I highly recommend this large zoom/small size camera

I love this camera. The 10X zoom Leica lens combined with the image stabilizer gives incredibly sharp ,clear, and detailed photographs. You can count hairs on a photo. The big zoom allows you to get real close up from a distance. And when set on "macro mode" with the zoom, you can put the camera right on top of a subject, like say a flower and get an incredible sharp close up.

I thought I would be bummed about not having a viewfinder, but with the large high resolution LCD monitor, I'm quite satisfied - even outdoors.

The camera is loaded with lots of features and is easy to use. You can set things manually or on automatic or a little of both. Panasonic created quite a little package.

The drawbacks are that it is a larger camera than the super-compacts. It won't just slip into a pocket. But it is much smaller than the other 10X zoom cameras and still suitable for hiking or backpacking. The other drawback is it's plastic body. It doesn't have that cool, sleek stainless metal case. But it is still an attractive and sturdy camera compared with others. I recommend the black. It doesn't look as cheap as the plastic silver.

Overall I am extremely pleased with this camera, and Oh did I say it was loaded with lots of features?