Panasonic continues to bring us affordable compact digicams, with the Lumix DMC-FH7 being their latest creation. This model replaces the FH5 we reviewed earlier in the year, and carries over many of the same features. These include the 16.1-megapixel image sensor, retractable 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC lens with a 4x optical zoom, 720p HD video recording, and the Venus Engine VI processor. The most notable upgrade featured on the FH7 is a massive 3.0-inch touchscreen LCD.

Like past FH-series models, the FH7 is an extremely compact camera that is packed with easy to use features. Of these is Panasonic's proven iA (Intelligent Auto) mode. Other features include Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection, MEGA OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), and Intelligent Scene Selector. Another nice feature is the Lumix Image Uploader, which allows you to directly upload photos to Facebook and videos to YouTube once you plug the camera into your PC.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH7 features include:

• 16.1-Megapixels
• 4x Leica DC optical zoom lens
  
• MEGA OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
• 720p HD video recording
• Intelligent 3.0-inch Touchscreen LCD
  
• iA (Intelligent Auto) exposure control for effortless shooting
  
• Intelligent ISO Control
  
• Motion Detection
• Intelligent Scene Selection
  
• Face Detection AF/AE
  
• LUMIX Image Uploader (photo and video sharing directly from the camera when connected to a PC)
• Li-ion battery (up to 240 pictures)
  
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot (Eye-Fi Compliant)
  

Panasonic's LUMIX DCM-FH7 will come in black, with pricing to be announced at a later date.