Panasonic DMC-LS70 Review

The 7.2 megapixel Panasonic DMC-LS70 features a LUMIX DC VARIO- branded 3x optical zoom lens with 35 - 105mm equivalent focal range with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 to f/5.0 depending on the zoom position. As with other recent Panasonic models, the LS70 eschews an optical viewfinder in favor of a 2.0", 86,000 pixel LCD display.

Other LS70 features include ISO sensitivities from 100 to 1250 with the ability to extend this to ISO 3200 equivalent in High Sensitivity mode, shutter speeds from 1/2000 to 60 seconds, and 18 scene modes (Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial photo, Snow, Baby1, Baby2, Sunset and Pet). The LS70 also offers a wide aspect-ratio movie mode with a resolution of 848 x 480 pixels, as well as lower-resolution 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 pixel options, all at rates up to 30 frames-per-second and encoded in the QuickTime Motion JPEG format common on many digicams. Audio is not recorded. Power is provided by a pair of AA batteries, and in addition to an SD / MMC / SDHC-compatible card slot, the LS70 includes 27MB of built-in memory for image storage.

The Panasonic LS70 also incorporates the company's "Intelligent ISO Control" system (first seen on the FZ50), which detects whether or not the subject is moving and automatically raises the ISO setting, allowing the camera to shoot at a higher shutter speed when needed. This feature, together with Panasonic's MEGA O.I.S (Optical Image Stabilizer) should help keep blurry pictures due to subject or camera motion to a minimum.

The Lumix DMC-LS70 ships February 2007 with an MSRP of US$149.95.