Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1

Opinion: I have in use many of digital cameras (compact and SLR-s) but Panasonic DMC-FZ1 is one of the best digital camera ever. I buy this model in 2002 year and i've shot thousands of pics, today (october 2006) is in very good mechanical condition and working very clever.
When set manualy apreture F5,6 ISO speed to 50, the image quality to NATURAL and correction EV between -1/3 to -2/3, this camera reproduces image quality comparable to professional analog photography!!!! Reproduction of colours - natural and absolutely perfect, not comparable with any others digital cameras (including professional models).
Strong "plus" of this camera is very good electronic viewfinder (in spite of low pixel count) and excellent optic.
Optic in wide range of zoom (circa 1,8x to 12X) is free from although geometrical distortion, very good for critical architecture, portrait and makro photos!

Opinion: The best part of the camera is the lens. Its got an amazing optical stabiliser and photographs taken at 12x zoom appear razor sharp. Got it at a great price from ritzcamera at $199. An average person rarely need more than 2 megs as most prints are made 6x4. The LCD is better than canon and eqall if not beter than sony. I am using this camera for about 1 year and taken about thousand pics. Havent faced any major problem yet

Opinion: I have owned the FZ1 for over a month now, I bought it for a Cheap P&S to take to Disney. I use a Nikon F100 for Nature Photography and this will not replace that, but it is light and does an Excellent job, is small and I don't have to worry about hauling around thousands of Dollars of lenses when using. I was able to get shots, that my wife wasn't able to get with her D70, I was sure amazed. The Leica Zoom Lens and ability to shoot in High speed Burst mode has helped. I also upgraded the firmware the second I owned it and have never turned back. I wll still use my F100/400mm f/2.8 on a tripod for nature, but will also use an FZ1 hand held for Nature. I paid $199 at Ritz, and it is sure a Great deal.

Opinion: Low-light focus "solution"... I bought this cam as a "cheap add-on" to my Canon S500. What a hoot! In reading the other reviews, I saw the "poor low-light focus issue". Yes, this can/will happen, here's the solution:

1) Shoot in MANUAL only
2) Set focus/exposure to POINT source.
3) Set "focus trigger" to "shutter button"

Now just put the "point" on your intended target, and depress the shutter half-way to set the focus. IF THE VIEW IN THE FINDER IS IN FOCUS, YOUR SHOT IS IN FOCUS. If (the finder-view is not in focus (approx 10% of the time) just release the shutter-button and re-depress (half-way) to re-focus the camera (repeat as necessary). I have never failed to get a focus this way.

A strong "plus" for this camera, setting (manually) the picture quality to VIVID and compression to BEST (sorry I forgot the actual term for "best picture") and shooting +1/3 EV will yield the best straight-from-camera pics I have ever seen (honest, and I've shot a number of Canons, Sony, many Fuji's, Pentax).

Leica lens and 12x stabilized zoom for $250? *Unbeatable*

Opinion: I have nothing but good things to say about this camera. Its different modes and settings are very useful and effective. I shoot a lot of outdoor/wildlife photos, and this is a great camera for that sort of photography. The 12x stabilized lens is the cornerstone of the camera. This camera is an unbelievable value, even more so at its current prices!

Opinion: I've had my camera for about 9 months now and I simply couldn't be more pleased with it. I use it for everything, from taking pictures of my family gatherings, nephew's soccer games, vacation photos, everything. People are constantly jealous of the superlative 12x stabilized zoom lens. I got the most amazing pictures of wildlife in Costa Rica last year, pictures that everyone else in my party couldn't get (a howler monkey 100 feet up in a tree and a three toed sloth for example). 8x10's come out super crisp and clear - you can't even tell it's a digital photo.

I recently upgraded the firmware on my camera to make it even more useful. Being able to set the shutter speed is great for action photos.

All this for under $250? Beat that bargin, I dare you. It's a pity that Panasonic hasn't promoted it more and that so few seem to know about this outstanding camera.

Opinion: this camera is just amazing. i am really happy that i bought this camera. i was wary of just 2 megapixel jinx, but results proved that sometimes this camera surpasses 5 megapixel cams. for example with its superb 12x optical zoom lense i was able to take the rare photographs that my friends with 5 megapixel sony camera cant take. all the people who have seen my camera ,just fall in love with it. apart from lense, there are many cool featue. i highly recommend this camera.

Opinion: I had the camera for about 3 wks now. It is much more compact than it looks, although it is not pocketable due to prtruding lens.

Oh the lens... the picture is supersharp!, zoom without the tripod is amazing since it is SHARP. Very intuitive, and looks good. Quick and minimal shutter lag, upgraded the firmware easily,

Did I mention the lens is superb???. It is the deal of century to get it for $245!! Initially hesitent since the camera is 2 years old and the price is bottoming out.

Opinion: Excellent product. Absolutely superb lens - extremely fast and clear. Image stabilisation is a tremendous help too. And now, with the firmware upgrade available, it also has just enough features. Generally speaking, probably the best consumer camera there is for tele-photos. FZ10 is cool, but it's much larger. Others lack OIS. However, if you're looking for an indoors family cam, this is not for you.