Time will tell over the capabilities as it's literally been less than 4 hours since I powered the camera up but on first opinion, it's an awesome camera.

It is a little on the large side, and if I had the money I would probably purchase the FZ3 for the kid parties as my wife could then fit the camera into her bag versus over the shoulder but that's a trivial point for me.

I seriously doubt that I will ever want to buy a separate flash unit, and prefer a digital camcorder for movie features so the upgrade to the FZ20 was not worth the extra expense for my. Besides, the lenses are identical between the FZ15 and FZ20. The 12X zoom makes the extra MP a moot point.

Improvements? Sound on the movie mode and vga quality like the Canon - both features easily replaced in a digital camcorder.

A can't lose camera.
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Incredible Camera for the Money, February 18, 2005
Reviewer: T.R.P. "happy consumer 78"
Let me start by saying I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my camera. I didn't even know Panasonic made digital cameras until I started researching. After comparing this camera with all the others in this price range, and reading the many positive reviews, I felt like I had no other choice but to buy this camera. I'm glad I did.
First, the zoom capablilities on the Panasonic FZ15 are amazing. No other camera in this price range has a 12x optical zoom and a 4x digital zoom. I have gotten some amazing shots because of the zoom, that I would have missed otherwise.
Second, the image stabilizer is a must. Even when using the zoom, and no tripod, the pictures come out clear the majority of the time. Which is awesome considering that other digital cameras can give you a fuzzy picture when you aren't even using a zoom! Should you decide not to purchase this camera (for some strange reason) at least get one with an image stabilizer.
Third, the LCD screen is the best. I compared my Panasonic FZ15 screen to my Mom's Kodak EasyShare 7590 and my aunt's Canon Sureshot A80 and I was NOT impressed with their LCD screens. My aunt couldn't even see what pictures she was taking while indoors. And the Kodak's screen was definitely "grainier" than my Panasonic. Though I will admit, the Kodak is also a good camera.
Fourth, this camera is very flexible. You can set everything on automatic and still take some pretty good pictures. But, if you read the manual (which is well-written and easy to understand) and play with the camera a little bit, you can do alot manually and take some great shots. I'm not technologically savvy, and I picked up on the "how's" of aperature, shutter speed, ISO, etc. pretty quick. The camera is very user friendly.
Fifth, the lens is a high quality lens; I visited www.dpreview.com and the lens is one of the things that the professional reviewer praised on this camera. (You have to read the review on the FZ20, same camera just more MPs) The quality of the lens shows up in the quality of the pictures.
Another thing I noticed with this camera is the ability to take sharp, clear pictures in total darkness. I couldn't even see what I was taking a picture of, and the pictures still came out great.
The one and only drawback that I have found so far is that the camera only comes with an 8MB card, which is useless. So, make sure you buy a bigger card when you purchase the camera.
You can't go wrong buying this camera!
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So many advantages, so few disadvantages..., February 17, 2005
Reviewer: Nacozari "Nacozari"
I've had my 4-megapixel Panasonic Lumix for over a half of a year now and have taken it on two trips with excellent results. Considering that one of the trips involved a lot of rain and indoor darkness, while the other was to a sunny outdoor destination, the camera has proven to be versatile and adaptable to a number of different situations and differing conditions.

To get the negative side out of the way, I would mention the only three problems I have come across over time: the big number one is SIZE. I was used to having pocket-sized cameras before this, and though I knew what I was getting into, you WILL have a hard time getting used to the change if you're accustomed to smaller cameras. Problems 2 and 3 both involve focus: as many others have commented, the auto-focus is a bit slow and ineffective inside...and I have also had problems with the manual focus, which just doesn't seem to work very well.

Having said that, the advantages are so many: amazing large screen, excellent manual controls that allow you to change all the parameters and personalize your picture-taking to the utmost, amazing photo quality that is sharp and has great color, an unbeatable Leica lens in this range of products, the more than noticable help of the image stabilizer (which many may not realize is so useful), pretty much the best optical zoom that is out there (this is what makes all other digital camera owners green with envy!), and everything else you would expect of a camera in this range. I have the 4 megapixel version, and I imagine you may as well shell out the extra dough for the 5 mexapixels now that that version has come out. Enjoy the great photos!
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 Great camera, February 2, 2005
Reviewer: Redhawk44 "MItch"
I've had this camera for about a month and I have to say I think it's a real bargain. The quality of photos is fantastic. Clarity, color saturation the 12X zoom, it's all here.

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