"I bought this camera for my wife a few weeks ago from Ritz. It's really got a lot of neat features, and you can't beat the 12x optical zoom. Image stabilization is really wonderful. However, I noticed a fair amount of barrel effect coming from the lens at wide angles (i.e., zero zoom). This is annoying, but after researching more I discovered it's fairly common in SLR digital cameras. Oh well. I use software to correct any really obvious barrelling, but it's still annoying and, therefore, not worth 5-stars. Fyi, when you buy a camera from Ritz they allow you to take free photo classes. It's really worth it!

UPDATE: Three years later and I still love this camera. Went to Greece last summer and took the best photos of my life! "

    "This is my quick review:
1. Per usual, spent 2 weeks pouring over the specs, reviews and ratings
prior to purchase

2. I have small children and need something durable and responsive.

3. I'm a casual user...just a little more than a point and shoot queen.

In July 05 I plunked down the money for this camera. I have no regrets...absolutely, positively LOVE IT! I have taken it everywhere, banged it around, dropped it, had my small children take photos with it.

I brought home the Canon and Fuji in the same price range. Tried both and
returned both. High points for me are it's light weight, Image Stabization (a must with kids), rapid fire repeat photo ability, and
easy downloads.

Would buy it again in a heartbeat! "

    "I bought this camara right before I went on a trip to South America. I got excellent pictures even being a novice user. The images are sharp and the colors are vibrant. The 12x optical zoom is a blast to use and the pictures come out as clear as if you were right there. The various modes like nighttime, indoors, and sports, etc. are helpful. I got some truly amazing nighttime shots. It is easy to over or underexpose a shot if you see the need for it, but remember to adjust it back to neutral when you are done. I believe that the image stablizer was helping me too. Anyone with a basic understanding of photography should have a great time with this camara. "

    "I bought this camera to use to shoot candids and portraits indoors in available light. I knew I would get more natural shots because I could hold the camera far away from the subjects while getting a sharp image from the stabilization. What I learned when I used the camera is that the 12X zoom and the stabilization system work very well in bright light. Those pictures turn out beautifully. However, indoors or in darker situations the stabilization and auto focus was useless throughout much of the zoom range. A major disappointment.

PRO
Outdoors produced excellent pictures throughout the zoom range. Some sample exposure times and F Numbers at the 12X zoom were: .01 3.6, .001 5.6, .003 4.5. I don’t know if the sharp images were due to the stabilization system or the short exposure times.


CON
Blurred images in lower light conditions. The stabilization and auto focus just couldn’t freeze the images, even at less than 12X zoom. Sample exposure times, F Numbers, and Focal Length were: 0.16 3.30 296, 0.05 3.30 223, 0.125 3.30 282. It seems to me that a decent stabilization system should be able to freeze an image at 0.05 second. In my test pictures, this camera did not.


A minor complaint is that the camera comes without a rubber eyecup. I found that the viewfinder scratched my eyeglasses. Panasonic should provide a rubber eyecup as standard equipment, or at the very least, as an available accessory.

In summary, this camera is fine for outdoors. However, I want a camera with a good zoom and excellent stabilization indoors. I want more than half a camera. I returned it for a refund. I’ll wait for a model whose stabilization and zoom work in both daylight and low light and continue to use my 5 MP Sony. I hope I don’t have to wait too long.
"

    "I bought this camera for my wife a few weeks ago from Ritz. It's really got a lot of neat features, and you can't beat the 12x optical zoom. Image stabilization is really wonderful. However, I noticed a fair amount of barrel effect coming from the lens at wide angles (i.e., zero zoom). This is annoying, but after researching more I discovered it's fairly common in SLR digital cameras. Oh well. I use software to correct any really obvious barrelling, but it's still annoying and, therefore, not worth 5-stars. Fyi, when you buy a camera from Ritz they allow you to take free photo classes. It's really worth it!

UPDATE: Three years later and I still love this camera. Went to Greece last summer and took the best photos of my life! "

    "This is my quick review:
1. Per usual, spent 2 weeks pouring over the specs, reviews and ratings
prior to purchase

2. I have small children and need something durable and responsive.

3. I'm a casual user...just a little more than a point and shoot queen.

In July 05 I plunked down the money for this camera. I have no regrets...absolutely, positively LOVE IT! I have taken it everywhere, banged it around, dropped it, had my small children take photos with it.

I brought home the Canon and Fuji in the same price range. Tried both and
returned both. High points for me are it's light weight, Image Stabization (a must with kids), rapid fire repeat photo ability, and
easy downloads.

Would buy it again in a heartbeat! "