| Likes |
|
– Joystick in combination with four-way controller
– Great image stabilization
– Good manual controls
– White balance fine adjustment
– Manual focus is better than old system
|
| Dislikes |
|
- Image noise high
- Inaccurate color reproduction
- LCD and viewfinder resolution are low
- Viewfinder is tiny, hard to see
- ISO 800 and 1600 poor quality, available only in High Sensitivity scene mode
- Fit and finish is rough
|
Conclusion
The FZ7 should attract a loyal following. It's easy and fun to use. It's versatile, and cheap for what you get. In our experience, no one does image stabilization better on compact cameras than Panasonic up to this point, and we give the company credit for its work on the technology. We also really like the lens. Not only does it have a nice range, but it maintains a wide aperture throughout that range. The FZ7 is a very useful camera and is easily transportable.
We wish it handled image noise better, however. The noise at ISO 400 is a problem, but at 800 and 1600, it makes the images strange and ugly. It's apparent why they are available only in a scene mode – they really aren't all that useful.
Still, users who will shoot mainly at ISO 80, 100, or even 200 will get a great deal out of the Lumix FZ7.
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