The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1S 5MP Compact Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom features a refractive prism lens unit that allows zooming to occur horizontally within the camera.

This makes it possible to pack a powerful 10x optical zoom — equivalent to a big 35 to 350 millimeter lens on a 35mm camera — into a compact camera. The Extended Optical Zoom function, which magnifies the image with minimal deterioration by using the center part of the high-resolution CCD, boosts the zoom power of up to 12.5x.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Professional Reviews:

Dpreview reviewed the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 and gave out”Putting aside all talk of noise reduction and other image quality metrics I should firstly say that I really liked the DMC-TZ1; it offers a unique twist on the popular ’super zoom’ concept, and having such a huge focal range in an (almost) pocketable package is an appealing proposition. The photographic versatility that comes from being able to shoot everything from wide landscapes to tightly cropped telephoto shots - fairly free of the risk of camera shake, thanks to Panasonic’s excellent OIS system - in a camera you can carry everywhere, cannot be underestimated.”

Panasonic Lumix TZ1 OIS TV Commercial Video
features the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 (or, the “Tizzy” as it’s called) digital camera and optical image stabilization….panasonic lumix tz1 Saw this during The Tonight Show - it’s not featured on the Panasonic web site yet, but it features the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 (or, the “Tizzy” as it’s called) digital camera and optical image stabilization.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Customer Reviews:

By Robert Salita “Software Developer” (CHI PAR PHX SYD PDX CLD NKC)
Looking for a compact long zoom camera with optical stabilization that takes great outdoor photos? Currently this is the only choice and a pretty good one at that. I’m very pleased with the image quality of outdoor photos. Colors compare well to the Canon SD600 that I also carry. The TZ1 takes sharp photos. A handy feature is that the zoom works even in movie mode. Indoor image quality seems ordinary. Movie mode is quite adequate so much so that I sold my video camera.
The camera has quickly won praise from professional reviewers. It also won a TIPA (Techincal Image Press Association) award for innovative design and image quality.
Update 4 May 2006: I don’t think I’ve given enough credit to the TZ1. I’m astounded by the versatility of this camera. Photos are amazingly sharp.
Update 21 May 2006: Oy! Camera is totally dead. Some kind of power problem that requires warranty work to fix. The warranty is only 60 days from purchase! Awful.
Update 18 July 2006: Bigston (Chicago), the repair depot for Panasonic DMC-TZ1, deserves credit for getting me a loaner camera (albeit a lesser camera), making a quick repair (new electronics and lens), and shipping the repaired camera directly back to me in Paris. The whole process took 7 weeks with several major Bigston snafus.
Conclusion: This is an excellent zoom camera. I was unlucky that I got a lemon. There are no other reports of the same failure. Had I been in the US, I would have had an acceptable repair turnaround time. I was lucky to have the failure within the 60 day warranty period. THE WARRANTY IS OUTRAGEOUSLY SHORT. Had I bought the camera here in France, the warranty would have been 2+ years. I RECOMMEND BUYING ELECTRONICS ONLY IF YOU GET/PAY FOR A 1+ year warranty/exchange.

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