Panasonic DMC FZ7 Review

The Panasonic DMC FZ7 is a six megapixel digital camera with a twelve times optical zoom lens. To help reduce blur when using the long zoom lens optical image stabilisation is available.

In addition to the long lens the DMC FZ7 has a wide range of features including fully manual exposure. When taking into account the features, length of lens and also the size of the camera this model is more likely to appeal to someone who sees photography as a hobby rather than someone who is looking for a simple point and shoot digital camera.

The DMC FZ7 is an upgrade to the excellent DMC FZ5. The main differences include an extra megapixel, larger 2.5" LCD screen and a joystick to make changing settings faster and easier.

In terms of picture quality the DMC FZ7 fell just short of my high expectations. I have gone back and compared the images to the DMC FZ5 and to be honest I prefer those taken using the earlier model.

There were two tests in particular that I was not happy with. These were the third outdoor test and the test for colours. The third outdoor shot is to test the camera with its zoom lens fully extended. I was disappointed with the level of sharpness in the shot. I compared the shot alongside the same type of shot taken with the DSC FZ5 and also the new Sony DSC H2. In both cases the other cameras managed to produce a much sharper image.

As with other super zoom digital cameras purple fringing rears its head. This is where a purple line is added to the edge of white and bright objects. This is most noticeable when the optical zoom fully extended.

With the test for colours I was left disappointed by fairly weak blues. To be honest it is rare for this test to throw up any dramatic differences between different digital cameras, but this one was some way behind other cameras I have tested recently. Looking at the skies in my outdoors shots I can see a less vivid feel in this area than I would like.

To be honest I am at a bit of a loss to explain the difference between this camera and its predecessor. I had expected very similar results and I cannot come up with an obvious explanation for the differences.

In many other areas the camera performs very well indeed. Therefore the overall impression is a bit of a mixed bag.

The first outdoor shot uses the zoom, but not fully extended. This shot compares well against many others in terms of sharpness. The camera also handles the contrast between light and dark areas well.

The outdoor portrait shot is another pleasing effort. There is a warm tone to the picture. This was helped by using the cloudy white balance setting on an overcast day. The camera also comes up trumps with the indoor portrait. Surprisingly there is a touch of red eye in the picture. I ran the test more than once and the result was the same in each shot. The reason this is surprising is that cameras with a pop up flash unit usually manage to avoid red eye in my tests.

Looking at the other indoor test shot the camera makes an excellent effort. This shot is taken in almost complete darkness, but the picture is bright and well focused.

The macro shot is one of the best I have managed to take. It shows up plenty of detail and is a bright and clear photo.

My final test is for noise at ISO 400. This is the highest ISO setting available unless you use the High Sensitivity mode. There is a clear deterioration in picture quality. This is a regular occurrence once you push up the ISO rating. I would describe the level of noise as about average when compared to other similar digital cameras.

I was able to take a single photo in 0.32 seconds. This is a fairly average time. It took 5.50 seconds to take five photos. This is a fast time.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The 12x optical zoom lens has a focal length of 36-432mm in 35mm format. There is also a 4x digital zoom feature. For close up photography the macro mode will get you in as close as 5cm from your subject.

For composing images you can choose between and electronic viewfinder and the 2.5" LCD screen. The screen is made up of around 114,000 pixels. Key information such as low battery warning, memory card space and a histogram can be displayed on the screen.

The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 5m. The flash modes you can use are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction and Forced On/Off.

You can choose between three aspect ratios when taking a picture. These are 4:3 (best for displaying photos on a computer monitor), 3:2 (best for producing 6 x 4" prints) and 16:9 (best for viewing on a widescreen television). It should also be noted that the full six megapixels are only available when using the 4:3 aspect ratio. With 3:2 ratio the number of megapixels available drops to 5 and in 16:9 ratio the number of megapixels available drops to 4.5.

To add something different to your photos you can apply a small number of colour filters. These are Cool, Warm, Black and White and Sepia. When you would like to appear in the picture yourself there is a self timer. This can be set to either two or ten seconds.

You can take full control over the exposure by using the fully manual exposure mode. Aperture priority and shutter priority are available too. Shutter speed can be set in the range 60 - 1/2000 seconds. Available apertures are in the range of Wide: F2.8 - F8, Tele: F3.3 - F8.

If you are looking for something in between automatic and manual modes then you will find a wide selection of predefined scene modes. All you need to do is select the most appropriate scene and the camera will choose the optimum settings for the photo. The scene modes are Portrait, Soft Skin, Sports, Scenery, Night Scenery, Panning, Night Portrait, Fireworks, Party, Food, Candle, Starry Sky, Baby1, Baby2, Snow and High Sensitivity.

Among the more advanced settings are exposure compensation (1/3 EV step, -2 - +2 EV), Auto (AE) Bracketing (+/- 1/3 EV -1EV step, 3 frames), light metering (intelligent Multiple, Center Weighted and Spot) and ISO sensitivity (Auto/80/100/200/400 High Sensitivity Mode: Auto / 800 / 1600). There are also a number of white balance settings to choose from. These are Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Halogen / White Set White Balance Adjustment ( 150K step, -1500 - +1500 K) (Except for Auto set). Manual focusing is available too.

There are two types of burst or continuous shooting modes. The first allows you to take up to seven shots in fine mode and 13 shots in standard mode. This can be at a maximum rate of two or three shots per second. The second allows you to keep firing off shots until the memory card is full. This is at a slower frame per second rate.

After you have taken a picture you have options to trim or crop the image and also produce a smaller copy. The smaller copy could be suitable for emailing or posting to the Internet. You can also add ten seconds of audio to an image. This can help you to remember what was happening at the time the picture was taken. A similar feature allows you to record up to five seconds of sound when the picture is actually being taken.

You can shoot movies up to the capacity of the memory card. There is a special setting to record for widescreen televisions. This shoots at a resolution of 848 x 480. The more standard 640 x 480 resolution is also available. A maximum frames per second rate of 30 is available for both resolutions. Zoom is not available in movie mode, but sound can be recorded.

Panasonic supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the DMC FZ7 to a computer, television set and a PictBridge compatible printer.

Owing to the number of features a camera like the DMC FZ7 it is never going to be as easy to use as a standard point and shoot model. Even so I found it easy to find my way round the menu system. The system Panasonic use is one of the more straightforward ones available.

Changing the shooting mode is controlled by a dial on the top of the camera. To set the flash and self timer buttons are available on the back of the camera. Zoom is controlled through a ring around the shutter button.

For anyone who would like to use the camera as a point and shoot model there is an special Easy Mode. This reduces menu options to a minimum.

You can pick up a Panasonic DMC FZ7 for around £265. This compares to around £320 for a Canon Powershot S3 IS, £185 for a Kodak Easyshare Z650 and £290 for a Sony DSC H2.

As you can see the DMC FZ7 kind of has its own pricing niche. It is not one of the very cheapest super zoom digital cameras like the Kodak Easyshare Z650, but it is sold at a healthy discount to the Canon Powershot S3 IS and the Sony DSC H2. At this level I think Panasonic have the pricing about right.

Compared with many super zoom digital cameras the Panasonic DMC FZ7 is slightly more compact and smaller. It feels good in the hand and with the combination of the grip on the front and plenty of room for my thumb on the back I was able to get a good hold of the camera.

It is available in silver and black. It weighs in at 310g and has dimensions of 112.5 x 72.2 x 79.0 mm.

A rechargeable lithium ion battery is used to supply power to the camera. The vast majority of super zoom digital cameras run on AA batteries. Panasonic supplies both a battery and charger with the camera as standard. Panasonic estimates you can take around 320 photos before the battery will need to be recharged.

A16mb SD card is supplied with the camera. I was able to take just four photos using the standard settings before the card was full. Well I think that is pretty poor! You will need to pick up a high capacity card before you can really use the camera. Click here to save money on SD cards..

Indoor photos
More compact than similar models

Very small memory card supplied

The Panasonic DMC FZ7 is difficult to sum up. It did very well in a number of my test shots, but disappointed in others. It is still worth considering, but I feel there are better cameras of this type available.

Panasonic DMC FZ7 Front View

Panasonic DMC FZ7 Back View

Panasonic DMC FZ7 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Panasonic DMC FZ7