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Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC33 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC33 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

List Price: $289.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best for the money
Review: I was doing quite a bit of research on 3 MP cameras a few months ago when I came across this camera. The lens is from Leica and the electronics from Panasonic. As I was a fan of both, I practically had no choice but to get this...! I have absolutely no regrets. The flash is a little weak but if you don't have too high an expectation for that, you would be pretty satisfied. If you are planning to get your first Digital Camera, you simply can't go wrong with this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: best features for the best price
Review: I was searching for a digital camera that took decent pictures without the large price tag. I found it!! This camera is on the smaller in size, light weight, but full of features. It takes an SD card which is common. It also takes ordinary AA batteries or may be used with rechargable AA. It doesn't require a special battery like so many small cameras. It takes great pictures on fully automatic or can be manipulated manually. It rivals my mom's canon A80 for picture quality for a lot less money (and it's smaller and lighter). I haven't found any negatives yet, but I've only had it 2 weeks.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good camera!
Review: Its very hard to select a digital camera for purchase with dozens of models out there. Reviews will help but its you who has to make the final decision.

LC33 is one of the rare non-Canon's worth considering. Its got a lot of features, fast performace, sharp images and reasonable price.

Pro's,
1. The image quality is very good, sharp & clean.
2. Fast performance, quick to do everything.
3. Got a unique mega burst mode to capture 5-8 images per sec, extremely handy for sports pics.
4. Build quality is very good and camera feels perfect in hand.
5. Runs on standard NiMH AA batteries, has video out and uses standard SD/MMC cards.
6. Panasonic is running a promotion currently for free 128MB SD card and 4 NiMH batteries after a rebate.
7. Uses only 2 batteries unlike 4 for A70, making it light weight.

Con's,
1. Bigger than Canon Elph's (about the same size as Canon A70).
2. Plastic tripod mount.
3. No manual controls except white balance.
4. Some noise in photos.

Overall LC33 is better than elcheapo Fuji's, Olympus D560 and Nikon 3100. (Cameras like those from Gateway, Samsung, Vivitar, Argus etc are just pathetic in comparison, don't waste money on them.) My recommendation is to get either Panasonic LC33, Sony P72 or Canon A70.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ready to purchase but...
Review: On Oct 9, customer mrb1862 wrote in his excellent review: "Pictures do not show the date (computer file only)"
This feature is very important to me.
At Buy.com, product'Technical Specs'state in additional features: built-in Date/Time Stamp. I was also told the camera had this feature when I looked at the product in a camera shop.
Can someone please confirm if the DMC-LC33 has the capability of stamping the date on pictures?
Thank you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Still the Best Deal for Compact DCs
Review: Panasonic digital cameras are not anywhere near as ubiquitous as Elphs, and it's unfortunate. I think these Lumix cameras, which are slightly larger than the Elphs, compare more favorably in many ways.

I recently upgraded from my Panasonic DMC-LC20 to this camera and have not been disappointed. The LC-33 is slightly smaller, is 3.2MP versus 2.1MP. It still delivers many of the functionalities I was looking for in a DC.

The most important features on this camera are:
- Leica lens: Perhaps one of the most important features of a camera is its lens. With a good lens, you can take good pictures. With an excellent one like a Leica...
- AA batteries: Proprietary batteries suck. They're expensive and they sometimes inexplicably just die or lose their charge. It's much better to rely a few sets of AAs. And if you're ever out on vacation and run out of power, just run out and buy more batteries instead of having to wait to look for an outlet and charge up for a few hours.
- Burst mode: Allows you to take as many as 3 (manual says 5, but I've only gotten 3) pictures within a second. This only works in ideal light conditions, but if you've ever tried to take sports/action shots with a DC, you know how frustrating it can be with the lag between clicking the button and the camera takig the picture, and the lag between pictures.
- Short Lag time: Speaking of lag times, the Panasonic seems to have a shorter lag than Elphs.
- Picture Review: Some cameras require you to switch from camera mode to picture mode to view the last picture you took. This is a foreign concept to me. With the LC33, press a button, and it's back on the screen for 5 seconds.
- Movie mode: Although movies don't come out all that great (10 fps compared to 15 on some other cameras), the camera does allow you to record for as long as you have memory.
- Audio annotation is a fun feature to have. This allows you to automatically store a few seconds of audio with your picture.

- They fixed the battery storage fip-door thing. The LC20 had a horrible design that just felt like it was going to break anytime.

Cons:
- Weak Flash
- The body of the LC33 doesn't feel quite as sturdy as the Elphs, but I haven't had any problems with the LC33, and my LC20 is still going strong despite some short falls.

The camera I was comparing it to was the Canon A70, which I've heard and read is supposedly the best in this class. The Elphs are nice, but more pricey. And since I wasn't as concerned about size, I opted to look at the LC33 and A70.

I eventually settled on this camera for the following reasons:
- It takes 2 AAs rather than the A70's 4 AAs. If a camera takes 4 batteries, you'll need a minimum of 8 rechargable batteries at all times. With the LC33, I get away with having 6 AAs. Each pair gives me a good 100+ shots.
- Panasonic takes SD memory instead of the A70's Compact Flash. CF is a dying technology. Even Canon's moving away from it. (Note their newest Elph, the SD100 takes SD.) SD, is here it stay. It's being used in PDAs, phones, and other mobile devices.
- A70 fit poorly in my hand. The battery storage area for the A70 is in the handle. Before you buy any digital camera, go to a store and see how it fits in your hand first!!!
- Last, my previous positive experience with the Panasonic swayed me towards the LC33.

I'll conclude with the end to my review of the LC20: The key to buying a DC will be to ask yourself what you will be using the camera for most. Is it something you want to bring with you EVERYWHERE? If so, you'll probably want something ultra-small, smaller than this camera (and thus probably twice the price of this camera). I just wanted something to replace my Point-and-Shoot, something that allows me to take a lot of pictures without worrying about the cost of film, development, etc. IMHO, this is a great starter DC. It's relatively cheap, has a lot of great features, and it's compact enough to carry in a jacket pocket. Overall, it has exceeded my expectations and continues to please.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Still the Best Deal for Compact DCs
Review: Panasonic digital cameras are not anywhere near as ubiquitous as Elphs, and it's unfortunate. I think these Lumix cameras, which are slightly larger than the Elphs, compare more favorably in many ways.

I recently upgraded from my Panasonic DMC-LC20 to this camera and have not been disappointed. The LC-33 is slightly smaller, is 3.2MP versus 2.1MP. It still delivers many of the functionalities I was looking for in a DC.

The most important features on this camera are:
- Leica lens: Perhaps one of the most important features of a camera is its lens. With a good lens, you can take good pictures. With an excellent one like a Leica...
- AA batteries: Proprietary batteries suck. They're expensive and they sometimes inexplicably just die or lose their charge. It's much better to rely a few sets of AAs. And if you're ever out on vacation and run out of power, just run out and buy more batteries instead of having to wait to look for an outlet and charge up for a few hours.
- Burst mode: Allows you to take as many as 3 (manual says 5, but I've only gotten 3) pictures within a second. This only works in ideal light conditions, but if you've ever tried to take sports/action shots with a DC, you know how frustrating it can be with the lag between clicking the button and the camera takig the picture, and the lag between pictures.
- Short Lag time: Speaking of lag times, the Panasonic seems to have a shorter lag than Elphs.
- Picture Review: Some cameras require you to switch from camera mode to picture mode to view the last picture you took. This is a foreign concept to me. With the LC33, press a button, and it's back on the screen for 5 seconds.
- Movie mode: Although movies don't come out all that great (10 fps compared to 15 on some other cameras), the camera does allow you to record for as long as you have memory.
- Audio annotation is a fun feature to have. This allows you to automatically store a few seconds of audio with your picture.

- They fixed the battery storage fip-door thing. The LC20 had a horrible design that just felt like it was going to break anytime.

Cons:
- Weak Flash
- The body of the LC33 doesn't feel quite as sturdy as the Elphs, but I haven't had any problems with the LC33, and my LC20 is still going strong despite some short falls.

The camera I was comparing it to was the Canon A70, which I've heard and read is supposedly the best in this class. The Elphs are nice, but more pricey. And since I wasn't as concerned about size, I opted to look at the LC33 and A70.

I eventually settled on this camera for the following reasons:
- It takes 2 AAs rather than the A70's 4 AAs. If a camera takes 4 batteries, you'll need a minimum of 8 rechargable batteries at all times. With the LC33, I get away with having 6 AAs. Each pair gives me a good 100+ shots.
- Panasonic takes SD memory instead of the A70's Compact Flash. CF is a dying technology. Even Canon's moving away from it. (Note their newest Elph, the SD100 takes SD.) SD, is here it stay. It's being used in PDAs, phones, and other mobile devices.
- A70 fit poorly in my hand. The battery storage area for the A70 is in the handle. Before you buy any digital camera, go to a store and see how it fits in your hand first!!!
- Last, my previous positive experience with the Panasonic swayed me towards the LC33.

I'll conclude with the end to my review of the LC20: The key to buying a DC will be to ask yourself what you will be using the camera for most. Is it something you want to bring with you EVERYWHERE? If so, you'll probably want something ultra-small, smaller than this camera (and thus probably twice the price of this camera). I just wanted something to replace my Point-and-Shoot, something that allows me to take a lot of pictures without worrying about the cost of film, development, etc. IMHO, this is a great starter DC. It's relatively cheap, has a lot of great features, and it's compact enough to carry in a jacket pocket. Overall, it has exceeded my expectations and continues to please.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sold me on digital photograpy
Review: The DMC-LC33 is my first digital camera; I've been using Leica "M" rangefinders for 20 years, and, candidly, the Leica lens was a major draw. I just returned from my first real outing with the camera and I love it!

* I shoot every image at maximum resolution and print using Picture Window and an Epson 2200 -- 5"x7" prints are glorious; 8 1/2" x 11 " (~A4) are really good if viewed from a foot or more away.
* There are enough controls to put the photographer in charge if need be (I use the +/- EV control a lot), but on pure auto-pilot the exposures are always at least decent, usually better.
* I've had good experiences in "Leica mode" -- turn off the flash and display, compose through the optical viewfinder. The exposure lag is the only downside I've found with this camera.

Highly recommended to any traditional photographer wanting to get their feet wet in the digital realm.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Deal
Review: The panasonic DMC-LC33 camera is a good deal for those looking for a basic digital camera without a plethora of manual settings.
It does not have aperture or shutter speed priority controls. Most people won't use these features and will find the automatic settings sufficient. The auto settings will provide them with enough flexibilty for normal daylight exposures. The flash is rather anemic, but does a good job within it limited range. Most compact cameras seem to suffer this malady. Overall I find this camera will take good pictures within it's given limitations. As a point and shoot compact digital camera it does an excellent job (for the money). If you expect perfect clarity and resolution, buy a good 35mm camera.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Short & Sweet: EXCELLENT CAMERA!!!!
Review: There are plenty of long interesting and informable reviews, I'll keep it short...GREAT CAMERA!!! It had it all at a great price with all the features of the more expensive camera's: CanonA70 Only draw back is the way it sucks up the power, get rechargeable NiMh batteries and a bigger memory card. No company gives a big enough card so dont use that as a mark of a good buy for a camera. This is the one....GET IT!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Short & Sweet: EXCELLENT CAMERA!!!!
Review: There are plenty of long interesting and informable reviews, I'll keep it short...GREAT CAMERA!!! It had it all at a great price with all the features of the more expensive camera's: CanonA70 Only draw back is the way it sucks up the power, get rechargeable NiMh batteries and a bigger memory card. No company gives a big enough card so dont use that as a mark of a good buy for a camera. This is the one....GET IT!!!


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