Please help...Panasonic LX5 or Zs7 or other?

Hi. I would love some insight on this topic. I'm looking to (mega) upgrade from a little Fuji Finepix. The main purpose of this camera will be for my three month trip to France and Germany, beginning this April. I'm in no way a pro, and will be mostly shooting in auto-mode... but I'm still an artistic person and I want a camera with excellent photo quality, AND I intend to blow-up several of the pictures to poster size.

I love the 12x zoom on the Zs7... but it seems so many of features on the LX5 stand out: wider aperture for better low light, larger sensor, RAW ability, etc. However, it has such a small optical zoom! It's barely more than my ole Fuji. Is this very important? Is a 3.8 optical zoom enough for my trip?

I'm completely open to suggestions for camera purchases that are NOT these two models. I will buy any brand; I just want whatever will best meet my needs. I'm looking to spend $350 or less (but that can be used off of Amazon or E-bay.)

Any help/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Jaclyn

Reply 1 : Please help...Panasonic LX5 or Zs7 or other?

Both cameras get a very high rating from people who own the cameras.
You can't go wrong with either one.

It boils down to; do you want a large zoom or do you want a camera that performs better in low light.

You can't have both, because of cost.
A 12X zoom camera with a f/2.0 lens would cost too much to make.

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