I bought the Panasonic DMC-FZ7 camera in July 2006 after scouring the market for a good bridge camera to suit my needs. Price-wise, the FZ7 came in at just under £230 from rankhour.com and delivery was rapid.

The Panasonic FZ7 is an upgrade for me from an old point and shoot digital and the difference was immediately apparent. Starting up is quick. Autofocus and Flash charging also quick. Good big LCD screen on the back, though I prefer to shoot through the viewfinder most of the time.

The Panasonic FZ7 has a picture steadying function which should probably be left on all the time in my hands. Quality of the pictures is very high with good sharpness on the autofocus. I didn’t find the manual focus that easy to use and will probably rely on the autofocus most of the time.

The pop-up flash does not come up automatically in low-light situations and it would be the main thing I would change. So far I’ve forgotten the flash more times than I’ve remembered it indoors and although the camera compensates with aperture and shutter time it has meant a few blurry shots.

Although the Panasonic DZ7 looks like a big camera in the pictures, it doesn’t feel it in your hands. Indeed it is a little small for large hands. I wouldn’t mind at all if the body was a little bigger.

The accessories that come with the FZ7 are pretty basic and I can’t see me going out with the lens hood very often – it is a bit of a faff to fit it.

One thing I did do immediately is go and but a decent case to fit my new Panasonic. Nothing worse than getting a new bit of electronics then having your 2 year old child drop if on the floor.

Overall I’m very happy so far with the Panasonic FZ7, but I’m sure I’ll post another piece about it when I’ve had more of a chance to play with it’s advanced features some more. After all, that’s what I bought it for.

Other Panasonic FZ7 Reviews:

Read the DPreview review of the Panasonic FZ7.
Read the Photography Blog review of the Panasonic FZ7.
Buy the Panasonic FZ7 cheap at:

Panasonic FZ7 at Amazon.co.uk