How to select a Lumix point-and-shoot 
Panasonic has a long history of producing electrical components and appliances. From its humble beginning in 1917 till today, the company has undergone several changes, and has successfully overcome several economic recessions. The founder of the firm, Konosuke Matsushita initially branded its products as National, but most of them are under the Panasonic umbrella now. Today, many people still affectionately refer to the company as Matsushita Electrical.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-F7.
The Lumix lineup is probably one of the youngest in the digital imaging industry, having been on the scene only since 2001. But what brought this family of shooters into the limelight was that it uses lenses from Leica, the legendary German optics manufacturer. This was a "natural progression" for Panasonic as it has been traditionally working with Leica for its camcorders.
The Lumix DMC-F7 and DMC-LC5 were the first point-and-shoots to roll out from the factory, and Panasonic kept building on the success of each camera to improve on the next and introduced several features that became a model for other brands to follow.
The Japanese firm was one of the first companies to incorporate optical image stabilization (known as Mega O.I.S.) in its point-and-shoots, and this was a challenge as it had to integrate the stabilizer elements into a compact form factor. It succeeded and soon other manufacturers quickly adopted this feature as well. Last year, scene recognition technology, or intelligent Auto (iA) as Panasonic calls it, was introduced, and this feature was very popular among consumers because it made snapping pictures a zippier affair.
This year, the company has included HD-quality video capture to its flagship cameras, and it seems like this has become a trend for others to replicate. Panasonic told us that it will continue to innovate and bring more "revolutionary concepts and value-added features" to the industry, so consumers can expect even better cameras in the future.
After much research on the various markets globally, Panasonic diversified its shooters to satisfy different the target audience in specific regions. This is why there are so many classes for its point-and-shoots. If you've set your eyes on one but not quite sure which is suitable, we've put together a comprehensive guide for its lineup.
Click on the images to find out more about the series.
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