A true POCKET camera.
There are few digital cameras of any sort that zoom as wide as 28mm, which has always been a kind of "standard" lens for many people, including photojournalists. That means it really is essential as an option--and of course the lens here zooms out to over 100mm for a telephoto, too. MORE IMPORTANT--the camera takes sharp pictures at 6 MEGAPIXELS and is SMALL. Yes, it actually slips into a normal front pocket (for a man, and in a purse for those of use with purses) and I've been carrying mine for two weeks now. I got the pink one the day it was available (you can get matte black, silver, and glossy white, too).
KEY POINTS: 1) the lens automatically covers up when closed (no lens cap, no manually operated clamshell covering), 2) it opens and fires quickly from off to on, 3) when autofocussed on a subject (by pointing holding the button halfway down) it fires INSTANTLY, 4) the maximum f/stop is a wide 2.8, and 5) the macro quality is astonishing (both in how close it gets and how sharp it is). And did I say it is small? I can't emphasize how important that is because it means you actually have the camera with you at times you want to take pictures. What's more, I have large hands and the layout is really functional even for me, and I have not trouble holding it with one hand.
Want more features? Try image stabilization (it really works, allowing handheld images in dim rooms) and an option to make the large viewing screen extra bright (and extra extra bright, too) for bright days and odd viewing angles!!
IS THIS A RAVE REVIEW? Yes, but I'll give you the two main limitations as I see them. One, it is only 6 MP and so it lacks the extra detail and enlarging ability of 8 MP cameras, though only by a little. Two, the flash doesn't quite cover the entire wide angle view, so the very corners are dark when at 28mm. Notice I didn't say that noise is a problem--because it isn't a PROBLEM with noise. There definitely is noise, however, in the shadows in low light or high ISO situations, but I have seen noise like this and worse in most point and shoot cameras and even, frankly, in D-SLRs. I have tweaked a copy of Noise Ninja software to take the little bit of noise I get at ISO 80 (which I shoot at most the time) and the results are sharp and silky. At higher ISOs, say at 400, the noise is more evident when enlarged above 8x10 inches, but otherwise not terribly.
Menu controls are excellent, by the way. And there is a raft of special shooting modes, like fireworks, night portrait, and even underwater (with a housing) which compensates automatically for lighting variations and such. I've tried a few and am impressed already. The movie mode can actually record in a higher definition quality until the card is full, and that's terrific, though the sound quality is limited by the tiny built in mike. I haven't explored that much, wanting it mainly as a camera. You can however add a short audio clip to any picture (either during exposure or later) if you prefer audio notes to writing things down.
The price, by the way, is quite good at around $300 street, and if you get a faster SD card for it (a Sandisk or Lexar to play it safe) it will hum right along. I owned a higher level Lumix recently (the Lumix DMC-LX1) and it was not quite as wide, was noisier, and had the main advantage of being a bit sharper at 8 MP. I also owned a Canon S70 and was disappointed in it (to my surprise, given its glowing reviews elsewhere). This camera isn't perfect of course (in a fussy way I'd love a RAW format option instead of just JPG), but close enough for me, for now, for casual shooting. I just asked my wife if there are any drawbacks, and she said "It's too pretty," and laughed. She wants one for herself! (Really.)
