We’ve been through a few digital cameras here in the Zarch household, starting with a 1.3 megapixel Olympus I got way back when digital cameras were just a novelty.  Since then, we’ve had a Fuji Finepix, a couple of Nikons, and my wife’s great Canon Powershot S70 (which gave up the ghost today, in a sad coincidence).  The camera that rides with me in my gadget bag these days is the Lumix DMC-FX9, from Panasonic. 

When I first went shopping for a camera of my very own (as opposed to a “family” camera), I had a few things I was looking for.  I wanted it to be very small, to have good battery life, and to have some compensati on for my shaky hands, especially shooting landscapes.  I have some terrible photos of the Seattle skyline that were making me think about some sort of image stabilization.  Reviews I read got me thinking about these little Lumix compacts, and after some deliberation, I bought one. 

So, what do I like? 

• Well, it’s very small, just like I wanted.  It’s always in my bag ready to snap a picture if I feel the need. 
• Start-up and picture-to-picture time is quite good, especially for a camera this small.
• The image stabilization works very well; I have far fewer blurry shots these days.
• Image quality is excellent.  I could never say I was a connoisseur, but I like it when my pictures don’t look off-color (as in not the right shade, not as in pr0n) or otherwise crappy.
• It seems like it’s rock-freaking-solid.  My wife’s Powershot, while it’s a great camera, already went back to Canon for repairs, and now it’s done it again.  My little Panasonic, however, has been with me for about 18 months now with no problems at all.
• It’s a sexy little package; it gives me great geek chic credibility when I whip it out for the laydees.

So that’s my current digital camera.  I’ve felt no compulsion to trade it in for something else, which is a sure sign of quality for any electronics that wind up in my hands.  Want a more detailed review?  Check this one out.

One fun anecdote in closing.  I went to a local snobby camera shop to pick up some prints for a friend of mine.  While I was there, I noticed a little Leica C-LUX 1 displayed, and mentioned to the clerk that it was the same camera as my Lumix, only $100 more expensive.  The clerk was dubious until I showed her the Lumix.  Same camera; Leica makes the lens, Panasonic does the electronics (sensor from Matsushita, if anyone is keeping track).  So if I want to sound cool, I tell folks I’ve got a Leica lens in my camera, and that makes them really think I’m legit and smart and all that.