1. 12.1-megapixel effective recording
2. 4X optical zoom (4X digital zoom/16X total zoom)
3. 2-11/16" LCD screen
4. HD movie recording (1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second)
5. Optical image stabilization

Editorial Review :

Panasonic DMC-FP1 Digital Camera Features

Futuristic, Flat Design with Folded Optics Technology The flat body and compact size of the DMC- FP1 allow it to fit nicely into a small handbag. Built of high-quality aluminum, the DMC- FP1 also brings a wide range of colors to the series. Choose from 8 colors. The new lens cover both protects the lens from scratches or dusts and serves as the camera's power switch, making it fast and easy to slip the camera out of a pocket or a bag and turn on the power.

A Colorful, New, 12. 1 Megapixel, Ultra-slim Compact Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and iA Mode
Futuristic, Flat Design with Folded Optics Technology The flat body and compact size of the DMC- FP1 allow it to fit nicely into a small handbag. Built of high-quality aluminum, the DMC- FP1 also brings a wide range of colors to the series. Choose from 8 colors. The new lens cover both protects the lens from scratches or dusts and serves as the camera's power switch, making it fast and easy to slip the camera out of a pocket or a bag and turn on the power.

4x Optical Zoom / Up to 7.8x Extra Optical Zoom
The DMC-FP1 has a 4x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 35-140mm) and 7.8x Extra Optical Zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 273mm).

Sonic Speed AF
The Sonic Speed AF system in the DMC-FP1 has a maximum speed of approx. 0.33 second for auto focusing*. It includes numerous re-engineering enhancements, including a higher-speed actuator, optimized algorithms and parallel software processing. The result is fast and accurate AF performance. You can quickly get moving subjects in focus, such as when you're shooting sports scenes. * Using the 1-area AF, at the wide-end.

HD Movie Recording (1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps in Motion JPEG Format)
The DMC-FP1 can record motion images in high-definition (1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps in Motion JPEG format). The pixel mixed readout method enables bright motion-image recording even in low-light

Customer Review :

Great camera at an even greater price!

So far this camera is fantastic! I have an Olympus E300 SLR camera but it is hard to carry it around and all the lenses on trips and such.(Weighs about 3.5 pounds) So I wanted a second portable camera that could match the quality but would not break the bank. This camera takes awesome photos! Lighting fast start up time! I love the metal orange front. It looks so much more sleek and metallic in person than the stock photos.Many settings for people that want a point and shoot.IA setting automatically picks the right setting for your photo. So cool! The HD recording looks so sharp. My only complaints are the menu system is very simple and boring,the optical zoom is kinda slow and in HD recording it is about 1MB a second. So the files can get pretty huge when you film a lot.

Amazing camera at a great price! I 100% recommend it!

Rating :

great camera-Very fast focus

I wanted a very compact, lens in the body camera to take backpaking / hiking
Wanted MP range of 10 to 12
Camera works great, open the cover & it's ready to go.
well made metal body & cover slides easy.
Very fast focus, push the take a photo button and it takes the photo = no adjustment time.
I have taken photos driving down the highway = image comes out clear and sharp.
Only bad thing for me at this time (very minor) is camera is heavier then you'd think. Also has small surfaces to hold on to. I have not figured out how to hold it with one hand yet, my hand size is Medium-large golf glove.
I've taken 100 shots total so far with flash or with out flash & the battery is still showing 100%.
Macro focus works awesome.
Plus = has a camera stand screw mount on the bottom.
I have only used the camera in default mode, not done anything fancy yet. works great for me.

Rating :

Great camera for the price!

When I first received my camera, my jaw dropped.

The packaging was neatly packed inside a small box and the camera protected by a dust cover (?). I was ecstatic to know I wouldn't have to go pay $100s on batteries as this camera is rechargeable, a big plus for me! The iA (intelligent auto) is great. I never knew what mode to place my camera in for pictures to come out clear and crisp and knowing my camera can do that, another Pro! The flash is super bright. I've now decided I won't buy a camera unless it can slide down to turn on. It's also a less worry of the lens jamming as it doesn't come out. The blue was a GREAT colour choice.

I highly recommend this camera to those not looking to spend a lot, and still want professional looking pictures!

Rating :

So far, pretty good

I should preface this by saying that I used to be a semi-professional news photographer, so I tend to expect more from a camera than the average consumer might. I have a DSLR that I use for anything serious, but I need to have a pocket camera for those occasions where the DSLR is overkill, but the cell phone won't cut it.

Bought this to replace my Pentax Optio S6. I had purchased an Optio S3 for my folks, and was impressed by the quality of the pics that such a tiny little camera could kick out. But the S6 never seemed to work quite as well as that S3-- the autofocus always seemed to fail just enough that the pic looked ok on the camera screen, but was bad when I downloaded it to the PC. I was also never that impressed with the flash for indoor pictures.

So when making this purchase, I basically wanted to correct those three issues-- better autofocus, better overall image quality, and better indoor/flash images.

So far, this camera is winning on all three counts. The autofocus kicks in in about half the time as the S6, and it has a focus assist light that I don't remember noticing on the Optio. In low-light situations, I'm getting reliable focus when zooming in on objects that are 10 feet away. The image stabilization seems to work very well, and it's much more obvious if a picture is out of focus or blurry than it was with the S6.

The flash definitely appears to be a lot more powerful, but until I use it to take pictures in a bar at night, I can't give the final word on that.

Likewise, the pictures I've taken so far appear to be pretty good-- the camera compensated for twilight conditions well on full-auto mode, although things were a bit oversaturated. The auto ISO adjustment kicked out relatively noise-free pictures even at 800, and 400 looked as good as anything I've gotten out of a point and shoot before. The real test here will be taking some outdoor pics in full daylight.

One feature worth pointing out, if you're more accustomed to SLRs-- you have a dedicated exposure compensation button on the back of the camera, allowing you to make some manual adjustments to the image. The results are shown on the display in real time, so I was able to have the camera correctly focus on the ground, but expose for the sky. From what I've seen, however, you don't have the ability to adjust shutter, f-stop, or focus manually, although you can lock the camera to a specifc ISO.

The video apppears to be acceptable-- I was pleasantly surprised to see that the image stabilization worked with the video, although the final result was nowhere near as sharp as I would normally expect out of HDTV resolutions. This may have been due to lighting conditions.

Overall, this is a solid unit that's only a little wider than the diminutive Optio S series, while being slightly less deep. I'm impressed by what I've seen so far-- this definitely seems like the pocket camera that I needed. Small enough to not have an excuse to leave behind, powerful enough to take good shots, and at a price that doesn't break the budget.

Rating :

Great little camera for everyday snapshots

My 11 year old daughter selected and purchased this camera, and I think she made a great choice.

The things she likes about this camera are:
* Color. This is very important in her childish priorities, and this one is beautiful bright green.
* Nice pictures. So far she's had very few blurry, too dark, or too light snapshots.
* Video performance. This camera will easily take several minutes of video, and allows zooming in/out during recording.
* Easy point-and-shoot operation.
* Sliding lens cover. No "eyelash" lens cover to break, no lens cap to fiddle with.
* Small size fits easily in jacket pocket, etc.
* A price even an 11-year old can love.


Rating :

1. 12.1-megapixel resolution
2. 25mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens; 8x zoom, Power O.I.S.
3. Capture HD video at 1280x720, 30fps
4. 2.7-inch TFT LCD screen
5. Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Editorial Review :

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 Point & Shoot Digital Camera - Silver 12.1 Megapixel - 16:9 - 8x Optical Zoom - 4x Digital Zoom - 2.70

Customer Review :

Great Point & Shoot

The camera seems great! Battery, after playing with it for a good hour or so, the battery was already down to 2/3. The lens is great!!!! Pictures seem to be very good. Haven't gotten a lot of field tests in but just playing around with it in the house, it seems to do exactly what you would realistically expect it to. Great purchase!

Rating :

Great camera

Great value and great camera for a point and shoot. No complaints as of yet.

Rating :

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1

Vacation is coming so that will be the real test but function so far has been perfect. Has a good, solid, compact feel. Very easy to handle.

Rating :

Perfect for my Dad

I got this for my dad who wanted a small camera with a good zoom that was easy to use. This camera has been perfect with an 8x zoom, good picture quality, and the automatic settings. I had read some "cons" that for the aspiring photog who wants to do experimental things, it might not work as well since it's almost entirely automatic. However, this is would not be a problem for the average picture taker. In the case of my dad, that suited him perfectly since he just wanted to take nice pictures of the places he visits without having to worry about anything, and he loves the boost in zoom (his last camera was 3x).

I asked him this weekend how it was working out and if he liked it, his response- "I LOVE it!"

There is a newer version of the camera with more MPs but if this is not important to you, I'd just go with this version. 12.1MPs is a lot too!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 12.1MP Digital Camera with 8x POWER Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Silver)

Rating :

Super easy to use, intuitive menus, great pictures

Within minutes of putting the battery in, I was taking great pictures and HD movies. It has automatic settings if you're like me and want the camera to figure out the best picture for you. It also has manual functions if you want the control. It's easy to switch between the settings. It's great to be able to zoom while recording your HD movies. It's easy to put the pictures/movies onto your computer. Just plug in the USB and go to it. It worked automatically with my iPhoto '08 7.1.5 on Mac OSX 10.6.3. If you're like me and you want an easy-to-use camera that takes great pictures and HD movies (with zoom), buy this camera. Note: It doesn't come with a memory card or a case, so if those are important to you (and I think you'll want at least the card), you'll need to buy those separately.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. 9-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-sized prints
2. 10x optical zoom Leica DC lens; Face Detection
3. New Panasonic Venus Engine IV improves noise reduction, elevates the detection accuracy and corrective effects
4. 3.0-inch LCD; Mega O.I.S. and Intelligent ISO
5. Captures images to SD memory cards (not included)

Editorial Review :

SO)PANASONIC DMC-TZ5K

Customer Review :

Dissappointed

I was very excited to purchase this camera based on all the excellent reviews. However, the camera performed much worse than our old digital Cannon purchased 5 years before. Cannon always took sharp images and recording movies was not a problem. Lumix constantly underperformed; it was very hard to take a sharp image--the majority of them would come out grainy, no matter what was the lighting. I've tried to adjust the settings but nothing worked. Could not figure out how to record movies either--they came out as a still photo. Maybe I've missed something, but it shouldn't be so difficult and require you to look into the manual. On Cannon you just switched to the movie mode and voila, everything worked. Here, although it would appear that the movie was being recorded, no movie was actually recorded. I am actually happy that it finally broke and now we have to buy a new one. I would never go for Panasonic Lumix again.

Rating :

Camera has Bugs

got it as a gift, first, i prefer a peep hole to frame my pictures, which this camera doesnt have, making any camera with a peep hole better. Second, many times i have seen the camera act up. sometimes it switches off and does some kind of thing where it zooms in then zooms in and shuts off, sometimes i delete pictures and it leaves black boxes on my memory cards that say "error" when i look at them, didnt read the 500 reviews but my experience with this particular camera has been that problems exist, it is not perfect, look elsewhere if you want a product that doesnt suck

Rating :

I love this camera!

I recently bought this camera and I love it. It is a little bigger than our last camera, but it's totally portable and it takes great pictures. Great for a mom with two active boys.

Rating :

Love this camera but very sensitive to dust/dirt...

I have had this camera over 2 years and has been repaired once and is now unusable. While still under warranty, the lens would not close and a message of turn camera on and off again kept appearing. A grain of sand had gotten stuck in between the lens. Ok, lesson learned, kept it in a case. Second time a year later and no longer under warranty, same thing happened, a single speck of something is stuck in there and no longer works. I called customer service to see what it would cost to repair and it's about $150. If I decide to send it in, I will not get my repaired camera back, but a refurb. No thanks.

Other than the sensitivity to dirt (I am a pro photographer and treat all my equipment with utmost care), this is a great camera. Clear sharp photos, and love the fact you can zoom while using the video with no limitations as to video length while recording.

Would think about another one, but don't want to be frustrated if a speck of dirt gets in the lens mechanisms again.

Rating :

A Landmark Little Beaut

Why do I hafta keep reminding people to use the video feature on their still camera? Why? Because they don't have this camera.

Told people bout this camera years before it came along. Big lens, HD video, all in a pocket size.
Didn't know which brand would be first, but props to Panasonic for getting there first.
Going on 3 years later, it's still kicking butts and takin names long after better versions of the same, and copycats from Canon and now Nikon.
My little blue wonder is still a joy to use. A beautiful camera for travel. And no failures at all.
Many iMovies later, my friends are amazed.
Beats the heck outa my D90's video, a bit slo w/this lens in the dark for stills (take a pocket tripod), but look at what it all does in that small body.
Quick menu feature is nice. Battery life is very good. Stills are not Nikon/Canon quality, but plenty close for all but the most anal.
Just a huge bang for the buck.
Thanx Panasonic, you Rocked it on this puppy! A history maker in my book.
With this success I'm going for a GF-1!
--LD

Rating :

More reviews...

1. 12.1-megapixel resolution
2. 25mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens; 8x zoom, Power O.I.S.
3. Capture HD video at 1280x720, 30fps
4. 2.7-inch TFT LCD screen
5. Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Editorial Review :

LUMIX 12.1 MEGAPIXEL COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA WITH 8X OPTICAL ZOOM (BLUE)

Customer Review :

Lumix ZR1

This camera is as I expected and advertised. It is very easy to use and operate. The picture quality is very good and the zoom is great. I can't find anything wrong or bad to say, this is a great camera.

Rating :

efficient, good value

I am no expert. wanted a small camera that will be easy to take along anytime and will fit into a small purse or a pocket. It is certainly that, and takes very good pictures! The only downside is its design is not convenient for holding and clicking in one hand - you need both hands to hold it steady when taking a picture.

Rating :

perfect compromise

small enough to carry everywhere, wide angle & 8x zoom, takes great pics,compact battery charger, long battery life. What more do you want that is physically possible?

Rating :

Good camera

I bought this as an upgrade to my 5 or 6 year old Kodak camera which has served me well but was a bit out of date both in resolution and size. Looked around at price vs performance and decided on this one.

I'm happy with it. The picture quality is fantastic. I don't like to twiddle much with my camera - I want to capture the moment and moments don't wait. I use it in "full auto" mode most of the time and it figures the rest out really well. It likes to use the flash, but it is easy to turn on and off and when it is off the camera is really good about adjusting and still getting a good picture. It has a bunch of automatic modes that take a bit more time to select (there are a bunch of them) and they work really well, too. I use the sunset one and the action one the most.

It has a fast "recovery" time and when taking action pictures can be set to snap three in a row, which is nice. The zoom is really good - easy to get close. It also does HD movies, which I don't use a whole lot having learned that movies tend to never be seen after making them.

Not a cheap camera, but a good one. Time will tell about longevity, so if it breaks I'll update my review. Two week long vacations - so far so good.

Rating :

great pocket camera

I have a larger Lumix and needed to replace the one I carry for nights out or more casual times when I don't necessarily want to handle a larger camera. This had high recommendations on [...] which is what led me here to Amazon for it. I purchased mine from Warehouse Deals and couldn't have been happier. Watching the cnet video about it and what they thought of certain features was very helpful. This very much rivals my larger Lumix. I can zoom in just as far with the expanded zoom button. I liked the blue color as well, but for the price and features I am very pleased. The photo quality is very good. There are so many features that I am still playing around with getting the perfect picture in different lighting and setting situations.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. 9-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-sized prints
2. 10x optical zoom Leica DC lens; Face Detection
3. New Panasonic Venus Engine IV improves noise reduction, elevates the detection accuracy and corrective effects
4. 3.0-inch LCD; Mega O.I.S. and Intelligent ISO
5. Captures images to SD memory cards (not included)

Editorial Review :

Dream of a camera that is fully automatic for simple use. Think of a camera that offers a wide scope of features to capture virtually all you want. Consider a camera that takes superb stills yet also offers a movie mode that matches HDTV quality. Imagine combining precise Leica optics in a finely tuned compact device that opens new vistas for creativity and enjoyment. Realize the Panasonic DMC-TZ5S Lumix 9.1 Megapixel Digital Camera. Now you can fit sweeping landscapes into a single frame with the 28mm wide-angle setting. Pull in subjects from far away to capture even subtle facial expressions with the dynamic 280mm telephoto setting. Ideal for traveling, the DMC-TZ5 Lumix 9.1-megapixel digital camera combines a wide-ranging LEICA DC Vario-Elmar lens with a handy, compact body. The Extra Optical Zoom function also extends the zoom to as much as 16.9x, giving you even greater telephoto power. Set the TZ5 to iA mode and let the five Intelligent Auto functions team up to help prevent shooting errors. Intelligent Exposure corrects lighting differences, so images come out just the way you see them; Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation; MEGA Optical Image Stabilization helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur; and Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings. The TZ5 can record motion images with sensational 1280 x 720 HD resolution at 30 frames per second (fps) to fill your new widescreen HDTV sets. You've found your perfect camera. Use it now. Up to 4x Digital Zoom enhancement 3.0 Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (460K dots) Focusing Area Normal - Wide 50cm/Tele 200cm - infinity, Macro/Intelligent AUTO / Clipboard - Wide 5cm / Max 200cm / Tele 100cm - infinity 8 - 1/2,000 sec. Starry Sky Mode - 15, 30, 60sec. Shutter Speed Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600

Customer Review :

Dissappointed

I was very excited to purchase this camera based on all the excellent reviews. However, the camera performed much worse than our old digital Cannon purchased 5 years before. Cannon always took sharp images and recording movies was not a problem. Lumix constantly underperformed; it was very hard to take a sharp image--the majority of them would come out grainy, no matter what was the lighting. I've tried to adjust the settings but nothing worked. Could not figure out how to record movies either--they came out as a still photo. Maybe I've missed something, but it shouldn't be so difficult and require you to look into the manual. On Cannon you just switched to the movie mode and voila, everything worked. Here, although it would appear that the movie was being recorded, no movie was actually recorded. I am actually happy that it finally broke and now we have to buy a new one. I would never go for Panasonic Lumix again.

Rating :

Love this camera but very sensitive to dust/dirt...

I have had this camera over 2 years and has been repaired once and is now unusable. While still under warranty, the lens would not close and a message of turn camera on and off again kept appearing. A grain of sand had gotten stuck in between the lens. Ok, lesson learned, kept it in a case. Second time a year later and no longer under warranty, same thing happened, a single speck of something is stuck in there and no longer works. I called customer service to see what it would cost to repair and it's about $150. If I decide to send it in, I will not get my repaired camera back, but a refurb. No thanks.

Other than the sensitivity to dirt (I am a pro photographer and treat all my equipment with utmost care), this is a great camera. Clear sharp photos, and love the fact you can zoom while using the video with no limitations as to video length while recording.

Would think about another one, but don't want to be frustrated if a speck of dirt gets in the lens mechanisms again.

Rating :

I love this camera!

I recently bought this camera and I love it. It is a little bigger than our last camera, but it's totally portable and it takes great pictures. Great for a mom with two active boys.

Rating :

A Landmark Little Beaut

Why do I hafta keep reminding people to use the video feature on their still camera? Why? Because they don't have this camera.

Told people bout this camera years before it came along. Big lens, HD video, all in a pocket size.
Didn't know which brand would be first, but props to Panasonic for getting there first.
Going on 3 years later, it's still kicking butts and takin names long after better versions of the same, and copycats from Canon and now Nikon.
My little blue wonder is still a joy to use. A beautiful camera for travel. And no failures at all.
Many iMovies later, my friends are amazed.
Beats the heck outa my D90's video, a bit slo w/this lens in the dark for stills (take a pocket tripod), but look at what it all does in that small body.
Quick menu feature is nice. Battery life is very good. Stills are not Nikon/Canon quality, but plenty close for all but the most anal.
Just a huge bang for the buck.
Thanx Panasonic, you Rocked it on this puppy! A history maker in my book.
With this success I'm going for a GF-1!
--LD

Rating :

Camera has Bugs

got it as a gift, first, i prefer a peep hole to frame my pictures, which this camera doesnt have, making any camera with a peep hole better. Second, many times i have seen the camera act up. sometimes it switches off and does some kind of thing where it zooms in then zooms in and shuts off, sometimes i delete pictures and it leaves black boxes on my memory cards that say "error" when i look at them, didnt read the 500 reviews but my experience with this particular camera has been that problems exist, it is not perfect, look elsewhere if you want a product that doesnt suck

Rating :

More reviews...