Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7S 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Silver)

Rating:
Summary: Great small camera
Review: Before I bought this camera, I used one of the tiny Casio Exilim cameras. My biggest complaint about the small digital cameras are that the small size makes it easy to shake and therefore take blurry images. With the Panasonic DMC-FX7, its still a small camera but with the image stabilization, pictures are very sharp. Initially, I thought it would bother me that there's no optical viewfinder, but I don't notice it at all now.

pros:
- huge 2.5" screen
- image stabilization works and takes sharp pictures
- small form factor
- 5.0 megapixels
- uses SD cards (a 1GB card is about $70 or less now)
- solid construction (feels solid and metal finish is high quality)

cons:
- weak flash (which is common to many small digital cameras)
- more expensive than other cameras
- battery life is OK. (I'd get an extra battery if you're taking this camera with you on vacation)
- no optical viewfinder (but as mentioned, it's not an issue for me)

overall I love this camera for the size and the quality of pictures it takes!

Rating:
Summary: SO much better than Sony's DSC-T1
Review: I bought this camera after much research. It is superior to its Sony counterpart T-1 in almost every way:

+It is about 50 g lighter than the T-1, which is quite substantial. It weighs no more than my cell phone when I put it in my pocket.
+Image stabilization!
+The material the camera is made of is better looking than the dull T-1.
+Cheap memory cards, it uses SD cards, not the Sony Memory Sticks, which is 1/2 the price of the Memory Sticks
+It's NOT SONY!
+LCD screen is bigger than the T-1
+Cheaper batteries than the Sony T1

One thing I have to warn you though, the movie mode spits out .mov files, which is only compatible with Apple QuickTime. Personally, I much prefer the .avi format other cameras offer, but it's a worthy tradeoff, I never use the video mode anyways.

Overall, I highly recommend this camera, I've gotten countless "oohs and ahhs" from people, which is more than I can say about the Sony T1, as way too many people have that.

Rating:
Summary: Best Digital Pocket Camera Ever!
Review: I bought this camera from Vann's one week ago. The camera is extremely easy to use and every small detail is well thought out. I am most impressed with the optical image stabilization (go to panasonic.com for some cool animations that show how it works). I am consistently able to take pictures indoors without flash at very slow shutter speeds. I have taken smear or blur-free images at 1sec, 1/5sec, etc. shutters. This is amazing for a pocket camera! I had considered buying a larger digital camera with a larger lens to allow more photography without flash, but this Panasonic feature does the trick.

Other cool features:
*Infinite burst photography (takes consecutive pictures as long as the shutter release is depressed)
*12x zoom on replayed pictures makes it easy to determine if a picture was focused correctly. There's even a "map" to indicate what zoomed-in portion of the image you are viewing.
*Huge 2.5" screen! Not as high in resolution as the comparable Sony T1, but the other features more than make up the difference
*Image stabilization works quite well and allows indoor photography without flash

I'm still learning all the pre-programmed scene modes, but overall I'm quite impressed and would highly recommend this camera. FYI-I purchased this camera as a replacement to my Minolta F100.

Rating:
Summary: So far so good...
Review: I bought this camera in Japan in August... it's been great so far. Super light, high quality Leica lens and the screen is terrific!

Rating:
Summary: Great camera
Review: I bought this camera to replace my old 3MP Sony. Had it now for about one month. The quality of the images is great for a change. There are multiple auto settings for various situations, ie night portrait, night landscape, sport, and default among others. Very thin and light, yet big enough to hold, a perfect combination. All controls are very intuitive and easy to use. I am really impressed.

Rating:
Summary: great camera
Review: I got this camera as a handy "put in my pocket and go" alternative to my Canon 20D (which I love, but isn't always convenient to lug around).

I've been very impressed with the camera. The Leica glass pays off in terms of sharpness and especially color reproduction and contrast. You'll want to get a second battery with this and bring it on long outings, but the battery is small so it's easy to stick the spare in your pocket.

Getting so many megapixels on such a small camera sensor can create noise when the camera goes up to ISO 200 or higher in very low light situations. It's easy enough to get around by forcing the camera into a slower ISO, and the image stabilization helps hold steady for the needed longer shutter speeds.

My only complaints about the camera: I think the menu system could be better designed (very easy mind you, just a few things that require more button pushes then I think should be required), the flip screen animation building mode is pretty useless for most people--a panorama building mode would be much more useful, and it would be nice to be able to review any recorded audio notes when viewing images on the camera.

I've been very happy with the camera and recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: An Almost-Perfect Digital Camera For The Pocket
Review: I have this camera for over a week now, and have tested it out quite well to feel good enough to recommend it.

I won't go into details that others have already covered, but what I consider useful.

I did spend a lot of time comparing the picture quality of various ultra-compact cameras including Sony DSC-T1, Canon SD300, Pentax Optio S5i, Casio Exilim EX-Z55, and Panasonic DMC-FX7. These are pictures posted by the professional reviewers at steves-digicams.com, dcresource.com, dpreview.com, and megapixel.net.

Based on my personal judgement, the pictures taken by the FX7 are almost-always sharper, and have more details, which is what I consider the most important quality I look for in a camera.

The Image Stabilizer feature does help, even though it may not help much in low-lighting condition.

The battery life is short, but since I've been getting a minimum of 60 max-resolution shots (all with flash) per full charge. I consider that good enough for my need. I do have a spare battery (bought from a guy with id "imode technology" on eBay) with me all the time, though.

I also use an ultra compact case Tamrac 5686, which fits the camera just fine while still have a small pocket for the spare battery and/or spare SD card.

For SD card, I use a Sandisk Ultra II 512MB due to its speed.

Anyway, I'm keeping my FX7 as I'm quite happy with its looks, quality, and performance.

Rating:
Summary: Sexy as Hell
Review: I think I spent several months trying to make a decision on which digi to go for, but I finally rested on this wonderful Lumix camera. I can't help but buy on design (which is why I had an instant attraction to the Sony T1), but the Lumix FX7 is not just a pretty package. It has an enormous 2.5'' LCD screen which I love. The camera is so small; exactly the same size as a business card or an iPod mini (a lil thicker, of course).
Some of the naysayers are complaining of digital cameras that don't have the optical viewfinder because it helps stabilize an image, but this digi comes with an image stablization system like the big SLRs so you don't have to worry too much about blurry images.
If you'd like more info on this camera, go to http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fx7-review/index.shtml . Now if only I could find a nice sleeve that could fit the camera snugly.

Rating:
Summary: Grainy pics
Review: It's ok. The camera looks great. Although every shot I took came out grainy. I returned it 3 days later. I was very unsatisfied with this camera.

Rating:
Summary: I made a good descision
Review: This camera is absolutely amazing. I was nervous to spend so much but have been waiting so long to purchase a 5MP camera that is small enough to sneak into the bar for some fun party flicks. This camera is a god sent. The image quality is very nice. And the menu system is very intuitive.

The only minus is what the reviews say is battery life (I get a night + a little on a full charge). But having knowing this I got an extra battery for the times when I want to take 100 shots without going home.

The LCD is to die for. I do think if it had a dock it would be nice but these small details are minimal when you think of the BANG in this puppy.

My suggestion, buy it and dont look back. This is the perfect camera for someone who wants to have fun and good pictures in the dark streets of new york or wherever you may reside.