Panasonic LUMIX 4K Digital Camera, 18.1 Megapixel Video Camera, 60X Zoom DC VARIO 20-1200mm Lens, F2.8-5.9 Aperture, Power O.I.S. Stabilization, Touch Enabled 3-Inch LCD, Wi-Fi, DC-FZ80K (Black)

My first digital camera was a Sony Mavica that had 640x480 resolution and saved photos on floppy disks. That will give you some indication of how long I've been playing around with digital photography. For the past several years I had a Canon EOS Rebel T3 with multiple lenses. When I began to travel internationally for work, I wanted something smaller that I could take with me without having to carry both laptop and camera bags. I purchased a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 and absolutely loved it. It did everything I needed it to do in truly compact and low-stress "point and shoot."Recently, I've been debating whether to upgrade my Canon and investing in additional lenses or purchasing something new. After much research and soul-searching I opted for what many are calling a "bridge" camera. Although it felt a bit like a step down from a DSLR, I had to recognize that I simply don't shoot the same way that I used to. I no longer photograph weddings or senior portraits and really just needed a good, reliable camera that was compact enough that I would be more likely to take it with me when traveling. More often than not, I find myself using my iPhone because I didn't want to have to haul my camera bag around. There were three main reasons why I chose the FZ80 model. 1. Ease-of-use. I already knew from my previous experience with my point and shoot Lumix that this would be fairly easy to use. 2. Affordability. I couldn't justify the expense of the FZ2500, but felt the features and functions of the FZ80 would meet my needs. 3. Leica lens. Perhaps this is a hold over from my film shooting days, but Leica lenses have a reputation of being extremely high quality. If I was going to be giving up lens interchangeability, I wanted crisp, beautiful photos.I've only had this camera for a week and haven't had much of an opportunity to give it a good trial run, but so far, it's proven extremely easy to use and has resulted in some decent back yard photos. I only gave it 4 stars though due to the low F-stop range. I know it has a post-image editing tool to customize depth of field, but that seems like too much hassle right now for something that is a step above point and shoot. I haven't figured out the WiFi link, yet, but am looking forward to playing with that. I'm also looking forward to trying out the video function.The photos below show the "pink" moon on April 10th, a series of shots at different zoom lengths outside of my front door, and some flowers where I played with the various shooting modes.All-in-all, I'm very happy with this purchase. And the best part is that I was able to offset the cost a bit by selling my Canon EOS on eBay.

This is the best concert camera I have ever owned. Fits most venue specifications for non professional cameras. Can have trouble focusing in low light, but picks up beautifully otherwise.

I have had this camera for some time and didn't review it at first because I hadn't really tried it out then forgot. I use it almost every day when I walk, to photograph everything from birds and bees to flowers and trees and yes, the skies up above but also macro photography of mushrooms, interesting spiderwebs, etc. I also use it for family and people photography - portraits and groups. What I appreciate is that the focus is quick and doesn't go back and forth so long that your subject has flown off, a problem the two prior digital cameras I owned experienced. I love that it doesn't take AA batteries and I just plug the camera into my laptop every few weeks, whereas my other cameras needed charging or battery changes far more frequently and were more likely to lose their charge during hot and cold weather. My Panasonic is more stable, temperature wise. I love the zoom itself, allowing me to get so close to wildlife without infringing on their territory. I love the compact size of the camera, which I can put in my handbag or hiking daypack, depending upon the occasion. I really like the adjustable eyepiece. It does not have interchangeable lenses but I don't feel I need them, with the powerful and fast zoom and the quality of the images is very good. I never thought I could be happy with a fixed lens camera, after using both 35 mm and medium format for years but I'm very satisfied with its abilities and quality. If I could name one thing I wish I could improve upon, it would be that its performance under very low light could be improved but I've only had the experience of finding it lacking a couple of times in 2 years.

I am not a photographer, nor will I likely ever be. Most of my pictures are taken with my phone, and that is fine for uploading pictures to Facebook, but I wanted something better for vacations and special occasions. I have missed so many fantastic wildlife shots because my phone has no zoom. I chose the Lumix FZ80 because of it’s 60x zoom, has a viewfinder AND LCD screen and (to be honest) because of the price point.If you are looking to upgrade from your basic point-and-shoot camera, this is a good option. It’s not super expensive and it has all the features you’ll be looking for. I would highly suggest watching video tutorials to familiarize yourself with the camera. I watched Graham Houghton’s entire FZ80 series and learned a lot.My favorite feature (after the amazing zoom) is the burst mode that will take up to 30 snaps every second so you are sure to capture the perfect action shot. Be sure your SD card can handle it. You can add hundreds of pictures to the card in a minute so can overload smaller/slower cards if you’re not careful.This camera is not great in low light. I was playing with it in the living room after I received it and everything came out grainy. I don’t take a lot of pictures at night, so this limitation works for me. I did have to replace the camera after about 10 days due to a bad sensor. I had just returned from a walk by the river, uploaded the photos normally, and an hour later grabbed the camera to experiment with something but it would not take a picture. It turned on, the menus were available, but there was no preview on the screen or the viewfinder and pressing the shutter button did nothing. I got a full refund and ordered another camera overnight and that’s been working perfectly for the last couple months. I don’t know if this was a one-in-a-million glitch or a known problem.