New Camera Test: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1, ultra-compact 8x zoom

When Panasonic first unveiled the new Lumix ZX1 two months ago, it produced cries of hysteria amongst photographers everywhere.  Here's the premise: just 4 mm thicker than the erstwhile FX40--and therefore more or less just as portable--it has a 25-200 mm zoom, which even works while filming video. 

We've finally been able to test it, but one question kept coming back to us: is it possible to cram such a powerful zoom into such a thin body without sacrificing quality?

Like the FX60, the Panasonic ZX1 has a 12 Megapixel sensor and a Venus Engine V processor.  Panasonic has also boasted that it will have better image stabilisation and a faster autofocus than its current compact digital cameras, but it's the 8x zoom that has attracted the most attention so far.  Although Ricoh has managed to fit a 7x zoom into a slightly smaller frame with its R series, the zoom on the ZX1 is something of a first for one of the heavyweights of the camera world.  So, the ZX1 could be a future star ... but perhaps only until the Fuji F70 steals its throne?

> Test: Panasonic Lumix ZX1

> Product Survey: Compact Digital Cameras 2009

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products