“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 snap mainly at ISO 80, 100, or even 200 will get a great deal out of the Lumix FZ7. “

Wise words from Patrick Singleton of DigitalCameraInfo.com in his Panasonic DMC-FZ7 Digital Camera Review