Panasonic's Lumix LS80: the most exciting digital camera ever
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Jan 20th 2008 11:48AM
posted Jan 20th 2008 11:48AM
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>>4 x zoom
double-posting :(
"4x Zoom" - it says 3x Optical Zoom right on the lens
Maybe it has 2X digital zoom. Does anyone even use digital zoom?
3x optical zoom with 2x digital zoom would be 6x total, not 4x.
...why does the lense look so damn dirty?
Revision: Maybe it has 1.33333X digital zoom. :D
I own another Panasonic Lumix model (DMC-LZ2 I believe it's called) which has 6x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, for a total of 24. The Lumix line has only excellent cameras it seems, and mine is no exception. It has been wonderful on trips to Europe where I was able to take great photos of far-away landmarks and beautiful landscapes because of the huge zoom capacity. The image stabilization is also all it's cracked up to be. Definitely worth it. My model cost me $200 at the time I got it, which was 2 years ago.
3x Optical, 4x digital
I for one am excited.
Yeah, looks like the Engadget team will be using this camera for next year's CES photos. Should be at least a 10x improvement.
An entire post of sarcasm? I was left confused for several seconds.
I was thinking the same thing.
I sat here thinking "....nobody tries to make a point with 100$ sarcasm and no clear punch. Are they being serious?...nah. Wait....are they?"
I'll remember this camera about as long as a remember this article.
What was it about again?
A true marvel of engineering.
does it have an LCD view screen too???!! i'm about to go batshit!
I for one welcome out new mediocre camera overlords.
our*
Sorry for the typo.
This was a post full of fail.
Be careful with Panasonic/Lumix cameras. I've owned two now and have found them to break fairly easily, Panasonic support to be practically non-existant, and the quality of images degrades after the first six months. I'm done with Panasonic cameras at this point - moving on to Canon, Rollei, and others.
I have a Panasonic FZ50, and it's by far the best non-DSLR camera on the market.
I've carried my FZ4 around for two years now, and it's still the camera all my friends are glad to see when we're doing group activities. Long battery life, great image stabilizing, huge zoom, beautiful photos. I'm very happy with what my $250 bought.
Hey, what's with the Panasonic hating? I have an FZ8 and absolutely love it. Short of my Canon DSLR it's my second favorite camera. I use it for shots in the field where I wouldn't want to risk my DSLR but want quality better than the average point-and-shoot digicam.
I actually chose the Panasonic FZ8 over the Canon Powershot S3 IS. It was a very close call but the user interface on the Panasonic was far better. In addition, it shoots RAW whereas the Powershot S3 does not.
12x optical zoom is a beautiful thing. The sensor is only 7 megapixels but pixels aren't worth a darn thing without a decent lens...
I don't see what's so great about this camera. The Canon PowerShot SD950 IS is 12.1MP, has Multi-Face-Detection auto focus and the normal auto focus. It also has IS (image stabilization). Has 3.7X physical zoom and with digital zoom x physical zoom, you get a total of 15x zoom. It can record 30fps video. The size of the video is adjustable from 320x240 all the way to 1024x8~~(~ being unknown). It's loaded with a mini suite of tools like red eye reduction, special scene modes, panoramic image stitcher (so you can take a 360 degrees shot), and much more. The ISO can go all the way up to 3200. It has wide screen modes and SDHC card support (I use a 16GB SDHC card in mine). It also includes digital marco, color accent (only one color is shown in the picture superimposing something like a person), and color swap (colors are swapped with other colors, which is fun and useful). Just because it is 12.1MP, that doesn't mean the images will be blurry. The auto focus paired with the image stabilization always achieves a 100% clear 4000x3000 (non-widescreen large settings) photo.
I am sorry you got the SD950IS - the 870IS is a better camera with a better lens, a better sensor, the same IS system, LCD screen size, built quality, and interface. It is an 8MP as opposed to 12MP, giving you better quality because the sensor is so damned small, and it also has wide angle capability. If you can return yours for the 870IS, I suggest you do it.
"Better lens"? They both have the same type of UA lens. Better "built quality"? The SD950IS has a titanium shell... "Better senor"? LMAO! The sensor is what gives you the pixels. My ccd (sensor) gets 12MP and yours gets 8MP, therefor my sensor > your sensor. The SD950IS is a wonderful camera and has many more features than the 870IS. I don't see a single thing in your post that actually makes the 870IS better than the SD950IS.
um, more megapixels doesn't mean a better picture, it just means a larger one. The CCD on point-and-shoots are SO small that when you get above say, 5 megapixels, the pictures usually become overly soft and muddy. It's usually not noticeable on prints, but go ahead and view the picture at 100% on a monitor. Crud-city.
Za is right. And they don't have the same lens. Do some reasearch. The 870 is a wide angle lens, yours is not. Don't believe me? Type the model numbers into http://www.dcresource.com/ and see for yourself.
You seem to be in the "bigger is better" camp, and more megapixels is ONLY better if you've got a larger CCD to match. My D40, with it's 6 megapixels, will take way better photos than your 12mp "beast". Know why? The D40 is an SLR with a larger CCD. So unless you're toting a hasselblad 39mp medium format camera, more megapixels isn't a big deal.
I don't think you understand. I gave facts to support why the 4000x3000 image is still crystal clear. The multiple auto focus things and the IS (image stabalization) give you a perfectly still picture that very clear. We had ice rain recently at my house and I took pictures of the frozen trees and you could zoom in to 2x2mm and still see every pixel not distorted and the trees are very clear and hi-def. Same goes for video.
this post=P.O.S.
at least Gizmodo liked it:
http://gizmodo.com/347003/panasonic-lumix-dmc+ls80-wins-best-8mp-camera-this-weekend-award
Unless that was all sarcasm, they have apparently not used or evaluated the Canon G9. Just received it and my goodness. What a piece of metal art and grace. 6X OPTICAL zoom, 12 MP, complete manual or automatic exposure, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program, Aiff focus, Center spot focus, or evaluative...Face recognition. More...
Quite a machine.
The G9 has phenomenal build and is inarguably one of the best point and shoots. I was considering getting one but the image quality unfortunately was not as good as my 4 yr old Sony DSC-V3 - bumping the megapixels on the Gx line has resulted in downgrades if you shoot in the dark. The autofocus also isn't as robust in low light as the DSC-V3.
The G9 is a brilliant camera but the image quality is average; the handling though is excellent. The Sony is better optically with stronger focusing but is slower in real-world usage.
The only point to my rant is there isn't a point and shoot out there now where you can have your cake and eat it too. If you want a fast camera, you have to sacrifice and get one with a high megapixel count - something that directly leads to image degradation on smaller sensors. The only camera I see currently bucking this trend so far is the Casio EX-F1.
This has a 3x optical zoom lens, not 4x as stated above. It does have PSAM, which is nice (manual exposure control, Tv, and Av). Granted you won't get much out of aperture priority with a lens made for a 1/2.5" sensor, but having it is better than not having it imho :)
The pre-order price is $150 at Amazon, with a release date of March 20, although Amazon sometimes is conservative on release date estimates.
Wow! The timing is perfect. I WAS about to drop $5000 on a new Nikon D3, but this looks like a much better camera. The Nikon lacks even regular OIS, let alone Mega OIS! Whew. Dodged a bullet there.
If it's that dull, why report it? Don't you have editors?
Give them *some* credit, it's a Sunday.
Do some americans just not understand sarcasm? or are their responses sarcastic aswell about the article being about sarcasm?
Btw, immense camera, cant wait to shoot mediocre landscapes
xx
I can't wait to start shooting eagles with that insane 3x zoom. Look out National Geographic!
Is this post hidden advertisement?
I am waiting for new sony t-series cameras. i have dsc-t50 now.
Sarcastic review....
Panaosonic says the new Lumix comes with "MEGA Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) will automatically detect and compensate for hand shake" as opposed to other cameras which only offer "Normal O.I.S." which only detects and compesates for left hand shake only (not right hand shake).
Panasonic is rumored to be working on "Super Mega O.I.S." which detects and compensates for earthquakes, volcanic activity, sub-zero lower body shake and that shake that occurs when you are in a crowd and some sweaty, overweight person bumps into you just as you click the shutter button".
The Panasonic camera also comes with "2.5" Diagonal Intelligent LCD". All previous versions of the Lumix were equipped with an "Unintellitgent LCD"; however, they did prove to have higher I.Q.s than the average Lumix owner.
In addition to Scene Modes such as Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, the Lumix comes with these new preset Scene Modes: "Porn", "Advanced Porn", and "Hi-Speed Burst Porn" plusthe all-new "Body Cavity" with automatic shutter clicking.
The Scene Mode "X-Ray" is also available on the Lumix from "Bone Depth" (for checking possibly broken appendages) to "Paparazzi" (sees through clothes).
I wanted to laugh, but I just couldn't... I don't know why. I read through your follow-up sarcastic review to the original sarcastic review and it felt like a comedian getting on stage after Carlos Mencia and repeating the same not funny jokes.
Better luck next time.
That's like a paradox or something.... someone copying Carlos Mencia's jokes. Does it end in a full circle of unfunny joke copying?
I'm surprised no manufacturer yet has included a cheap $5 mini-tripod in the box and added yet another "image stabilization" method to their press release laundry list! If they call adjusting the ISO and shutter speed an image stabilization method, surely a tripod would qualify as "trifecta stabilization" or "gorillization" if it's one of those flexible leg pods :)
If this were digg it would be buried as shit.
Does it take better pictures than my old Canon 110?
My new Olympus FE-230 has greatheapinggobbsapixels, a huge LCD screen, is half as thick and much faster. Sure SOUNDS like a better camera!!
As it turns out the FE-230's rapid response just ensures you'll be disappointed with the results that much quicker.
Enjoy.
I just noticed that it was sarcastic. It was sorta hard to see the sarcasm in the post and it looked a little serious.
engadget's april fool day's joke leaked in error :0
Impressive specs but breathtaking ugly design !
This picture says it all about the post. http://images.birdy.nu/__files/awesome.jpg
Lol its been a while, but I believe thats from Calvin & Hobbes? Kudos.
Yeah seriously though, I got all confused for a second. I was like, HAH good sarcasm, wait those specs aren't too bad. Eh? :S
Sorry, Joshua...your sarcasm isn't very becoming. Pls leave the tabloid extremism to that rag Giz, and stick to the straight up reporting and light humor we know and love from Engadget!
This looks like a good place to inject a serious comment...
What I really want now from the camera companies is a fairly compact non-SLR with a large sensor. Something like the Leica M8, but not from Leica. Imagine a Canon G7/G9 with an APS-sized sensor. Even it it were only 6-8 megapixels, that would be plenty. What I want is low-noise at high ISO, and good low-light performance. Yes, I know it would cost as much as a mid-line DSLR, but I have no problem paying a preium for high-end features in a small package. Sort of like the MacBook Air (if it had high-end features.)
just get a current model 6mp P&S. The camera makers only bump up the resolution for marketing reasons and in return add moire and poor low light performance as a result of cramming the photosensors closer together. 6MP is more than enough for most of the population. Under good conditions you could pull a 16x20 out of one with some help from alien skin Blowup.
Sigma makes one called the DP1. Ricoh might have as well.
Sigma isn't making the DP1 yet... They're working on it.
YAY... An 8mp digital camera,what will they of next.
ehh.. what.. most exciting camera ever? is this supposed to be sarcastic or is this a paid advertisement post ?
There are lots of cameras like this one already on the market and this one hasn't got anything to offer --- it doesn't even look good.. just typical...
Was this post made by a staff member in training ?
Keep up the good work though, I love engadget
I just do not see what is so "exciting" about this.
Yet another cheap camera, with almost no lens, and a tiny sensor array.
Please somebody make a decent camera with a good lens, at least 8X optical zoom, decent sized, with a nice big sensor, ant-shake, and perhaps 5MPixel.
A lens cover would be nice too.. so it might last for a while without scratches and dirt on it.
If it doesn't have an optical viewfinder then it is a complete waste of space.
When are camera manufacturers (point & shoot ones that is) going to realise that an optical viewfinder is far superior to using the LCD.
I'm guessing you've never heard of parallax errors. Optical viewfinders on point&shoots aren't worth the time.
Sorry but what is so special about this camera? Looks like a digital camera like any other to me...correct me if im wrong.
http://www.schnaeppchenVZ.net
Is that a fully-extended 3x optical zoom, or are you excited to use the Lumix LS80?
Let's hope that Panasonic joins other modern digital camera companies by actually providing USB 2 instead of USB 1, which was featured on last years models...
I wonder..what so exciting about this camera? =)
OH. MY. GOD.
People have no sense of SUBTLE humour! My goodness.
Whoever commented on here with a straight and honest answer and opinion to this post should all be shot.
My word. This is why you just can't joke around without the use of the word "LIKE." "It's LIKE, you know that thing, that scene from that movie, that news piece that happened yesterday, that event, etc etc ............"
So sad. Learn to detect intonation and intelligence behind the content. It's not always going to be in-yer-face.
Any camera with less than 5x optical zoom is not worthy in the eyes of Jesus!
Not sure what's new in this camera other than the 8.1 MP. I have a Panasonic TZ1 and I love it. Has only 5.1MP (Just enough since I am not going to be printing out posters of my pictures) but has a whopping 10x optical zoom.
http://www.benovarghese.com
Still like my Sony N2 better.
Woww> I wish someone would send it to me free. Email me at drea@thisweeknews.com
C'mon guys, you know this is just a spot of pre-PMA housecleaning. Yeah, Panasonic should have known better than to even bother to send the press release to Engadget, but as the bottom-of-the-line, $150-ish Lumix camera the specs aren't that bad at all.
For a bottom of the barrel camera, you guys gotta give Panasonic SOME credit with specs like that.
Christ. Reading through, you Americans really don't get sarcasm do you?!
I just wish it were weather and dust resistant. (If it is, forget I wrote this.)
Bah, it's all fluff & no substance unless they include some format that keeps better than 8-bit color (RAW, TIFF, etc). Which this Panasonic does not...
Canon....: 1
Panasonic: 0
As we have a saying here in Greece,
"SLOW THE EGGS DUDE..."
Totally useless excitement for yet another useless gadget.We have lots of them.Show us something more interesting...
F3, you say "I can't wait to start shooting eagles with that insane 3x zoom. Look out National Geographic!" With high megapixel lenses (7MP or more, in my opinion) you don't need a powerfull zoom (which only increases lens jiggle). Just shoot at the highest resolution, then enlarge. The ideal digital camera will have about 12-15 megapixels and no zoom. A zoom simply won't be necessary, just crop and enlarge.
Actually, the ideal digital camera would dispense with the lcd screen entirely and only have a viewfinder, since the lcd screen serves only to consume the battery! LCD screens don't belong on cameras! And with SD cards so cheap, you don't need to delete bad pics in the field anymore - you shouldn't be making artistic judgments in the field anyway. Just look through the viewfinder, don't bother with zooming, snap like crazy and delete later. That's digital photography of the future.