This camera is good for one thing: taking pictures on a sunny day in broad daylight of landscapes where no fine detail is needed. For anything else, it's horrible. It uses so much jpg compression that anything with any detail looks horrible.

It cannot take pictures in low light - PERIOD. The preview looks okay, but the picture it takes is at least 3 stops darker.

The flash is incredibly harsh and ruins just about any picture that is taken with it.

The camera does not adjust exposure or aperture to account for the loss of light from optical zooming, making pictures even darker.

I would not recommend this camera..

i love this camera!! it takes the best pictures, and was well worth the money!

Took loads of photos in Paris & Rome. They came out great. When I take photos of our grandkids, I print them out and they almost always come out good. Real easy to use.

I agree with tery. Panasonic FX07 is really great camera. I have try so many cameras but this is good compared to other point and shoot. Its a pity that other consumer are getting mislead by some reviews they have read but actually they don't even read the manuals. If you are going to try it you will love it . But first you must read the manual. Its very easy to use and excellent pictures too.

Because I own a Lumix DMC-FZ20 12X (a remarkable 5MP cam - once you figure how to keep it from overexposing everything), I was drooling at the sight of this 7MP pocket cam with its wide angle lens. And it was on sale at Best Buy for $250. The two best features are; it focuses faster than any camera I've seen, and when the cam is set on continuous mode, it will stay set when the cam is turned off and on again.

Worst quality pictures I've gotten with any camera, digital or film, in the last 12 years (and I've owned at least a dozen).
They are passable when viewed 'fit to screen', but if you look at them 'actual size' or anywhere inbetween, they are all grainy garbage. If all you need is a functional representation of an image and quick wide-screen focusing - this is for you.

So far this little camera does a great job! The quality of photos is impressive. I bought this camera to mostly take photos of my 2yr old and clients animals for work and i have yet to be disappointed. It's quick and compact - great value!

this camera took grainy pictures and started falling apart the first week i had it and i only used it for a school project which was a stop motion video.

the performance of this camera is impecable. i take it wherever i go and i use it all the time. i have never experienced any difficulty with my lumix!

I work at a local big name electronics store and there we carry (of course) Canon, Nikon, Kodak, Fujifilm, HP, Casio, Sony, and Panasonic. I myself have always been a little biased towards Panasonic products because I have always experienced a higher quality and reliability with all of their products. While working I bacame more and more interested in the cameras and decided to finally get one. What drew me to this particular camera was its size, lens quality, ldc quality and overall build quality. However, they quality of pictures was the most important aspect. So, having the resources at my disposal to take sample pictures from various cameras and home photo printers (the epson was my personal favorite... very clean pictures without strong yellow hues (kodak) or pinkish tinting (canon). Anyway, I decided to take some sample pictures with and without a tripod in the store with the cameras at their most comparable settings. There was no need for a flash in the store because of its lighting and because of this most cameras like the Sonys, Kodaks, HP, Fujifilms, and Canons without IS had a problem getting focused. The Canon's with IS did a lot better but were still not nearly as crisp as the Panasonics. This particular Lumix, the FX-07, did so well that we now use their pictures to demo other products in the store like the photo printers, digital picture frames and plasma/lcd TVs. Other companies like Canon, Sony, and Nikon also build really good products however, they account for the majority of the returns and defective/broken products...and we sell more of the Panasonics than the others. So if you are looking for a simple, high quality camera without going DSLR DEFINATELY go out and acutally experience these cameras instead of ONLY going to review sites just to always see Canon in the lime-light because Panasonics and this FX-07 in particular are all too highly overlooked.

The camera takes fair to very good photos but uses up the battery much too quickly - when on a day trip, I have to carry a spare battery.

This camera replaces an fx01 which had sticking buttons. The fx01 is 10 times the camera this is. It is impossible to take photos with this camera without a noise level reminding me of an old 1.3 MP webcam. Extremely disappointed in Panasonic. Note to Panasonic, when you discontinue a line like the perfect fx01, make sure you at least have something as good.

The best camera I EVER owned....its reliable, small, looks neat etc

This little baby is the best camera for the price. I am an avid scrapbooker and use my camera everyday. It is so compact it fits in my purse so I can have it with me everywhere. The zoom and clarity on such a small camera is awesome. I highly recommend this to anyone!

i LOVE it. its sooooooooooo yummy! i mean its just so so stylish.. it puts all other cams to shame when i pull it out.

Great little camera. This is my first digital. It's easy to use I love the point and shoot and that it is so small and compact. It fits right in my purse.

Very compact, quite good pictures... good battery life.. amazing aesthetics..."made in japan" :)
love this baby...

Just bought this camera while on vacation in St. Thomas (my 4Meg Minolta seized up), and I absolutly love it! It is compact, has a great screen, and easy to use. The pictures are fabulous and the battery life is awsome. The wide angle and anti-shake features were bonuses!

If you are considering buying a GREAT cam you will not be dissapointed with this unit.
The quality of the pics and video is quite unbelievable. Loaded with features that allow anyone to take clear sharp pics.
I used the Macro mode for the first time several days ago without a tripod and was able to get some incredible photos of a spider that are so sharp and clear that I am using one as my desktop pic. The battery seems to last forever and I have charged it once in the 3 Months with fairly heavy use. I am so impressed I highly recommend it to any one.

so far this camera is AWESOME. it takes beautiful pictures and is very easy to use. the only downside is the price and the xtremely small size other than that its great!

this camera is awesome i got given it for my birthday and i love it The pink casing is especially cool. I use it all the time and find it very versatile. The only downside are pictures are too good and i cannot download them on to the internet but i have found a way to get around this! Once again lOVE IT!

I was debating between this camera and the sd700IS. i originally wanted to get a canon because they are the best when it comes to digital cameras. i aslo looked at the sd600 and the sd800IS but for the money and the features you get with this camera, its totally worth it. Picutre quality is amazing, the build of the camera is superb, easy to use, stylish, and the wide angle lens sealed the deal. my roommate got the sd700IS and hes taking it back and getting the fx-07

I absolutely love my Lumix, not only because i can fit it in my back pocket, but the zoom is great for such a slim device, picture are clear and perfect, just right for a night out in the town with built in scenery options, or for family gatherings, you can put it anywhere and its so small forget its there! I always keep it in my purse,Charge the battery only once every 3-4 days, and use it everyday, I did have to purchase an additional memory card (2gb)but for such a low price no biggie!

I bought this camera while in Japan last week. I was tried of carrying around my Canon Power Shot Pro1. So without being able to read any descriptions of the cameras at the electronics megamart, Sofmap; I chose the the FX07 by comparing numbers and by fit and finish.

This little camera takes great photos! Not as good as my Canon, but I have a lot of manual control on the Canon....

Thanks to it's small size I carried it everywhere and captured some amazing shots. The 28mm wide angle is a great feature.

By the end of my trip I left the Canon in the hotel room, even when I had room to carry it.

While on vacation... bought the Lumix FX07 liking the fact that it has a Leica Lens, seemed easy to use, and the price for features seemed good. I was wrong, it blew me away on all counts... it exceeds my expectations. As soon as the battery was charged we started shooting. We shot stills of every type, and video in both day and night situations. Reading the instruction book was spotty at first, but the more we learn that this camera can do, the more pleased we are. Thus far, everytime I pick up the camera or the user manual, I find something else the camera will do. My only hope is that the wife doesn't learn too much because we will be fighting over who gets to carry it.

After a few months of research to find a replacement for my stolen Canon S50, I automatically started looking at Canon's.

I knew I wanted Wide Angle this time around, IS and a camera that was an Ultra Compact. Hmmm, off to Best Buy, they recomended the Panasonic FX01, then the FX07 hit the scene as well as the Canon SD800. A friend of mine owned the SD700 and this is a great camera, but no Wide Angle.

The research and comparisons began, I knew the FX01 was a great camera, but some people indicated it needed some post processing to make the pictures "POP". Could the newer FX07 be better? One would would think so. It had also been explained that the FX07 would probably produce better pictures right out of the camera w/o post processing.....hey, it is a P&S, I don't want to be spending all my time doing PP.

I kept going back and forth between the Panasonic and the Canon SD800. The Panasonic kept getting higher marks, except for low-light indoor shots, I think the Canon would do slightly better.

Panasonic earned my business with the following:
Better looking versus the SD800
Intelligent ISO
Leica lens
Way better price
Felt better in my hands
Smaller
Better build quality
I wanted to support the under-dog. Many web-sites won't even review the Panasonics because they are so loyal to Canon. Don't get me wrong, Canon builds a nice camera, I just feel that for me, the Panasonic with their FX07 beats the Canon SD800 in every catagory, except possibly indoor low light shots.

I liked everything about this camera. Nice bright LCD, picture modes, wide angle lens. I was all set to buy Canon SD800 IS, but that camera feels cheap to hold or to look at. Only drawback is noise at higher ISOs (>400) which I do not plan to use. if you can live with cheap ashetics of canon may be that would be a better choise.

I have never taken the time to write a review on anything, but I am quite taken by this little camera. I was nearly on the way to the store to purchase the Canon SD-800 when I saw the Panasonic. I have seen the Panasonic model number on the websites but had never considered the Panasonic name in regards to digital cameras. When I pulled up the sd-800 and fx07 in review after review in the photography web sites the Panasonic was rated higher .5 point by the editors consistently. I am not an avid photographer but I do enjoy a quality pictures as well as a quality product and this is both. The build quality is superb and and easy to operate. I wanted a 28mm lense so the SD-800 and fxo7 were the contenders. It's frustrating not to be able to back up far enough to get a full picture. The 28mm allows this. Looking at the two side by side in the store the Panasonic just had the superior build quality and looks.Picture quality between the two was hard to decide between the two but at least in the store the Panasonic looked better. Great Camera...

My family has been in the professional photo industry for 65 years.
And this is my 8th digital camera. I have Nikon, Olympus,Pentax and HP and my conclusion is:
The Panasonic FX-07 is by far the easiest and highest quality for the money.
I had to buy my wife one after she saw and used mine. She figured how to use it very quickly.
Thanks Panasonic..great product

I bought this camera at Costco about 2 weeks ago. Picture quality is great ,simple to use,Leica lens is great.For better results use extreme 3 sd card by Sandisk.

At the time of writing, there are no reviews whatsoever of the FX07 to be found on the net. I therefore took a calculated risk to buy the unproven FX07. Why and was I right?

Yes, it was risk to buy it ... But I am very satisfied ... Excellent camera ...

Experience
I have been a photography enthusiast for over 25 years and have owned eight digicams from Canon, Casio, Fuji, Nikon, Pentax and Sony as well as countless film cameras.

Review
Most people associate O.I.S. with action and hand-held long telephoto shots but my experience is that O.I.S. has much greater value by giving an extra 2 to 3 stops of exposure latitude to play with under anything but ideal lighting conditions.

Sub-compacts, with necessarily tiny CCD sensors have much to gain from O.I.S.. Small, high-resolution sensors are inherently noisy due to the correspondingly small amount of light reaching each pixel. An extra 3 stops of exposure effectively means 8 times as much light can reach the sensor without blur spoiling the shot - or put another way, a small sensor with O.I.S. can have the same noise performance as a sensor up to 8 times as big.

Does such a camera yet exist? Enter the Panasonic DMC-FX01 and DMC-FX07. At the time of writing, there are no reviews whatsoever of the FX07 to be found on the net. I therefore took a calculated risk to buy the unproven FX07. Why and was I right?

1. The value of a 28mm wide angle compared to the regular 35-39mm wide cannot be overstated.

2. For any given feature set and quality, the practical value of a camera is inversely proportional to its size.

3. The Leica lens is at the top of its class in terms of quality for a sub compact, despite that wide-angle [as reported in the reviews of the FX01]

4. Optical image stabilisation on a sub-compact! Noise performance comparable to sensors up to 8 times the size and it can also save a shot that would have been lost through motion-blur. 'Mode 2' (active for exposure only) works practically without fault, 'Mode 1' (continuous) is less effective.

5. 848x480, 30 fps movies! Currently limited to 2GB, regardless of card size (about 33 mins max size/frame-rate). The results show just noticeable M-JPEG artefacts but the data rate is a good compromise for quality vs. storage. A tiny camera producing big movies!

6. One of the very first cameras to support the next generation SDHC cards. With a movie mode like that, at some point you are going to benefit from the 32GB limit of this new standard.

7. Fantastic night photography with long shutter settings up to 60 seconds combined with the blank-shot noise cancellation.

8. Exemplary ergonomics with all the most common controls being accessed through button presses rather than buried in menus. It has the feel and design of a photographer's camera.

9. There are superimposable patterns for aligning and centring subjects and a live histogram to assist with exposure compensation.

10. Large (2.5") and high-resolution LCD (207k pixels) with gain-up and extra mode for viewing off-angle. I am already conditioned to using electronic viewfinders from two super-zooms and do not miss an optical viewfinder at all. I have found it excellent in all conditions except when catching the sun's reflection directly on the LCD - solution move your head.

11. 'Intelligent ISO' mode automatically alters the ISO up to 800 to obtain a higher shutter speed when there is a fast-moving object near the centre of the fame. There are two classic scenarios where this is of great value: when you know that you may need fast shutter speeds to stop motion, e.g. sports, and two when you want to capture an unexpected moment at zero notice in less than ideal lighting conditions. In the first case, you get the minimum ISO rating required to stop-the motion, and therefore the best possible noise performance continuously adjusted to the live scene the camera is pointing at. Rather than make
all shots suffer just in case you need to freeze the action in one or two, you get the best possible quality for each individual shot. In the second case, you don't have to rely on the limits of O.I.S but rather you give a license to the camera to increase the ISO as necessary so as not to lose the shot.

Problems
1. A little too easy to scratch the chrome banding around the sides of the camera - get a case if looks are important.

2. I don't like proprietary batteries (but a look on Ebay reveals they are available for around $7 each, shipped).

3. No exposure lock for taking a grid of photos to stitch together later. This is the biggest negative for me. Second only to...

4. Poor quality mono sound during movie recording - I would prefer stereo 44.1Khz/16 bit mp3 or AAC to make a truly awesome pocket camcorder.

5. In a similar vein, I would prefer more control over the movie mode - quality, frame rate and aspect ratio combinations (how about a World's first 2.35:1, 24 fps 'Cinamascope' mode? After all 30fps is a US/Japenese TV standard, not a movie standard) AE lock, sound level auto/manual level control, 'film effect' filter, use of zoom during a movie etc.. Now
with support for 32GB SD cards, these features are the natural evolutionary path for digicams.

6. Hopefully a firmware fix will remove the 2GB movie file size limit at some point just for neatness. I accept that very few single shots last 33 minutes.

7. Take away the mode 1 and 2 O.I.S. selection for still photography. It adds needless complexity when mode 2 is so much more effective.

Overall minor gripes and some positive critisism do not detract from the fact that for my purposes, there is nothing better currently available. Oh, and did I mention? It takes beatuful photos.

Items Recomended
4 or 8 GB SD card for movie capture, otherwise 1 or 2GB, spare batteries, soft case.