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Digital Camera Review:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1
Page 4

photo

ABOVE: This gilded relief sculpture is high on the façade of the newly restored Oude Griffe in Bruges, Belgium. Thanks to the FZ1's 12X lens, I was able to zoom in from my distant vantage point on the ground.

See unedited 1600 x 1200 image (318 Kb).

More sights, less shake

As I lived with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1 over the next 10 days, I came to appreciate the virtues of a powerful, large-aperture, optically stabilized zoom lens.

The 12X zoom range meant that I could “crop in the camera” instead of having to take high-resolution images that would have filled up a memory card quickly and required cropping in an image-editing program. If I wanted a photo of a seagull on a pier, I could just zoom in on the seagull instead of wasting several Megapixels on extraneous pier decking. Thanks to the FZ1’s powerful zoom lens, the maximum image resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels was more than adequate for high-quality snapshot or postcard-size prints.

The f/2.8 maximum aperture at all focal lengths made it possible to take indoor photos even in relatively dim light without resorting to flash (a good thing, since the FZi’s built-in flash isn’t powerful enough to illuminate a large room).

The FZ1’s optical stabilization was of immeasurable value for extreme telephoto shots (which would have required a tripod with conventional cameras) and when taking pictures at slow shutter speeds indoors. Although it’s possible to turn it off, I left it on all the time.

Of course, camera shake isn't the only reason why you sometimes get soft or fuzzy pictures. The FZ1's autofocus didn't always pick the right objects to focus on during my cruise, but that was often my fault for not taking the time to prefocus.

TIP: If you don't know how to prefocus, here's the technique:

  • Center the focusing point on the most important object in the scene.

  • Depress the shutter halfway to lock the focus.

  • While you're still holding the shutter halfway down, move the camera if necessary to recompose the scene.

  • Finish depressing the shutter button. (Remember--squeeze, don't shove!)

Next page: Proofing the pixels


In this article:
Introduction - Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1
How I learned to love the Lumix
Automation for every occasion
More sights, less shake
Proofing the pixels
Technical Trivia
Links to other Lumix reviews and to Panasonic

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