Panasonic ZR1

Panasonic ZR1 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Compact digital camera first announced on July of 2009. It uses a 12 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 4000 x 3000. The camera is referred to as "Lumix DMC-ZX1" in other regions.

The ZR1 places at #223 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras and all around #1197 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. You can use our Smart camera filter to get camera rankings based on your personalized criteria.

The following is a graph of specific criteria used in the scoring system.

The Panasonic ZR1 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can view the full range below.

You can check the ZR1 from various angles in the gallery underneath.

Below is a selection of pros and cons of the Panasonic ZR1 based on factors that are often seen as useful in a digital camera.

The Panasonic ZR1 features the Venus Engine V processor. The size of the sensor in the Panasonic ZR1 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to resolve 4000 x 3000 pixels and aspect ratios of 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter can easily lead to cropping.

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The CCD sensor boasts 12MP and supports a standard ISO range of 80 - 6400. Unfortunately, RAW photos are not supported which means that you have less room to maneuver in post.

The picture below shows the ZR1's sensor dimensions compared to other popular sizes. The ZR1 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is highlighted in green.

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To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Panasonic ZR1 has a weight of 0.35 lbs (158 gr / 5.57 ounces) and features exterior measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0"). The weight of general Small Sensor Compact camera is 174 gr so the Panasonic ZR1 is very similar as compared to its competitors.

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The following is a visual of the Panasonic ZR1 besides a softdrink so you can have a feel for its scale.

The top view directly below will show you the button arrangement on the ZR1.

The ZR1 includes a built-in lens featuring a focal range of 25-200mm giving it a 8.0 x zoom which might not be outstanding however it will surely be helpful in a few conditions.

At the widest 25mm, the lens offers an aperture of f3.3 and that's kind of slow and not good in low light situations and you will struggle to capture good bokeh. You will also have to increase the ISO setting causing noisy photos. Towards the tele end, 200mm comes at f5.9 making it fairly sluggish and you may need to apply slower shutter speeds.

The ZR1 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes

Cameras that contain NFC and / or Bluetooth compatibility can be used wirelessly by smartphones. You are able to copy files and at times alter settings without the hassle of connecting physically to the camera.

Certain applications even give a Liveview and press the shutter whenever you aren't close to the camera. If the camera features a HDMI out, it can be connected to an external monitor. The majority of cameras will allow you to charge the battery through the USB port.

The highest video resolution in the Panasonic ZR1 is 1280 x 720 and it can shoot in Motion JPEG file format. 720p is low by today's requirements. You really should target a minimum FUll HD resolution for good video. The camera doesn't include a mic and / or headphone port which means you have got little control over your sound. It is probably best to order another camera in case you require better sound in your videos.

There is no weather proofing in the Panasonic ZR1 so you need to be cautious in rainy or dusty situations.

The Panasonic ZR1 houses a 2.7 inch fixed display screen supporting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the display screen isn't a touch screen.

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The View Finder details regarding Panasonic ZR1 are the following:

• ViewFinder None

In those bright outdoor situations which make the camera screens washed out and tricky to view, viewfinders are particularly useful.

Panasonic ZR1 is able to shoot continuously at 2.0 frames per second. The maximum shutter speed is 1/2000 seconds.

Panasonic ZR1 includes only in-built flash with no external flash ability.

Panasonic ZR1 includes just Contrast Based AF and doesn't have Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot quicker & precise when compared to Contrast Based autofocusing.

It boasts 11 focus points to choose from. Panasonic ZR1 does not have manual focusing. Manual focusing ability is useful for low light situations or you want to have more precise focus control.

The typical Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 has got the highest (470) battery life for this group of cameras.

Here is a listing of Small Sensor Compact cameras having the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X30
ZR1 vs Fujifilm X30470 yesnono

Casio EX-10
ZR1 vs EX-10455 yesnono

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Ricoh GR Digital IV
ZR1 vs GR Digital IV390 yesnono

Canon G12
ZR1 vs G12370 yesnono

Canon G16
ZR1 vs G16360 yesnono

The following illustration shows a analysis of the Panasonic ZR1 for varying styles of photography. To learn more, go to the specific paragraph below.

The Panasonic ZR1 has a score of 21 which is really bad, and means the camera is not really acceptable to use for portrait photography. Photographing portrait images favors greatly towards sensor dimensions, support for RAW files along with the flexibility to use off-camera flash.

Having a average points total of 56, the Panasonic ZR1 is fairly suited to buy for street photography. A good street photography camera gives a good balance of image quality plus portability.

A really bad sports photography score of 25 indicates the Panasonic ZR1 is not really acceptable for taking photos of sports. A camera needs great autofocus plus fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Portability is extremely critical when picking a camera for travel. Over-all, the Panasonic ZR1 gets a reasonable 57 as a travel camera which is somewhat adequate to take with you on your journeys.

If you're looking to purchase a digital camera for landscape photography, the most significant factor will no doubt be image quality. The Panasonic ZR1 and it's really bad score of 32 for a landscape camera is not really acceptable amongst it's rivals.

A vlogging camera should offer a moving display screen, microphone input and ideally image stabilization. Taking all things in to account, the Panasonic ZR1 is not really acceptable as a vlog camera as it gets a really bad rating of 28.

If you are in the market for replacements to the ZR1, below is a range of the top rated cameras which fall in to the category of Small Sensor Compact.

The chart listed below offers you a bird's eye view of the ZR1 compared to it's top scored competitors suggested earlier.

These are some more cameras you might consider as alternatives. To review a thorough comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.