Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7 Digital Camera Kit (Blue)

This B&H kit provides you with more than the DMC-FP7 camera. In addition to the camera you'll also receive an 8GB SDHC memory card and a camera pouch.

The DMC-FP7 features a 4x optical zoom LUMIX DC VARIO lens (35mm camera equivalent: 35-140mm). The folded optics of the shaft guide method is adopted to secure the toughness of the lens unit. Comprising 11 elements and a prism unit in 10 groups, including an ED (Extra Low Dispersion) lens and 4 aspherical lenses with 7 aspherical surfaces, this advanced lens unit renders high resolution image corner to corner even adopting the folded optics.

The DMC-FP7 features a 4x optical zoom lens (35mm camera equivalent: 35-140mm). The 4x optical zoom can be increased its power to 5x equivalent with the Intelligent Zoom function taking advantage of the Intelligent Resolution technology maintaining the picture quality even using digital zoom. Furthermore, the Extra Optical Zoom function that extends zoom power to 9x by using the center part of the large CCD brings subjects even closer.

The DMC-FP7 gives you smooth, free, touch-control shooting. Your subject is instantly brought into auto focus by simply touching the image on the large LCD. You can also operate the auto focus and shutter release at the same time with just a touch, and the Sonic Speed AF system provides fast, accurate AF performance for an entirely new style of shooting.A newly designed GUI also enables more comfortable operation. Simply touching the easy-to-understand icons lets you quickly and easily switch shooting modes and select functions.

You can operate the auto focus and shutter release at the same time with just a touch. This kind of intuitive touch operation lets you easily catch even fast-action sports shots where your subject is on the move. It also makes it easy to capture decisive moments with optimal framing and settings.

With the DMC-FP7, auto focus can be set at any part of the frame by simply touching the subject on the LCD. This lets you frame your shot easily and accurately. It's also helpful when you want to single out a subject from among other objects in the frame, to optimize focus.

Touch the screen, and the DMC-FP7 locks on and automatically "tracks" the subject as it moves, keeping on adjusting the focus settings for best results

In the iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode, simply touch the subject on the LCD and the DMC-FP5 automatically selects the optimal Scene Mode.

Full touch-screen operation on the DMC-FP7 makes zooming even easier. To pull your subject in quickly by zooming to maximum magnification, touch the T button. To make a more precise angle of view adjustment, use the touch lever. These two different functions give you quick and easy control from a single screen.

The touch-screen operation excels not only for shooting but also for playing back images with outstanding visibility. You can drag the image across the screen with a finger to browse a collection of photos as you flip over the pages of the book.

The 12/30 Multi Display shows you images in a small thumbnail format. The DMC-FP7 makes it smooth and easy to find the exact shot you want even from a large number of thumbnail images.

Zoom Playback has become even more convenient. By simply touching the part to be enlarged, you can zoom in as much as max. 16x. The zoom area can be dragged in any of four directions for speedy and precise confirmation.

The DMC-FP7 features a 1/2.33 inch CCD with effective 16.1 megapixel high-resolution.

The high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine VI is incorporated in the DMC-FP7 to enable the recording of beautiful images with higher quality signal processing including the Intelligent Resolution technology. An advanced noise reduction system in the Venus Engine VI applies noise reduction (NR) to luminance noise and chromatic noise separately. As a result, beautiful images with minimal noise can be reproduced all the way up to ISO 1600 high sensitivity at full resolution for beautiful night shots or dimly lit indoor shots.

The Sonic Speed AF system includes numerous re-engineering enhancements, including a higher-speed actuator, optimized algorithms and parallel software processing. The result is fast and accurate AF performance.

In addition, the DMC-FP5 features dramatically speedier focusing that is approx. 41% faster than our previous model. You can quickly focus on moving subjects, such as when you're shooting sports scenes. The parallel processing of software results in ultra high-speed start-up, and the shutter release time lag is as short as approx. 0.005 second, making it easy to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities.

The image processing technology "Intelligent Resolution" is incorporated in the Venus Engine VI for the DMC-FP7. With the Intelligent Resolution technology, 3 areas - outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation areas - are automatically detected and optimum signal processes are performed to each area. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative technology Intelligent Resolution precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way for it. As a result, images are naturally clear and crisp.

The Intelligent Resolution technology realizes the Intelligent Zoom, which virtually extends the optical zoom ratio to its 1.3x equivalent (approx.) maintaining the picture quality even combining the digital zoom. This means the 4x optical can virtually extend to 5x.

The graininess that results from picture noise and the flatness that sometimes comes with noise reduction measures are major concerns when shooting at high sensitivity levels. The Intelligent Resolution minimizes noise to produce sharp, clear images. To raise the image quality, the Intelligent Resolution automatically activates for modes in which the shooting resolution drops to 3 megapixel or less, such as the high-speed burst shooting, photo frame, and high-sensitivity modes.

The energy-saving Venus Engine VI image processing engine and the efficient, rechargeable lithium-ion battery - which has been slimmed down to fit into thinner camera bodies - work together to extend the shooting time of the DMC-FP7. This lets users take approx. 240 shots on a single battery charge.

The Unlimited Consecutive Shooting function lets you snap off consecutive shots at approx. approx. 1.4 frames per second until the memory card is full. You can take a series of shots, then choose the one you like the best and delete the rest. You can also select High-speed Burst Mode or Flash Burst Mode from Scene Mode.

When you don't know which mode will give you the best shooting results, or when a sudden photo opportunity pops up and you don't have time to make any settings, simply choose the iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode and let the camera do it all for you. You just choose the iA Mode, aim at your subject, and shoot. 6 detection and correction functions are simultaneously activated to optimize the settings, so you get stunning photos every time. In addition, the Intelligent Resolution technology is always activated in the iA Mode which results in the clearer and higher image quality in every photo with extended zoom range equivalent to 5x by the Intelligent Zoom.

The MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) in the DMC-FP7 compensates for the blurring caused by hand-shake. Even slight hand-shake movement is accurately detected by a sampling frequency of 4,000 times per second, and compensated to produce sharp, clear images. The Venus Engine VI controls the shifting of the blur-stopping lens with even greater precision to further increase the detection accuracy and correction effect of MEGA O.I.S. It lets you shoot in dimly lit rooms or evening illumination to preserve the mood, and works for macro shots and zoom shots, which are especially susceptible to hand-shake. In short, it lets anybody take beautiful, blur-free shots with ease.

Once the AF subject is selected by touch control, it continues to track the subject even if it moves until you press the shutter. When you're taking images of active children, pets, sports scenes or subjects in a moving object, this function eliminates the need to press the shutter button halfway down repeatedly to readjust the focus. The Touch AF Tracking makes sure you don't miss those once-in-a-lifetime shooting opportunities.

The DMC-FP7 features the Quick AF. Ordinary AF is activated when the shutter button is pressed half-way, while the Quick AF starts operating as soon as the camera is pointed toward a subject. This dramatically reduces the shutter delay time and lets you take images quickly. Its super-fast focus is ideal for capturing quick images of active children and pets. By setting the camera to the Quick AF, images of sudden shooting opportunities won't be out of focus or blurry.

The Intelligent ISO Control function in the DMC-FP7 made possible by the Venus Engine VI detects subject movement and automatically adjusts the ISO setting and shutter speed to best suit the movement and light conditions. When it detects subject motion, it automatically raises the ISO setting and increases the shutter speed to prevent motion blur. On the other hand, when the subject is still and no movement is detected, it takes beautifully natural photos with a low ISO setting. The Intelligent ISO Control gives you stunning images with ease because there is no need for complicated settings.

The Face Detection AF/AE function detects faces and automatically optimizes the focus and exposure settings. It prevents the blurry faces that happen when the camera focuses on something in front of or behind the subject, and keeps faces from appearing dark when shooting indoors or against the light source. It detects up to 15 faces at a time, making it extremely convenient for group photos. Once the camera detects a face, Face Tracking follows it even when the subject moves around. Plus, the system keeps on detection if a face turns sideways to the camera. The DMC-FP7 is also equipped with Digital Red-eye Correction (Red-eye Removal). The camera takes care of the red-eye effect that often happens when shooting with a flash, to ensure attractive facial expression.

When the camera's in iA Mode, the Intelligent Scene Selector automatically sets the Scene Mode to one of Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait, Night Scenery or Sunset. The camera judges it from the various detection results such as focusing and brightness level of the circumstance. You are free from annoying settings every time scene changes when taking images with these most frequently used Scene Modes to get beautiful results even before you know it.

The Intelligent Scene Selector is made even more convenient by being able to select the subject within the frame by touching it. Once the subject is touched, the camera judges the optimal settings and automatically switches to the appropriate shooting mode.

When the camera's in iA Mode, the Intelligent Scene Selector automatically sets the Scene Mode to one of Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait, Night Scenery or Sunset. The camera judges it from the various detection results such as focusing and brightness level of the circumstance. You are free from annoying settings every time scene changes when taking images with these most frequently used Scene Modes to get beautiful results even before you know it.

The Intelligent Exposure function increases the exposure only in under-exposed areas by detecting the brightness level part-by-part in the image. If the background includes the sky, which tends to be easily washed out, the camera automatically adjusts the aperture and shutter speed to keep the setting slightly under-exposed to prevent wash-out while brightening the darkened area by increasing the ISO only in that area. If the background of an indoor portrait receives insufficient lighting from a flash and becomes dark, the ISO sensitivity is raised in only the low-lit area to make it brighter without causing graininess in the subject's face. When there is strong backlighting, the background appears nice and bright, but the subject is dark. This function detects backlight condition and compensates for it automatically.

The DMC-FP7 can record motion images in high-definition. The pixel mixed readout method enables bright motion-image recording even in low-light settings. The DMC-FP7 can also record standard motion images in VGA (640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps) and QVGA (320 x 240 pixels at 30 fps).

The Cosmetic Mode allows to take portraits with favored skin color (soft skin, natural skin, summer look) and degree of transparency of skin detail (low, standard, high).

The Beauty Retouch Mode makes it possible to virtually makeup the faces. In Aesthetic Mode, various effects can be applied to the face including clearing the skin texture, whitening of teeth and so on. In the Make-up Mode, you can choose the color of foundation, lips, cheeks or eye-shadow.

The DMC-FP7 gives you a new form of communication by letting you share your photos and movies. All you have to do is check-mark the photos and movies you want to share and connect the camera or SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card to a computer. Uploading automatically starts by simply following the guidance. Facebook can be used for photos and YouTube for movies. You can join these social networking services without having to install any special software. It's easy to share photos and movies on the spot, which means that your friends don't have to wait for you to come back home to see them.

The DMC-FP7 is equipped with a 3.5" 16:9 LCD with 230,000-dot high-resolution. The big screen reflects fine details, making it easy to check the focus before shooting. It also serves as a small photo and video viewer, allowing you and friends to enjoy viewing the still and motion images together.

The Scene Mode lets the camera make the optimal settings for you automatically, so anybody can take superb photos with ease. The versatile Scene Mode range, which handles just about any situation and subject type (27 scenes), is a major LUMIX feature. And to make it even simpler to use, the icons and display are designed for easy visibility. The DMC-FP5 lets you store a frequently used Scene Mode setting in the My Scene Mode.

This is a handy function for aligning panorama photos using the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.0 Edition. The afterimage of each previous shot is displayed, so you can use it to precisely line up the second and third shots.

High-speed Burst Mode fires off up to approx. 4.4 frames per second (with 3 megapixel resolution, which is sufficient for photo prints. This is great for capturing fast-moving sports or racing scenes. You can take a series of shots, then choose the ones you like the best and delete the rest. (Note that the focus and exposure are fixed at the first frame.)

You can pull subjects even closer than the closest point possible with the wide-angle setting by using 3x digital zoom, and capture dramatic close-ups.

When using 11-area AF, the camera automatically determines the most appropriate AF area from the eleven points. This ensures accurate focusing even for difficult compositions. You can also select the AF setting from Face AF, AF Tracking or 1-area AF. With the DMC-FP7, you can select the icon from among 6 types that appears when the shutter button is pressed half-way.

In addition to 4:3, 3:2, and 16:9, you can now shoot with a 1:1 aspect ratio. This unique square frame adds to your image expression possibilities. The 16:9 ratio produces images that match the aspect ratio of an HDTV screen. Being able to match the aspect ratio to your subject and shooting intent gives you even greater control.

The DMC-FP7 can play a slideshow with music. Choose from 4 types of music: Natural, Slow, Swing and Urban. Then, select the transition effect to match your music. For musical slideshows created with the included PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.0, you can choose your favorite iTunes music file as background music.

The DMC-FP7 can take 16:9 HD (high-definition) quality photos that perfectly fit a wide-screen HDTV for full-screen viewing. You can enjoy slideshows of photos taken with the LUMIX in stunning HD quality by inserting an SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card in to the SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot with the VIERA HDTV (VIERA Image Viewer).

The Baby Mode and Pet Mode let you enter the date of birth and name of your subject in advance. You can also enter your destination and the date of travel in advance in the Travel Date setting. The name, age based on the birth date, date of travel information, and date of shooting are displayed during playback, and can be printed on photos.

The PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.0 makes it possible to sort and organize photos not only of those newly taken but also of those stored in your computer with quick start-up and fast read-in of images. The Face Recognition function that recognizes the faces in the picture automatically sorts the photos by the registered faces without picking out each photo one by one when you only want pictures of a specific person. A Panorama Stitch lets you make a panoramic composite in MOV file by synthesizing photos taken in Panorama Assist Mode of the camera. It is also possible to make a slideshow with the selected photos adding music file on. In addition to the LUMIX Image Uploader (a direct uploading function of the camera), you can upload photos to Facebook and movies to YouTube via this software, too.

Take photos even when you don't have an SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card on hand. The built-in memory holds up to approx. 70MB of image data, which you can later copy to an SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card or computer. You can also copy images from a memory card or computer to the built-in memory, and view them on the LCD anytime you like. In addition to providing extra memory when your memory card fills up, this is a great place to store your favorite photos so you can view them anytime you want.

The PictBridge standard lets you print directly on a compatible digital printer. Print size, layout, date and other settings can be made with the camera. Of course, you can also make multiple prints of an image, or print only the ones that you have selected.