Front (7.5)
The front of the Lumix LZ2 is attractive except for the strange right-hand grip, which looks similar to a cresting wave. When viewing the camera from the front, the lens barrel sits slightly to the right of the center. To the lens’ left is a smooth silver structure that sticks out and has slightly sharper lines than the rest of the digital camera. Most of the body is cased in a textured, light-colored silver. Above the cresting wave is the Lumix logo in silver block letters.

The lens is surrounded by a very light silver barrel, with the words “Mega O.I.S” on the outer rim and “Lumix DC Vario 1:2.8-4.5/ 6.1-36.6 Asph.” on the inner rim. In the top right corner of the camera is a skinny rectangular flash. Below the flash are the words “6x Optical Zoom.” In the bottom right corner of the LZ2 is a gold-colored square panel with the letter “L”; this feature can be found on almost every Panasonic digital camera.

Back (7.5)
The back of the camera is neatly laid out and pleasing to the eye – especially for those who obsess over organization. The back is also ergonomically pleasing to the hand; the top right corner has another cresting wave sort-of shape with divots in the surface for good thumb gripping.

The left side of the Panasonic LZ2 is dominated by the 2-inch LCD screen with the company logo below the display. Above the screen in the top right corner is the SD logo to indicate the type of memory card stored within. Above the top right corner of the LCD screen is the mode dial, which mainly resides on top of the camera. The notched dial slightly protrudes for easy rotation.

To the right of the screen are several control buttons, all very neatly laid out. At the top right of the LCD is a green LED light, to indicate when the LZ2 is busy reading and writing to the memory card. Below the light is a circular button labeled Display. Further below this button and slightly to the right is the four-way navigational dial, which consists of four separate buttons each with a secondary function. The top button controls exposure compensation; the right button switches flash modes; the bottom button is labeled “Rev” for review; the left button has a self-timer icon next to it. Below this set of compass buttons are two equally sized ovular controls. The left one is labeled “Menu,” while the button on the right has two icons beside it, marking the burst and delete functions.

Left Side (7.0)
The left side of the camera is minimalist in appearance. There is a thick rubber port cover with one rubber strip that attaches the cover to the camera. The cover turns so it doesn’t feel like you’re breaking it when you bend it away from the camera body, which is always somewhat comforting. Beneath the cover hide the mini-USB and DC in jacks. The USB jack can also accept an A/V out cable.

Right Side (7.0)
This side is not thicker than the left side; however, there is a protrusion made of a different material that acts as the right-hand grip and thickens the profile. This material extends about a third of the way onto the right side, remaining mostly on the front of the LZ2. At the top of the right side is a shiny protruding loop for the wrist strap. Below this feature is a plastic door with a small divot and arrow pointing in the direction users should push the door. This door holds the SD card and is connected to the camera with a loose hinge. Plastic port covers are generally preferred to rubber, offering a sturdier base and added protection for the memory card and concealed slots - certainly more secure than some openly exposed slots. Although the plastic port door fixed to the LZ1 offers that protective layer, it may not be constructed more sturdily than a rubber door. The loose door freely flings around on its feeble hinge; the door is also constructed from a thinner plastic than the rest of the camera body.

Top (8.0)
A view from the top of the camera will reveal the dominant rectangular shape of the camera. There are few protrusions: the cresting wave that acts as a grip on the front, the zoom lens that protrudes in three segments, and the smaller curvature on the back of the frame to provide support for the thumb. The left side of the top has the Panasonic DMC-LZ2 brand name printed in black letters. The right side has a power switch toward the back and a circular image stabilization button toward the front. The shutter release button is located slightly to the left of the right-hand grip. The zoom control surrounds the shutter release button and is labeled with a “T” on one side and a “W” on the other.

Toward the back and slightly protruding from the top of the camera is the Mode Dial. All of the modes are labeled with icons: Movie, Macro, Economy, Auto, Playback, Simple, SCN 1, and SCN 2. Most of the icons are intuitive; however, the Simple mode is represented by a red heart and the Economy mode is represented by an “E” within a black circle.

Testing / Performance	Page 3 of 12		Components
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2 Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Testing / Performance	Physical Tour	Components
Design / Layout	Modes	Control Options	Image Parameters
Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions	Conclusion	Specs