Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15

With the confident looks of a traditional 35mm SLR, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15 offers both style and substance, with an impressive Leica 12x optical zoom lens that lends a professional air. Measuring 5.00 x 3.44 x 2.18 inches (128 x 87 x 106 millimeters), the DMC-FZ15 weighs approximately 19.6 ounces (556 grams) with the battery and storage card installed. The DMC-FZ15's use of lightweight metal panels helps keep the camera's weight down, somewhat compensating for the heft of the rather large lens. While it definitely won't fit into your shirt pocket, an accompanying neck strap makes it easy to tote, but I'd also recommend picking up at least a small camera bag to protect that Leica lens.

The front of the camera includes a telescoping 12x Leica zoom lens (with a ridged focus ring for manual adjustment), optical viewfinder window, and a bright light emitter that serves double duty as the autofocus assist and the self-timer countdown indicator. There are also two small holes next to the light emitter that look like a microphone, but since the DMC-FZ15 does not record any audio, I'm at a loss as to what these are for. (Most likely, the FZ15 just uses the same body as the higher-end FZ20, which does have audio recording.) The built-in, pop-up flash is just above the large lens, and is released by a button on the rear panel. A large handgrip on the right side features an indentation for your right forefinger, and is covered by a leathery, textured wrap that clings to fingers.

The right side of the camera (as viewed from the back) features only an eyelet for one end of the neck strap.

The opposite side of the camera features the other neck strap eyelet, as well as the diopter adjustment dial on the side of the optical viewfinder. A sliding Focus switch on the side of the lens barrel controls the auto and manual focus modes, and accesses a quick-focus adjustment. Also on this side of the camera, beneath a hinged, plastic door, is the connector compartment, which houses the Video Out/Digital and DC In connector terminals. The compartment door opens from the rear panel, and features a pressure hinge that snaps it securely in place when closed.

The DMC-FZ15's top panel features a Mode dial on the right, along with the Shutter button, Zoom lever, and Burst Mode button. The Shutter button is just a little too far back on the panel in my opinion, as I'm accustomed to having the shutter release more forward on the handgrip. Also on the top panel is the pop-up flash (released by a button on the rear panel).

The majority of the exposure controls are located on the camera's rear panel, along with the electronic optical viewfinder (EVF) and LCD monitor. Lining the top of the panel are the EVF / LCD, Display, Exposure, and Power controls, with the Flash Open button just above them. The Menu and Delete buttons line up with the top and bottom right corners of the LCD monitor respectively, with a Four-Way Multicontroller at center. True to its name, the Multicontroller accesses a variety of camera settings and features four arrows for navigating through camera menus and reviewing images. A small speaker rests in the lower right corner of the rear panel, and a textured thumb grip reinforces the large handgrip on the camera's right side.

The DMC-FZ15's bottom panel is reasonably flat, with a sliding door to access the combined SD/MMC and battery compartment, and a threaded metal tripod mount on its right. The tripod mount is positioned off-center from the lens, and is too close to the compartment for quick battery and memory card changes (something I'm probably more sensitive to than most users, given the amount of on-tripod shooting I do).

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