I bought this camera for my 6 year old granddaughter. She had the plastic toy camera that she enjoyed, but I felt it was time to get a real camera. I really didn't expect much for $69, but it certainly turned out to be a good value.
The feel is quite cheap and plasticky, even though it looks good. I hope it holds up to a little abuse. I like that there are not a lot of dials and choices. It is very basic.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the photo quality. I downloaded and printed several pictures, and they were passable. Even the video was pretty good. I personally use a Nikon D90 and a Lumix LX5, so I am used to exceptional picture quality. While I would not use the S1 for my personal use, I think that it will be a perfect choice for my granddaughter.
I gave it 4 stars compared to other inexpensive P and S cameras.
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Reviews with images
Good as a spare camera
The Lumix DMC-S1 is the second Lumix model I own, my first one being a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 8x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Violet).The DMC-S1 is a good basic camera, suitable for beginners or people who do not want to have to read manuals to be able to shoot decent pictures.The Pros:- Size: Very small and thin, perfect for stashing it in a shirt or pant pocket. The lens is flush with the camera body when retracted so nothing protrudes uncomfortably when carrying it.- Price: At under $90 (at the time of this review), this is a very good deal. It makes it the perfect camera for the occasional snapshot or as a second camera for keeping in the car, etc.- MP: The 12.1 Megapixel are more than sufficient for taking decent pictures, especially since megapixels alone are not the deciding factor anyway when it comes to image quality. The S1 takes very nice pictures and at least I cannot see a difference when comparing the images to those of the FH20 which has 14.1 megapixels.- Zoom: The 4x optical zoom is sufficient. I personally like more zoom (the FH20 has an 8x zoom) but I also readily admit that using the full 8x zoom on the FH20 adds a LOT of image noise, so in reality the 4x is probably a better choice, especially if one wants to make (moderate) enlargements and doesn't want to see all the pixelation caused by the 8x zoom.- Macro Mode: While there is no dedicated macro mode, the macro mode is actually built in when in iA. The minimum focus distance in iA is a mere 5 cm (i.e. right about 2 inches), which corresponds to the dedicated macro mode distance of the FH20. One less button to press - this works well for me, especially since I like taking macro pictures and enjoy the convenience of not having to switch to macro mode...- iA mode: One of my favorite features of the Lumix cameras. It is the equivalent to Auto mode on other cameras but Panasonic calls it iA, Intelligent Auto, and I am inclined to agree - the results are usually very nice and keeping the camera in iA should cover most photographic situations a casual photographer encounters.- Image Stabilizer: I remember a time when image stabilizers where something only available in high-end cameras or lenses. Nowadays this is standard in pretty much every camera. But I still think it is a pro worth mentioning in a camera available at such a budget price.- Speed: The S1 is nice and fast, even when the flash was fired.- HD Video: I was pleasantly surprised with the video capability of this little camera. Again: For the price it performed very well. I took a test video in my dark office, blinds closed, no lamps on and the detail captured in it was quite impressive. Also no detectable camera shake - cool. The sound was less impressive and a bit muffled but considering that this is a still camera first and a budget model at that - very well done, Panasonic! Note: Zoom is not available during video recording.- Scene Modes: There are 16 to choose from, amongst them 2 portrait modes, Sports, Landscape, Party, Sunset, Beach, High Sensitivity and Baby. Personally I don't find many of these too, too useful on a day-today basis as these address very specific shooting situations. Then again, since there is no manual mode, these might occasionally come in handy. That largely depends on the individual photographer and his/her preferences...- Additional Functionality: The S1 has the option to display grid lines on the LCD display (useful for shooting architecture or the horizon to make sure the camera is held straight). It has a self-timer option for 2 or 10 seconds delay, the option to turn off the automatic flash, and the ability to adjust exposure. On top of that white balance can be adjusted and the color mode can be selected (options are: Standard, Natural, Vivid, B/W, Sepia, Cool, Warm). The available options vary depending on what mode the camera is set to (iA, Normal Mode, Video, etc).- Nice Touch: Where options can be changed, such as AF mode, Color mode etc., there are simple explanations displayed in a banner at the bottom. Great for becoming familiar with the camera and very handy because one does not need to consult the print manual to find out what a specific mode is for or what a change does.The Cons (if you want to call it that):- Camera Body: While the camera is very suitable for carrying it in a shirt pocket, the plastic surface is extremely slick, and I have almost dropped it on more than one occasion. Due to the streamlined shape, there is nothing the hand can really hold on to. Especially if hands are very dry one must be quite careful not to accidentally let go of it. I strongly advise to always, always put your hand through the supplied strap first in order to prevent damage.- The AF: I had trouble getting the camera to auto-focus on objects with lower contrast, even in broad daylight. This was frustrating and prevented me from taking a number of shots because the S1 simply did not focus on the object I wanted to shoot but on the background or the sides instead, regardless of me trying to adjust camera angle, position, zoom, etc. Note: AF mode can be adjusted in Normal Mode - there are 3 different settings: Single Area, Multiple Area and Face Detection, but this did not have any bearing on the camera's ability to focus in my particular situations.- Exposure: The camera tends to overexpose a bit when outdoors. At first I thought this was due to the sharp contrasts present in bright sunlight but even in light to moderate shade the pictures come out consistently a bit too bright. I saw this in iA and Landscape modes, haven't had the opportunity to test other modes yet. It isn't horribly overexposed, just noticeable, with somewhat washed-out colors in the brighter image areas.Summary:For the price, this model is hard to beat and offers a lot for the dollar. That it has areas where it isn't outstanding - well, every camera has these, those in the higher price ranges are no exception. And when looking at the cost vs. the features I really cannot argue the disadvantages too much at all. The only thing that I consistently dislike every time I pick up this camera is the slickness of the body. To me, it just doesn't feel too good to hold and I wish Panasonic had made the surface a bit "grippier". Since this can lead to easily dropping the camera and damaging it, this is my main point for only giving it 3 stars. If it were available, I would probably give 3.5, based on everything else.I will use the S1 as a backup camera to keep in my purse - the small size makes it ideal for that. All in all I prefer the FH20 and would recommend that one over the S1, provided you can find it at a good price. If, however, price is your main consideration, I am sure the S1 will make you happy, too.
