Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black)

Still Learning to use, the zoom helped me get my grandson at his new job, the feature that follows your subject around allowed me to keep track of him as he was jumping from one place to another This was at a very hectic grand opening in a very crowded store... I even put my pics on my facebook page... I am still in the learning process because my old camera was really old. I purchased this one on top of another but this one makes the other camera look like a toy. Great value.. I love it.

I have had Sonys and Canons before, and was hesitant to purchase ZS3 (which was the earlier model of ZS7), as I did not have much experience with Panasonic products. My friend suggested this camera to me, saying it had good reviews. I did a bit of research and compared it with Canon SX110IS and similar Sony models. Everything was almost the same except for two important things (at least for me).
First was that ZS3 had a very good macro mode (it is like a microscope built in a telescope!). Second was that it was a Japanese product with great outer frame (not made of cheap plastics).
I went ahead and bought it. For one month I was wondering if I made the right decision. But when I took photos of the snow flakes (yes, an individual snow flake 1/20 of size of a quarter), I realized the power of this camera and never doubted it again.
My friends are often amazed by the clarity of photos I get from this one, and often ask me whether I use an SLR. I have uploaded the picture of the snow flake here, have a look and decide for yourself.

Pros of this camera:
1) Advanced macro zoom (see the snow flake pic)
2) High optical zoom
3) Great outer metal frame
4) Very compact
5) HD video is a bonus.

Cons:
Uses proprietary battery (not the normal AAs).

I received my DMC-ZS7 just about 2 weeks ago. I had not had much chance to use it, but in the small amount of time I've had to play with it I was quite excited about it. Loved the extra zoom feature and the picture quality appeared to be quite nice. Haven't actually printed any photos yet so not sure how the quality will translate to print. Today while taking pictures I noticed a thin blue line was being included in the top center portion of the images. After trying different settings, different memory cards, etc. I found this was occuring in all photos. An email response from Panasonic suggested I reset the camera, and if that didn't work to send for repair. The reset did not work. I don't know if this is a software or a hardware issue, but now I must pay to have it shipped for a replacement. The seller only accepts returns if within 7 days. Also they require all warranty cards to be returned, so if you order any item be sure to save those cards and read all the fine print. I do like the camera and hope the replacement will provide many years of trouble-free use.Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Red)

I wanted a view finder and a hot shoe. camera is terrific other than that.

This is an amazing piece of technology. Not only does it take great pictures but the onboard GPS tags the location including not just the longitude and latitude but the actual name of the location. The 12X zoom is excellent and the image stabilization seems to work extremely well, even in video mode. The HD (720p)video looks excellent. There are tons of features and full manual control too. The intelligent auto mode works exceptionally well even with difficult lighting situations. For the most part you can just leave the camera in auto and shoot. But the are the P,A,S,M modes if you want to get more creative or are in difficult lighting situations that IA cannot deal with properly.

All of this is packed into a pocket-able device so it is perfect for vacations and family events. The most important thing however is the quality of the photos and they are very good to excellent with this camera. The 25mm wide to 300mm tele lens range is very useful, especially the wide end.

There are tons of features included with this camera so make sure to read the supplied PDF manual to get the most out of it. My only complaint is I wish there were a printed version of the full manual instead of just a PDF. Otherwise, this camera is a real winner.