Best New Travel Camera - Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Is A True Player

Looking for a travel camera? One that does not require a sidecar to carry all the extra gear needed to get the picture you want? The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX40 deserves a hard look.Panasonic seems to be able to produce excellent compact cameras. They do pretty well in the DSLR market, too, but their forte is compacts.The engineers at Panasonic have been working hard on improving the technology needed to pair zoom with excellent image quality. It's not easy to get both.So when you see the user ratings for the newest "travel camera", you kind of do a double-take. The camera only came out in July, so the technology is the newest possible, but so far there is not one negative rating. Usually there will be one or two who either had a faulty camera or just had a bad day when they first tested it, but in this case... nada... nothing negative.So what makes this camera a travel camera?Basically, what you want in a camera on vacation is the ability to take almost any type of photo. From family portraits to street scenes, to nature shots where a super zoom is necessary. You name it, and you want to be able to take it.With a wide angle equivalent of 25mm and a telephoto equivalent of 600mm (if you do the math, that is 24X), the Lumix FZ40 qualifies on all counts.Then you add in the new technology that is being called "intelligent resolution technology" for sharp images, and you have a winner in the travel camera category.Another plus is the lens which is manufactured by Leica, a trusted name in camera and lens quality.Having used DSLR cameras for quite some time, the benefits I like best are the choice between viewing your image in a view finder or on the live view LCD panel. Plus the option to use the jpeg creative settings for image output or capturing in RAW for a higher resolution picture that can be edited later on your computer.The high quality LCD screen is excellent for use with the HD video feature. And, speaking of video, the 24X zoom means getting close up video of distant places and activities.All in all, the Panasonic Lumix FZ40 deserves a second and third look. You can compare the features of travel cameras at http://www.digital-photographic-resources.com/cameras/travel-compact.html.