FANTASTIC CAMERA!!! Great pics, great Zoom, lightweigh, easy to use! (Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7)

Member Name: Lisa B

Product:	Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7
Date:	02/09/06 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Huge LCD, every function under the sun, Lumix Lense, Very leight, great 12x Zoom

Disadvantages: no case, tiny 8mb SD card that only holds 1 top quality picture

When I broke my Olympus Mju recently and was able to replace it on the house insurance, I decided to opt for a camera where picture quality and optical zoom were the important issue. Not the size (I figure with mobile phones having a 3.2 cybershot camera, that's all I need in my pocket) and I can do without another little tiny fiddly camera where I'm scared to place my fingers because they may be in the way. So I was open minded about trying a new (to me) type of camera, possbibly chunkier etc.

So off I toddled to my local city centre and wandered around the various camera shops, asked lots of questions and got a lot of advice. In each shop the final thing I asked was "If you had £350" to spend on a camera and weren't bothered about size, more about lense and Zoom, which would you buy?" In each shop I got the same answer, the Panasonic FZ7. I decided to give it a try, knowing I could take it back if I didn't like it.

It only comes with an 8mb card which on 6 million megal pixels alows for one photo which is a pig really, so I had to wait a couple of days for my 2GB SD card to arrive from 7DayShop.com (about £18 - not bad). That will hold about 350 pictures at the optimum quality, much better! Once it came I got playing and WOW! For a camera that looks a bit bulky, it is SO light, this is partly down to the build which can feel a bit plasticy when you are used to a metal Mju, but also down to the lithium battery which saves on weight. The LCD screen in HUGE and the controls are very easy. I have to admit to not actually reading my instruction manual yet as I am very impatient and like to work it out and just have a play, but for the more advanced features and to get the best used out of it, I really must do once the children have gone back to school.

The camera has a Lumix lense which I'll admit means nothing to me as I am just an enthusiastic Mum who fancies herself as a hobby photographer and has taked about 50 billion pics of her poor children, but with this camera I can pass myself off as knowing what I am doing. It takes absolutley AMAZING pictures and there is virtually no time lag, I love the feature for taking loads of photos one after the other, in conjunction with the 12x zoom it means I can get great pictures I would have otherwise missed. The 'record' function for recording a sound bite after each picture is very handly for ebayers etc who want to know what each picture is of.

All in all, this is a FAB camera, I have no regrets so far. I now ant to do a photography course (and read the manual of course). Only down-sides, comes with a pathetic 8mb card which is neither use nor ornament. It doesn't come with a case which I think is rather mean when you pay £300 for a camera.

Summary: Fantastic quality camera with great Zoom, amazing pictures, no time lag - LOVE IT!

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