight.

Fortunately, the Panasonic LZ2 increased its performed when its ISO ratings were manually set. We tested noise levels at each of the camera’s ratings, which are 80, 100, 200 and 400. We compiled the data into a regression analysis to determine the overall manual ISO noise score, which came out to be 4.63.

The graph above indicates the LZ2 does not handle noise as well as it does color. The graph is designed to indicate the produced noise at each ISO stop; the horizontal axis shows the LZ2’s ISO ratings and the vertical axis depicts the resultant noise. As you can see, there is significant noise at most ISO settings once ISO 100 is reached. The 200 and 400 ratings indicate shooting in difficult lighting will not fair well for photographers with an eye for sharpness and definition.

To determine how each imager performs in low light, we conduct a sequence of tests administered in diminishing light, without the use of the flash. The camera is set to the highest available ISO rating and put on its Program setting. This is done to isolate the imager’s sensitivity to light and determine how far the camera can be pushed and still capture a visible image. The LZ2 was tested at four decreasing light values, 60, 30, 15, and 5 Lux. These values approximate common low light scenarios; 60 Lux equates to a typical bedroom, while 30 Lux offers roughly the illumination of a single 40 watt lightbulb and 15 and 5 Lux illustrate how the camera will perform in near darkness.

As you can see above, the LZ2 maintained as light levels decreased. The images gradually decrease in visibility, but the colors remain prevalent. Noise levels drop incrementally with the available light, but the camera’s ability to focus stays strong throughout. In 15 and 5 Lux, the human eye can perceive the setting reasonably well, though the iris is obviously a bit larger – while the LZ2 cannot come close to paralleling the eye, it will continue to capture visible images in almost any viewable situation. Additionally, the ability to focus in 5 Lux is quite rare and speaks loudly for the LZ2’s internal metering and focusing systems.

Panasonic digital cameras are certainly not known for their astounding startup times. This model follows in the company’s slow footsteps, requiring 3.89 seconds to power up and record its first exposure.*

*The LZ2 has three different burst settings, so I tested the camera at each one in addition to the normal recording mode. The High Burst took a picture every 0.31 seconds for 3 shots, then waited 5 seconds before its next 3-shot burst. The Low Burst mode shot in the same intervals – 3 pictures and 5 seconds between bursts – but took them at a slower 0.62-second clip. This mode seemed quite odd and useless to me; in theory, it should take more pictures in a burst if it is going to go slower or it serves no actual purpose. The last burst mode is called Unlimited, but seemed quite finite to me. It took a picture every 0.72 seconds for 4 shots, then rested 6 seconds before taking its next set of pictures. Normal recording rate was noticeably slower than any burst setting and should be reserved for moments when speed is irrelevant and quantity of capture is king.

*When the camera is not pre-focused, it takes 0.25 seconds to take a picture. When the camera is already focused, there is hardly any lag time at all.

*The front of the Lumix LZ2 is attractive except for the strange right-hand grip, which looks similar to a cresting wave. When viewing the camera from the front, the lens barrel sits slightly to the right of the center. To the lens’ left is a smooth silver structure that sticks out and has slightly sharper lines than the rest of the digital camera. Most of the body is cased in a textured, light-colored silver. Above the cresting wave is the Lumix logo in silver block letters.

The lens is surrounded by a very light silver barrel, with the words "Mega O.I.S" on the outer rim and "Lumix DC Vario 1:2.8-4.5/ 6.1-36.6 Asph." on the inner rim. In the top right corner of the camera is a skinny rectangular flash. Below the flash are the words "6x Optical Zoom." In the bottom right corner of the LZ2 is a gold-colored square panel with the letter "L"; this feature can be found on almost every Panasonic digital camera.

*The back of the camera is neatly laid out and pleasing to the eye – especially for those who obsess over organization. The back is also ergonomically pleasing to the hand; the top right corner has another cresting wave sort-of shape with divots in the surface for good thumb gripping.

To the right of the screen are several control buttons, all very neatly laid out. At the top right of the LCD is a green LED light, to indicate when the LZ2 is busy reading and writing to the memory card. Below the light is a circular button labeled Display. Further below this button and slightly to the right is the four-way navigational dial, which consists of four separate buttons each with a secondary function. The top button controls exposure compensation; the right button switches flash modes; the bottom button is labeled "Rev" for review; the left button has a self-timer icon next to it. Below this set of compass buttons are two equally sized ovular controls. The left one is labeled "Menu," while the button on the right has two icons beside it, marking the burst and delete functions.

*The left side of the camera is minimalist in appearance. There is a thick rubber port cover with one rubber strip that attaches the cover to the camera. The cover turns so it doesn’t feel like you’re breaking it when you bend it away from the camera body, which is always somewhat comforting. Beneath the cover hide the mini-USB and DC in jacks. The USB jack can also accept an A/V out cable.

*This side is not thicker than the left side; however, there is a protrusion made of a different material that acts as the right-hand grip and thickens the profile. This material extends about a third of the way onto the right side, remaining mostly on the front of the LZ2. At the top of the right side is a shiny protruding loop for the wrist strap. Below this feature is a plastic door with a small divot and arrow pointing in the direction users should push the door. This door holds the SD card and is connected to the camera with a loose hinge. Plastic port covers are generally preferred to rubber, offering a sturdier base and added protection for the memory card and concealed slots - certainly more secure than some openly exposed slots. Although the plastic port door fixed to the LZ1 offers that protective layer, it may not be constructed more sturdily than a rubber door. The loose door freely flings around on its feeble hinge; the door is also constructed from a thinner plastic than the rest of the camera body.

*A view from the top of the camera will reveal the dominant rectangular shape of the camera. There are few protrusions: the cresting wave that acts as a grip on the front, the zoom lens that protrudes in three segments, and the smaller curvature on the back of the frame to provide support for the thumb. The left side of the top has the Panasonic DMC-LZ2 brand name printed in black letters. The right side has a power switch toward the back and a circular image stabilization button toward the front. The shutter release button is located slightly to the left of the right-hand grip. The zoom control surrounds the shutter release button and is labeled with a "T" on one side and a "W" on the other.

Toward the back and slightly protruding from the top of the camera is the Mode Dial. All of the modes are labeled with icons: Movie, Macro, Economy, Auto, Playback, Simple, SCN 1, and SCN 2. Most of the icons are intuitive; however, the Simple mode is represented by a red heart and the Economy mode is represented by an "E" within a black circle.

*The LZ2 does not contain a viewfinder, forcing the user to rely on the LCD monitor as the sole means of composition and review. Fortunately, the LZ2 includes a strong viewing screen, measuring 2 inches diagonally and containing a 100 percent field of view, which far exceeds most optical viewfinders anyway.

*The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2 has a 2-inch LCD screen with 85,000 pixels. The amorphous TFT display has a 100 percent field of view and doubles as the viewfinder, as there is no optical alternative. The screen can be easily viewed indoors or outdoors with the monitor’s brightness adjustment. This option can be found in the Setup menu and has a handy real-time display of the brightness. Although the brightness control is of great assistance in compromised lighting, the lack of resolution in the screen cannot be compensated for. 85,000 pixels of resolution is long since outdated and the displayed images contain a pixillated account that brings to mind the tainted brownish hue of an aged photograph – nostalgic, but not an illustration of modern advances.

Also in the Setup menu are the Auto Review and Power Save functions. The Auto Review option lets users instantly view photographs for a few seconds after they’ve been taken. The Power Save option turns the screen off after a selectable period of time to conserve battery power; users need only press a button – any button – on the camera to wake it up.

*This camera does come with a built-in flash, but it is incredibly small. It reaches a moderate range of 0.98 – 13.8 feet, but its location in the top right corner is primary real estate for the fingers to easily cover and impede the light. When fingers are not in the way of the flash, it works quite well, evenly lighting the entire scene. The Lumix LZ2 has the following flash modes: Auto, Auto with Red-Eye Reduction, On with Red-Eye Reduction, Slow Sync with Red-Eye Reduction, and Off. These modes can be accessed through the right side of the navigational dial.

*When viewing the powered camera from on top, the zoom lens looks like a triple layer cake on a platform. The nicely tiered lens is a Lumix DC Vario with 6x optical zoom. It extends from 6.1-36.6mm, which is equivalent to 37-222mm in 35mm format. The lens houses 8 elements in 7 groups and boasts a Mega Optical Image Stabilization system, which is quite rare on a sub-$300 model like this. Although this lens is not quite on par with the Leica glass users are accustomed to seeing on higher-end Panasonic models, it is a formidable replacement. The lens quietly zooms and focuses quickly and accurately. There is a 4x digital zoom that can be turned on or off.

*The Lumix DMC-LZ2 has a fairly compact frame, but it is not quite pocket-sized. The thick body inhibits it from sliding neatly into a pocket. The camera falls into an odd classification of zoom cameras, emphasizing extended telephoto capabilities with an image stabilization function, yet housed in the frame of a point-and-shoot. The LZ2, as opposed to the FZ5 or other "ultra-zoom" models sacrifices some of the "ultra" zoom perspective for increased portability and compact dimensions.

The plastic-bodied camera comes in a black or silver finish and looks at times both sleek and slightly clumsy. It exceeds the petite styling but does not quite extend into the larger compact camera aesthetic. There is a wave-like grip on the front for fingers and a small lip on the back for the thumb, so holding the LZ2 comfortably shouldn’t be a problem. The front is moderately attractive, although the exterior is saturated with self-promotion and labels; i.e. "Lumix, Panasonic, 6x Optical Zoom, L, Mega Optical Image Stabilizer, 5.0 Megapixels." The back is better looking, with a simplified, futuristic layout that is engaging without appearing intimidating to new users.

*The LZ2 is compact in form, though significantly thicker than slim cameras at 3.9 x 2.5 x 1.3 inches. The body size is not excessive enough to warrant using a neck strap, and could easily be stowed in a purse or small carrying case. The lens slightly protrudes from the body, with an electronic cap to protect it from any potential damage. The camera ships with a wrist strap for easy transport. Even without the strap, the mild bulk certainly could not be construed as burdensome, weighing in at just 7.9 ounces with card and batteries.

The LZ2 has several subtle features that aim to make handling more comfortable; a shallow right-hand grip, a curved structure on the front for the index and middle fingers, and small edge on the back for the thumb. With such a shallow angle of the grip, my hand felt a little cramped after an hour or so of on and off usage (and I don’t have overly large hands as some other users might). This camera will be best for 20 minutes or so of continuous shooting, but could extremely get uncomfortable after that. The lightweight construction will enable users to shoot easily with some level of control with just one hand, though two are recommended, of course.

*The buttons on the surface of the LZ1 are a bit small, but spaced far enough apart such that they do not interfere with one another. The exposed power switch is located on top and sticks out somewhat, but it is not likely to be accidentally engaged in a book bag because the switch is a little stiff. Most control buttons are easily accessible and the mode dial is blindly recognizable with its partially protruding design. The image stabilization button is located next to the shutter release - convenient placement for maximum speed and usability. Although it’s not a feature that is needed for every shot or even every ten shots, placing it on the frame rather then in a menu offers enhanced speed and opportunity in a spontaneous situation. The image stabilization button receives prime real estate on the LZ2, where a flash mode button or some other oft-used function might have been placed. It is a trade off; perhaps it would have been more beneficial to position a more frequently utilized setting near the controlling hand, yet the placement speaks of the weight Panasonic attributes to it. All other buttons are located on the back, and are all clearly labeled and intuitive in placement.

The menus can be accessed with the clearly labeled Menu button to the right of the LCD screen. The menu options are in text, but some of the sub-menus consist of moderately ambiguous icons. For example, "white balance" is spelled out in the menu; when it is selected, users scroll though icons of a sun and cloud, among other things. Beginners may be confused by the Manual and Manual Set icons, so a quick briefing with the owner’s manual may be necessary depending on the user’s photographic knowledge.

The Setup menu is available from most shooting modes and offers these options: Battery Type, Monitor, Auto Review, Power Save, Beep, Clock Set, No. Reset, Reset, USB Mode, Video Out, Scene Menu, and Language. The multi-lingual Panasonic LZ2 speaks English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese. In the Playback menu, photographers can choose Rotate Display, Rotate, Protect, DPOF Print, Slide Show, Audio Dubbing, Resize, Trimming, Copy, and Format.

*The Panasonic DMC-LZ2 can be as easy to use as you make it. In the Simple mode, the menus are sooo simple and remove any shooting adjustments that would be made. When you’re in the Normal Picture mode, the LZ2 can be a basic point-and-shoot or menu options can be made available. The initial text menus are helpful, but the graphic sub-menus can sometimes be a bit too vague. Navigating through the menus is not complicated at all, as most are short and onscreen arrows always show a user where to go. A few of the menu options have live views that aid users in making decisions about which exposure settings to use. The intuitive layout and clearly labeled buttons contribute to an overall sense of simplicity.

*The most automatic mode on this digital camera is the Simple mode, which is symbolized with a sympathetic red heart. This mode shuts down all outside adjustments and displays an extremely simplified and colorful menu that looks like it was designed for users accustomed to picture books. The menu that appears is basically an abridged variation of the setup menu that has been dumbed-down. If users don’t want to feel like their intelligence has been insulted, the Economy and Normal Picture modes both have automatic default settings. This camera is built for the automatically inclined user, but goes a bit overboard when it comes to its Simple mode.

*This digital camera only records in QVGA-quality resolution with its 320 x 240 pixels. The motion rate can be set to 10 or 30 frames per second; the smaller frame rate is optimized for email – but looks choppy. The faster frame rate looks much smoother; not only is this because of the increased frames, but an image stabilization feature can be utilized in the movie mode to smooth out bumps caused by hand-shake. Within the LZ2’s movie mode menu, users can change the White Balance, AF Mode, Digital Zoom, and Color Effect. This Panasonic can record audio with the movie; however, it cannot be played back within the camera. If users want to hear their movies, they must upload it to a computer or connect the LZ2 to a television. This is a disappointing and illogical setup: a digital camera with a microphone and no speaker? It seems a bit ridiculous. Digital camera users have grown accustomed to viewing images and clips instantaneously to check and see if they turned out with the correct exposure and such. Users have become hooked on the immediacy of the digital medium and the inability to utilize it requires that leap of faith that film users have (Did the picture turn out? Guess I’ll have to wait until the prints come back…).

*Panasonic advertises a 3 frame-per-second "high speed" burst mode. This held true in our testing, as the camera took a shot every 0.31 seconds. However, the camera didn’t live up to its marketing in its other two burst modes: low speed and unlimited. Both were advertised to shoot at 2 frames a second, but the low speed was slightly slower at a shot every 0.62 seconds and the unlimited mode was even slower at a shot every 0.72 seconds. Despite their shortcomings, I don’t really see the need for any slow burst modes anyway – kind of a contradiction of sorts (low speed burst). The high speed burst mode works well, so I would stick to that.

*Like most digital cameras, the LZ2 displays pictures in single frames or index frames of 9 images if you turn the zoom toggle toward the "W". The zoom lever can also be used to magnify pictures up to 16x. Once magnified, users can scroll to different parts of the picture with the navigational dial. When the Display button is pushed in Playback mode, the following features and information are shown: Histogram, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Date, ISO, Flash Mode, White Balance, Picture Number, Size, Quality, and Remaining Battery Power. Slide shows can be played back with durations for each picture lasting from a selectable 1-5 seconds. Users can record audio in movie mode and record short sound clips with images; however, that sound cannot be played back. Audio is trapped within the camera until downloaded to a computer or output to a television. This is unfortunate because users cannot immediately listen to check if the camera picked up the desired sounds.

*All of the camera’s eight scene modes can be accessed from the Scene 1 and Scene 2 settings on the mode dial, so it is unclear why a distinction is made. The scene menu is very colorful, simple, and easy to navigate. The following 8 scene modes are available: Portrait, Sports, Scenery, Night Scenery, Night Portrait, Fireworks, Party, and Snow. These selections cover the basics, but there’s nothing too original or exciting in here.

**Most of the manual controls can be found within the shooting menu, although a few can be found lingering around the navigational dial as well. Despite how this may sound, there really isn’t much space to insert user control. Users can manually adjust the ISO rating and exposure compensation. There is a manual white balance option in the menu that allows users to calibrate the camera to a selected white tone. There is also a Slow Shutter option that gives users a hint of control. The Panasonic DMC-LZ2 is not really designed to provide optimal control; the camera is far better suited for the user who appreciates modes like Simple, Economy, and Auto.

*The Panasonic LZ2 has several auto focus options that work quite well. The lens focuses quickly and quietly, achieving accurate focus without much hang-up until light becomes sparse. Within the AF mode in the menu, there are vague icons for the following options: 5-Area Focusing, 3-Area Focusing, 1-Area Focusing, and Spot-Focusing. When users view the scene through the LCD screen, the camera shows green boxes where the camera is focused. The 6x optical zoom lens can focus from 5 cm in macro mode or from 1.64 feet to infinity in the other auto focus modes.

*The Panasonic DMC-LZ2 measures light from different points across the entire image for a balanced exposure with its Intelligent Multiple metering system. There are no other metering options; this is done automatically. For many shooters, the inability to select a mode of metering will be a major deterrent, helping to define this camera as a dressed-up point-and-shoot.

*The Panasonic LZ2 has very basic exposure modes, including the following: Picture Mode (represented by an icon of a red camera), Economy Mode (E icon), Macro, Motion Image, Scene 1, Scene 2, and Simple Mode (heart icon). There doesn’t seem to be any striking distinction in functionality between the two scene modes, as all scenes can be accessed in both settings. The Economy mode is similar to the normal Picture mode, but it supposedly consumes less battery power. The LZ2 does have exposure compensation that can be adjusted on the navigational dial; it has a normal range from +2 to -2 with 1/3 steps. This array of modes grants selection within the automatic realm, providing added flexibility to point-and-shooters, though there is not much included to resonate with the manual crowd.

*White balance options on the LZ2 are depicted by distinct graphics that are easy to understand. When users scroll through the icons, live views of the lighting alterations appear over the background. The following options are available: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Halogen, Manual, and Manual Set. The manual option is easy to set, as it only requires the user to enter the Set option and take a picture of something that is "true white." There are no fluorescent presets, which is becoming standard on digital cameras. However, the manual mode is so easy to use that I didn’t miss the fluorescent option. If this range is still not enough to get a proper white, there is a handy White Balance Adjustment function that lets users tip the whites to a bluish or reddish hue. This is an extremely useful feature that will grant users the ability to shape the tonal caste of the shot in slight gradations. While this will take a bit more participation, users willing to make the effort will be grateful for the added precision and quality possible from its inclusion.

*The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2 has the following ISO options: Auto, 80, 100, 200, and 400. There are no live views within the menu, which is not expected, but it would have been a welcome inclusion. The ISO range itself is average, containing the standard sensitivity range of a compact imager. It is always nice when a point-and-shoot goes beyond the basics and includes an ISO 800 setting or drops the lowest rating down to ISO 50 to ensure clean images are attained, but it is not common in the sub-$300 price range.

Shutter speeds range from 8 seconds to 1/2000th of a second when the camera can automatically choose them. There is no true manual shutter speed function; however, there is a Slow Shutter option available. Within this option, users can choose 1/8-, 1/4-, 1/2, or 1-second speeds. Again, the control is limited to automatic, so those users truly interested in this section will likely overlook the LZ2, though the available range should be more then ample for point-and-shooters.*

*Users cannot manually adjust the aperture on this digital camera. In the wide zoom setting, the apertures can be either f/2.8 or f/5.6; in telephoto, f/4.5 and f/9 are available. Again, while there is no room for user involvement in this area, the f/2.8-f/9 iris range will enable users to shoot in a range of lighting and provide a variation of depths.

*Images in the LZ2 can automatically be shot in cool or warm tones, as well as black and white or sepia. To enhance skin tones, users can select the Warm color mode, which gives the picture a slight red tint. For the opposite effect, users can choose the Cool mode. The traditional Black & White and Sepia modes are available – and they look and work quite well. Picture adjustments are also available. Natural, Standard, and Vivid options are available, but there are no live views available in this mode, so it is hard to tell what effects these options have on the final product until an image is recorded. While the quality of in-camera picture effects is often debatable, the included options should appease most fans.

*The LZ2 comes with a Panasonic Lumix CD-ROM that has a USB Driver and SD Viewer for Windows, as well as the ArcSoft Software Suite for both Windows and Macintosh systems. The ArcSoft suite includes PhotoBase 4.5, which has basic editing tools like crop, rotate, brightness, and contrast. The best feature of this program is its ability to easily email and transfer images between computers, cameras, PDAs, and web albums. Panorama Maker 3 is less useful in the ways of editing, but it has an interesting fisheye feature. PhotoImpression 5 is the last software program included in the suite. It has even better editing features than PhotoBase with automatic fixes, blurring and sharpening tools, color adjustments, and cutouts. This program also has templates for projects like photo books and calendars.

*A rubber door on the left side pops open to reveal the DC in and A/V out / USB jacks. On the other side of the camera, there is a door to cover the slot for an SD or MMC card. On the bottom of the camera, there is a sliding door for either alkaline NiMH or Panasonic’s Oxyride AA batteries. When the batteries are interchanged, the camera needs to know within its setup menu. *

*In order for pictures to be printed directly from the camera, users must enter the Setup menu and change the USB Mode to PictBridge instead of PC mode. After this selection is made, users must enter the print menu in Playback mode and choose the number of prints, paper size, page layout, and whether they want the date printed on them. This is more complicated than the Kodak EasyShare method, but really is not very difficult.

*This Panasonic has 14 MB of built-in memory, which certainly isn’t enough to fully utilize the camera’s still and video capture capabilities; however, it is enough to store 8 still images at the highest resolution setting. Internal memory is always a friendly option to have in case of the rare emergency when a memory card is not available. There is a slot for SD and MMC cards, although the SD card is preferred. With the MMC, the burst mode is not guaranteed to work.

Included accessories –* Besides the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2 camera body, the following accessories are included: software CD-ROM, operating manual, warranty, wrist strap, USB cable, and A/V out cable. There is no memory card included because of the built-in memory.

Image Stabilization – There are two modes that are easily accessible with a button on the top of the camera. When the button is pressed, a small menu pops up on the LCD screen with Mode 1, Mode 2, and Off choices. There is no explanation of which mode is which in the menu, but they both work quite well. The owner’s manual clears up the mystery: Mode 1 operates continuously, while Mode 2 operates only when the shutter release button is pressed. In both modes, I found that regular and even slightly exaggerated hand-shake can still produce clear shots with the Mega Optical Image Stabilization system.

Audio Recording – A small microphone is located on the top of the camera by the mode dial; however, there is no speaker! Users can record 10-second sound clips with each photograph and audio with movie clips, but cannot listen to it within the camera. Listening to the recorded audio can only be done with a computer or television.

Power Save – Within the camera’s setup menu, users can change the amount of time the LZ2 will stay awake before dozing off into its lens-retracting, LCD-blackened state. The options are 1, 2, 5, or 10 minutes and there is no way to completely turn this function off. This is a good feature for those poor overworked batteries.

Self-timer – The self-timer can capture pictures at a selectable 2 o