The Panasonic Lumix ZS15 black has a 23-point multi-area autofocus system which also includes a single-point focusing mode. The Panasonic ZS15 uses Intelligent Multiple metering, with Center Weighted and Spot metering options available.
The Panasonic ZS15 offers six white balance settings including Auto, Manual, and four fixed presets. There's also an Intelligent Auto mode, which can automatically select from a subset of available scene modes.
The Panasonic Lumix ZS15 black can also capture 3D images in MPO (Multi Picture Object) format, by processing data from a number of sequentially captured images. As well as JPEG still images, the Panasonic ZS15 can capture movies at up to 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution or below, using either AVCHD compression for high-def movies. All movies include monaural sound. The Panasonic ZS15 stores its images and movies on Secure Digital cards, including the higher-capacity SDHC and SDXC types.
Panasonic’s 2012 travel zooms, the Lumix ZS15 is no slouch. For a smooth $279, it packs a 16x zoom lens and a 12.1-megapixel MOS sensor—the same one that powers the FZ150 super zoom, the best fixed-lens camera we’ve ever tested (at time of writing, of course).
If the design looks familiar, that’s because it’s a re-jiggered version of last year’s ZS10: an almost identical body, a similar (if not the same) lens, and most of the same features. But with a proven sensor at its core, the ZS15 should prove to be a great camera, especially for the price.
We spent a few minutes with a pre-production version of the ZS15 at CES 2012 last month—good thing we did, because it didn’t make its expected appearance at CP+ this week. Read on for our first impressions.
