The power-packed Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 hits us like a ton of bricks. Is this almighty compact fearsome enough to take on the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS? Read the full review to find out.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 Overview
It's always a joyous occasion when we're given the opportunity to test a camera that's chock full of features, but the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 almost overwhelmed us with its deluge of options. We're frightened we missed out on a few elements, but in retrospect, it just took a little while longer to delve into the camera's rich treasure chest. All-star specs include a 25mm wide-angle 12x optical zoom lens, extensive manual controls with a 60-second shutter, and GPS with Navteq maps.
We also got 720p 30fps AVCHD Lite High Definition video recording, most excellent Power OIS, a plethora of Scene modes, and Panasonic's "Intelligent" suite with Intelligent Contrast, Intelligent Resolution, Intelligent ISO, and an Intelligent Zoom. Throw in AF Tracking, multi-aspect shooting, and a smorgasbord of other shooting features, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 is one formidable force. Was it enough to make the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS shake in its boots? Let's find out.
Shooting with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7's Intelligent Auto mode proved to be one of the best settings a beginner could shoot in because the camera assesses the field of view and not only applies a correct Scene mode, but it will shift to Macro for shallow depth of field, tack on an Intelligent Contrast or Resolution, and utilize the correct flash based on the situation. Many of our Intelligent Auto shots came out beautifully.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 also included Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and a full Manual mode with a shutter speed that could shoot down to 60 seconds, which made long exposures in low light a blast. We got a histogram and light meter, but the narrow aperture range of f/3.3-f/6.3 really limited our depth of field. Oddly enough, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 did not have a Manual Focus option, but its Auto Focus was excellent. AF Tracking was hit or miss, and only worked well for slow moving subjects that remained within the frame.
We loved that Scene modes like Pin Hole, Film Grain, and High Dynamic could be applied in video mode, along with Continuous AF. Low and behold, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7's GPS worked well, though it wasn't pinpoint accuracy we were greeted with. Image locations will usually display the neighboring landmark or establishment, which is fine because the picture will tell the whole story. However, in East Bumblefrack Maine, the Navteq maps really did a decent job with coordinates and we never had an issue with tracking. Power OIS was excellent, as usual, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 proved to be one of the most advanced, power-packed compacts we've seen to date.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 Still Image Quality
Here's where we can officially say that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 is a Canon killer, based on the camera's highly impressive still image quality. That 60-second shutter really came in handy for low light, and with all of the manual controls and image settings, we were able to obtain some excellent shots. Even shooting at slightly high ISO levels was not the end of the world, and we were surprised at the low level of noise coming from a basic 12-megapixel 1/2.33-inch sensor. In the still image arena, we'd go for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 over the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS, though just by a leg.
Even video quality surpassed Canon, but that's just in bright light. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7's AVCHD Lite looked amazing, though the camera could not shoot in low light at all. The Canon PowerShot SX210 IS could shoot low light and its zoom was much smoother. This is a shame, because the Lumix DMC-ZS7 gave us the best HD video performance from a compact in this class. If Panasonic would fix the low light issue, the Lumix DMC-ZS7 would have obliterated the competition.
Price and availability
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 is available now for approximately $400.
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