Product Description

Panasonic DMC-LZ6S is the Lumix 7.2 Megapixel digital camera with MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer, High Sensitivity Mode & 6x optical zoom.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32702 in Camera & Photo
• Color: Silver
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: DMC-LZ6-S
• Released on: 2007-03-10
• Dimensions: 2.45" h x 1.30" w x 3.88" l, .40 pounds
• Display size: 2

Features

• 7.2-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 15 x 20-inch prints
• 6x image-stabilized optical zoom; 2.0-inch LCD display
• Intelligent ISO Control (I.I.C.) reduces image blur from subject movement and low light
• Records full-size movies (no sound) in wide-aspect VGA (848 x 480) at 30 frames per second
• Stores images on SD/SDHC/MMC memory cards; 27MB internal memory

Manufacturer Description
The DMC-LZ6 boasts 7.2-megapixel recording, a powerful 6x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 37-222mm on a 35mm film camera) and convenient AA battery operation. plus a bright, easy-to-see 2.0-inch LCD. Thanks to Panasonic's careful redesign inside and out, the LZ6 has a more stylish and higher-quality appearance than previous models, and is smaller and lighter despite using AA batteries.

The new Venus Engine III image processing engine gives them even higher image quality and speedier processing. The LZ6 also incorporates the Intelligent Image Stabilization system, which which comprises two features -- Mega O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and Intelligent ISO Control -- that together make it easy to capture beautiful photos every time you shoot. Mega O.I.S. compensates for the effects of hand-shake, making it possible to capture clear, crisp photos indoors, at night, when taking macro close-ups, or using high powered zooming -- situations in which hand-shake is most likely to be a problem. Even Mega O.I.S., however, cannot suppress the motion blur caused by a subject moving as the photo is being snapped. That's where Intelligent ISO Control comes in. In this system, the camera's Venus Engine III image-processing engine detects whether the subject is moving and, as necessary, raises the ISO setting and shutter speed according to the degree of movement and light conditions. This happens automatically, so you can shoot without the bother of adjusting settings every time conditions change. Lumix and its powerful Intelligent Image Stabilization system do all the work for you. You enjoy easy, trouble-free shooting in any situation and get the satisfaction that comes with capturing clear, beautiful images.

The LZ6 offers a range of features that enhance usability and add convenience. The new Quick Setting function lets you quickly and easily access and set the functions used most often. The Easy Zoom feature shifts the lens instantly to full 6x zoom power at the touch of a dedicated button. With the new Date Stamp function, you can simply stamp the date on photos or you can take advantage of two new, original Lumix features. When travelling, you can stamp the day of the trip on the photos you take. Or, if you have a baby, you can stamp his or her age in months on your photos. The stamped information appears on photos that you print yourself at home or have printed at a photo shop.

Effective resolution has been increased to 7.2 megapixels in the LZ6, supporting enhanced functions. It features approximately 27MB of built-in memory and accepts large-capacity SDHC memory cards for extra shooting convenience and flexibility. Powered by two of Panasonic’s original, extended-life Oxyride dry cell batteries, the LZ6 can take around 260 shots (CIPA). The menu and its graphical user interface have also been redesigned, with the colours brightened for easier viewability.

Combining a powerful 6x optical zoom with Panasonic's blur-fighting Intelligent Image Stabilization, the DMC-LZ6 makes it easy for even digital camera beginners to take clear, crisp, beautiful photos every time they shoot.

DMC-LZ6 Highlights

Lumix DC Vario lens with powerful 6x optical zoom and Easy Zoom function In the DMC-LZ6, Panasonic packages a Lumix DC Vario lens featuring a 6x optical zoom -- among the most powerful available in this class -- with a 7.2-megapixel CCD into a compact, lightweight body. A crystallization of Panasonic’s advanced lens technologies, the Lumix DC Vario lens comprises eight elements in seven groups, including two lenses with a combined three aspherical surfaces, and delivers an outstanding optical performance. The powerful 6x optical zoom lets you capture impressive close-up shots of distant subjects and take beautiful photos with an attractive, softly focused background. Further, in 3-megapixel resolution mode, the Extra Optical Zoom function uses the centre part of the CCD to provide additional magnification, extending the zoom power to 9x. Using this feature in combination with the 4x digital zoom brings the total zooming power to a remarkable 36x. The Easy Zoom feature shifts the lens instantly to full 6x zoom power at the a touch of a dedicated button, and with a second touch, the lens is shifted to 9x by activating the Extra Optical Zoom function.

Intelligent Image Stabilization: Mega O.I.S. for hand-shake plus Intelligent ISO Control for motion blur Panasonic drew on its cutting-edge lens technology to invent Mega O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer), an optical image stabilizer that prevents blurring from shaky hands -- the leading cause of blurry images. With Mega O.I.S., it is easier than ever to capture clear, sharp, beautiful images when shooting telephoto shots, indoor portraits, illuminated night scenes or even the scenery you see from a train window.

While hand-shake is the single biggest cause of blurry images, it is not the only one. Another problem is the motion blur that can occur when a subject moves as the shot is being snapped. Incorporating Panasonic's new Intelligent ISO Control, Lumix cameras are the first in the world to fight motion blur by themselves. This system detects whether or not the subject is moving. If it is, the system automatically raises the ISO setting accordingly, allowing the camera to shoot at a higher shutter speed. If the subject is not moving, the camera shoots at a low ISO setting and captures beautiful, natural-looking images. Intelligent ISO Control is included as one of the corrections in certain scene modes used to shoot subjects that are often moving, such as Sports, Baby and the newly added Pet mode. Simply select the mode that best suits the subject, and Intelligent ISO Control provides the optimal corrections, making it easy to capture crisp, clear photos.

With Intelligent Image Stabilization -- Mega O.I.S. to compensate for hand-shake plus Intelligent ISO Control to prevent motion blur -- Panasonic has taken image stabilization a leap forward and equipped the new Lumix DMC-LZ6 with the industry's most advanced countermeasures against blurring.

High-quality, high-performance Image-Processing LSI: Venus Engine III The DMC-LZ6 features Panasonic's Venus Engine III, an advanced image processing engine which in the past was offered only in the step-up Lumix models. It can record at a sensitivity setting as high as ISO 1250 with full resolution. Noise reduction is also greatly improved, with picture noise removed in stages during image processing. First, critical noise is roughly undraped and chromatic noise and luminance noise are separated. The chromatic noise, which has a greater effect on picture quality, is then selectively suppressed to a substantial degree.

With its multi-task image-processing capability, the Venus Engine III also boasts outstanding response time. Shutter release time lag is as short as 0.005 second. This fast response makes it easy to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment shots. It also allows unlimited consecutive shooting -- you can continue snapping shots until the SDHC/SD memory card is full.

Record clear, bright, wide-aspect VGA motion images -- ideal for widescreen viewing In addition to recording standard VGA (640 x 480) motion images at 30 frames per second, the DMC-LZ6 can record stunning wide-aspect VGA (848 x 480) motion images at 30 frames per second. These 16:9 motion pictures look extremely impressive on a wide-screen TV. The pixel-mixed readout method used by the CCD enhances image brightness, so the pictures you see are clear, bright and beautiful.

Bright 2.0-Inch LCD for easy shooting and playback The DMC-LZ6 has a large, bright 2.0-inch LCD for comfortable viewing both while monitoring shots and while playing back the results. The pixel-mixed readout method used by the CCD automatically increases the brightness of the live image on the LCD, making it much easier to shoot in low lighting. The High Angle mode, which can be accessed quickly and easily via a dedicated button, makes the LCD screen extremely easy to view when the camera is held high, such as to shoot over a crowd.

Fast, easy auto focusing To match the shooting situation and subject's position, the user can select from five auto-focusing methods: 5-point, 3-point high-speed, 1-point high-speed, 1-point normal-speed, and spot. As with all powerful zoom models in the Lumix family, the DMC-LZ6 leads the industry with its short AF time, especially in the 1 point high-speed AF, achieving quick, smooth operation. Although screen-freeze in high-speed auto focusing is now minimised, it can be entirely eliminated when taking pictures of fast-moving subjects by selecting 1-point normal-speed AF.

Extended shooting with Panasonic's Oxyride AA batteries The DMC-LZ6 runs on two AA batteries, which can be purchased anywhere. Each camera also comes with two Panasonic Oxyride AA batteries, which let you take around 65 percent more shots than you can with ordinary Panasonic alkaline batteries. The Oxyride batteries let you take around 260 shots (CIPA).

Other advanced features In addition to outstanding basic specifications, a host of other improvements make the DMC-LZ6 ideal for taking beautiful pictures with ease. Approximately 27 MB of built-in memory is provided, and the camera accommodates large-capacity SDHC memory cards. A total of 18 scene modes, including the new Pet and Sunset modes, also make it easy to get beautiful photos in a range of photographic situations. Three of the modes -- Sports, Baby and Pet -- apply Panasonic's Intelligent ISO Control to help you capture crisp, blur-free photos even if the subject moves as you shoot. Frequently used functions, such as white balance adjustment, ISO setting, picture size, quality (compression format) and consecutive shots, are quickly and easily handled with the Quick Setting function without having to enter the menu and set each of them.

The fun continues even when the shooting is done With the DMC-LZ6, the enjoyment of photography doesn't end when you're done shooting for the day. One additional function that broadens the fun of photography is Direct Print mode. To select it, simply turn the mode dial on the camera top. Then use the USB cable provided to connect the camera to a Pictbridge-compatible printer, and you're ready to print beautiful photos. Print all the images you shot or only your favourites, and make one copy or multiple copies as you wish. When you turn the mode dial, the mode selected is indicated on the LCD. This lets you change the mode to recording, playback or direct printing without taking your eyes off the subject.

Also interesting is the new Date Stamp function. In addition to showing the date a photo was taken, the LZ6 can show on which day of the trip a photo was taken. They can also stamp your baby's age in months on a photo, after you've taken the shots. These dates, which can be helpful when making a photo album, can be stamped on photos whether you print them yourself at home or have a photo shop do them.

With the optional Panasonic DMW-SDP1 HDTV Photo Player, it's easy to have a slide show of Lumix images in 1080i high-definition quality. By simply connecting the SDP1, via a component cable, to a high-definition TV such as a Panasonic Viera, and inserting the SDHC/SD memory card into its slot, users can view their photos on a large display together with family or friends. Like Lumix cameras, the DMW-SDP1 incorporates the Venus Engine III imaging engine. This provides extremely quick advancing from one slide to the next. It also allows playback of wide-aspect VGA (848x 480) motion images that fit an HDTV’s 16:9 screen.

Customer Reviews

NO MIC - Good pictures
This is a fine camera.

But there is one weird thing: it has Panasonic's well-known high-resolution video capabilities, but no microphone. Seems odd to have great video resolution (even widescreen) but no sound to go with it. This is not mentioned anywhere in product promotional literature. Buyer beware... ;)

So, if you want a digital camera that can pull double duty to record short video clips, take a look at the LZ7 instead: Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7K 7.2MP Digital Camera with 6x Image Stabilized Zoom (Black).

Other than a slightly smaller LCD and the sound issue, the LZ6 and LZ7 are the same camera. Thus, the remainder of this review is from my review for the LZ7 (which I purchased after re-selling the LZ6, since it couldn't do video).


1) Noise - the big problem reported by many Panasonic users is noise. I've found that keeping the camera set to 100 ISO is fine for reducing noise in general outdoor conditions. Indoors, there is some noise when using the flash or not, but it is not a show-stopper -- especially if you're planning on printing mostly 4x6 prints.

2) Size/Build - the camera is a bit bulky. It's nice for those of us with bigger hands. It won't fit in your pocket, but it's small enough to easily fit in a bag. It also feels a lot sturdier than most other compact digital cameras.

3) Zoom/OIS - The 6x zoom works really well in conjunction with image stabilization. I get sharper 6x 7.2 MP pictures than when I was taking 3x 3 MP pictures with a Canon PowerShot.
Another benefit of the zoom is that the camera has a larger-than-average lens (to let in enough light for zoom shots, I imagine). This is nice because it lets more light in for all pictures, which means you don't need the flash as much. I've even been able to take 6x zoom pictures in dusk lighting at 100ISO that come out reasonably noise-free!

4) Battery life - Battery life is good. Use NiMH; there's no good reason to use non-rechargeable batteries.

5) Saturation - a few other reviews have alluded to this. The colours produced by this camera are very vivid and striking.

Overall, this is a very nice 7 MP 6x zoom STILL camera. It's super-cheap, appears to be fairly durable, and very good zoom and image stabilization! But if you want video, go with the LZ7.

Doesn't have a built-in mic
I'm still in the process of comparing all the different models (after reading millions of reviews I've already decided to buy a Panasonic) and thought I'd share my latest findings. Up till now I thought the only difference between the LZ7 and this was the size of the LCD but I just realized that the LZ6 doesn't have a built-in microphone therefore it does not record sound with the movies. Bummer. I also wish it came with built-in speakers to play back movies with sound and a viewfinder but those I think I can live without (other Lumix models don't have them either)

Lot of features for the price!
Nice, small, good-looking, feature-laden camera. The 6x optical zoom is what really sold me! Power is supplied by 2 AA batteries, which is real convenient since they are cheap and abundant. Use rechargeable batteries and save a bunch of money over time. At 7.2 megapixels, your photos are detailed and the colors are rich. 11 x 14 enlargements are no problem when shooting at the highest setting. Image stabilization helps keep your shots sharp -- especially handy when you're using the 6x zoom (where hand-shake is magnified). My only gripe is that when you take a picture, it takes several seconds before it is ready to shoot again (I'm speaking of indoors with flash). For the price, I don't think there is a better camera on the market. I own three Panasonic cameras (all different models) and they have never given me any trouble.