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I see a lot of advert about panasonic digital cameras ... are they really good?

some of my friends have got that brand too ... but i don't think they originally make cameras ... how can their cameras beat canon , nikon and olympus?

Public Comments

1. The goal of any advertisement is to convince you that the advertised product is better than the alternative. Panasonic cameras are good cameras, mostly because they have teamed up with Leica. This isn't to say that their cameras are better, or worse than the other brands. Canon and Nikon are market leaders - mostly because they produce excellent cameras and have done for many years. Sony are in a similar situation to panasonic, in that Sony now uses Minolta designs and technology. In today's market, you really need to look at cameras on a model by model basis, rather than assuming that every canon is best, or every nikon etc.

2. Correct, they didn't originally make cameras. I find this question interesting because there is an incredible amount of bias and snobbery when it come to camera equipment out there. Panasonic's cameras have received lots of harsh, jump-on-the-band-wagon criticism in the last several years as they have really increased their market share especially in so called "point and shoot" cameras. Some of the criticism is correct by the way, they have made some bad models but lopsided criticism relative to the other big camera companies..

I think all top manufactures make good cameras and it is so silly how so many still are so critical of the camera hardware when the vast majority of problems with pictures is the user, this applies to both "point and shoot" as well as SLRs. If you happen to like a certain company's cameras then buy it and use with confidence.

I don't agree with the previous answer that Panasonic cameras are good "mostly because they have teamed up with Leica". The Leica partnership has been used effectively by Panasonic, the newcomer to give them credence especially to the camera snobs who wouldn't have taken them as seriously without the "Leica" badge.

You asked "how can their cameras beat..." they often beat those companies because Panasonic is a truly a huge electronics manufacturing company with long established retail distribution and marketing in consumer electronics. There is nothing magical about making a camera, all the optical and sensor technology is well understood, the contest is in mass manufacturing technology, especially with the market exploding as it has. Efficiently mass producing sensors, displays, batteries and intricate precise optics (these components are where the money is). That is how they do it, value.

They have also brought innovation too, they were the first camera company to have image optical image stabilization using a gyro sensor standard on all their models. And their standard OIS was better than what you could get on some Cannon models.

Yup, I have a bias, but I admit it, yet I try to be open, objective and practical. I like to be different and don't like to follow everyone else or feel I need to walk around with a name like Cannon, Nikon or Sony.