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Pros
- Solid image quality, even in low light.
- Wide and long zoom (25-300mm).
- GPS for geotagging photos.
- High-res 3-inch LCD.
- Stereo audio recording in video mode.
- Fast shot-to-shot speeds.
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Cons
- Price is on the high side.
- Offers shorter focal length than less-expensive competitors.
- Proprietary USB port.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 Specs
| 35mm Equivalent (Telephoto) | 300 mm |
| 35mm Equivalent (Wide) | 25 |
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion |
| Display Resolution | 460000 |
| Memory Card Format | Secure Digital Extended Capacity |
| Optical Zoom | 12 x |
| Sensor Resolution | 12 |
| Type | Superzoom |
| Video Resolution | Yes |
The $399.95 (direct), 12.1-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 has the steepest price tag of all the pocket superzoom cameras we've seen recently. This camera delivers solid image quality (even in low light), a good video recording experience, there's a sharp LCD and a GPS for photo geotagging, and the powerful zoom lens can reach both far and wide. There's no denying that this is a feature-rich camera that can perform, but it's still a little tough to justify the price premium you'll pay, given the tough competition in the pocket superzoom realm. Having said that, if you spend the extra cash for the ZS7, it will serve you well. It stands out as one of our
Design
The DMC-ZS7 isn't tiny, but it will fit in your pocket, weighing a little less than a half-pound (7.5 ounces) and measuring 2.35 by 4.07 by 1.28 inches (HWD). The camera's body is loaded with switches, buttons and dials, and this is a good thing, as it lends quick access to features without having to dig through menus. Thanks to its large, sharp screen, the ZS7's interface is very easy to use. Text is large and easy to read, and the main menu items are high-contrast with a white background, black text, and a yellow scroll bar. There's a large dial on top of the camera for quickly entering different menus—everything from auto mode to pro-level aperture/shutter priority settings is a click away. The user interface isn't as dolled up as the one you'll find on the 
), but it's not as unintuitive and antiquated as what you get on the 
), either.
The ZS7 packs a 12x zoom lens, with good range from the focal length. It starts out extremely wide (25mm) and extends all the way to 300mm, with corresponding aperture of f/3.3 (w) and f/4.9 (t). If you favor getting closer over getting wide shots, the ) dominates: the focal length starts at 28mm, but goes all the way to 392mm. The 
) bests the ZS7 as well, packing a 15x zoom that goes from 24—360mm.
Out of all the compact superzooms I've reviewed this year, the DMC-ZS7 has the sharpest LCD. It measures 3 inches, like most of its competition, but other companies fill those inches with 230,000 dots. Panasonic packed in double the typical number, 460K dots, creating an amazingly sharp display.
Performance
Shot-to-shot speed is very fast with the DMC-ZS7, and makes the shooting experience feel quick overall. In my tests, however, the camera took an average of 3.8 seconds to power up and capture its first shot, which is on the slower side when compared with its competitors. When powered on, though, the camera snapped shots with only 1.8 seconds of wait time. The Canon SX210 makes you wait 2.8 seconds, nearly a second longer, between shots. The average shutter lag for the DMC-ZS7 was 0.6 seconds, which is similar to the competition.
In the PC Labs we use the Imatest suite to objectively rate image quality. Among 50 sample spots throughout the 12.1-megapixel images, the DMC-ZS7 delivered a respectable score of 1,807 lines per picture height. That average weighs three regions: the center of the image, part way to the corner and the corners themselves, with the center and midway points weighted more heavily in the average. The center of the frame in the ZS7 averaged 1,924 lines, and Imatest measured 1,726 lines part way between the center and the corners and 1,579 near the corners. Though the DMC-ZS7 doesn't offer the highest average of its competitors, it scored the best in the corners of the image. For example, the Fuji F80EXR and Canon SDX210 scored an average of 1,914 and 2,130 respectively.
The DMC-ZS7 is well suited for use in shooting environments that don't offer great light, capturing sharp images with little noise. Poorly lit environments require you to either use the flash, or dial up the camera's ISO sensitivity, which can increase image noise or graininess. Noise typically becomes visible when it comprises 1.5 percent of an image. The DMC-ZS7 can be dialed up to ISO 1600 and still produce images with less than 1.5 percent noise, reaching just 1.31 percent at ISO 1600. To compare, the Canon SX210 stays below 1.5 percent only up to ISO 400 (1.39 percent), and the F80EXR barely makes it to ISO 800 (1.48 percent). At low ISOs, however, the Fuji can deliver extremely low levels of noise, which creates very clean images.
Additional Features
When switched on, the camera's GPS feature automatically attaches location information to your photos and video. If you view your photos in software that supports geotagging data, it will display your images on a map so you can see where they were captured. The Sony Cyber-shot HX5V takes GPS to the next level, however, adding a digital compass to indicate the direction in which the photo was taken. Neither feature is relevant to every user, though it can be if you travel with often with your camera.
The video recording experience on the ZS7 is top-notch. Recordings are captured in 720p30 HD and audio is captured in stereo. You also have two options for video codecs: Motion JPEG, or AVCHD Lite. If you record with Motion JPEG, your videos can be easily uploaded straight to YouTube, Facebook and most other video sharing sites. If you use AVCHD Lite, videos have to be converted through desktop software before they can be uploaded, but te quality of the AVCHD codec is superior.
Sony's Cyber-shot DMC-HX5V is the only compact superzoom I've seen that can best the Panasonic ZS7's video recording. The Panasonic captures at 1280 by 720, and the Sony also records AVCHD but at 1920 by 1080. Panasonic video contains 30 progressive frames per second, while the Sony HX5V produces more fluid-looking video at 60 interlaced frames.
There's a mini-HDMI port on the ZS7, so you can plug right into an HDTV and play back your photos and videos; the mini-HDMI cable is not included with the camera, but is easy to find. The USB port, which is used to connect the camera to your computer, is proprietary—if you lose it, you'll need to replace it through Panasonic—a standard USB cable won't work here.When it comes to compact superzooms, the $400 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7's toughest competitor is the Sony Cyber-shot HX5V, which offers a comparable feature set and image quality for $50 less. Going with the Panasonic does get you a higher-quality LCD, and a longer focal length lens however. But the Cyber-shot HX5V nabs our Editors' Choice for striking the best balance between image quality, features, and price.
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