First up is the LS70, a compact, pocketable point’n’shoot clocking 7.2-Megapixels and a 3x optical zoom. This entry-level shooter also features image stabilization, smart ISO, and high-end optics, all good features for a $149 camera.

But if you really want a serious camera, and you’re not yet ready to make the jump to the more complex SLR grade, consider the DMC-FZ8. This prosumer model boasts a mighty 12x optical zoom for it’s 7.2-Megapixel sensor. What’s more, if you’re willing to settle for 3-Megapixels, you can up that to 18x, but that sounds like a little CMOS Voodoo to us. Don’t be scared away, though, as the FZ8 features all the other goodies the previous cameras did, minus the pocketable form factor. The FZ8 is large (comparitively speaking) and in charge, and at $349, you pay for that. But the photos this camera should produce make the price tag palatable.

In all, the Lumix cameras are fantastic. This reporter was faced with a tough choice when looking for a new pocket camera, the finalists being a Luminix from Panasonic and an Exilim from Casio. The Casio won in the end for the smaller form factor, but if these digicams had been on the market then, it might have been a different story.

New Panasonic Lumix’s [Livingroom.org.au]