Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic DMC-FZ7BB Digital Camera - Black [6MP, 12 X Optical Zoom]

We bought two of these cameras for a forthcoming trip to Canada - one black and one silver. They are physically more compact and lighter than you would expect for a 12x zoom "bridge" (e.g. between a compact digital and SLR)camera - this does not imply any shortcoming in construction though. The picture quality is excellent and the mega stabiliser keeps pictures taken at high magnification rock steady - amazing! The lens is Leica and very sharp whilst the camera is a comfortable shape to hold reasonably steady.

The flash is powerful but red eye is thankfully not prominent and the camera controls both automatic and manual are easy to get to get to grips with. The LCD screen is large but not of the highest resolution I have seen. Battery life is long but the battery is camera specific e.g. you can't put in a set of AAs when it gets low. Most importantly picture quality is superlative except in very low light without flash.

This is a camera you can grow into and which should last ages. The only irritation is the poor availability of Panasonic accessories - they seem like hens teeth! But in any event buy a LowePro case rather than a Panasonic one.

Overall, I believe this camera is, taking account of size, cost etc. a best in class. Buy it with confidence you'll be delighted.

This really is a superb camera.the leica lens is really out of the top drawer.so having read many reviews on this type of camera i decided to go for the FZ7,and boy did i make the right choice.Just imagine the cost of lenses not to mention the sheer bulk that you would need for a DSLR to match the zoom on the Panasonic.With the 12x zoom it is considerabley bigger than my sony compact but tiny and light compared to the DSLR.all in all a superb camera with 12x zoom,anti-shake,a flash that fills the room and a nice big,clear screen.You will not be dissapointed with this camera.highly recommended.

I got my first digital camera, a Canon Ixus V2 a few years ago now and I still love it. However the 2mp chip is a bit limiting so I went for this Panasonic. Its a great camera, its intuitive to use, you can start taking shots at a basic level very quickly but it has so many features to try once you familiarise yourself with it. Design is superb with a compact body and clear buttons and switches and a large bright LCD screen. First impressions of the shots are very good, clarity and exposure looking spot on. The 12x optical zoom is one of the best features and combined with the image stabiliser means you can eliminate camera shake.

As another review stated, my only gripe is the lack of accessories available, I appreciate its a new camera, but a protective case would nice !

I bought this 6MP, 12X camera as a replacement for a 5MP 10X Fuji S5600 (S5200 if you're not in Europe), thinking it would be a vast improvement. Where this camera does perform better is with macro (sharper image than the Fuji) and other close up photography, where (especially with macro) a sharper image resulted. Also, the continuous shooting is very good and you're only restricted by the capacity of the memory card.

At longer range, it is hard to tell the difference, except for the larger image produced by the DMC-FZ7's 6MP. Both on very close inspection do show a degree of noise. The optical image stabilisation (Mega OIS) does help, but does not provide any real advantage over Fuji's alternative ISO ramping system used in the S5600 (and other cameras).

Camera speed is quite reasonable on the Panasonic DMC-FZ7, thoguh startup is slower than with the Fuji, with the DMC-FZ7 needing to extend it's lens (a minor annoyance if you want to make a snap shot). Once both cameras are up and running, there's little to pick speedwise between them.

The DMC-FZ7 performed slightly the more poorly in dark conditions, where the ISO 400 / 60s shutter (maximum period it could be kept open) combination produced a less sharp image in a nighttime shot than the ISO 1600 / 15s combination on the Fuji S5600. I know that the Panasonic has ISO 800 and 1600, however, these are buried on a sub-menu and can't be used in combination with a slow shutter speed. However, this is something only experienced photographers should consider.

I have mentioned image quality a few times here and it's worth mentioning that the DMC-FZ7 and other superzoom / high end cameras do not produce the same sharpness of image in good light as some of the cheap and cheerful compacts. I also own a Kodak Easyshare C340 5MP 3x camera, bought for £89 and have had a Fuji Finepix A204 2MP 3x camera in the past. These cheaper cameras produce a sharper image than the DMC-FZ7 (or the Fuji S5600) and I believe that the image processing on high end cameras actually sometimes gets in the way of a good image that does not occur with the simple sensors of cheaper cameras. However, the functionality of the DMC-FZ7 still makes for a very good camera if you want a range of functions cheaper cameras just don't have (proper continuous shoot, aperture / shutter control, etc.).

I've done alot of comparisons between the Panasonic DMC-FZ7 and the Fuji S5600 here and I find there's not much to pick between them. The Panasonic has an edge in close up and wide angle photography, however, the Fuji seems better able to deliver a reasonable picture in low light and at long range (the optical image stabilisation seems a little glitchy with an extended zoom). The much larger LCD screen on the back is a nice touch though. The Panasonic has a steeper learning curve and it's body seems less robust than the Fuji. If the camera you want is going to see heavy use in hostile environments, the fact the Fuji's vital parts are sealed in (including the lens) aand is therefore less prone to, say, dust ingress should be taken into consideration.

The Panasonic DMC-FZ7 is a good camera that could have been excellent. However, there are a number of minor annoyances that stop me making this a glowing review. For example, ISO 800 and ISO 1600 tucked away where they are hard to access and the sound / voice memo facility only allows a maximum 10 seconds compared to the Fuji camera's 30 seconds (this is a feature I use heavily).

These are glitches that could be ironed out in a future firmware update if Panasonic decide to read this review.

After a lot of thought, I decided to stick with the Fuji (due to it's greater physical robustness and fast start-up time enabling quick snap shots) and let the Panasonic go. That said, I still give it 4 out of 5 and had I not already had the S5200 / S5600, then I may well have stuck with the Panasonic.

Wow fantastic and the results are sharp. This model allows you to grow with it.both simple mode and for the more advanced photographer aperture priority or shutter priority. Anti shaking and a 2.5" LCD screen. You will not be disapointed with this jewel and the size is so small it is amazing how all the sophisticated electronics can be squeezed into it. 12X optical zoom and the Leica quality lens to boot. If you get chance buy it now, at this price it is a steal