Backpacking Camera System

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 with its higher resolution LCD is beautiful and lets you confirm focus more easily, and its 12x optical zoom gets you in as close as you want, or lets you step back as far as you need, without stepping at all. And when you're done, all of the Panasonic ZS7's zoom power sits comfortably in a pocket at 7.7 oz.. Add in a bunch of special features and GPS and you got yourself a camera that can even help locate yourself if your are lost.



The hugely popular and powerful iA (Intelligent Auto) is also now available in motion image recording mode. Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) helps prevent handshake when using high-powered zoom. Face Detection automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion on it so it always turns out beautifully. Intelligent Exposure continually checks the ambient light level and adjusts the exposure setting as conditions change to prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows. And Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery, and Low Light modes according to the situation to optimize visual quality.


Users can fully utilize the powerful 12x optical zoom in movie recording. The GPS and corresponding location information can also be embedded in the video clips. With the newly added Video Divide function, users can divide the video into two sections to shorten or delete the unwanted part on the spot in the camera. You can cutout a still image from a movie in the camera and Intelligent Resolution Technology makes it possible to produce 1920x1080 still images from a 1280x720 HD movie even recorded in AVCHD Lite.　A Wind Cut function is also available to block out most of the noise from background wind.


For a full review of the  Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 see http://www.dpreview.com/news/1001/10012605panazs7.asp.

Combined with a StickPic and the Gorillapod you have what you need to capture those images and videos to bring home with you. In terms of size and weight, the StickPic is 0.3 oz, compared to the Gorillapod’s 1.5 oz. I’ve been carrying both. They each address different needs and only weigh a combine total of 1.8 oz. Not much weight for the extra versatility added to your photography arsenal weighing in at a total of 9.2 oz camera included.