The Panasonic Lumix ZS7 is an amazing compact digital camera, and there are a few reasons that make it so. No, make that 5 things to consider.
Before getting to the list, let your mind be at ease about purchasing a camera that is not made by Canon or Nikon. Sure, they are the leaders in sales of digital cameras, but that is in no way proof that there are not others with excellent quality models. In fact, Panasonic has been a leader in the digital compact market for a few years now. They are a quiet leader, drawing attention to their products with quality and performance that is second to none.
My passion for Panasonic Lumix ZS7 is based on personal experience. You see, I recently purchased one for my own use. Having been a Canon digital SLR owner for a long time now, I am not contending that a compact digital such as the ZS7 is a better camera than a digital SLR. That is not the point of this article. Practically everyone will admit that it is true. The simple fact that the sensor size of a DSLR is far bigger than that of a compact digital, and this fact alone makes it nearly impossible for a compact to out-perform a DSLR.
I felt it necessary to explain that because many of my articles are about Digital SLRs. So, now that we are straight about that little item, we can discuss the Panasonic Lumix ZS7.
Ease Of Use is the first thing that makes this camera special. Many people, probably including you, buy compacts, or "point and shoot cameras", because they (you) want something easy to use. Your idea of taking a picture does not include selecting the best settings and messing with dials and buttons. Honestly, using this little compact digital camera is EASY.
Image Quality is also a plus for the ZS7. If you realize that you will not get the pixel quality of a digital SLR, you will be far ahead of the game here. Actually, the engineers are finding new ways to improve image quality with every release. This one is no exception. I put mine through the paces and was extremely happy with the image results in every situation. As an added bonus, you can print huge photographs because of the 12-megapixel sensor. Now, that's a huge picture.
Third reason to buy is something called Intelligent Auto. I absolutely LOVE this feature. When set to Intelligent Auto, it's almost like the camera knows exactly where you are. The camera automatically selects the right settings for you, including ISO, shutter speed, and everything else to make the picture come out perfect (almost every time). How in the world did the engineers and imaginarians come up with this "camera intelligence"? It's simply amazing. It gets the lighting right at night, too. Intelligent Auto is not totally auto, which is really nice, too. You can turn off the flash and still have the camera in the Intelligent Auto mode. "Flash Off" gives really natural light. Did I say that I love this feature?
The Super-Zoom list comes in as the #4 reason for getting a
Panasonic Lumix ZS7. By Super Zoom, we are talking about a 12x zoom factor. That equates to 25mm - 300mm. I did a little test in the snow to see how well this works with respect to image quality at 300mm. Standing in the same place, I took two photos. The first was at the 25mm wide angle setting, and the second was the same object zoomed all the way to 300mm (12x). To my surprise, they both had very good quality. I also took the same picture with my Canon Digital SLR, and I was still impressed. While the images with the Canon were slightly better, I was sufficiently pleased with the Panasonic performance. The quality of the lens can't be questioned, since it is made by Leica, a very highly respected lens maker.
Price is the final factor. I was looking for a great camera that I could carry everywhere without having to haul my massive camera bag along. I can carry the ZS7 anywhere and everywhere in a pocket. The good news is that I found a camera that meets all my needs for about $250. I feel that is very reasonable for what I got in this camera.
I highly recommend the Panasonic Lumix ZS7.
