"Sunlit" Portrait:
(This is my new "Outdoor" Portrait test - read more about it here.)

Good detail and high resolution, though details are slightly soft. High contrast, however, with limited highlight and shadow detail. Good color.

• Exposure compensation: +0.7 EV, about average.
• Contrast/Tone: Quite high, some highlight and shadow detail lost.
• White Balance: Very good, better than average on this shot. Auto best overall, though Daylight very similar (just slightly warmer).
• Color accuracy: Very good overall, blues are dark and purplish, reds a bit over saturated, but still pretty good.
• Skin tones: A little ruddy-looking, but pretty good.
• Resolution/sharpness: Good detail, though slightly soft throughout the frame.
• Shadow detail: Slightly limited, but low noise.

To view the entire exposure series from zero to +1.3 EV, see files FPZ1OUTAP0.HTM through FPZ1OUTAP4.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

Increased fine detail, though details again soft and contrast again high.

• Exposure compensation: +1.0 EV, more than average.
• Exposure/Tone: High contrast again, very strong highlights on Marti's face.
• Detail: Stronger detail, though still soft overall.
• Distortion: Good, 3x zoom lens helps prevent distortion close-in like this.
  

To view the entire exposure series from zero to +1.3 EV, see files FPZ1FACAP0.HTM through FPZ1FACAP5.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

Normal Flash +1.0 EV

Slow-Sync Flash +1.0 EV

Significant underexposure with the flash in the normal setting, as well as in Slow-Sync mode. Strong warm color cast.

• Exposure: Dim at +1.0 EV, but EV adjust has little or no effect on flash exposure. In Slow-Sync mode, flash is also weak, even at +1.0 EV.
• Flash balance with room lighting?: Poor, noticeable warm cast with pink tints in photo as a whole in normal mode, much stronger warm cast in Slow-Sync mode.
• Color: Red skin tones, dark colors in bouquet.

To view the entire exposure series from zero to +1.0 EV in the normal flash mode, see files FPZ1INFP0.HTM through FPZ1INFP3.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

To view the same exposure series in the Slow-Sync flash mode, see files FPZ1INFSP0.HTM through FPZ1INFSP3.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

Auto White Balance

Incandescent White Balance

Slightly warm color with both white balance settings, though slightly less than average exposure compensation required.

• Exposure: +0.7 EV adjustment needed, less than average.
• White Balance: Incandescent best, though warm, Auto warmer and reddish.
• Color: Skin tones quite warm with pink tints, blue flowers very dark and purplish.

 To view the entire exposure series from zero to +1.3 EV, see files FPZ1INTP0.HTM through FPZ1INTP4.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

ISO Series:
The Z1 produces low image noise at the lower sensitivity settings, though noise levels increase at ISO 200 and up. At ISO 400 and 800, the anti-noise processing cuts detail in areas of subtle contrast, creating almost a posterized effect. Still, the overall effect is better than most compact digital cameras manage to achieve, and ISO 400 shots make 8x10 prints that most consumers would probably find acceptable.

Auto White Balance

Daylight White Balance

Good color, though slightly limited detail. Bad blurring in the corners though.

• Sharpness/Detail: Good, but slightly limited for its class.
• Sharpness in Corners: Strong falloff.
• Color: Auto white balance pleasing, Daylight setting a little greenish.
• Detail lost to anti-noise processing?: A fair bit, in the foliage and brick patterns.

High resolution and a lot of fine detail, but again bad blurring in the corners and slightly soft details overall.

This image is shot at infinity to test far-field lens performance, and to present a near-infinite range of detail to the camera. NOTE that this image cannot be directly compared to the other "house" shot, which is a poster, shot in the studio.

• Sharpness/Detail: Pretty good detail here, though slightly soft overall.
• Sharpness in Corners: Again, bad blurring in the corners.
• Color: Good, high saturation.
• Dynamic Range: Better than expected, pretty good shadow detail and only slightly limited highlight detail, but the lighting on the day this shot was taken was "flatter" (lower contrast) than usual.
• Detail lost to anti-noise processing?: Some noticeable in the brick patterns and foliage, but not too much.
  
  
  

Resolution Series:

ISO Series:

Color Effects Series:

Color Effects Series
Black and White	Chrome

Lens Zoom Range

A typical 3x zoom range.

The Z1's focal length range of 36-108mm equivalents is typical of most point & shoot digital cameras. It corresponds to a moderate wide angle to a modest telephoto.

	Wide Angle
	3x Telephoto
	Digital Telephoto

Auto White Balance

Daylight White Balance

Slightly warm color, but still good results. High resolution and good detail.

• White Balance: Auto and Daylight white balance very similar, both slightly warm.
• Color: Reddish skin tones, and purple tints in the blue background.
• Sharpness/Detail: Pretty good detail, though details are slightly soft.

Standard Macro Shot

Macro with Flash

A very small macro area with good detail. Flash performs well.

• Minimum Macro Area: 1.41 x 1.06 inches (36 x 27 millimeters), very good.
• Softness in corners?: Strong blurring. (Most cameras get fairly soft corners in macro mode, but this is a bit more than average.)
• Flash performance in macro mode?: Pretty good, though slightly bright on the right side.
  

Auto White Balance

Daylight White Balance

Slightly warm color balance, but good exposure. Reds are very oversaturated, other colors are quite accurate.

• White balance: Auto setting best overall, though fairly warm. Daylight has stronger warm cast.
• Color Accuracy: Slightly yellow color cast, but still pretty good overall. Reds are very oversaturated, other colors are very close to their technically accurate values. Some users may find greens and blues a bit flat-looking, and most people would probably find the reds a little too "hot."
• Shadow detail and noise: Moderate detail in the briquettes, low noise.

The results in the tests below mirror those seen above in other test shots. The test series are repeated here without further comment, for the benefit of our more quantitatively-oriented readers.

ISO Series:

Color Effects Series:

Color Effects Series
Black and White	Chrome

Low-Light Tests

Slightly limited low-light performance, with moderate to high noise. Autofocus system works to a bit darker than 1/2 foot-candle. Bottom line: Fine for average city night scenes.

• Exposure limit: 1/8 foot-candle at ISO 800. (Though you could arguably use the image at 1/16 foot-candle, just a little dim.) 1/4 foot-candle at ISO 400 and 200, 1/2 foot-candle at ISO 100, and one foot-candle at ISO 64.
• Autofocus Limit: A bit below 1/2 foot-candle, about 1/2 as bright as average street lighting.
• White Balance: Pretty good.
• Noise Levels: Moderate to high, depending on the sensitivity level. High at ISO 800, interfering with detail.
• Detail loss to anti-noise processing?: A moderate amount a one foot-candle, with decreasing detail at the darker light levels.
• General Notes: Maximum shutter speed of four seconds limits performance here.

(Note: If you'd like to use a light meter to check light levels for subjects you might be interested in shooting, a light level of one foot-candle corresponds to a normal exposure of two seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 100.)

	1 fc 11 lux	1/2 fc 5.5 lux	1/4 fc 2.7 lux	1/8 fc 1.3 lux	1/16 fc 0.67 lux
ISO 64	3.2 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5
ISO 100	2.3 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5
ISO 200	1.2 sec f3.5	2.3 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5
ISO 400	1/1 sec f3.5	1.2 sec f3.5	2.5 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5
ISO 800	1/3 sec f3.5	1/1 sec f3.5	1.3 sec f3.5	2.5 sec f3.5	4 sec f3.5

Flash Range Test

A very weak flash: Underexposed at eight feet, with decreasing intensity to 14 feet.

• Flash range at telephoto lens setting: Less than eight feet.

8 ft	9 ft	10 ft	11 ft	12 ft	13 ft	14 ft
1/60 sec f4.2 ISO 64	1/60 sec f4.2 ISO 64	1/60 sec f4.2 ISO 64	1/60 sec f4.2 ISO 64	1/60 sec f4.2 ISO 64	1/60 sec f4.2 ISO 64	1/60 sec f4.2 ISO 64

ISO-12233 (WG-18) Resolution Test

Good resolution, 1,250 lines of "strong detail." High barrel distortion at wide angle, moderately high pincushion distortion at telephoto. Low chromatic aberration, particularly at telephoto, but bad blurring in the corners.

• Resolution: 1,250 lines both vertically and horizontally. (Could argue for as high as1,400 lines, but too many artifacts at that point for my tastes.)
• Artifacts begin at: ~1,000 lines.
• Extinction point: ~1,900 lines.
  
  
• Barrel/Pincushion distortion: 0.9 percent barrel at wide angle, 0.5 percent pincushion at telephoto.
• Chromatic Aberration: Slight at wide angle, almost none at telephoto.
• Corner Sharpness: Fairly soft at wide angle and telephoto.

Resolution Series, medium focal length

Wide Angle	"Fine" JPEG	"Normal" JPEG
2,592 x 1,944	FPZ1RES2592F	FPZ1RES2592N
2,048 x 1,536	FPZ1RES2048	-
1,600 x 1,200	FPZ1RES1600	-
640 x 480	FPZ1RES0640	-

 

Resolution Test, Zoom Series

2,592 x 1,944 (Fine, Wide Angle)	FPZ1RESW
2,592 x 1,944 (Fine, Telephoto)	FPZ1REST