Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 Digital Camera Review

Model Design / Appearance (8.0)
The FZ7 falls into the "SLR-like" category, with a big grip for the right hand, a viewfinder hump, and a large lens barrel on a wide, shallow camera body. It is much smaller, however, than a real DSLR and sleeker than most of the other competing ultra-zoom models. The FZ7 is primarily thick plastic, and it feels and looks that way. We have the shiny "silver" version, and worry that the finish may scuff or scratch. The body of the FZ7 feels solid in the hands – a little squeeze doesn't elicit creaks and groans. However, we noticed that the lens rattles a little when we shake the camera. We didn't shake the camera very hard, so that was an unfortunate surprise.

The shell of the FZ7 is made up of several pieces of plastic, that don't fit together as well as they could. Some seams fit tightly and some have gaps wide enough to slip paper into. That's likely to allow dust inside the camera, and makes our sample look a bit shoddy.

Size / Portability (6.5)
The FZ7 is a mere 4.43 x 2.84 x 3.11 inches when shut off, and weighs 0.68 pounds (around 10.9 oz.). Though we've seen comparably small cameras with long zooms, it's worth remarking that a 35mm setup with the same focal range would weigh many pounds and require a camera bag large enough to hold a cocker spaniel. The FZ7's class of cameras allows users to take a much wider range of photos very casually, without the heavy toting.

The FZ7's poor seals against dust and dirt affect its portability, though. We strongly recommend keeping the FZ7 in a bag or case to protect it from dirt and moisture.

Handling Ability (8.0)
For a small camera, the FZ7 handles very nicely. The texture of the handgrip promotes a secure hold for the right hand, and the non-focusing part of the lens barrel offers a good grip for the left hand. The lens accounts for most of the FZ7's weight, so added support from the left hand will make most users' shoot steadier anyway. The FZ7 is set up for a shoulder strap. Some of us felt that this camera was just barely heavy enough to require a neck strap over a wrist strap, and that the neck strap could ultimately be a nuisance on camera this small. Others felt that the neck strap was fine.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.5)
The FZ7's buttons are spread apart enough so that even users with large hands will be able to hit them confidently. Joysticks are gaining popularity on digital cameras, and the FZ7's implementation shows how much sense that makes. The joystick allows quick navigation in the functions it controls, including ISO, white balance, file size and quality. Better yet, Panasonic added the joystick and left the four-way controller, so that the FZ7 has the advantages of this control as well.

The FZ7's shutter release has a short range of travel – it doesn't take much movement to activate the autofocus and exposure metering. It takes even less movement for a picture to be taken. That might speed up the camera's response time a little, but we expect that some users will fire the shutter accidentally when they only want to adjust focus.

Menu (7.5)
The FZ7's menus cover Record, Setup and Playback options, with separate menus for Simple mode and Scene mode selection. The menus appear in a large, clear, sanserif font in black against a white background. The active entry appears on a yellow background, and the heading appears on red, green or blue.

Most items are well placed, with the more commonly used items high in the list, and more obscure ones lower down. The menus each have a few screens worth of entries. We like to see the card format option in the Setup menu, which is accessible in both shooting and playback mode on the FZ7 and many other cameras. Unfortunately for us, it's the last item in the Playback menu. Apparently, if list order is anything to go by, Panasonic would rather users "delete all" images through the Playback interface than format their SD cards. We prefer formatting because we swap cards between various brands of cameras, and the delete function doesn't clear away extraneous folders.  

Setup
Clock set	Set time and date
Monitor brightness	Set LCD or viewfinder brightness
Travel Date	Set date to display on vacation photos
Play on LCD	Have images play back on LCD only, not in the viewfinder
Power Save	Set how long the FZ7 will sit before shutting itself off
Auto Review	Set interval that images display for review just after they're shot
MF Assist	Set how the FZ7 displays manual focus
Beep	Set control sounds
Shutter sound	Set shutter sound
Volume	Adjust volume
Number reset	Set how images are numbered
Settings reset	Restore factory defaults
USB mode	Set to upload images to a computer or to print images directly
Highlight	Set to make overexposed areas blink when reviewing images
Video out	Set video format to PAL or NTSC
TV aspect	Set for regular or widescreen televisions
MF meter/feet	Set manual focus scale to show meters or feet
Scene Menu	Set behavior of menus when the FZ7 is set to Scene mode
Language	Choose language for menus

Pict. Mode	Set image size
Auto review	Display image after it's shot
Beep	Sound control
Clock Set	Set date and time

Playback
Slide show	Set to show shot images on LCD or television via A/V output
Favorite	Select favorite images for slide show, uploading, printing, etc.
Rotate Display	Show vertical images upright on display
Rotate	Save vertical images upright
DPOF	Print images directly
Protect	Prevent images from being deleted
Audio Dub	Add sound to saved images
Resize	Shrink images to lower resolutions
Trimming	Crop unwanted areas from images
Aspect Convert	Switch between 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 formats
Format	Delete all data from SD card