Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5.5Mb.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 produced images of very good quality during the review period. The 1/2.33 inch, 12 megapixel sensor used in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 produces noise-free images at ISO 100 and 200, with ISO 400 also looking good, although there's slight loss of saturation. ISO 800 shows some quite obvious noise and softening of fine detail, and ISO 16000 is even noisier, although still OK for small prints and web images. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations, with limited purple fringing effects appearing only at the edges of the frame in high contrast situations. The built-in flash is rather under-powered but worked fairly well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate exposure. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 60 seconds allowing you to capture plenty of light. Anti-shake works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. Macro performance is good, allowing you to focus as close as 3 cms away from the subject. The images were a little soft straight out of the DMC-ZX1 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.

Noise

There are 6 ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

ISO 80 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

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 a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately you can't change the in-camera sharpening level.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

File Quality

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 has 2 different image quality settings available, with 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.

10M Fine (5.87Mb) (100% Crop)	10M Normal (2.82Mb) (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 handled chromatic aberrations excellently during the review, with very limited purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the example below.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 3cms 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.

Macro Shot	100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Forced Off - Wide Angle (25mm)	Forced On - Wide Angle (25mm)
Forced Off - Telephoto (200mm)	Forced On - Telephoto (200mm)

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Auto/Red-eye Reduction settings caused any red-eye.

Forced On	Forced On (100% Crop)
Auto/Red-eye Reduction	Auto/Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1's maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds in the Starry Sky Mode scene mode (there are also 15 and 30 second options) and 8 seconds in the Night Scenery mode, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds 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 15 second setting the actual exposure takes 30 seconds.

Night Shot	Night Shot (100% Crop)

Anti Shake

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 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 same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images 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.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length	Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)	Anti Shake On (100% Crop)
1/2 sec / 25mm
1/2 sec / 200mm

High Dynamic

The High Dynamic mode is an interesting new scene mode which helps to capture a scene with even exposure even if it contains extreme bright and dark areas. There are three options, Standard, Art, or B/W, making your photos look natural or more artistic.

High Dynamic Off	High Dynamic - Standard
High Dynamic - Artistic	High Dynamic - B&W

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

Product Images

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera / Lens Extended

Isometric View

Isometric View

Rear of the Camera

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

Rear of the Camera / Quick Menu

Top of the Camera

Bottom of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 bridges the gap between the popular FX and TZ series cameras, offering the small size of the former combined with a similar focal range to the latter. Super-quick auto-focusing and improved image stabilisation help to sweeten the deal, although the video mode and LCD screen aren't as good as the TZ7's.

We've never seen such a small camera with such a long zoom lens before. The combination of an ultra-compact, lightweight and well-made body with the 8x, 25-200mm lens is a real winner, covering most photographic situations that you'll encounter, from wide-angle land- and city- scapes to close-up candids. There is inevitably some barrel distortion evident at the 25mm setting, but it's not too noticeable and more than made up for by the sheer versatility of the ZX1. Limiting the maximum range to 8x/200mm, combined with the improved POWER O.I.S system, also means that you get less blurry shots when hand-holding the camera.

Panasonic have also made significant strides with their autofocus technology, with the ZX1 very quickly locking onto your intended subject almost regardless of the lighting conditions and zoom setting. There weren't too many occasions when the camera struggled to focus, and focus quickly too. The ZX1 felt noticeably quicker than the TZ6/7. Unfortunately there haven't been any improvements to the burst shooting speed, which at just over 2fps is starting to literally lag behind rivals like the Sony Cyber-Shot TX1 (capable of an extraordinary 10fps at full resolution).

The ZX1 delivers on the image quality side of things, with ISO 100-400 perfectly usable for most photos with ISO 800 reserved for low-light situations. It dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations, colours were a little muted but accurate, and macro performance was good - only slightly soft images and an under-powered built-in flash detracted from the overall performance.

The HD video feature is difficult to judge, being better than lots of rivals but not as good as the more expensive TZ7, which this camera will inevitably be compared to. 720p HD video on such a compact camera is appealing, but there's no dedicated video button, stereo sound, AVCHD format, wind-cut option or HDMI port. If video is high on your list of priorities, then the TZ7 makes more sense.

Which leaves us with an otherwise excellent pocket camera that's easy to recommend if you don't need more advanced manual controls or the best possible HD video. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1's combination of size, speed and that remarkable lens is simply too compelling to ignore.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	5
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	4

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 from around the web.

Specifications

Your Comments