There was a time not too long ago when digital cameras as well as SLRs that mimicked long zoom lenses were considered to be rather cumbersome and with the public demanding small and cheap digital cameras with long zoom lenses, the manufacturers were able to create just the sort of camera the public was craving for.

A case in point is the new 6.0 mega pixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-F27 which is contained in a trim housing that also has a Leica 12x optical zoom as well as Panasonic’s Optical Image Stabilization. In addition, it is loaded with features such as the 2.5 inch LCD screen, a new widescreen VGA movie mode as well as a joystick to control manual focus and exposure.

This Panasonic digital camera weighs a little more than half a pound and is small in size that can fit into a backpack when out traveling and comes at a cost of $350 that would be well within a person’s budget.

The Panasonic Lumix F27: A Third Generation Super Zoom Model

This new Panasonic digital camera is a continuation of the F23 that was used in 2004 and has evolved through the F25 and has improved light, long range zoom without any need to really reinvent the wheel. Its Optical Image Stabilizer is useful in compensating for shaking hands when capturing an image and this feature is extremely useful for any camera of optical zoom that is more than 4x due to the difficulty in shooting with high zooms that don’t have a tripod to steady the shooting experience.

Also, its 6MP CCD mega pixels is a major improvement over previous models and so too is the 2.5 inch LCD screen that is an improvement over the 1.8 inch LCDs that preceding models of the Panasonic digital camera had.

Shooting with this model of Panasonic digital camera is quite a pleasant experience and its small size allows it to be transported anywhere. Some of its features make the owner feel like a professional and it may even be easily be carried in a coat pocket. Perhaps the best feature of this Panasonic digital camera is its lens that is a 12x optical Leica DC lens that has a variable aperture as well. Also, it has a preset scene mode called High Sensitivity that can boost the ISO to 800 and 1,600 and helps in reducing blurred images, especially when shooting fast moving subjects. It can also increase brightness for outdoor shooting under low light. All in all, this Panasonic digital camera is value for money and also a handy piece of equipment that packs many useful features.

Panasonic DMC-FZ7 6MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

Panasonic, Electronics, $349.95