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Panasonic’s LUMIX DMC-ZR1 is a 12-megapixel compact camera that packs an 8x zoom into its small body. It runs rings around most compact cameras when it comes to reach, and it’s also capable of capturing very clear and well toned pictures.
The ZR1 represents a completely new kind of compact camera for Panasonic; one that was born out of company research that suggested users love a big zoom but hate a big body. Panasonic went to work creating a lens that has elements that are only 0.3mm thick at their thinnest point. The lens is submerged within the camera body (which is only 2.5cm thick, 9.7cm long and 5.6cm tall) and when the zoom is fully extended, the camera with batteries such as panasonic VW-VBS10 Battery, panasonic VW-VBS20 Battery, panasonic VW-VBS20E Battery, panasonic PV-BP88 Battery, panasonic NV-M8000 Battery, panasonic NV-M1000 Battery, panasonic LC-S2312 Battery, panasonic DMW-BCG10 Battery, panasonic DMW-BCG10E Battery, panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 Battery, panasonic DMW-BCF10 Battery, panasonic DMW-BCF10E Battery is still only 6cm thick.
For this reason it’s probably the ultimate travel camera. Its wide angle is wider than most compact cameras at 25mm (35mm equivalent) and its 8x zoom reaches up to 200mm. You can go from shooting the front of an old church in its entirety, to zooming in on the detail in its steeple, for example. There will be some distortion noticeable on the outskirts of the frame, which will make objects look slightly stretched or weirdly shaped.
Fine control of the zoom is lacking after you get past the lens’ halfway point. For example, there are approximately 31 zoom steps that you can land on when you dab the zoom lever, but approximately 25 of those are before you reach the 6x zoom level.
Leaving aside old churches for the moment, the long zoom can come in handy at sporting events and concerts, too. The picture below was taken inside a basketball stadium (for the Australia versus New Zealand match) using the normal picture setting, ISO limiting at ISO 800 (ISO limiting tells the camera not to use a value more than what you've specified) and maximum zoom. You can see that the picture looks soft (it was shot at a shutter speed of 1/60 while the players were moving) but the definition is actually quite good; the colours look vibrant and there isn’t any chromatic aberration. There is some noise, which manifests as discolouration in the dark areas, but you can’t really notice it unless you view the picture in its full size.
Like all recent Panasonic LUMIX cameras, the DMC-ZR1 is easy to use. It has a simple control layout and a quick menu button that allows you change its focus, metering, ISO, and shooting settings when it’s in ‘normal picture’ mode. You also get intelligent auto mode, which picks all the settings for you automatically. There is also a comprehensive collection of scene modes (29) including film grain and pin-hole modes.
One of the best features of the camera is its focus. It focuses fast (thanks in part to the parallel processing performance of the camera’s internal chip) and it focuses accurately, even in low light.
We particularly like the face recognition and object tracking focus modes. Face recognition can be programmed to pick up faces that you register. It will then focus on those when it recognises them, rather than unregistered faces. Meanwhile, tracking mode will follow your desired target across the entire screen (you can see the little yellow crosshairs dip under the icons of the screen, even go off the screen and then come back onto the screen when the object comes back into view. It’s a very useful feature for keeping pets and kids in focus while you snap them at playtime. However, similar shaped objects can confuse the tracker, and fast moving objects can be lost.
The build quality of the camera is acceptable for a compact digital camera with a 2.6in LCD screen, although its mode dial is too easy to knock out of place. Its battery life is long, although it will drain quicker if you take videos. It can take videos at 1280x720 using the Motion JPEG format and you can see an example video below.
There’s nothing really wrong with the LUMIX DMC-ZR1, although its images are feathery when you scrutinise them at the maximum 12-megapxel resolution. It’s easy to use, small, yet has an 8x zoom. It’s capable of capturing good looking shots and we think it’s just the ticket for anyone who wants a small camera for taking photos at sporting events, concerts, or while travelling.