For most people seeking a "pocket" camera - you can stop looking. This honestly will do it for almost everything you need. It is the little brother of the recently released ZS10/TZ20 more expensive.
Not perfect, of course, but even if you take a "money no object" for choosing a compact camera of higher premiums - there is currently nothing on the market that is head and shoulders better than - but can not always be a case made for different qualities.
Expand large - see
"Glass" good on the front - yes, Leica
Optical Image Stabilizer - uh huh, it works silently and efficiently in the background to make your shots less blurry.
Good quality photos - with certainty - but with the caveat that a "full" digital SLR always do better. Pictures are are a nice color (not too bright - but not too washed out) and leave a fun color with artificial light (some cameras can fight and give a tone funny or old striplights tungsten bulbs).
Noise level - the "speckly" bits in the photos that you sometimes get in the dark - definitely not - especially at higher ISO - but you have this problem in low light, even with all compact cameras more or lesser degree. Even if you get an SLR camera - even a year or so ago - you'll see that they are not foolproof for that too.
High definition video - check, but in MPEG format. I think you need more space than the AVCHD format SZ10/TZ18 the last - but I'd be leery of having a camera that uses this format if you have an old PC or laptop, especially if you have a netbook - for the hardware can not handle. I think Windows users should definitely be careful XP/NT/2000 - and to a lesser extent, even if you have a machine with Windows Vista you might think twice - especially if you're on a laptop in the hardware will always be slower than the equivalent price of PC.
I have a mix of laptops and netbooks with XP until Windows 7 so you do not want to risk - especially because other members of the family and children will probably want to see some of the images (of the family and my children are older machines while the father receives the update LOL).
I wonder if the more expensive ZS10/TZ20 AVCHD will be a little more than an evolutionary dead end - BLU RAY not removed - even if technically better than the DVD - most people, even if you have a big screen TV wide to find that your DVD is good (probably because the modern DVD player and TV in high resolution for image quality semi-HD DVD). The ZS10/TZ20 that gives you the option to record in both (I think I read somewhere, but this is a deal breaker you should check to be sure).
If you just want a great point and shoot camera that is bright and has a lot of options. Not only that, but the options are well defined and easy to understand - and I mean the brand and the menus are defined in a common sense and rather small symbols / icons to indicate that it is in portrait or landscape - there is a small text, below which tells you what to do.
I had a lot of Nikon and Canon - and for some reason, they can still make cameras with menus and buttons that were established by Martians - can be so intuitive, even for people who are experienced photographers - and you have to have a reference book of instructions for solving what the press or the menu icon you are looking for - and yet remains in the memory, because it is so counterintuitive.
If you think you could - in minutes - as a step in the photo later and get a little more creative - or you're considering this camera a second to increase their SLR - then you will know that this has a lot of played in the manual control that is quite unusual in the compact class and Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual, which is a rarity in the pocket camera class.
If you are an experienced SLR user, I can say that the options are very well implemented PASM. Access keys sensibly placed (the exposure button and small round buttons Q menu to the right of the screen to do this) and the menus are well established to facilitate access to the bits you want to open / Shutter Priority / Manual Control complete. It will never be as good as your SLR, but you can take with you easily and does not record video in high definition (or probably not unless you have the last generation).
16x optical zoom is a leader in its class. You can get very good close-ups if you want.
You should only compare the optical zoom when you are looking for different cameras and ignoring the children's advertising Panasonic (or anyone else), pointing to the full 20x zoom - because if you include the previous capture digital - 4x extra zoom cultures basically your image optical zoom of the camera - and the software does this laptop - but better - although I think that might be relevant if you want to do this and just need a kind of "ok" image) .
He also has a very good angular range - 24mm - which basically means you can get a fire scenario at the edges. The lower the number the better - and is 24 mm lower'm currently has. The lower the number, the more can fit into the picture - so if you are looking for a good picture or if you want to take a picture with the entire table in the picture - which is more likely to make this goal if you says compared with other cameras - which can start in the lens of 27mm, 28mm, 35mm. This small difference can mean the difference between getting or maybe not so getting around the image you want.
GENERAL feels good in hand - and is light enough. She has a feeling of cold body and solid metal buttons and switches all feel that will last.
Of course, none of this would be of some use, if the photos were not high ... but, fortunately, are in my opinion. Sure, you can be a little better, perhaps, the photos - but keep in mind that if you read other reviews - much of it is personal preference - how you like your home TV to be configured with bright colors or contrast more vivid or more, etc.
In technical terms - never match compact cameras SLR cameras - because their sensors are not as great. This is also one of the reasons why you get more "noise" (or bits speckly) in the camera images of pocket. Critics of the camera does for a living always seem to forget that they are reviewing a pocket camera - SLR and they probably have at home - and they are a bit obsessed with how the image is when you look closely with a magnifying glass. Indeed, most people just look at your picture on your laptop / Mac / PC and go "oh that's good" before deciding to print or not?
Simply put - this gives great pictures I am more than happy with it compared to my SLR (the Pentax K20 two years old) - and if you want a compact / pocket with the ability to make great panoramic scenes or photos Zoom also very close, for what this will do a great job for you. I think you will be satisfied with this camera as their primary or secondary. Try not to get too caught up in journals - a compact camera that never give you quality photos of a great technique SLR - but you can video it and even the new SLR it does very well - though who knows why not - maybe they just have a policy of slow climbing and marketing offered to the market as the desire increases SLR with video capability. And remember if you want a great big SLR would have to have a huge big SLR.
Also - go have a look at all the cameras in "flesh" in a shop - to see if the size that suits you. No smaller camera with a zoom so great, but there are plenty of cameras that are smaller and easier to pocket / purse.
Taking into account the very large size, then you should look at other cameras, but if the huge zoom range is just what you're looking for (like me) - then this is for you to tell (unless you have a strong loyalty to a particular brand or another, I think).
If you really want to reduce noise in high ISO shots, but do not want an SLR and still want the big zoom, so take a look at the competition and control revisions dedicated website.
If you just want a nice pocket camera that gives good pictures - but you're on a budget, then you should look at the output models of all manufacturers - but take a look at Fuji as they have today (28 March, 2011) some nice business models in production that would give good pictures and such reasonable zoom Fuji Finepix 12MP 10x zoom photo.
And finally, hung megapixel compact camera. The quality of the "cup" in front of the camera is probably going to be just great - the impact, if not more. Although there are exceptions - usually more expensive equals better glass. That's why we get a camera for $ 400 + before being granted a new model of entry may be an interesting strategy - as the camera originally more expensive lenses usually have better quality. Anything above will be fine 10MP 90% of time - and more megapixels actually often means more grainy dark environment.
