Editor's Choice 2006: Superzoom EVF Cameras

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It may look like the world’s smallest SLR, but this ultralight six-megapixel model is an EVF in the Panasonic mold, with a fast 36–432mm (35mm equivalent) zoom and highly effective optical image stabilization. The FZ7’s creative features include panning mode, which stabilizes the image only in the up-down axis while favoring slower shutter speeds, for panned images with a smooth blurred background. Other modes are just for fun, like flip animation, which lets you assemble herky-jerky videos from a series of still photos. The FZ7 also captures full-VGA movies at 30fps with stabilization, although you can’t zoom while shooting. Its Li-ion rechargeable battery system is one of the best in the superzoom EVF class. About $350.

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