Having had this camera for 2 months now I have taken several hundred photos including a trip to the Bahamas. It's so small and light that you don't even notice it's hanging around your neck. From the moment you turn it on, it takes very little time to start recording. The plastic construction feels very durable and leaves no fingerprints. I like the 12x zoom lens. The image stabilization function works very well, allowing you to take clear pictures of a cruise ship deck in strong winds. Photos are sharp and digital noise is not a problem in most situations. I've been told that in low light the noise in enlarged photos on the computer is moderate, but no more than other similar cameras. There seems to be a bit more noise when comparing this camera to my old Panasonic DMC-FZ10 at 4MP. That's probably because so many megapixels can fit into the same sensory space. There are tons of features, most of which I don't use, but all the buttons and controls are easy to understand. The instruction manual is 130 pages long but fairly easy to navigate. I would give this camera 5 stars if it wasn't for the noise factor. However, if you don't want to upgrade to a DSLR, you'll be stuck with a certain level of digital noise.
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