Panasonic LUMIX FZ80D Point and Shoot Digital Camera 4K Photo/Video Recording with Power Optical Image Stabilizer, Vlogging Camera with 60X Optical Zoom & 20-1200mm Wide-Angle Lens - DC-FZ80D

My first digital camera was a Sony Mavica that had 640x480 resolution and saved photos on floppy disks. That will give you some indication of how long I've been playing around with digital photography. For the past several years I had a Canon EOS Rebel T3 with multiple lenses. When I began to travel internationally for work, I wanted something smaller that I could take with me without having to carry both laptop and camera bags. I purchased a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 and absolutely loved it. It did everything I needed it to do in truly compact and low-stress "point and shoot."Recently, I've been debating whether to upgrade my Canon and investing in additional lenses or purchasing something new. After much research and soul-searching I opted for what many are calling a "bridge" camera. Although it felt a bit like a step down from a DSLR, I had to recognize that I simply don't shoot the same way that I used to. I no longer photograph weddings or senior portraits and really just needed a good, reliable camera that was compact enough that I would be more likely to take it with me when traveling. More often than not, I find myself using my iPhone because I didn't want to have to haul my camera bag around. There were three main reasons why I chose the FZ80 model. 1. Ease-of-use. I already knew from my previous experience with my point and shoot Lumix that this would be fairly easy to use. 2. Affordability. I couldn't justify the expense of the FZ2500, but felt the features and functions of the FZ80 would meet my needs. 3. Leica lens. Perhaps this is a hold over from my film shooting days, but Leica lenses have a reputation of being extremely high quality. If I was going to be giving up lens interchangeability, I wanted crisp, beautiful photos.I've only had this camera for a week and haven't had much of an opportunity to give it a good trial run, but so far, it's proven extremely easy to use and has resulted in some decent back yard photos. I only gave it 4 stars though due to the low F-stop range. I know it has a post-image editing tool to customize depth of field, but that seems like too much hassle right now for something that is a step above point and shoot. I haven't figured out the WiFi link, yet, but am looking forward to playing with that. I'm also looking forward to trying out the video function.The photos below show the "pink" moon on April 10th, a series of shots at different zoom lengths outside of my front door, and some flowers where I played with the various shooting modes.All-in-all, I'm very happy with this purchase. And the best part is that I was able to offset the cost a bit by selling my Canon EOS on eBay.

Great camera! You get a lot of bang for your buck. I've owned this camera's bigger buddy the Panasonic GH4 for a few years and am used to the controls and the camera's firmware. Panasonic does a great job with their auto-focus implementation as well as the camera's software, particularly the touchscreen implementation.For such a tiny sensor comparatively to the GH4 (and even other mirrorless cameras my Sony A7R2), it does a good job. If you pixel peep at the images, they're definitely not going to be the same quality as a $3K camera and $1k lens combination for a pro-level mirrorless or DSLR. But, those same pro cameras cannot touch the zoom range of this camera. If there's enough light, the pictures and video from this camera as outstanding, given the camera's sensor's limitations. The stabilization is also fantastic. You can hand-hold a lot of shots and video that would never turn out with a camera+lens without stabilization.Pros:* Unbelievable zoom range* Good quality photos and video with enough light* Stabilization is fantastic* Panasonic's camera firmware, menus and touchscreen implementation are top-notch* Great battery life, cheap after-market batteries as well. I recommend these batteries and charger: Kastar Battery X2 + LCD Dual Charger for Panasonic DMW-BMB9 DMW-BMB9E DMW-BMB9PP & Lumix DMC-FZ40 DMC-FZ45 DMC-FZ47 DMC-FZ48 DMC-FZ60 DMC-FZ62 DMC-FZ70 DMC-FZ72 DMC-FZ100 DMC-FZ150 Leica V-Lux2 V-Lux3* Fantastic remote control and live view of the camera from a smartphone or tablet. Panasonic's remote control and live view implementation is hands-down the best among all the camera vendors.Cons:* Low light or fast-action shots without a lot of light are challenging* Zoom mechanism is a little rough and not smooth (likely because the lens is so light but the zoom range is so unbelievably long)Highly recommended camera for general purpose walk-around shots.