Front (7.75)
The Panasonic DMC-TZ1 looks like many other cameras in the Lumix line, with a wide, shallow handgrip and a horizontal chrome bar on the left side - embossed with a "TZ1". The “Lumix” logo is toward the top center, and there's a shiny, script “L” at the lower right. The lens is a large piece of glass, compared to other compact cameras, set in a polished metal ring. The slot-shaped flash is small and to the left of the lens, along the top edge of the camera.
Back (7.25)
The 2.5-inch, 207,000-pixel LCD takes up the left two-thirds of the TZ1's back. The top-right section is sculpted to form a grip, with a wedge-shaped bulge and 9 bumps for the user's thumb. The 4-way controller and two other buttons are in the lower right portion of the back. In addition to navigating the screen, the controller allows access to EV compensation, bracketing, white balance compensation, flash mode, quick image review, the self-timer, and the main menu. There are two other buttons to the left of the multi-controller. The top one sets the LCD display mode. The bottom one activates the burst modes and deletes images.
Left Side (6.25)
A small plastic door covers the USB/AV port and a DC power input on the left side. The door snaps shut, rather than latching. It's made of thin, brittle plastic, so we'd like to see a more durable cover.
Right Side (7.0)
The wrist strap lug is set flush against the right side of the TZ1. It's big and sturdy, but it isn’t uncomfortable. Four screws hold it in place, so perhaps it has some greater role in holding the TZ1 together than one can see from the outside.
Top (7.75)
Panasonic labeled the top of the TZ1 tastefully toward the left side. Also toward the left, a hole the size of a pencil point admits sound to the microphone. There is a row of 4 similarly-sized holes that acts as this camera’s very small speaker. The small mode dial overhangs the back edge of the top, where it's easy to reach with the user's right thumb. The shutter release is chrome, and it is nearly as big as the mode dial. A ring around the shutter release acts as the zoom control in shooting mode, and it is the magnification control in playback. The power switch slides left and right in the back right corner of the top. The image stabilization control button is conspicuous toward the front edge. To have a button seems like a waste, since users should turn on stabilization and leave it on.
Bottom (2.5)
The tripod socket is at the far left of the TZ1's bottom. It's more convenient to align a camera when the tripod socket is directly over the lens. The flimsy pocket tripods sometimes bundled with pocket cameras, coupled with the tripod socket being off center, may cause the camera's weight to tip over the whole assembly. Still, on a snapshot camera, a tripod socket probably won't see much use.
The door for the battery and memory card compartment has a large latch on it, so it's a bit more durable than ones that only snap closed – such as the USB/AV port door on the side. Unfortunately, it's not sealed against moisture or dirt, either of which could turn the TZ1 into a paperweight.
