Panasonic ZS7 low quality pictures on pc

I guess I've been too worried about auto/scene modes and have been ignorant to original controls like shutter-speeds and aperture.

My A610 does not have auto-image stabilization or a long zoom. Those are my excuses for looking at another camera. I just assumed a newer camera with a higher megapixel rating and image stabilization would automatically boast better pictures. I'll learn sooner or later.

Thanks for your help snapshot2,

j-vtol

The camera makers have stretched the megapixel quantity too far on some of the newer cameras.

For most small cameras, the 10, 12 and 14 megapixel sensor assembly is the same size.
They have just crowded more and more pixels onto the same sensor assembly.
When they crowd so many pixels onto such a small sensor assembly, they have to reduce the size of the pixels and that increases the noise generated by the sensors.

Most of the 14 megapixel cameras produce too much noise. So much that the open blue sky looks grainy when viewed at the maximum size (pixel peeping).
To reduce noise they are over aggressive with the noise reduction firmware in the camera.
That results in less detail in the shots.

Your old Canon A610 has a larger sensor assembly size than the newer cameras. And they only put 5 megapixels on that larger sensor assembly.
The result is very little noise problem.
Plus, they only let you set the ISO as high as 400.

Image Stabilization has its limits and 12X zoom is well beyond that limit.
Keep the camera steady.

..

I have bought the ZS7 few weeks ago.
Very few pictures are excellent.
Some pictures are very good.
most pictures are OK.
some are very bad.
Positive points are: good construction and quality body and hardware, easy menus, lot of parameters.
But If you want consistent good quality photos - do not buy this camera.

I have not seen any photos from the ZS7, but here are sample photos from the older ZS3. It uses the same lens and the same CCD sensor.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2009_reviews/panasonic_zs3/samples/P1000176.JPG

It looks like the ZS7 added some manual controls.

If this is you first encounter with a 10X zoom, there are some things you need to know.

First - find out how well your camera can perform.

Set the camera on a tripod or solid surface and take some pictures while using the 10 second shutter delay. You can click the shutter and then step away from the camera. In 10 seconds when the camera fires, you should not be touching the camera.

If those shots are good, most likely the problem comes from whoever has been holding the camera.

The further out you zoom the more sensitive the camera is to camera movement.
Image stabilization helps but there is a limit to what it can do.

For a test ... set the camera to 10X zoom and while holding the camera, prepare to take a picture of a distant object, but don't.
Just watch the LCD screen and notice that the distant object is jumping around like a bug on a hot rock.
What you are seeing is you moving the camera. Few people can hold a camera perfectly steady.

Now get ready to snap the picture.
But do not watch the LCD, watch the camera itself.
When you press the shutter, did the camera dip to the right just a little.
Practice squeezing the shutter button, not punching the button down.

..

If the camera is a zoomx12 with 12mpx and with Leica lens BUT many pictures are blurred or quality is SO SO then the camera is NOT good.
I prefer then to stay in the X3 to X5 zoom with 8 mpx and to have all my pictures sharp and beautiful like my older compact Nikon P4.