Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS70

Model Design/Appearance (6.5)
Functionality seems to have been on the mind of the designers when creating the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS70. The camera has a stripped-down body and rectangular form that rejects innovation in favor of practicality. It is composed of metallic silver plastic with polished silver highlights on its front and top. The only protruding feature is the 3x optical zoom lens located on the front of the camera. This camera isn’t stylish or flashy, but its simple style will get the job done.

Size/Portability (6.5)
The LS70 is definitely not back-pocket compatible, unless you're hoping to bring Jnco jeans back like it’s 1995. This camera has a thick rectangular frame that measures 1.17 inches deep, 3.69 inches wide, and 2.44 inches high. Although it's not the heaviest budget camera, with batteries and memory card the DMC-LS70 weighs in at 6.38 ounces. With an eyelet on the right side for the included optional wrist-strap, the user will have a quick and easy way to tote the camera around. A carrying case or other protective device is ideal for longer periods of travel.

Handling Ability (5.5)
The camera handles like a small brick, which should come as no surprise considering the bulky rectangular frame and lack of any real grip or textured areas. Many competing cameras are designed with a bulging right side hand-grip for added comfort and control. The LS70 has a small ridge in the upper right corner of the camera’s back face and eight inset dots that, due to their design and positioning, do nothing to aid in grip and handling. The grip would have been far more effective if the dots were inverted and the ridge was expanded. However, with the current design the only way to get a good grip on the camera is to hold it like a vise from the top and the bottom. Due to the thick rectangular body, the lack of ergonomic design and grip for the right hand, one-handed shooting with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS70 may prove difficult.

Control Button/Dial Positioning/Size (7.0)
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS70's external controls are concentrated on the top and back of the camera body. The controls located on the back of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS70 are surprisingly small but well-spaced so that users won’t have to worry about accidentally pressing a nearby control. The controls are well-labeled with either black text or icons. The top of the camera is a bit more visually cluttered, but the function of each control is clear. The controls on the top of the camera are somewhat awkward to engage depending on how the camera is being held. Overall, the buttons are well-placed and labeled, allowing the user to move through settings and menus with veritable ease.

Menu (7.5)
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS70's sub-menus are comprised of both text and icons. Both the shooting and playback menus for the camera are accessed by pressing the Menu button on the back of the camera body. Access to the setup menu is only possible once either the playback or shooting menu is open. The user must press the left arrow to highlight the Shooting/Playback tab and then press downwards to highlight and select the setup menus.

The shooting menu's first page allows quick access to manual controls and key picture settings. There are two additional screens of setting options and, while a bit lengthy, the clear and concise layout should appeal to the novice user who may find in-menu alterations somewhat intimidating. Although opaque, certain settings like white balance will change the menu design in order to temporarily provide the user with a live view screen to preview changes made to camera settings. Once the given sub-menu is exited the menu returns to the original opaque interface.

White balance	AWB, daylight, cloudy, shade, halogen, white set, white set
ISO	auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1250
Aspect Ratio	4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Pict. Size	7M, 5M, 3M, 2M, 1M, 0.3M
Quality	fine, standard
AF Mode	5 area, 1 area (high-speed), 1 area
Stablizer	off, mode 1, mode 2
Burst	on, off
AF Assist Lamp	on, off
Digital Zoom	on, off
Col. Mode	standard, natural, vivid, B/W, sepia
Clock Set	H:MM, M/D/Y, D/My, Y/MD

Like the shooting menu, the playback menu is displayed on an opaque background that has both text and icons to indicate each function. The controls provided in the playback menu are limited but will provide photographers with control over basic image parameters like resize, trimming, copy, and rotate.

Slide Show	all, favorite list
Favorite	off, on, cancel
Rotate Disp.	off, on
Rotate	rotate 90 degrees clockwise, rotate 90 degrees counter-clockwise
Date Stamp	single, multi
DPOF Print	single, multi, cancel
Protect	single, multi, cancel
Resize	allows for images to be decreased in size, delete original: yes, no
Trimming	enlarge and trim original picture delete original: yes, no
Copy	internal to card, card to internal
Format	yes, no

The setup menu has the same layout, font, and style as the shooting and playback menu. The setup menu is accessible once the shooting or playback menu is open. The setup menu option is listed on the left side of the LCD screen directly beneath the shooting or playback menu tabs.

Battery Type	alkaline, oxyride
Clock Set	change date & time
World Time	travel destination time, home destination time
Monitor	adjust monitor brightness in 7 steps
Travel Date	off, set
Auto review	off, 1 sec, 3 sec
Power Save	off, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min, 10 min
Economy	off, level 1, level 2
Beep	mute, soft, loud
No. Reset	set folder number
Setup Reset	resets all to original settings
Video Out	NTSC, PAL
TV Aspect	16:9, 4:3
Dial Display	off, on
Language	English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese

Ease of Use (7.5)
Though handling the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS70 is a bit of a challenge, it is otherwise beginner-friendly. The menu systems make sense, the layout is straightforward, the external controls are limited, and transferring images to a laptop or printer occurred without incident. It even has a Simple mode for novice users, represented by a heart on the mode dial. Overall the camera layout and shooting modes will serve beginners well.