Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 ($199.99 direct) manages to squeeze a 10x zoom lens into a very svelte body. The 14-megapixel camera?is light on bells and whistles?it records 1080p video and has a good number of scene modes, but lacks GPS, Wi-Fi, or other extras to set it apart. This wouldn't be an issue if the camera's images were sharper or it had a higher-quality LCD, but the the SZ7 struggles a bit in those areas too. So you have a camera that is adequate and unexciting, and just not quite as good as the compact Canon PowerShot A4000 IS ($199.99, 3.5 stars) or long-zooming Olympus SZ-12 ($199.99, 3.5 stars)?both of which are available for the same price.

Design and Features
At just 2.4 by 3.9 by 0.9 inches (HWD) and 4.8 ounces, the SZ7 is slim and light, especially when you remember that it squeezes a 10x (25-250mm) zoom lens into its body. The Canon PowerShot Elph 320 HS ($279.99, 3.5 stars) is a bit smaller at 2.2 by 3.7 by 0.8 inches, but only has a 5x zoom lens. Unlike the 320 HS , the SZ7 doesn't have a touch-screen interface. Its 3-inch LCD occupies much of the rear of the camera, but there's room for physical controls to its right. The display is sharp at 460k dots, but its viewing angle is rather poor. It looks great straight on, but tilting the camera just a bit in any direction washes out the image?even if you turn the brightness setting up.

The physical controls are fairly adequate. Like most models in this class, including the Canon PowerShot A4000 IS , the SZ7 doesn't have a Mode dial. Rather, there's a Mode button that brings up an on-screen menu that lets you select from Intelligent Auto, Program, or any one of the dozens of Scene modes that the camera supports. There are also dedicated buttons to control Exposure Compenstation, Macro focusing, Flash output, and the Self Timer, and one on the top of the camera to activate Movie mode.

You won't have to spend a lot of time diving through menus?none at all, if you opt to leave Intelligent Auto mode on. But for those of us who like to have some control over settings that don't have dedicated buttons assigned, the SZ7 does a nice job with its menu system. Hitting the Q. Menu button brings up an overlay that lets you change image resolution, ISO, white balance, the metering area, Drive mode, video format, and LCD brightness. Functions that you have to adjust rarely, like the camera's internal clock, are located in the standard menu.

Performance and Conclusions
On speed, the SZ7 delivers very respectable performance. It starts and shoots in 2 seconds, records a 0.2-second shutter lag, and can shoot a 4-shot burst of photos with 0.1 second between shots. It also has a standard continuous drive mode that lets you fire shots with about a half second between each photo?the first few are faster, averaging 0.2 second between shots, but it slows as the camera's buffer fills, settling in at 0.5-second between photos after 5 photos. The Samsung MV800 ($279.99, 2.5 stars) is a sloth by comparison?it requires 2.3 seconds to start, has a longer 0.4-second shutter lag, and requires a 1.6-second wait between photos.

I used Imatest to measure the sharpness of the SZ7's lens. It fell short of the 1,800 lines per picture height required for sharp images, notching only 1,563 lines using a center-weighted testing method. This lags well behind Canon A4000 IS?that camera has a sharp 8x zoom lens that records 2,301 lines.

Image noise is also a major factor in picture quality. When you increase a camera's sensitivity to light, expressed numerically as ISO, noise is introduced. If there's too much, it can make a picture look grainy and hurt detail. Cameras often apply digital noise reduction to reduce the graininess, but it can also serve to wash away what detail is left. The SZ7 keeps noise under 1.5 percent through ISO 1600, which is a very good result, but unfortunately detail at that setting is poor. It's much better at ISO 800, which is the top setting that we recommend using, and even better so at ISO 400 or below. If you're looking for a camera that can capture more detail at high ISO settings, consider the consider Canon PowerShot Elph 320 HS; its ISO 800 photos keep the noise below 1.5 percent and deliver much more detail than those from the SZ7.

The SZ7 records in AVCHD format at 1080p30 resolution. Video is a strong point, as it looks crisp with good colors. You can zoom and focus when recording, and the sound of the lens moving in and out is not overly apparent on the soundtrack. There's a mini HDMI port to connect to an HDTV, as well as a proprietary USB port. The included USB cable lets you connect the camera to a computer, or to the AC adapter that is used to recharge the battery?there's no dedicated charger included. Standard SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are supported.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 ?is not a bad camera?it does a good job at ISO 800 and below, is fairly slim, and delivers a generous 10x zoom range for its size. It's hampered by a lens that isn't nearly as sharp as others in its class, a LCD that suffers from poor viewing angles, and it doesn't offer any whiz-bang features. If flashless low light shooting isn't a major concern, you may want to consider the same-price Canon A4000 IS, which has a sharper lens, but it doesn't do as well at high ISO settings. If you're willing to spend a bit more, go for a more-robust compact like the $280 PowerShot Elph 320 HS, which produces better images and features a touch screen and Wi-Fi.

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