Description

25mm Ultra Wide-angle Powerful 12x Optical Zoom LEICA DC Lens Featuring Intelligent Resolution Technology and Built-in GPS

• Ultra Compact 25mm Lens and 16X Intelligent Zoom - Easily bring your images closer without losing picture quality in an ultra compact camera
• AVCHD Lite HD Movie Recording - Record HD quality movies
• Travel Mode with GPS - Access your images easier by automatically recording location and time of each photo

16x Intelligent Zoom / 23.4x Extra Optical Zoom
Thanks to the newly incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology, the Intelligent Zoom is available with the DMC-ZS7 which extends the zoom ratio by approx. 1.3x maintaining the picture quality even combining a digital zoom. Th

Customer Reviews

 A great camera - Sep 02, 2010

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.

 Great point and shoot camera - Aug 31, 2010

I have a Nikon D90 and always have a point and shoot(p&s) when I do not feel like bringing the BIG camera. After going through several Canon p&s cameras that broke on me, I decided to search my other options. I read tons of the reviews here, focusing on negatives, less on the positives. I found that people's complains and dislikes about the ZS7, did not matter to me. Thank you to those who gave this great camera the positive reviews. I ordered and have been playing with my ZS7 for more than a week now. I really like it and the pictures are much sharper than my previous p&s. I find the night shots to be OK(mostly so-so) but still much better than previous p&s. Again, that is why I have the D90 for those night shots when I want better results.

 A fun "spy camera" - Aug 31, 2010

This camera is a lot of fun to use, especially for "older" eyesight. You can zoom in on birds, buildings, etc and see much more detail than with normal vision.
My only complaint is that the camera usage booklet needs to be downloaded and printed from your computer. Would be much nicer to actually have a little compact booklet.

 Excellent camera for travelers - Aug 31, 2010

The Lumix ZS7 is a fully featured compact camera for photographers who like to travel as lightly as possible. The camera has a terrific zoom range and is very useful when photographing in foreign countries where a wide angle lens is often necessary. I particularly enjoy the GPS feature of the camera as it identifies where my photos were taken. I don't plan to buy another camera without GPS. Used properly, the camera provides excellent quality photos. I've posted photos on my website: [...] (Cinque Terre, French Riviera and Provence galleries)using the Lumix ZS7 and the Lumix LX3 where you can click on the "Map It" feature and see where photos using the Lumix ZS7 were taken. The video and sound capabilites of this camera are easy to use and the quality results are outstanding. I've recommended this camera to friends who have also purchased it and they are very pleased with how easy it is to use and the quality of the photos.

 zs7 reveiw - Aug 30, 2010

I am not an expert on cameras but compared to other cameras i have used the zs7 is awesome it takes very good pictures and the video quality is equally good

The camera is also very durable, i dropped it two times once on tile floor and the second time on a concrete side walk both times the camera froze but worked like new after i took out the battery and put it back in. I also used it a lot in the rain while in mexico and on hikes took it most everywhere and is still working like new.

Another bonus is the amount of features on the camera from the 16x zoom, the the shutter priority mode which helps take decent pictures at night, another cool feature is the built in gps that tells you where the picture was taking.

overall i have nothing bad to say about this camera i have had it for about a month i took it on vacation and have taken around 7.5 gigs of video and pictures with this camera and its still amazing me with the pictures can take with it, if your trying to find a better camera for this price i wish you luck, but if i was you i would stop looking the zs7 is one of the best at this price.

 Great camera - Aug 29, 2010

Purchased Lumix DMC-ZS7 camera after reading reviews & am not disappointed. I am not a professional photographer but my pictures are awesome! The camera has a lot of features that I am still learning, but auto intelligence is for me! I did have trouble downloading video to my PC, but found after using Panasonic's software it was fine. I love the fact I can see the LCD screen in bright daylight,a feature my old Kodak could not do.

 Lumix is great - Aug 29, 2010

So far we are happy with this product. It arrived promptly and the pictures are excellent. Downloading to iphoto works flawlessly. Nice size.

 Great Camera - Aug 27, 2010

This camera does what it says it will do. Good small camera to carry when you do not wish to carry larger camera such as Nikon D90.

 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 is great- works with Macs! - Aug 25, 2010

I received the DMC-ZS7 right before a short vacation trip. Didn't have a lot of time to read all the instructions (which are mostly on disk as PDF files only). But the camera is so simple to learn I really had no problems at all (disclaimer- I am a professional photographer). Great Leica lens; image stabilization works wonderfully, and HD video is quite impressive (780p).

Using an Intel Mac running OS X 10.6+ and having iLife 09 installed allows you to import AVCHD-Lite HD video directly from the camera into iMovie, bypassing needing a PC to import and then converting files for editing. Older non-Intel Macs or those without iLife 09 will not be able to import from the camera.

I will say that the Panasonic software on the PC does allow easy uploading of video to Youtube- unedited except for simple crops.

Pros- ease of use; quality of video (still images are nice too); very compact size, can use with my Mac.

Cons- Manuals are only on CD as PDF files; Panasonic software not the best/easiest to use on a PC.

Would have given 5 stars if they had made Mac importing software or better software for the PC.

 Awesome Camera - Aug 25, 2010

This is an awesome camera.. and is really tough... I dropped it from 2nd floor on a concrete floor and it is still alive and functioning.

 Unbelievable camera; Excellent picture quality/zoom - Aug 24, 2010

I just returned from a lengthy family trip. I did not want to lug my huge canon SLR and my small compact canon s450 just doesn't give the best picture quality. So after reading about the Lumix series and with some experience with previous lumix models purchased for family/ friends, I bought the Lumix ZS7 which is only a little bit bigger than my ultra compact s450. The pictures are awesome on this camera and the zoom is simply amazing for such a small package. Also, battery life is great although I did purchase a spare. The only downside was the GPS which works well in most places but gets lost in obscure locales. Another plus is the screen which is large, clear and sharp. Menus are intuitive. Video is incredible and frankly, better than my Flip mino HD which I did not even use. You can zoom while videoing which is also nice. My friend purchased a less expensive Lumix model, without the Leica lens and the pictures are noticeably inferior. Also, the screen is not as sharp. This camera is pricey for it's class, but there is a reason it is so popular.

 Great camera and price - Aug 23, 2010

This is a great camera. Takes great pictures for what I need it for and it was a great price as well.

 size does not matter - Aug 22, 2010

This is a compact camera that will do everything that will need to be done!!!

 Don't buy this camera - Aug 21, 2010

This camera takes wonderful pictures. But Panasonic has not been honest in describing the GPS function. You cannot turn off the GPS. It ALWAYS drains the battery, even with the GPS turned OFF and the camera turned OFF. Plan on a dead battery within a week of charging--even if you haven't used the camera. Panasonic has a simple solution for the problem--remove the battery from the camera every time you're done shooting. OR, leave it in and just accept that it might be dead when you want to use. That's the advise of the SUPERVISOR at Panasonic after I escalated the case. The owners's manual doesn't tell you that. In fact, the manual says that when the GPS is turned off, it stops trying to position. What it doesn't tell you is that it's STILL using power. There is no way to win on this. Buy a different Lumix and forget about GPS, or be carry lots of extra batteries. The Panasonic engineer who designed this should be looking for a new job.

 Great bring-it-anywhere camera - Aug 20, 2010

Great little camera to bring with you on hikes, or for any event when you might think twice about bringing something larger and heavier. Standout features for me are the geotagging capabilities from the GPS and the great zoom lens. I wish it had RAW output, but thats a minor complaint from an otherwise superb camera. The HD video is a really nice bonus too. You won't regret getting this!

 Awesome - Aug 20, 2010

Have owned many cameras SLR And point & shoot. Top of the line to almost bottom of the line. This Camera Panasonic DMCZs7 out does any point and shoot camera on the
market in it's class price of $200.00-$500.00. Even the lower priced SLR cameras.
I'm anticipating the New Panasonic DMC Z100 soon to be on the market end of August. I'm very happy to be part of the Amazon family. They do a awesome job in satisfying their customers.

 Excellent pocket camera - Aug 19, 2010

The DMC-ZS7 is an excellent pocket camera. Photo quality is excellent and the high resolution video is outstanding.

 Full featured travel camera - Aug 17, 2010

Okay, take this for what it is; I have owned this camera for 3 hours. But I have too many cameras to count, and I know what I am looking for. I found it here. I travel, and primarily shoot with a Canon 5d Mk II SLR. But I need a digital note-taker; I need to know where I am, what is interesting, and why. I carry too many devices; a Garmin Oregon 550 GPS, a USB voice recorder, the 5D, a Flip video camera ... ridiculous. I might have eliminated several right here. Why? I can take a snap shot, record location, and then (thank god) this Lumix still has the nearly obsolete feature to record a voice memo after each shot, a 5 second .MOV file actually, so I can say what I just photographed and technical details. Perfect. Okay, not really - there is no way the GPS is going to be as accurate as the Garmin and acquire satellites as fast. And I can't use the voice memo feature to make long notes. But that is good enough for me. Image quality seems fine, movie, etc. If you are looking for a certain feature set that is hard to find, this camera might just have it. Manual on CD is fine - not sure why anyone would complain about that when you can use a FIND in your PDF reader and locate exactly what you are looking for. I needed a digital note-taker and this is it. Now I have to return 2 other cameras that supposedly had voice memo, but only by browsing serval layers through the view menu every time you needed to use it. Useless!

 Superb camera -- but don't buy it! - Aug 17, 2010

I have had three cameras in this series, going back several years. I have loved them all. Great cameras, each better than the one before, and I figured I would be buying nothing else but Panasonic cameras in the future.
BUT -- Panasonic just started using something they call an "ID secured" battery. The upshot of that is, no aftermarket batteries can be used in it -- only the wildly overpriced Panasonic brand. When you put any other brand in the camera the screen comes up with "this battery will not work in this camera". Panasonic updated the firmware to detect an ID code from their battery so that aftermarket ones won't work. If I have to pay $60 or so for the Panasonic replacement battery instead of the $10 or so that an aftermarket battery costs, the camera just becomes too expensive to use. So I am headed to another brand, and it disappoints me that Panasonic is scamming its buyers this way.

 Good cam but not for all - Aug 16, 2010

I bought this point and shoot after much deliberation and going through every review i could possibly find. This is my first panasonic cam and i own a Sony DSC-H1. The camera was shipped ontime and reached as expected.Was very impressed with the first look. I used mostly the IAuto mode and in well lit conditions pics were awesome, but when i started to take pics at places that had little less lighting like cloudy out door and little shadowy places, it was difficult. The IAuto mode started selecting scene's that made pics looks less impressive. everyshot at the same subject it chose a different scene and gave different results.
This is where it got little frustrating as i had to take several shots to get the ideal result. Also the color's were little saturated..making it look little unnatural. I did take the same pics with my sony and panasonic to compare the results and definitely sony had a notch above the results of panasonic.I think to get the best out of the cam you had to tweak the settings.. Well my wife was definitely not happy with the cam and so had it returned.

 Best Compact Camera with Power Zoom - Aug 16, 2010

I have no problem with ZS7. I tested with a number of shots, bright background, in-house with no flash, movie, telephoto shots etc. All pictures are clean, sharp and with a lot of details. It is amazing that my Dad could take a 150 feet telephoto shot on a moving dog, usually it is impossible with his age and trembling hands, but the picture is clean and recognizable. The O.I.S system is the best among compact camera.

The only problem the I found is the GPS. It seemed useless when you have to wait for 5 minutes before you get locked in with the signals from Satellites, and again no use indoors. So I finally set it to off permanently to save power.

I have a Canon G9 too. The speed to focus onto a subject is not as fast as ZS7. I think ZS7 is better and it is much cheaper priced. G9 can produce better color, while the ZS7 color may be off (especially blue) a bit but acceptable. G9 is not as sharp as ZS7, this may be the sharpening applied is more on the latter. This is an advantage to me.

Overall, I am very satisfied with this camera, and I would ask anyone to consider Panasonic brand, because they are really pushing to be the number one in this DC competition. They are small compare to many big names like Nikon, Canon etc, and they will be a big name in the near future.

 Had High Hopes - Aug 16, 2010

I bought this camera because of its size, zoom, and the many favorable reviews here and elsewhere. My other camera is a Panasonic FZ18, so I am familiar with the controls on the ZS7. With four extra megapixels on this camera, I thought I might see a difference in clarity between the pictures taken on the new camera and the two-year-old FZ-18. I thought with the new camera I'd still have viable pictures even with extreme cropping. Unfortunately I was wrong on both counts and will be returning the FZ7 to Amazon.

Likes -
Great feel and aesthetics
The instant start movie mode button
The 3 inch LCD screen
The perfect pocket size
The far reaching zoom in such a small camera
Multiple scene modes
Menu is intuitive and extensive
Enough user control options to keep photographers of various levels content

Maybe it's me or maybe it's the camera, but my main complaint is the quality of photos taken with this camera. I tried many of the scene modes and used the menu to make lots of tweaks to no avail. I took pictures of the same subjects with the same lighting conditions, and the pictures taken with the older camera were almost always better.

A few pictures of apples taken with the food scene mode were outstanding, clear and sharp, but most of the other pictures were not impressive. The zoom mode is quite good, however.

Effects like Happy mode and pinhole can be achieved with better control by using the free Picasa photo program

If you are trying to decide between this camera and the less expensive ZS5, I'd say spend the extra bucks for the ZS7. You'll get a larger viewing screen, a very convenient movie button on the back of the camera, two designated favorite scene choices on the dial, and the ability to capture still pics from motion pictures.

This camera was an Amazon Warehouse buy, a camera returned by a previous buyer. It arrived within a week and was in excellent condition. Apparently the previous purchaser was no more enamored of this camera than I am.

 Great camera - too bad it broke after 4 months - Aug 15, 2010

We got this camera back in March looking for a point and shoot that could take great pictures and also record at least 720P HD video. This camera fit the bill very well and we have been happy with it. That is until we took it on vacation and it broke halfway through the trip. It powers on and looks ok until you try to zoom in/out and try to take a picture at which point it reports a Focus Error.

I called Panasonic support and they gave me RMA info to send it back in but the thing I'm most upset with support about is that they will only send me a refurbished unit. Here I have a 4 month old camera in prestine condition and they want to replace it with a refurbished model in questionable condition. Very unhapy with this.

Like I said.. good camera but not happy with the support experience when it broke.

 The best kept secret in the camera world. - Aug 11, 2010

I have been looking for a long time for a camers small enough to carry in my shirt pocket and still have
a great wide angle and telephoto lens. (25mm to 300mm) and still takes great pictures. It has a excellent viewing screen and Very easy to use functions and reviewing. It also has an easy to use video button and makes very clear
videos. (you can change from close up to telephoto and back while taking a vidio). It also has GPS function that labels each picture with location. I have had Kodak, Pentax, Nikon and Sony camers and this is the best one I Have ever had.

 Great camera, compact, powerful, feature rich - Aug 11, 2010

I really like this machine - great to carry, great for snapshots. But lots of features - love the HD quality video and the fact that I can hook this directly to my big screen TV and play photos back for family & friends instantly. A lot of fun. As other reviews note - the picture quality is not up to DSLR (professional) standards, but for the price, ease of use, and the semi-serious amateur, this is a great camera to have along. Still learning all I can do with it!