PC Magazine Singapore Editor's Choice - Lumix DMC-FZ30

If we could have only one camera for all our needs, the remarkably capable 8MP Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 would be on our short list, as would its predecessor, the FZ20.

FEATURES: The FZ30 looks like a small D-SLR thanks to its body, excellent grip, and massive Leica 12X superzoom lens. Maximum apertures range from f/2.8 to f/3.7; focal lengths, from 7.4 mm to 88.8 mm (35 mm to 420 mm in 35-mm equivalent). Panasonic has replaced previous zooming buttons with a manual zoom ring, adding to the camera's D-SLR feel, and has improved the manual focus ring. Also new is a larger CCD to accommodate the increased pixel count, but it's still not nearly as large as that used by consumer D-SLRs.

This camera begs to be held to the eye to shoot, D-SLR-style. But you can shoot using either the articulated 2-inch LCD or the electronic viewfinder. Panasonic has significantly improved the resolutionof both over prior models: The LCD was readable in bright light, and the EVF very good in all lighting conditions, though both screens were a little slow to react when we shot action. One area where we'd really like it to be more like a D-SLR: Menu settings should come up on the LCD, even if you're composing shots on the EVF.

The FZ30 feels a lot like a D-SLR, though it can't match the higher-end picture quality. Its powerful zoom lens, movable LCD, and ability to take 640-by-480 Motion JPEG movies help capture images you'd otherwise never get without lugging around a heavy, expensive lens and a video camera.

TEST RESULTS: The camera's lens no longer extends when the camera is turned on, which gets the FZ30 up and running faster than previous FZ models, whose lenses do extend. The FZ30 took just 1.7 seconds to boot up and 1.9 seconds to recycle. Average resolution, at 1,775 lines, is very good. There was noticeable noise inthe images, even at ISO 80, but dynamic range, colour saturation, and contrast were all very good.

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