Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 Review
Review Date: March 27th 2006
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Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using
the 5M Fine mode, which gives an average image size of around
2Mb.
Noise
There are 4 ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix
DMC-LS2 which you can select at any time if the camera is
in the normal shooting mode. Here are some 100% crops which
show the noise levels for each ISO setting:
There is virtually no discernible noise at the slowest settings
of ISO 80 and 100, and ISO 200 isn't too bad at all, although
the image quality has deterioated quite a lot at the fastest
setting of ISO 400.
Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality
50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening
applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are quite
soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some
further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately
you can't increase the in-camera sharpening level.
File Quality
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 has 2 different image quality
settings available, with 5M Fine being the highest quality
option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of
the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.
Chromatic Aberrations
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 handled chromatic aberrations
well during the review, with only limited purple fringing
present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast
situations.
Macro
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 offers a Macro setting that allows
you to focus on a subject that is 5cms away from the camera
when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows
how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact
flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.
Flash
The flash settings on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 are Auto,
Auto + Red-eye Reduction, Forced Flash and Red-eye Reduction
+ Slow Synchro. These shots of a magnolia coloured wall were
taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Auto Flash - Telephoto (105mm) |
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And here are some shots of yours truly. As you can see, both
the Flash On setting and the Red-Eye Reduction option caused
a tiny amount of red-eye (or to be more accurate, purple-eye).
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Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Flash - Red-Eye Reduction (100%
Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds
in the Starry Sky Mode scene mode (there are also 15 and 30
second options), which is good news if you're seriously interested
in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter
speed of 4 seconds at f/2.8 at ISO 80. I've included a 100%
crop of the image to show what the quality is like. The camera
takes the same amount of time again to apply noise reduction,
so for example at the 4 second setting the actual exposure
takes 8 seconds.
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100% Crop |
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Anti Shake
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 has an anti-shake mechanism,
which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds
than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld
shots of the same subject with the lens set to a focal length
of 105mm. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned
off, the second with it turned on. Here is a 100% crop of
the image to show the results.
As you can see, with anti shake turned on, the images are
much sharper than with anti shake turned off. This feature
really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing
a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether.
Overall Image Quality
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 produced images of above average
quality during the review period. The 5 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. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 dealt well
with chromatic aberrations, with limited purple fringing effects
appearing only in high contrast situations. Macro performance
is above average, allowing you to focus as close as 3cms away
from the subject. The built-in flash worked well indoors,
with very little red-eye and good exposure. The night photograph
was good, with the maximum shutter speed of 60 seconds allowing
you to capture plenty of light. Anti-shake is a feature that
sets this camera apart from its competitors and one that works
very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions
or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. The Panasonic
Lumix DMC-LS2's also dealt quite well with noise, which has
been something of a traditional problem with Panasonic cameras.
The 1/2.5 inch, 5 megapixel sensor used in the Panasonic Lumix
DMC-LS2 produces noise-free images at ISO 80 and ISO 100,
with ISO 200 also looking quite good. ISO 400 does have easily
visible noise, but overall this is an improvement on other
Panasonic cameras that I have reviewed.
 PhotographyBLOG
is a member of the DIWA
organisation. Our test results for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2
have been submitted to DIWA
for comparison with test results for different samples of
the same camera model supplied by other DIWA
member sites.
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