Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 ... DMC-LX1 features a 4x optical zoom with a 28 to 112mm wide-angle capability (35mm equivalent). This and a 1/1.65" diagonal CCD with 8.4 million effective pixels give you superb image quality over a wide shooting range. The Extended Optical Zoom, which minimizes the image degradation that normally occurs with digital zooming, gives you up to 5x zooming power. Plus, the 4x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom can be used together to produce a maximum of 16x zooming power.

The DMC-LX1 features a 2.5" diagonal high-resolution LCD monitor - surprisingly large for such a compact camera. This high-quality, 207, 000-pixel display makes it easy to see your subject. For easier viewing when shooting outdoors on a sunny day, press the Power LCD button to boost the backlighting by about 40%.

Jitter from shaky hands is one of the main reasons why cameras produce blurry images. Not everyone has hands of stone when taking pictures - that's why Lumix cameras help solve the problem of unsteady hands with advanced MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer technology. The DMC-LX1 has a built-in gyrosensor that detects any hand movement and relays a signal to a tiny microcomputer inside the camera, which instantly calculates the compensation needed. A linear motor then shifts the Optical Image Stabilizer lens as necessary to guide incoming light from the image straight to the CCD. You won't even notice it working - all you'll see are the outstanding results!

In addition to displaying the settings in large, easy-to-understand text, the large, 2.5" diagonal screen with 230, 000-pixel resolution lets you show up to 25 thumbnail images at once. This makes it easier to search for, and organize, the photos you take.

A switch at the top of the lens barrel lets you choose an aspect ratio of normal 4:3, wide 16:9, or the 3:2 used in film cameras. A 16:9 image is obtained using the wide-angle lens and large CCD, instead of the conventional method of cropping the top and bottom of a 4:3 image.

A switch on the side of the lens lets you match the focusing operation to your shot. Choose from 1-point AF (normal or high-speed), 3-point high-speed AF, 9-point AF, Spot AF, AF macro to focus from as close as 0.16feet (5cm) from the subject, or manual focus using the joystick. Focusing is also made easier by the Manual Focus Assist function, which lets you enlarge the center of the LCD image to check the focus, and the AF Assist Lamp for focusing in dimly lit places.

Thanks to the Venus Engine II's release time lag of around 0.008 second and shutter interval of around 0.4 second, the DMC-LX1 is super-fast. You can snap off consecutive shots at 3 frames per second with full resolution. And with Unlimited Consecutive Shooting, you can keep shooting until the memory card is full.