15th September 2012: the day I finally replaced my 5 years old Panasonic Lumix DMC-F2.
Now, don't get the impression I'm all for brand (which I don't think Panasonic is that branded anyway), techno-mechno (sorry for the invention of words here) gadgets like this which I also don't think it is...
I'm just a plain ol' SAHM and I love taking pictures of everything (especially my kids - blog materials you know! Hahahah...) so I really don't need all the fancy-smancy (arghhh... can't help inventing words!) camera. I just want an affordable, user-friendly and easy to point-and-shoot camera.
So here it is... Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7!
Ahhhh... what a beauty right? I love the brown color to be honest and quite happy that I made the decision to get it. Have been mulling for weeks ever since I found out a black smudge on every picture I took with my previous camera. Am not sure how the smudge got in there but no matter how I cleaned and wiped it, the smudge remains and it's annoying me so much that I think it's high time I get a new camera for myself.
So yeah, a treat for myself after 5 years.
Now, I'm not the type of person to simply spend money on myself (kids yes, I used the money I earned from my blogging to buy books and treats online for my kids and myself occasionally) but buying phone and camera for example, it will take at least 4 years for me to get moving or decide to buy a new one. And yes, I'm using my own blood and sweat money to buy this. And I also refused hubby's offer of 50% sponsorship on this as I believe I should pay for what I wanted.
I gotta credit my hubby because he's the one who did the research on which camera to get because if it is up to me, I will never buy one with this price (its RM699 or about USD230 after sales promotion with tons of freebies thrown in). In fact, I have so far been only eyeing those less than RM400 (about USD132) range of cameras.
Now why I finally settled on this Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 camera:
1. It looks gorgeous... look at the rustic edgy yet chic brown one-of-a-kind color!
2. Full HD video!
3. While recording a full HD video, you can also take pictures at the same time! Multitasking at a new level! Woohoo!!
4. I'm very comfortable and happy with the user friendly interface and settings of the Panasonic camera, so it is only natural that I go for the same brand again.
5. Love the easy point-and-shoot feature!
6. There is this IA (intelligent auto) feature which automatically detects the face, distance and then determines whether your shoot is for macro close-up shots or distance shots. No more hassle to adjust the scenes and steadying your hand to focus on the face!
Of course I will still be using my previous Panasonic Lumix DMC-F2, but it will be kept as a spare camera on hand (I normally bring 2 cameras when we go for our family trips) and as much as I treasured the memories of all the wonderful pictures I took with the old camera, I look forward to capturing more awesome high quality pictures with the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7!