Great Camera But... | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15K 4MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom

Good camera for the price | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15K 4MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom

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	• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15K 4MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom Panasonic Panasonic average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Incredible Camera for the Money

Let me start by saying I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my camera. I didn't even know Panasonic made digital cameras until I started researching. After comparing this camera with all the others in this price range, and reading the many positive reviews, I felt like I had no other choice but to buy this camera. I'm glad I did.
First, the zoom capablilities on the Panasonic FZ15 are amazing. No other camera in this price range has a 12x optical zoom and a 4x digital zoom. I have gotten some amazing shots because of the zoom, that I would have missed otherwise.
Second, the image stabilizer is a must. Even when using the zoom, and no tripod, the pictures come out clear the majority of the time. Which is awesome considering that other digital cameras can give you a fuzzy picture when you aren't even using a zoom! Should you decide not to purchase this camera (for some strange reason) at least get one with an image stabilizer.
Third, the LCD screen is the best. I compared my Panasonic FZ15 screen to my Mom's Kodak EasyShare 7590 and my aunt's Canon Sureshot A80 and I was NOT impressed with their LCD screens. My aunt couldn't even see what pictures she was taking while indoors. And the Kodak's screen was definitely "grainier" than my Panasonic. Though I will admit, the Kodak is also a good camera.
Fourth, this camera is very flexible. You can set everything on automatic and still take some pretty good pictures. But, if you read the manual (which is well-written and easy to understand) and play with the camera a little bit, you can do alot manually and take some great shots. I'm not technologically savvy, and I picked up on the "how's" of aperature, shutter speed, ISO, etc. pretty quick. The camera is very user friendly.
Fifth, the lens is a high quality lens; I visited www.dpreview.com and the lens is one of the things that the professional reviewer praised on this camera. (You have to read the review on the FZ20, same camera just more MPs) The quality of the lens shows up in the quality of the pictures.
Another thing I noticed with this camera is the ability to take sharp, clear pictures in total darkness. I couldn't even see what I was taking a picture of, and the pictures still came out great.
The one and only drawback that I have found so far is that the camera only comes with an 8MB card, which is useless. So, make sure you buy a bigger card when you purchase the camera.
You can't go wrong buying this camera!

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Great Camera But...

At this point, you may be better off buying Panasonics FZ5, FZ20, or FZ4 instead...

That being said, all of Panasonics FZ series cameras are similar. Specifically, you'll find the FZ15 is nearly identical to the FZ20. The big differences are that the FZ15 is 4MP, does not record sound, and does not have a hot shoe while the FZ20 has those features and 5MP capability.

That being said, the FZ15 is still an excellent camera. 4MP is more than enough to get you a good 8 x 10, and the 4 x 6's are excellent. The zoom on the camera makes the camera awesome. I took photos at a baseball game and felt like I was right there with the batter when I was sitting in the bleachers in the outfield. The noise doesn't seem nearly as bad as people let on. The full range of manual features is nice to have when needed, but the automatic features are sufficient most of the time. I do like the manual focus option that the FZ4 and FZ5 don't have, but this camera is bigger than those two, and most people don't need the manual focus. I also like the ability to attach additional filters and lens.

The drawbacks are that the camera does not have an optical viewfinder. The viewfinder is electronic, which is challenging in dark situations, and with the manual focus is hard to lock in without that snap that an optical viewfinder can give. The camera can be challenging indoors as well. It can be tough to get the shot you want but not impossible once you get experienced.

Overall, this is an excellent camera. I would definitely recommend. I only give the but at the beginning because one will find that the FZ20 has come down to a similar price range and offers a few extra features. The 5MP alone gives you that extra ability to crop a shot a bit back to 4MP or print even larger photos. The FZ4 and FZ5 are good options if you would like a smaller camera. Choose any Panasonic, and you probably won't be wrong.

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Good camera for the price

This camera takes good pictures, I have owned it for over a year. There is a lot of noise if you use the ISO over 100, but upping the ISO doesn't add any more light either. It just makes more noise. That and the lack of a hot shoe were the only problems I've ever had with it. That being said, I am now selling mine because I purchased an SLR, but it is a really great camera for an advanced amateur.

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Great

Very nice. I have owned the camera for a little over a month now. It is my first digital. It's easy to use. Fabulous optical zoom. I especially like the many different settings you can use for overriding the auto functions (aperature, white balance, focus, shutter). I used to have a Canon AE1 many years ago and this camera is an absolute joy, especially for the price.

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Excellent!

I just received my FZ-15 camera and I have to say it is better than I imagined. I compared it with the Canon S1 IS, Olympus 760 and 765. I valued the 4MP and the 12x zoom over the 3.2MP and 10x zoom Canon as the panasonic also came bundled with the filter adapter, lens shroud, and ac charging system. It also has a manual focus ring.

the Olympus cameras do not have the image stabilization and at relatively the same price I obained by FZ15 ($351) they quickly fell from my short list.

I took the camera home at lunch and handed it to the wife, who proceeded to shoot pictures with relative ease. My wife is not a camera techie geek (like me) so for her to be able to feel instantly comfortable with the camera was a HUGE plus. She is home with the kids all day and has the best opportunity to take those candid photos.

Time will tell over the capabilities as it's literally been less than 4 hours since I powered the camera up but on first opinion, it's an awesome camera.

It is a little on the large side, and if I had the money I would probably purchase the FZ3 for the kid parties as my wife could then fit the camera into her bag versus over the shoulder but that's a trivial point for me.

I seriously doubt that I will ever want to buy a separate flash unit, and prefer a digital camcorder for movie features so the upgrade to the FZ20 was not worth the extra expense for my. Besides, the lenses are identical between the FZ15 and FZ20. The 12X zoom makes the extra MP a moot point.

Improvements? Sound on the movie mode and vga quality like the Canon - both features easily replaced in a digital camcorder.

A can't lose camera.

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2/8/200615-19-32...

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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