Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Jan 12, 2006 - By Patrick Singleton
The Panasonic Lumix LS2 pushes the price point for optical image stabilization, with Panasonic's full-blown MEGA O.I.S. in a 5 megapixel compact camera for under $200. The small, 3x zoom camera would be price-competitive without stabilization as it is – with it, the camera should be awfully interesting to snapshot users on a budget. On top of that, the Lumix LS2 has a white balance system that's surprisingly more flexible than the ones on most DSLRs.
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Likes
- Affordable camera with good image stabilization
- White balance fine-tuning 
- Simple interface
- Good build quality              
Dislikes
- Image noise
- Lack of exposure control
- Low-resolution LCD
- Movie mode is low-resolution and silent         

Conclusion
We hope that Panasonic starts a trend by offering such low-cost image stabilization. We're not sure competitors will or can do it as well; MEGA O.I.S. appears to be very good stabilization on the Lumix LS2, and has been excellent on previous Panasonics. The Lumix LS2's automatic modes seem solid: in limited testing they delivered good exposures and correct focus. We look forward to the chance to give it a closer look, and to examine the noise levels in a controlled environment.

It's encouraging to see attention lavished on white balance, since a fine-tune of this feature could warm up skin tones or add a chilly effect to a twilight landscape. The Lumix LS2 ought to be a fun camera for beginners, particularly if they explore the camera's unique feature set.
Overall Impressions Page 10 of 10
Panasonic Lumix LS2 First Impressions Review Navigation
  
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