The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7K, with its 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom, features a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens with a remarkable 12x optical zoom. This is equivalent to a 35 to 430 millimeter lens on a 35mm film camera.

While a film camera with an optical zoom this powerful would be so big and heavy you couldn’t handle it with one hand, the digital Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7K is small, lightweight and easy to handle.

Extended Optical Zoom

It also has Panasonic’s Extended Optical Zoom feature, which cause minimal deterioration by using the center part of the high-resolution CCD. This function magnifies the image to give you total zoom power of 17.5x, which is roughly equivalent to a huge 1680 millimeter lens on a 35mm camera.

This model also features Panasonic’s advanced MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer, which helps eliminate blurry pictures.   It’s well known that jitter from shaky hands is one of the main reasons why cameras produce blurry images.   That’s why the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7K has a built-in gyrosensor that detects any hand movement and relays a signal to a tiny microcomputer inside the camera, which instantly calculates the compensation needed.   A linear motor then shifts the Optical Image Stabilizer lens as necessary to guide incoming light from the image straight to the CCD.   You won’t even notice it working; all you’ll see are the outstanding results!

Large Power LCD feature

The Panasonic Lujix DMC-FZ7K also features a large, 2.5-inch diagonal LCD and a Power LCD function.   Simply touch the power LCD button, and the display becomes about 40 percent brighter for easier viewing on sunny days.

This camera also has the world’s first developed high-angle LCD feature, which makes it easier to check the LCD when you need to hold the camera high over a crowd to take a shot.   The large LCD lets you check the focus, frame the shot, and use functions like 25-thumbnail display and calendar view in comfort, with no eye strain.

In addition, Panasonic has aligned the electronic viewfinder and LCD along the same line of sight to minimize differences in the images you see when framing shots.

Taking multiple shots is a snap

With mega-burst consecutive shooting, you can snap off up to 14 consecutive shots at a swift 3 frames per second in standard mode. The camera also has unlimited consecutive shooting, so you can keep on shooting until the SD memory card is full.

Making accurate focusing easy

There is a joystick on the back of the camera which gives you quick, easy and accurate manual focusing. You can also use the manual focus assist function, which helps you set a perfect focus by magnifying the center of the LCD image and displaying a bar graph of the focal distance and depth of field.

The joystick also makes it easy to manually adjust the exposure and focus.   You can set the aperture, shutter speed and focus with your thumb while framing the shot on the LCD monitor.

Pressing and holding down the joystick you can also instantly change four key settings while viewing the subject on the monitor.

These aare:

(a) white balance   (b) ISO sensitivity   (c) image size   (d) image quality

There’s no need to switch to the menu screen.

Technical details:

Leica DC Vario-Element Lens System with 11 elements in 8 groups
(3 aspherical lenses/3 aspherical surfaces)
12x Optical zoom (equivalent to 36mm to 432mm on a 35mm film camera lens)
with aperture of F2.8 to 3.3 & 4x digital zoom
Compact 6mp camera with Mega Optical Image Stabilization which addresses “anti-blu”
of hand & subject movement
LSI Venus engine II handles image processing, LCD functions,
& writing to the memory card simultaneously for incredible responsiveness
Five software packages included
battery charger & pack
16MB Sd memoery card
AV cable
USB connection cable
AC cable
strap
CD Rom
Lens cap
Lens hood & lens hood adaptor

Customer Reactions:

Plus Points:

• Excellent picture quality
• good range of features
• quality superzoom lens
• fast response
• good metering & autofocus
• super 12X zoom
• good battery life
• reasonably compact
• Very large optical telephoto for the money.
• good optical image stabilization
• high sensitivity mode
• An instruction booklet that ACTUALLY makes sense
• Flash recovery time short
• pop up flash
• easy menu settings
• rechargeable battery pack inexpensive
• manual/auto focus
• user friendly
• produces great prints.
• Compact
• accurate exposures
• great macro in good lighting
• fast accurate focus
• Large LCD and format to follow
• not too pricey
• Awesome LCD screen
• High quality pic
• great optics
• Large LCD
• Leica Lens

Minus Points:

• Difficult to see either through the viewfinder or with the LCD screen.
• No super-wide angle
• no RAW capability
• limited close-focusing and macro
• minor fringing and color aberration
• Will not go above ISO 200 in auto sensitivity mode with flash off
• Overly aggressive noise reduction
• no zoom during movies
• low res LCD
• not as versatile as an SLR
• Image stabilization could be better
• Time between pictures isn’t quite as good as stated.
• Lens cap needs a holder to keep in place
• short lived battery
• only a 16 MB SD card included (but with 2gb and 4gb cards so cheap it’s not a big deal)
• Cannot charge battery in camera via DC power Proprietary USB cable
• Weak built in flash and no hotshoe for external flash
• high noise level in low light.
• Shots in night gives more noise with higher ISO value
• A bit of Shutter Lag
• Unintuitive Menu

Selected Customer Reviews:

“This is my second Lumix. I sold FZ20. I didn’t like the lag problem, the poor low light performance and the power consumption required that I carry a spare fully charged battery. With the FZ-7 the lag problem is cured, the battery lasts longer but the low light performance is still poor. I wanted a compact camera for when I didn’t want to lug the DSLR and extra lenses around so I bought the FZ-7. What really pleases me is the macro capability. My wife and I were out shooting flowers and the closeups with the Lumix were really impressive. It can’t be expected to perform as well as a DSLR but under the right conditions,it does. I don’t remember what I paid for it but I think it was under 300.00 so it offers good a performance value.”
“I have had a thing for Cannon cameras untill I bought this one. Cannons format is not near as user friendly as this one. If your’e not a pro, this camera is great. I especially like the 2.5 inch LCD and that it clearly displays the number of shots left plus battery condition.
Camera has built in logic so if you are doing something wrong it tells you. Love the green light that comes on once in focas. Has a 12x optical zoom and far less buttons than the cannon. Picture quality I feel is as good or better than the cannon. Deleting bad pics is easy, and reviewing them easy. Its almost like they asked the public what they liked, and built that camera.

Only negitive I can think is the 16mg memory card it comes with. My suggestion is to get a 1 gig memory card and a card reader and your’e all set up.”
“I bought this camera around a month ago. Already shot around 1000 pics.

Picture quality is superb. Image stablisation is excellent and 12x optical zoom amazing.
2.5in LCD display good for play back pictures. Last but not least, battery life. With Fully charged battery, you will be able to shot around 300 pictures. From battery perspective, no camera offers this feature. In addition to that, charger that comes along with this camera is compatiable with 220 v.
So, No worries even if you move to Europe/Asia. Another important thing, video quality (motion picture) is as good as that of higher end camcorder

You don’t have to have second thought to buy this camera”

(Source: epinions.com)