I bought a new digital camera in January, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07. This is my second Lumix (I also have the larger LX1) and I bought it after being incredibly impressed with the performance of my earlier camera, wanting to have a second, smaller camera that fit more easily in my pocket.
The Lumixes are a joint venture between Panasonic and Leica (Leica makes the optics) and they're marketed under both the Panasonic and Leica brand. The Leica branded cameras are functionally identical, but they come with a longer warranty (the Panasonic has a one-year, which is plenty for my needs, I upgrade at least that often) and cost substantially more.
I love these cameras (I've bought three more since January as gifts, with great results). They shoot stunning pictures (here's Flickr's collection of FX07 shots) and have totally kick-ass image stabilization that works great in low-light, getting me incredible shots without using a tripod or leaning the camera against a table. They also shoot wicked-fast, making it easy to shoot a continuous stream of photos of something exciting as it's happening. The presets are also really smart — the aerial photography setting got great shots when I was in a helicopter last month over the Grand Canyon. The camera also shoots crisp, 640×480 Quicktime video.
The camera shoots at 7 megapixels and comes in four colors
(blue, silver, black and red), and hilariously, the manufacturer has a different price-point for each (silver is cheapest). I've carried the camera without a case in my pocket with my keys, change and phone for four months now and it's still running as smooth as the day I bought it. Even though I shoot nearly every day with it, I only have to recharge the battery about once every two weeks.
I love how much functionality Panasonic has crammed into this little body. It's so much easier to carry around than the LX1, but I don't feel like I've given up much by way of quality or ease of use. At this rate, I could see myself buying Lumixes for a long, long time to come.
