If Panasonic knows how to do one thing right it is putting a quality lens on an affordable camera. While the Lumix DMC-ZS7 does not do any single thing extraordinarily, it does many things decently. With some respectable specs, a great zoom, and a comfortable grip, this is the perfect little camera for stormy day at the beach or a family hike in the great outdoors.
This particular Lumix features a 12.1 megapixel sensor backed by a Venus Engine HD II processor. There is a base storage of 15MB with internal memory which can be expanded nearly infinitely depending on how much the user is willing to spend for a memory card. The zoom can reach a respectable 12x while retaining the size of an average portable camera (it can fit in all but the smallest of pockets). The most unique feature of this phone is the built in GPS sensor which tested accurately down to a ten or twenty feet.
At a quick glance the Lumix ZS7 has the look and feel of a humble 5x zoom camera. It is compact and unobtrusive with a good grip and sturdy construction. The face-finder is a useful feature to help with auto focusing issues in portrait style pictures. The zoom is the trickiest part of this camera. It appears that Panasonic tried to fill out the market that has the 15x-30x zooms on one end and the 5x zooms on the polar opposite with their own 12x zoom. The internal GPS makes for hours of fun for anyone interested in Geo-tagging or adding location stamps to their digital photos.
Overall this camera seems like a stepping stone for the photography enthusiast looking to go from having fun with an amateur camera to something a bit more serious. For this job, the Panasonic Lumix DMC- ZS7 works wonderfully.
