Amazing for the price.

I got back into photography after a 10-12 year hiatus. I started with a point-and-shoot Kodak, but it was obvious that that wasn't going to cut it. I needed something that was easy and quick to use, but had a good assortment of manual controls.

I tried the Kodak Z12is, but was unsatisfied with the image quality. Sent it back and got a Lumix. Glad I did.

The picture quality, especially at 100-200 ISO, is very good. And, you can set the shutter speed and aperture manually, and you get a match-needle style meter (am I showing my age?) that gives you a plus, minus or 0 to center an indicator on. I felt right at home after using my old Praktica back in the day.

The zoom is truly amazing. I think it's something like 38-432 in 35mm numbers. Impressive for such a small package. Plus, it's got the renowned Leica lens. In fact, Leica and Panasonic have cooperated on several cameras, so there might just be a lot of Leica in the Panasonic (or a lot of Panasonic in a Leica...either way, a good thing).

It is also expandable...with the included extender, you can attach any 52mm accessories, such as polarizers and other filters. Attach a Tiffen 3 Close-Up lens and you get some pretty incredible macro ability. Plus, they make wide angle and teleconverters that will mount to the extender, further increasing the capability of this camera.

On a tripod is where this camera really shines. With a 60 second maximum shutter speed, this thing is ideal for long exposures, and even astrophotography, to a limited extent.

Here's the thing; I originally got the Lumix because I wasn't sure if I would be interested enough in taking pictures to invest in a DSLR. I didn't want to pay $800-1000 dollars for a camera to collect dust.

It hasn't. I've taken probably 2-3000 pictures with the Lumix since I got it 7 months ago...that's about 14 pictures a day, on average.

Ironic now, that I'm looking for a new camera. The Lumix has brought back my interest in photography, but can't satisfy it wholly. I'm itching for better high-iso performance, interchangeable lenses, and a shutter with a bulb setting for longer exposures. The Lumix is good if you make snapshots and occasionally want to do some more serious artistic shooting without lugging around a huge camera. Not as much if you're a photo enthusiast who occasionally likes to do snapshots.

Don't get me wrong. The Lumix fulfills its purpose wonderfully as a bridge camera. It can't replace a DSLR, but I'd still recommend it to anyone who's in the market for a point and shoot with great flexibility. Definitely better than the Kodak Z12IS.

If I didn't like it, I'd be selling it on Ebay. As it is, I'm passing it on to a family member who's interested in learning more about photography.

The proof is in the pudding. Here are some shots that I've made with my Lumix:

http://flickr.com/photos/mountaineerfan/tags/dmcfz8/