Great Camera But Frustrating to Use
It's too bad that they have bundled this great working camera with rip off software. And: DO NOT BUY THE "FREQUENTLY BOUGHT TOGETHER" package. If you use an SD card that's less than a "class 7" (read "twice as expensive") your video stops working! Much less expensive SD cards were just fine to shoot video on every other camera I've owned at this price point. This camera has just about the worst written manual I've ever seen. So good luck trying to figure out how to do simple things like setting your own exposure or white balancing so everything doesn't come out orange, if the camera misreads the light. The files record onto the camera with no file type extension (.jpg, .gif). So if you just download the pictures to your computer, you have to pick a program every time you open a file, or use their "PhotoFunStudio" software. Fun, huh? For one thing, this package comes with an installation by ArcSoft. I have no idea if the ArcSoft software has any practical function. All it's been to me is a trojan horse virus. Every time a user opens their profile on our computer, the loading stops dead to load an advertisement from ArcSoft to upgrade their software for money. Now my computer is less useful to me so Panasonic can benefit from a partnership with ArcSoft. Just because this software comes from a corporation, doesn't mean this is not a THEFT OF SERVICE ATTACK on my computer. Now, my daughter likes using the video mode...except the video files this camera produces are .mts files. I don't know about anyone else's computer, but I have XP Media OS and I can't find a program on my PC to open those with. So: you buy a camera with lots of auto features, but is too complex to use without a lot of research. The enclosed software adds nothing to your ability manage pictures, but does transfer malicious software to your PC. The manual is impossible, the video files are in a format that is not easy to work with. Is this what you want from a point and shoot?