Instruction: Extract information from the supporting document to answer the given question.

Input:
Question: Does iPhoto recognize the GPS data? Does anyone know if this camera's GPS data is read by iPhoto 09's Places function?(Each manufacturer wants you to use their own GPS Mapping software for Windows, but make no mention of iPhoto)
Document: Anyone know when playing back avchd lite recordings that were made on the camera , Can they be played back in windows media player and also recorded on to blu ray dvd ? or DL dvd-r ? the only thing holding me back from buying this is that i read they play back on quicktime .
The Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens is great.The things that were not important to us are software and GPS feature. We use Apple's iPhoto on our MAC to download the pictures and it works great. We kept the GPS turned off. We haven't used the video recording feature much, but have been pleased with it so far.This is a solid, great performing "point and shoot" camera that has some advanced features for folks who know how to use them. The battery life is decent.
There is also a "burst" picture setting which is great for getting action shots - neither the Nikon or Canon offers this.I will say the size and styling of the Panasonic are not perfect - it's much more bulky than the Canon and not as stylish as the Nikon, but the ease of use and fantastic photos more than make up for it in my opinion.I haven't used the GPS function yet (does anyone really need this?)
GPS of sample image pegged my address when viewed on Google Maps, Bing Maps, or GeoHack-Wiki. The IrfanView software (freeware) is great for viewing EXIF data attached to JPEG images by the camera and can map the coordinates of the GPS information in GoogleEarth, and GeoHack-Wiki (access to GoogleEarth, Bing Maps and other GPS aware mapping tools). The Lumix SZ7 pegged the image to my address but about 100 ft from the exact location.
The battery life after the first charge was pathetic; however, the battery is still going strong since the second charge so I don't think there is a problem. I keep the GPS turned off to conserve battery life, but will turn it back on when I travel. The ZS7 connects to my Apple computer and the photos are downloaded by iPhoto and the video clips are downloaded and played by iMovie - no need to use the software provided on the CD.
My Canon has a little instruction manual which I find handy to carry with me for reference. But in all fairness, this is not a drawback unique to the Lumix. Many cameras are coming sans instruction/user manual as a cost savings. Also, the PhotoFun software could be better. But, all in all, I am very happy with this camera and think it could become my main travel camera. I would recommend it to anyone who wants good quality pictures without going to an SLR.
So far I've just archived the avchd to my hard drive until I learn how to natively edit it.The GPS feature on the camera is a fun thing to play around with and in iPhoto I can see all the places I've taken photos at since I've got it, which have been all the way from Mexico to Lake Tahoe, CA. The GPS does seem to eat up the battery a little quicker than with it off, but it is definitely worth it for me.
In my opinion the ZS7 camera stability while using video feature surpasses all other brands panasonic invented... believe me I no because I have had a lot of different panasonic camera's, that image stabalizing is what you need in any camera feature. The extra's that comes with camera are pretty impressive too. Great photo software, and camera uses AVCHD format. The GPS is a plus. I use this camera for when I want to take quick campact picture & videos in tight areas or conditions.
So far, though, I've found little to criticize and much to appreciate. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 is a great camera for anyone who wants to take all types of travel pictures and movies with built-in calendar management, GPS information, and automatic time zone adjustment.
The macro is awesome and provides very nice up close photos. The facial recognition feature works like a charm. I am not a fan of video but have used the video feature a couple of times and find it acceptable and viewable. The sound is fair when using the video feature.I would recommend this camera to anyone who seeks a compact camera for travel or someone who just wants a good camera for all around use.
Answer: I can confirm that Panasonic is full of crap. iPhoto imports Lumix ZS7 photos with GPS data just as seamlessly and automatically as any normal camera. You don't have to manually do anything for it to read the GPS data. Just like exposure data, the GPS data is a part of each photo's EXIF meta data. iPhoto automatically senses it and adds them to Places. Also, movies recorded in AVCHD Lite format also get GPS data attached to them by the camera. MotionJPEG movies do not.It's been my experience that the only reason each camera manufacturer makes their own Windows software, is because there's nothing like iPhoto included with every Windows PC. iPhoto isn't perfect, but it's better than most of the free software cameras come with anyway.DP Review recently tested 10 "Travel Zooms". The Lumix ZS7 and Sony HX5 were the top GPS cameras. The Samsung HZ35W's GPS was deemed "unusable".http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210grouptravelzoom/