The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 Digital Camera incorporates a powerful 6x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 37-222mm on a 35mm film camera) and a 7.2 megapixel resolution for superb image detail and the ability to zoom into the most intimate details of your subject - all in a compact and ergonomically designed camera body that you will find to be a pleasure to carry with you at all times. The camera also incorporates the impressive Venus Engine III image processing engine that gives the camera even higher image quality and speedy processing. With the inclusion of a longer zoom lens on such a compact camera, Image stabilization becomes even more useful. Therefore, Panasonic incorporated the acclaimed Intelligent Image Stabilization system with MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and Intelligent ISO Control to compensate for the effects of hand-shake and subject movement, making it possible to capture clear, crisp photos indoors, at night, during action shots, or when taking macro close-ups.
In addition, the DMC-LZ7 incorporates a large and bright 2.5-inch LCD that makes it easy to frame and view your images, and video clips. The user friendly menu and its graphical user interface have also been optimized using brighter colors for easier viewability. The DMC-LZ7 is powered by two simple AA batteries, which can be purchased anywhere, and the camera also accepts large-capacity SDHC memory cards, giving users more flexibility in shooting and recording.
7.2 Megapixel Resolution
With a resolution of 7.2 megapixels, you'll be able to produce high resolution images that can yield photo quality 20 x 30" prints. The camera also has resolution options that are available in three different aspect ratios - 16:9 for displaying on a wide screen monitor or TV, 3:2 for making standard photo album prints, and 4:3 for more traditional image dimensions common in picture frames.
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Lumix 6x Optical Zoom Lens
The Lumix DC Vario lens on the DMC-LZ7 provides an incredible 6x optical zoom, and has a large, bright aperture of f/2.8. Images captured by the DMC-LZ7 are crisp and clear - right to the edges, thanks to this superb lens. Plus, you can use the 6x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom together to produce a maximum of 24x zooming power.
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Extended Optical Zoom
The Extended Optical Zoom, which minimizes the image degradation that normally occurs with the use of digital zoom, provides an additional 9.0x zooming power in addition to the 3x standard optical zoom (available with 3 megapixel or smaller images only).
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Easy Zoom Button
With the first press of the Easy Zoom button the camera immediately gives you the maximum 6x power of the optical zoom. A second press delivers the maximum 9x power of the Extra Optical Zoom. This lets you bring your subject right up close, easily and comfortably, and is especially useful at sporting events and other outdoor activities when fast zoom may be needed to get a shot during quick paced action.
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Reduce Blur with MEGA OIS and Intelligent ISO
Image blur is commonly caused by either movement of the camera or movement of the subject. Camera movement is corrected with the MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) feature which uses built-in gyro-sensors to detect the smallest camera movement and instantaneously shifts a lens element in the opposite direction to compensate, giving you sharp, clear images without deterioration. Motion blur - caused when a subject moves as the shot is being taken - is minimized with Intelligent ISO Control. This system actually detects whether the subject is moving and automatically adjusts the ISO setting and shutter speed to minimize the motion blur effect while maintaining good exposure.
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Super-Fast Shutter Response and Consecutive Shooting
The DMC-LZ7 is fast and responsive - thanks to the Venus Engine III processor. The camera has an extremely fast shutter lag, so you won't miss that "perfect" moment, and it enables high ISO to minimize motion blur and take pictures under low lighting without the need for a mood-killing flash. Furthermore, the advanced processor enables fast and unlimited continuous shooting at a rate of 3 frames per second - a superbly useful feature when shooting sports or other fast paced events.
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Record High Quality Moving Images
DMC-LZ7 can record beautiful full-size movies in 16:9 Wide VGA format at 30 fps or 10 fps with enhanced picture quality and brightness, and it can also shoot standard VGA and QVGA resolution for home use or e-mail/web applications.
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Function Button and Mode Dial
The Function Button provides a shortcut to frequently used menu settings - this single button lets you turn consecutive shooting on/off, make white balance adjustments, set the ISO sensitivity and image size, and select the compression format, while you continue to view your subject on the LCD. The Mode Dial is combined with a unique Mode Position Display, and as you operate the dial, large animated icons are displayed on the LCD Screen, making it easy to find the mode you want.
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Easy-to-use Scene Modes
The DMC-LZ7 has 18 scene modes to provide the best overall image quality for common shooting situations, such as Portrait, Sports, Scenery, Night Scenery, and more. It is easy to select the best scene mode thanks to the Scene Mode list display and help screen, which shows the description of each mode on the LCD monitor.
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Auto Angle Detection
Auto angle detection records whether an image was taken horizontally or vertically. This ensures that when playing back on the LCD monitor and displaying images on your TV by connecting your Lumix Digital Camera with an A/V cable, vertical images are automatically displayed vertically and horizontal images are automatically displayed horizontally.
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Built-in and Expandable Memory
The camera includes 27MB of built-in memory, and the memory capacity can be expanded dramatically with Secure digital (SD) or Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) memory cards. You can also copy images from a memory card or PC to the built-in memory, and view them on the LCD anytime you like.
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2.5" High-Resolution LCD Display
The DMC-LZ7 features a 2.5" diagonal high-resolution LCD monitor makes it easy to see your subject, and when shooting outdoors on a sunny day, press the Power LCD button to boost the backlighting by about 40% for easier visibility. The High Angle Mode improves viewability from a low angle, such as when shooting over a crowd. The display also provides many shooting assist features such as guide lines for better image framing and a histogram function to check exposure on the fly.
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Extended Battery Life
The DMC-LZ7 is powered by two AA Batteries, and since AA size batteries can be purchased almost anywhere, you don't have to worry about suddenly running out of battery power. This is great both for taking everyday snapshots and when you are traveling. Furthermore, the Venus Engine processor consumes less power than previous processors, so the LZ6 provides impressive battery life. It can take approximately 260 pictures with the included Oxyride batteries and up to 160 shots with ordinary alkaline batteries, while Nickel-metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries can provide an impressive 470 shot on a full charge.
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Bundled Photo Editing Software
In addition to the ArcSoft PhotoImpression, and PhotoBase software that provides exceptional image editing and organization capability, the DMC-LZ7 includes the Lumix Simple Viewer for beginners to store, playback, print or E-mail images via the PC. Images will be automatically transferred just by inserting the SD Memory Card into a card reader or by connecting the camera to PC; and the images will also be sorted by the date of shooting to streamline the process of organizing the pictures as much as possible.
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Print Directly From Your Camera
You can send images directly to print, right from the DMC-LZ7 camera without the need of a PC. Simply connect the camera to a PictBridge compatible printer by using the included USB cable, and then simply select the pictures you want to print.