The Panasonic Lumix ZX1 may be small, but it has big ambitions, cramming in a wider optical zoom than you have any right to expect from a camera this compact. But how does this super-zoom snapper stand up to closer inspection? We find out in our Panasonic Lumix ZX1 review.
Impressive though the Panasonic Lumix ZX1′s 8x optical zoom might sound, it’s actually outdone by Panasonic’s own 12x zoom TZ6 and TZ7. But in size it’s a different story: at just 26mm deep it’s nearly 7mm slimmer, while it tips the scales at 138g, a full third below its Lumix stablemates.
The secret is its super-thin Leica lens elements, which allows the Panasonic Lumix ZX1 to slim down to levels its super-zoom rivals simply can’t match.
As a result, the buttons on the back of the Panasonic Lumix are borderline microscopic. The body is solid, though, and the slight bulge on the right helps it feel good in your hand. The flash on the front is centrally placed, rather than on the outside of the lens, which lessens the chances of covering it with a stray finger.
Read our Sony Cyber-shot WX1 review
A glance at the spec sheet shows 12.1 megapixels and 720p video shooting on board – very much par for the course these days. In fact, the Panasonic Lumix ZX1 relies almost totally on a small number of key features to spearhead its appeal. Number one is that excellent zoom lens, which delivers great results on both ends of the scale. Another is Power OIS – a digital trickery power-up from Panny’s previous Mega OIS system that does a solid job of giving you better low-light results than you have a right to expect.
Then there’s face recognition, which lets you store details of six people’s faces in memory, which the camera will flag up whenever it sees them. It’s hardly a big-deal feature, but it does work well.
The Panasonic Lumix ZX1 certainly is an eager beaver when you fire it up – you can have your first shot tucked away just 1.1sec after turning it on. It’s also capable of 10fps burst shooting, but only if you’re happy with 3-megapixel shots – Sony requires no such compromise with its rival Cyber-shot WX1.
The Panasonic Lumix ZX1 does little to offend, and the Intelligent Auto mode can do pretty much all the work if you’re not prepared to. We’ve long since given up grumbling too much about the lack of manual modes or an optical viewfinder on this type of camera. For cramming unlikely amounts of tech into a tiny body, Panasonic gets top marks. For everything else, it’s a solid performer. If size matters but you still want a decent zoom range, it’s about as good as you’ll find.
