Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 12.1MP Digital Camera with 8x POWER Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Black)

Already being an owner and user of two different camera types, DSLR and film, I felt I was missing out on the point and shoot category. So, I researched upcoming cameras in June and heard about Panasonic's new Lumix lineup and didn't wait any time to pre order this guy. It is very compact (smaller than a deck of cards) with a serious range 8x zoom. Just be sure you want a camera that takes all the manual control of picture taking before you buy it. There is almost no manual settings, other than choosing which "scene" you think your shot will be. Panasonic has some fun settings - Pin Hole, film grain, and the key word that people love "High Dynamic" mode, which is their attempt to create a High Dynamic Range type of shot. They also have an underwater setting, for those who will later shell out the money for the casing to take this baby in the pool or some other form of wet. The Leica name on the lens is what got me looking at panasonic cameras, and as far as I can tell, its a fine lens. It is no DSLR, but it is a great incognito camera.

Video is Average, but I wasn't really concerned about it. -- When I say average, I'm comparing it to video I've seen taken from a camcorder. The HD component is nice, but you'd need to be still holding it and hope whatever you're filming is not moving too fast for a great recording.

After reading the reviews of both Panasonic ZS3 and Panasonic ZR1 and I decided to check out the ZR1 as it was supposed to have the newer/better image stabilization and smaller in size. The size was definitely small enough and image stabilization was decent. The picture quality was quite good in bright light conditions but lower in low-light conditions, but this seems to be an issue with any of the digital cameras at this price point.
But where it really disappointed was in the video mode. I noticed that when I switch the mode dial to the video mode the brightness of what was displayed on the camera's LCD screen became much lower compared to the photo mode. First I thought that this may be just an issue I'm seeing on LCD screen but when I transferred the video and watched it on my laptop and my TV I saw that the videos in fact looked dulled out compared to the photos. So pretty much any video that is shot indoors looked dull and kinda of poor quality.
I then decided to try out the ZS3 also and immediately saw that this issue isn't there in the ZS3. To capture video on the ZS3 you don't have to change the mode dial but simply have to press a "record" button and I don't know if this has anything to do with this, but the videos were as bright as the photos on the ZS3. So the videos shot indoors are much better, both brighter and better quality, with the ZS3 compared to the ZR1.
I also did comparisons of photos taken by the two models and surprisingly I felt the ZS3 was better there too (despite the fact that ZR1 boasts 2MP more). Also, I didn't find the image stabilization of ZS3 in anyway inferior to that of ZR1.
So after all my side-by-side comparisons I found the ZS3 to be definitely a better camera which I have kept and returned the ZR1. The ZR1 is definitely more compact than the ZS3 and does have quicker start up times (and possibly even faster zoom times). But, at the end of the day, in my opinion the ZS3 is a superior camera when it comes to videos and even photos, with the additional zoom capabilities (12X of ZS3 vs 8X in ZR1).

The Lumix ZR1 is a very good snapshot and HD video camera.
I got the ZR1 around a month ago and I am still enthusiastic. The most important things besides picture quality were for me, that the cam should be fast and able to zoom while recording HD video. I hate the low res VGA videos, the older generation cams made. You can't use them for anything. My first reference was the Lumix ZS3, which is a really good camera and it had all I wanted... Until I found out, that some experts claimed that the "Mega Optical Image Stabilizer" works a bit slow, so that when taking snapshots there is a longer focus time. But I was lucky, that Panasonic just released this little beauty here. The ZR1 uses a newer much faster OIS, called "Power OIS", which is even faster than most other snapshot cameras, while canceling camera shakes very well. So for me there was no time to wait and get this thing.
If you are not so focused on speed, check out the ZS3!


Main differences between the SR1 and the ZS3:
SR1:
- 12MP
- Zoom-able 720p HD Video
- Power O.I.S.
- 8x Zoom
- 2.7" display

ZS3:
- 10MP
- Zoom-able 720p HD Video
- Mega O.I.S.
- 12x Zoom
- 3" display

Comments on the comparison:

- Megapixels aren't the point anyway, because even 8MP are very enough for the normal user, but I had to mention the difference.
- Both cams record the same HD Video, so that's also no point
- The OIS made a difference for me: "Power" is faster than "Mega". I think they just fixed a software issue here.
- Zooming while recording video is a nice and (by this time) rare feature at snapshot cameras. Either zoom, 8x and 12x is huge! Of course 12x would be better than 8x, so this point goes to the ZS3.
- Also the display of the ZS3 is bigger.

Conclusion: If you don't care how fast your stabilized auto focus is (perhaps you use tripods so that you don't need a OIS, or have always time to make your shoot - it's really NOT that bad, it's just a bit slower), get the ZS3 (zoom and display is better)! Otherwise the ZR1 is perfect (fast and still fat zooming).

I have owned a Panasonic FX35 for almost two years and been very pleased with its handling and performance for a camera so small. When I saw the Panasonic ZR1 with double the zoom range (25-200mm compared to 25-100mm for the FX35) I decided to upgrade. Both cameras are the same size. The FX35 was good. The ZR1 is even better. Having 8x zoom in a camera weighing less than 6oz is astounding. Not only that, but there are two other new features I have grown to appreciate: High Dynamic scene mode and improved image stabilization (anti-shake). This combination means that virtually every photo is a keeper, especially if you shoot both standard and High Dynamic of the same scene and compare--one will be perfect. High Dynamic opens up images with shadows or dimmer interior shots in a more natural way than flash, which I only use as a last resort. The improved anti-shake system allows use of the full 200mm end of the zoom if you have reasonably steady hands in good daylight. Add the reasonable price and this is a great camera. After three months of use, I haven't encountered a downside. Perhaps that's because I also have a DSLR for more demanding shooting, but for people, pets and travel, it is the best I have owned and I've been a photography buff for 45 years and owned more than 30 cameras.

I thought I had found the perfect camera...

8x wide angle zoom: PERFECT! Love the image stabilization. It's lightweight, portable, with nice ergonomics and very easy to operate with one hand. Fits into a pocket or small purse easily. I bought the red one (love the color!) but am posting here since most of the reviews are under the black version (doesn't amazon usually combine the reviews for various colors? amazon, are you listening?)

ANYWAY, I put the camera in iA mode and started taking photos of my dogs, indoors, in medium to low light. Even with flash on, the shutter speed is often 1/8 second in low light. That's fine for taking pix if the pups are sleeping...but not to record the activities of my two high-energy terriers. Many of the photos are blurry, not from camera movement but from subject movement. My 5-year old Casio Exilim EX-Z55 is producing better pix under these circumstances.

I don't doubt this is a a very good camera...just not ideal for my situation. I saw another reviewer mention having his kids do a "jump test" (which this camera failed) and I think I've got pretty much the same issues. I'm going to play with changing default settings for the standard recording mode (vs iA) but what I was really hoping for was to use the iA mode with no fuss. Not sure I'll be keeping this one.