Review on Panasonic DMC FZ70 Digital Optical Stabilized by Brandon Woodson

First Impression: It's hard to believe the performance of this camera until you've used it. I have bags full of camera gear including the Mamiya RB-67, Pentax 6x7, Canon 5D Mk2, Canon T2i and loads of glass so trust me when I say this camera lives up to the pre-release hype. I initially set my sights on the Canon SX50, which is a good camera but falls short of its Lumix counterpart. I've focused on getting my wife an easy-to-use point-and-shoot camera as SLRs were too complicated for her, but now she's fighting me for it. I'll keep updating this review as I get more experience with video and special features (of which there are many) in the future. Until then, while the price stays well under $400, I recommend you get one as I don't think it will last long once you know how good this camera is. UPDATE: After using this camera for almost 6 months I am still VERY happy with it and the photos it produces and would like to share some shots. I find the extremes between the ratings of other reviewers interesting as I have not encountered many of the negative reviews mentioned and have encountered most of the positive ones. This camera just works for me. I have photographed everything with this 1 lb 7 with great success, from street racing sports cars to retirement and landscapes. A 2oz camera is definitely better than lugging around my 12lb 5D Mk 2 with two batteries and a Sigma 50-500mm lens all day, plus a few extra lenses and batteries in my camera bag. I also have no problem printing 13" x 19" photos from RAW or JPEG files. I also read that this camera is big and bulky. Well, if you wear XXL gloves like me, they fit my hands perfectly. In my wife's hands it works much better than the DSLRs we have (T2i in addition to 5D) so she's happy too! The weight just doesn't bother us as we've both worn it all day with no issues or side effects. Now that the price has dropped to $249, I will actually buy another one to keep the peace in the family. Several reviewers mentioned soft images at the end of the 1000mm to 1200mm zoom range. I'll bet my paycheck that the biggest problem is camera movement, as it's very difficult to hold a camera steady enough at such extreme magnification to get a super-sharp image - regardless of the image stabilization system used. I've had much better luck using a monopod, or better yet, a sturdy tripod (as one reviewer suggested) to get very clear long-range shots. Setting is very effective! But as I said, the proof is in the final product. So if you'd like to see example images, reply to this review and include your email address and I'll share some with you.