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Review Summary
2011-12-11T19:00:00
To reduce the noise, the camera over processed the images to the point that they were unusable. They looked smeared, even when I turned off the noise reduction in the camera. This is the worst small camera I've ever seen.
SandyKay
2010-07-17T21:00:00
Totally disagree with the "semi-pro photographer" who gave this camera a one-star rating. First, the Leica lens is fantastic - at both tele and macro distances and everywhere in between. And second, the camera will do just about everything but make coffee. What I like: Macro and macro zoom that focus down practically to the lens. The camera takes pictures of details I can't see. And the telephoto at its maximum digital power will also bring in details I can't see. (I have 20-20 eyesight). Great lens quality that produces extra-crisp images. Manual and automatic exposure control that permits as much or little input from the user as desired. Small size that makes the camera easy to carry. GPS that recognizes many obscure geographic locations. Screen view options that include a grid mode that reduces crooked pictures. Once learned, there's an intuitive set of menu instructions and an effective shortcut to those settings most often used. What I don't like: The GPS drains the battery even when the camera's off - carry extra batteries! The "record" button can be pressed too easily. I have too many "inadvertent" videos. Ditto the sliding on/off switch - it's too easily switched on when putting the camera away. There's no real instruction book - you have to print out the 178 pages (at 2 per 8x11 sheet) at home. What I'd like to see improved: A flip-out LCD screen like many Canon Sureshot models would facilitate composing and focusing in awkward camera positions. The GPS landmark database could be bigger. On-screen lat/long coordinates would be nice. If the small size precludes an optical viewfinder, some aiming device to assist in quick subject centering would help. Bottom line, you can sell, donate or toss your big, heavy, multi-lens system and travel light with this Lumix. You'll get as many, if not more, great shots!
Winetripper
2010-06-19T21:00:00
The images in this camera were terrible because the noise suppression software smeared and softened the image even when it was turned down to -2. This camera could not exhibit the excellent Leica lens because of the smeared images. Also the noise was quite pronounced when the ISO was 200 or above. I've seen better images from a $120 Point and Shoot. The images from the ZS7 were unusable and I returned it.
SANDRA K.
The Panasonic DMC-ZS7 features a 25mm ultra wide-angle 12x optical zoom f/3.3-4.9 LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens (35mm camera equivalent: 25-300mm). Incorporating Panasonic's advanced optical technologies, this lens system is comprised of 10 elements in 8 groups, with 2 ED (Extra Low Dispersion) lenses and 2 aspherical lenses / 3 aspherical surfaces while preserving compactness.
The DMC-ZS7 features a powerful 12x optical zoom lens (35mm camera equivalent: 25-300mm). This gives you highly natural expressions from people and animals that you can't get close to. It is also available in movie recording with the mechanism designed to minimize the noise of auto focusing or zooming. And its slim, compact, pocket-sized body can easily go wherever you do - for both everyday snapshots and traveling.
The DMC-ZS7 features a large 1/2.33-inch CCD. Conventional cameras generally use almost the entire CCD area when recording an image. The DMC-ZS7, however, employs a 1/2.33-inch CCD with a total resolution of 14.5-megapixel. n addition to Motion JPEG images, the DMC-ZS7 can record high-definition motion images in AVCHD Lite. P