I love my Lumix. The lens is wonderful. The photos and videos are phenomenal quality. A year ago that camera sold for over $350. I got it at Costco in December for $250 and thought that was a great price for a camera with Leica lens and 12x zoom and HD video. AND, it fits in my pocket! Can't believe they are now selling it for $200.

 

Yeah, I have heard nothing but good things about that panasonic. I actually paid $225 for it on amazon (free shipping and no tax!). It sure seems like a lot of camera for very little money. I bought the panavise for 30 bucks. I think that they are coming out for a newer model because it is not listed as 'available' on the panasonic website.
I got the blue one since it was cheaper
Ken, if you have any tips on where to place the mount, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

I haven't done an in-car video for quite a while, but I think the best place turned out to be center windshield under the mirror. To tell you the truth, I haven't done an in-car video with the Lumix yet. I used my Canon SD870 IS a few times. But the Canon, while slightly smaller, wasn't HD. I had it set up to capture the front fenders and view straight ahead of the car. With the wide angle lens I could also get part of the dash at bottom of photo. Best to just experiment to find a location that shows what you like. THe one thing to remember is that the camera will pick up ALL noise around it. So if you have an open window or sunroof, the air noise will be so loud you won't hear the motor. Similarly, if the radio is on, the camera will pick it up. Unfortunately these smaller cameras don't have an external mic input that would allow you to pick up the sound of what you want, such as with a directional mic.

 

ken, I got the lumix and mounted it to the rear window. It seems like a good arrangement. Check this video out and let me know if it is as good as the results that you are getting. I am going to try a few more mounting places this weekend!

link-->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ09OOxKXwE

 

I can't view the video without being asked to be a friend and accepting. However, I won't be able to compare properly since I only used my Canon in the past and haven't yet tried the Lumix (which I expect to provide much better quality video). Glad it is working out for you so far. Did you have to flip the video in iMovie?

 

Oops, sorry about that. I fixed the setting and it should work now!
I did have to flip it in iMovie. I have the panavise stuck to the leading edge of the rear glass and the camera about an inch below the headliner.
Let me know if the video isn't working!
Also, try to open it in the actual youtube site, since it is in 720P there!

 

Yeah, that looks really good. There is no camera vibration, or if there is, the image stabilization compensates. That is a great country road, although it sounded like there was a lot of loose gravel hitting your wheel wells? You could also try zooming a little more and just picking up part of the dash and getting a better view looking forward. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks Ken. I think that when you get your lumix up and running, you'll be very happy. I used a part of the iMovie filter that takes out the vibration in the movie, in addition to the in-camera stabilization. It works pretty well, but takes 10 minutes of processing on that 2 minute clip to do it! The road that I was on is a development that never happened. It is at the end of a small airport and is abandoned. When the snow melted last month, it left lots of gravel there. It actually sounded louder on the video. I am most impressed that the mics on the lumix picked up some of the bass of the engine. I am definitely going to try your suggestion and zoom in a little bit. It is hard to gauge because I can't look at the screen while I am zooming and the zoom has a bit of a lag when you hit the zoom function. All in all you made a great suggestion on this camera!
I will post some of the vids when I do the Evo autocross school next month!