Here are a few images that accurately reflect the abilities
of any given camera model. The images are altered only in
terms of size and sharpness after reduction and by the JPEG
compression used. Unless otherwise mentioned, assume that
any marbling or artifacts visible in the images are due to
the compression required to display them here. We feel however,
that they still faithfully represent the results we experienced.
STILL LIFE PHOTO
This subject is photographed in a room that
has a mix of fluorescent and incandescent light, but which
is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is used to add fill
light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.
For these shots the DMC-LZ2 is set to Normal Mode,
and to a sensitivity of 80 ISO so as to prevent the intrusion
of noise. The flash provides a very even light coverage, and
there is no noticeable loss of brighness in the corners of
the frame.
Similarly the Auto white balance copes very well with the
mixed lighting, and colours are captured accurately.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f2.8
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/60 sec.
Res.:
2560 x 1920
Flash:
On
Quality:
Fine
ISO:
80
File Size:
1.9 MB
Focal Length:
37 mm (35mm Eq.)
The compression used when the image
quality is set to Fine allows the photo to retain a very
reasonable level of detail, although some jaggies can be observed
along the edges of some diagonal lines.
ZOOM PHOTO
Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent
is to test the sharpness of the image at the zoom's maximum
setting. The camera remains at the same distance as with the
preceding photo.
With this subject the camera is mounted on a tripod, and
therefore the stabilizer is turned off as under these circumstances
its activity might actually interfere with the photo.
Once again, the DMC-LZ2 yields an image with accurate colours
that are consistent with those captured in the wide angle
shot. Moreover, the relatively large aperture of f4.5 when
the zoom is at its maximum telephoto setting allows the camera
to capture a bright image.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4.5
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/60 sec.
Res.:
2560 x 1920
Flash:
On
Quality:
Fine
ISO:
80
File Size:
2.2 MB
Focal Length:
222 mm (35mm Eq.)
At this distance from the subject
the magnifying power of the 6X zoom is enough to capture a great
deal of detail and, for example, the paper fibres along the
fold of the old photo paper envelope are clearly visible.
Be it either with the Simple mode, or the Macro
mode, the DMC-LZ2 is able to focus on a subject that is 5cm
(2 inches) from the front element of the lens when the zoom
is at the wide angle end, and 50 cm (1.64 ft) when the zoom
is at the telephoto end.
It is when the zoom is at the wide angle end that the greatest
magnification is available, and the camera captures a field
of view of 5.3 cm (2.12 inches) in the longest dimension of
the frame.
With wide angle shots a bit of barrel distortion can be observed
when there are straight image elements that happen to fall
along the edges of the frame.
Still, the image quality is excellent, and fine details become
clearly visible, as can be seen in the image presented here.
BUILDING PHOTO
This image is our outdoor test. The architecture
of the building, in particular the angled girders, immediately
show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed entrance can also
often reveal the quality of the exposure.
The DMC-LZ2 has the advantage of plenty of light for this
exterior shot, and the multi-zone metering pattern makes good
use of it, producing an excellent image. The camera captures
a great deal of detail in the foreground and avoids any overexposure,
and while the entrance of the building is quite dark in comparison
to the rest, it is precisely how it appears.
The sharpening is set to its default setting in the Picture
Adjustment option, and a few jaggies are visible in the
cropped section of the full frame shown below along the edges
of the right side beam.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f5.6
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/250 sec.
Resolution:
2560 x 1920
Flash:
Off
Quality:
Fine
ISO:
80
File Size:
2.2 MB
Focal Length:
37 mm (35mm Eq.)
ZOOM PHOTO
At the maximum power of the zoom, the camera is able to frame
only the entrance of the building. Here we note that the metering
has a tendency to give a slight preference to the shadow areas
in order to capture detail there, and therefore almost overexposes
the foreground.
Yet, the exposure is really quite good, and is in fact well-balanced
enough between light and dark areas, that the small metallic
sign on the right front door is quite legible.
While some noise — which looks somewhat like film grain
— can be detected in the deeper shadows, the image is
free of any chromatic aberration or distortion.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4.5
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/160 sec.
Resolution:
2560 x 1920
Flash:
Off
Quality:
Fine
ISO:
80
File Size:
2.2 MB
Focal Length:
222 mm (35mm Eq.)
NIGHT PHOTO
This camera is capable of long exposures, and
an image captured late at night is presented to give an
idea of its capabilities.
Aperture: f2.8; shutter speed: 8 sec., 80 ISO, 37 mm.
The longest exposure available with the DMC-LZ2 is when the
camera is set to the Night Scenery Mode. Then the camera
is capable of capturing an exposure as long as 8 seconds.
While the mode uses the Auto ISO setting and forces
the flash to Off, its program forces the sensitivity to 80
ISO to avoid noise.
White balance is also set to Auto with this mode,
and the result is an image with a yellow cast, which, to a
great extent, reflects the use of sodium vapour lighting in
urban areas.
Although this 8-second exposure
is still a tad dark, it is sufficient to capture details that
are invisible to the naked eye. Noise reduction is automatically
applied to the image, doubling the exposure time as the camera
captures a second frame without opening the shutter so that
it can gather only noise, and then use it to eliminate noise
from the first exposure. But, while the noise reduction system
is efficient, it also lowers the image sharpness somewhat.
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Test Photos
