Although the Panasonic FZ7 is "old" by todays standards in digital cameras, it still represents excellent value for money, and is a great way to enjoy photography.
I recently bought an FZ7 (for £80.00 inc P+P). The FZ7 has full manual control over aperture and shutter speed. It's great for experimenting with different settings as you get to know the camera, although it also takes excellent photos in the "auto" mode. Battery life (with a 1428mAh battery) is excellent. You can download a free manual to store on your computer and print off each page as you need it. The camera is not too heavy to carry around all day. It has a comfortable hand grip for your right hand. The controls are easy to reach. The camera is only 6 megapixel so the imgages are very good - and virtually "noise" free in good light. The 12x zoom is great to get thos close ups of bird or animal shots. It also has a digital zoom which takes the magnification up to a massive 48x! but you will lose quite a bit of sharpness. You can adjust the sharpness, colour saturation and contrast - as well as the level of noise control. The camera also has an excellent anti "shake" system, allowing you to take sharp photos at 12x zoom whilst hand holding the camera.
I would totally recommend this camera to anyone who is interested in learning about photography. Five years ago I was bought a Canon 1000D SLR. It was a great camera, but I found its sophisticated controls overwhelming - and it did not have an anti shake system built in. It also only came with one basic lens. The price was over five times what I paid for my FZ7!
I hope you find this brief personal review of help.
Phil Edwards (Mr).