Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 Review

June 19, 2009 | Gavin Stoker | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 (also known as the DMC-FX580 in the USA) is a new touch-screen digital camera. Offering a large 3.0-inch LCD screen, the 12.1 megapixel FX550 combines touch screen operation with standard cursor key control. Other key features of the Panasonic FX 550 include a 25-125mm 5x zoom lens, HD video at 1280 x 720 pixels, manual adjustment of the aperture, new Venus Engine V processing engine and improved Intelligent Auto mode. Available in black or silver, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 retails for £299 in the UK and $399.95 in the US.

Ease of Use

Looking for a small yet robustly built compact to pack with your holiday gear this summer? Panasonic's Lumix range of digital compacts has of late delivered one of the most consistent and reliable performances in the industry. So we expect nothing less from its latest incarnation in the shape of the 12.1 effective megapixel DMC-FX550 - again bolting a user-friendly ethos onto a class-leading feature set.

Though the brushed metal faceplate is an attractive feature, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550's design is distinctly boxy, traditional even. It's no match in the style stakes for recent efforts from Sony and Canon in the Cyber-shot and IXUS ranges respectively, but it does feel reassuringly solid at 167g without accessories and well made too when gripped in the palm. This goes some way toward justifying its premium level price tag of £294 in the UK.

Where the FX550 breaks with convention (at least as far as Panasonic is concerned) is in its implementation of a 3-inch, 230k-dot touch screen at the rear. Yet it can't seem to go the whole hog. Unlike, say, Sony's new T900 or identically priced T90, the Panasonic still features a side panel of physical buttons and controls that fall readily under the thumb. It's a surprise to find that these are as numerous and comprehensive as you'd expect to find on a compact without touch operation.

The screen also self adjusts brightness dependant on ambient light conditions with, says Panasonic, 11 available settings for it to choose from. On board is the fifth incarnation of Panasonic's Venus Engine claimed to have sped up processing up to 2.4x its predecessor. Not that you'd notice as its operational performance is on a par with, and certainly no better, than recent rivals such as Sony's T90.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 again features Leica branded optics and here a 5x optical zoom, starting at an ultra wide angle 25mm and stretching to an equivalent 125mm (in 35mm terms) at the telephoto end. Not bad given the camera is just 21.9mm deep. As expected, optical image stabilisation is on board to help prevent image blur resulting from camera shake when shooting handheld at the extremities of the zoom, or in low light. To avoid the use of flash in such circumstances, the camera's slight sensitivity range runs from a manually selectable ISO 80 to ISO 1600, though an auto High Sensitivity mode (selected from among the on-board scene options) cherry picks settings for the user between ISO 1600 and a new maximum of ISO 6400.

As this is 2009, this latest Lumix also features High Definition movie recording, replay-able in QuickTime on your desktop, though at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels rather than a Full HD 1920x1080. Still, frame rate is a smooth 30fps, and the user has the choice of downgrading to 848x480, 640x480 or 320x240 pixels in order to fit more (memory hungry) footage onto SD or SDHC card, the length of each video hindered only by the space available for it.

Removable media is an optional extra, with a 40MB internal capacity as a fall back. Likewise optional, sadly, is the component cable required to hook the camera up directly to an HD TV. Disappointing also is that use of the optical zoom is not possible when shooting movies. It merely stays put in the position you left it in before starting to film.

For those who want to shoot action, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 offers a maximum continuous capture speed of a very-respectable-for-its-class 10 frames per second (fps) in 4:3 image ratio, the compromise being a resolution drop to three megapixels to achieve such oomph. Should this prove a compromise too far, an acceptable 2.3fps is otherwise offered at full resolution.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550
Front Rear

As mentioned, the front of the FX550 presents a flatly austere yet not unsophisticated air; the internally stacked lens dominates, with a porthole for the camera's self-timer and AF assist lamp top right, plus a narrow oblong window for the built-in flash situated top left. Being close to, if at least not directly above the lens, red eye can be an obvious problem. Most of the flash settings therefore come twinned with an automatic red eye setting that detects and then corrects for you; the regular auto, forced on and off flash settings joined by one for slow sync.

While the front of the camera has a clean and uncluttered look, so too does the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550's top plate. Looking down on it, at the far right we find a small button marked 'E.Zoom' - or 'Easy Zoom'. Press this and in just under two seconds the camera propels the zoom from maximum wideangle to telephoto - should the use of the slider switch (for manual, incremental adjustment of the zoom) that encircles the shutter release button prove too taxing.

Press 'E.Zoom' a second time and the FX550 will zoom in further to an equivalent 9.8x, but since this is in effect cropping the image - or rather utilising only the central part of the CCD - the resolution drops to three megapixels as a result. A largely unnecessary gimmick perhaps, but it all adds to the Panasonic's user-friendly feel - as exemplified by the ability to rely on the camera's competent intelligent auto (iA) mode - no doubt the default setting for most would be users - and simply point and shoot for the most part.

To the left of this teeny button is the aforementioned zoom slider surrounding the large and springy shutter release button, to the left of which again is a sliding on/off switch. Flick this to on and the camera powers up in a couple of seconds, lens extending from flush to the body to maximum wideangle setting and the rear LCD blinking into life a second or so later. Press the shutter release down half way and the camera determines focus and exposure in just over a second, AF point - or points - flashing green and the camera giving a bleep of affirmation.

Go on to take the shot and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 commits a maximum resolution JPEG to memory in two to three seconds, the screen blanking out momentarily then freezing to display the captured image as it does so. Alternatively, utilising the FX550's touch receptive LCD, users can themselves specify a point of an image to which focus and exposure should be biased by prodding the on-screen icon marked 'AF/AE'. A yellow cursor appears on the screen once you've done this and, if the camera itself is then moved as the scene is re-composed, said cursor 'dances' about trying to stay on target. A cancel button stays in the bottom right of the screen should you want to opt out of this mode at any time with a further press.

Back to the top of the camera for a moment, and we find a single slit for a built-in mono microphone alongside the on/off switch, just along from which again is a quartet of similarly sized slits for the integral speaker. As expected sound quality is tinny and comes with an operational hiss, but it's of adequate quality for at least making sure you've got what you wanted as an aide memoire when out and about.

While the left hand flank of the camera - if viewing the FX550 from the rear - is devoid of any features, the right hand side features an indented eyelet for attaching the provided wrist strap, beneath which are two covered ports for attaching a component cable and connecting the camera up to the TV (an optional extra) and a combined AV out/USB socket. The two cables for this at least come provided in the box, along with a mains charger and plug.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550
Front Top

The back of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 is unsurprisingly dominated by the LCD, stretching across almost three quarters of the available space; as mentioned though, the control layout at the back resembles a camera with a regular LCD. In that, unlike say the Sony T900 - that does away with all physical controls at the rear in deference to its touch screen - the FX550 still includes most of the usual suspects.

At the top right of the camera back we have a slider switch for alternating between image playback and capture modes. Unlike on most competing models that allow you to quickly jump out of review mode with a half press of the shutter release button should a photo opportunity arise, here you have to physically flick the slider and wait for the camera to adjust settings. Better perhaps then to have capture mode as the camera's default setting and ideally have a separate dedicated playback button. Beneath this, instead of the regular mode wheel, we get a mode button. Press it in capture mode and eight options appear on screen as lozenge shaped icons, each large enough to select with a finger press.

The choices are the self explanatory intelligent auto - the camera chooses the best settings for the user's chosen subject - followed by a My Scene mode, which lets the user select their own default or custom scene setting from amongst a broad range (26 in total) and so attribute it to that button. Not only do we get a portrait mode, we also get a soft skin portrait mode and the ability to physically stretch or re-shape a person's physique (to high or low degrees), plus, ape-ing the latest Olympus DSLRs, a pinhole camera and film grain modes. High-speed burst and flash burst mode can also be selected. A pretty comprehensive range then, bettered only by Casio's BestShot equipped cameras.

These settings are then repeated by the next lozenge shaped control - Scene mode itself - which is followed by Program AE. Select this option and then press the camera's menu set button and you're provided access to a wider range of functionality than offered by the pared down previous modes, laid out across five successive screens; namely the ability to adjust not only picture size and quality but ISO sensitivity too.

As expected, white balance plus metering modes - multi zone, centre weighted or spot can be manually selected in Program mode, while the user can likewise also implement intelligent exposure and face recognition mode, as found on the newer Lumix models. This allows the user to name and register a particular face with the camera so that it will recognize said 'visog' and bias focus and exposure toward it in the future. Useful for families and stalkers perhaps but again it feels like a gimmick in search of a purpose.

Among the other tweaks that can be made in Program mode is the ability to alter contrast, sharpness, saturation and the degree of noise reduction via a plus or minus slider, while image stabilization can be turned on or off. Other lozenge buttons accessed via a touch of the screen are aperture priority and shutter priority, plus manual exposure (providing on-screen sliders to manually adjust aperture and shutter speed) and finally the aforementioned motion picture mode. The latter presents a cropped version of the screen, with black bands top and bottom to suggest a 16:9 picture ratio.

Beneath the mode button is an identically sized 'display' button. As a default the user is presented with the usual grouping of shooting info, including mode selected, remaining shots, battery life, resolution and compression level. Press this and a nine zone compositional grid appears on screen for those practicing the rule of thirds. Press it again and all icons disappear leaving you with the 'naked' image as seen through the lens.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Moving further down the camera back we find a four-way grouping of cursor buttons with the familiar menu/set button at their centre. At 12 o'clock in the grouping we find a button for adjusting exposure compensation on the fly (-/+ 2EV). At three o'clock there is access to the flash settings; here auto, auto with red eye correction, forced flash on, slow sync with red eye correction, plus flash off. At six o'clock we have the camera's macro mode: either AF macro or macro zoom, with the ability to get as close as a perfectly acceptable 5cm to your subject. At nine o'clock is a fourth button, this one for selecting self-timer options: either two seconds, ten seconds or off. All of the above are pretty run of the mill for any compact of course.

A point of difference is the final small button near the base of the camera back marked 'Q.Menu' or Quick Menu, which also doubles up as a handy delete button. Press this and the number of options available to you via the touch screen is dependent on which of the previous modes the user has selected. If pressing this with the camera in Program mode, for example, the screen fills with an almost dizzying array of virtual buttons providing access to the same options as displayed by pressing 'menu' - but here at least the user doesn't have to scroll through the menu screens to find them. Thus we get the ability to manually and yes, quickly, tweak white balance, implement the stabilizer and so on.

Switching to playback mode, users can also utilize the screen to touch the portion of the image they want to zero in on and the camera does the rest, zooming up to 16x. Unfortunately it can't yet pan around corners Blade Runner style. A press of the mode button in playback apes the number of options provided in capture mode by again providing a series of buttons. The first is for 'normal play' mode which is exactly as it sounds: the captured image appears on screen and you use the cursor buttons right of the LCD to tab through saved pictures, as with any other digital compact.

The second button/mode is marked 'dual play', and as you might expect this displays two images on screen: one image alongside the next in the sequence so the user can compare them. Though this is a feature we haven't realized we've been missing until now, it proves useful if you've taken two shots of the same subject and are deciding which to save or delete to free up storage capacity.

The next button along in playback mode is the self-explanatory 'slideshow', which lets users play back images according to category, favourites or all together. A second category button further refines things, allowing users to playback images taken in only landscape mode for example, while the next button along allows users to actually categorise image as favourites, embark on some minimal in-camera image editing, with the ability to tilt and level an image if your horizons are 'off' being something we haven't seen offered before. Users can also add titles to an image - a virtual keyboard appears on screen, and resultant text can then be 'stamped' on an image so that it appears at the print stage if the user so desires.

The remaining playback mode 'buttons' meanwhile are calendar, multi playback and a dedicated 'favourite play' button that calls up images previously earmarked as favourites. So, although the FX550 appears a traditional, run of the mill compact on the outside, there's in fact quite an impressively broad range of functionality accessible to the user. It raises the question is this 'merely' a snapshot camera, or one masquerading as user-friendly creative studio?

The bottom of the camera features a lockable sliding door covering the joint battery and media card compartment, next to which is a screw thread for attaching the FX550 to a tripod. The fact that the Panasonic's FX550's rechargeable lithium ion battery boasts 350 shots from a single charge may be so-so, but beats the 200-odd we achieved from recent Sony Cyber-shot rivals in the T90 and T900.

So, what we have in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 is a camera that transcends its un-flashy exterior, and a reasonably intuitive one to use at that.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12.1 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 7Mb.

Shots from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 are crisp and clear with a nice level of detail provided and coolly naturalistic colours. That said, occasionally when shooting landscapes the camera can bias the green hues in the foreground and thus render what should be deep blue skies a rather unrealistic overly processed looking turquoise instead.

Under bright conditions there's also the usual subtle intrusion of pixel fringing between areas of high contrast in an image, but this only noticeable when zooming in and actively looking for it, and images are for the most part evenly exposed - unless you're dealing with the admittedly tricky scenario of flat grey featureless skies and dark foregrounds.

Under a smattering of typical conditions and subjects then the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 performs well enough through its broad focal range. There is a degree of curvature/barrel distortion when shooting at maximum wide angle - most noticeable in our white wall shots - but again this isn't a deal breaker.

In terms of low light performance, noise makes an appearance at ISO 400, but again at a level that would not be noticeable unless zooming in to look for it in shadow areas - as we did. By ISO 800, such noise is starting to erode detail but the image remains usable. At ISO 1600 however pictures start to increasingly resemble impressionist paintings, which suggests that Panasonic was right not to tempt fate by offering a higher setting.

Noise

There are 6 ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately you can't change the in-camera sharpening level.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

Chromatic Aberrations

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 handled chromatic aberrations very well during the review, with limited purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the example below.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Example 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 5cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro Shot

100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Forced Off - Wide Angle (25mm)

Forced On - Wide Angle (25mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Forced Off - Telephoto (125mm)

Forced On - Telephoto (125mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Auto/Red-eye Reduction settings caused any red-eye.

Forced On

Forced On (100% Crop)
   

Auto/Red-eye Reduction

Auto/Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550's maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds in the Starry Sky Mode scene mode (there are also 15 and 30 second options) and 8 seconds in the Night Scenery mode, which is good news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1/8th second at ISO 400. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like. The camera takes the same amount of time again to apply noise reduction, so for example at the 15 second setting the actual exposure takes 30 seconds.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 camera, which were all taken using the 12.1 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1280x720 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 73Mb in size.

Product Images

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Front of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Front of the Camera / Turned On

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Isometric View

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Isometric View

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Rear of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Top of the Camera

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Bottom of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Side of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Side of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Memory Card Slot

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

Though first impressions of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 are of a camera as unassuming as its plain, silver grey faceplate (it's also available in a more sophisticated black), the more you play with it the more that exterior changes in your mind's eye from boring to exuding a quiet confidence. Yes, at its heart the FX550 is still 'merely' a point and shoot camera, yet Panasonic has packed some neat extras under the hood that raise it up a notch or two and suggest there's no resting on laurels going on here. You literally get more than you bargained for.

It will take beginners a little while to get to grips with all that's on offer - a lot of it 'hidden' away within menus so as not to spoil the operational 'flow' - but until then there's intelligent auto to fall back on. Left on that user-friendly setting the camera delivers a reasonably accurate and consistent performance, with of course the choice of switching to Program mode if the user is dissatisfied and wants to take on a greater degree of personal control.

The Lumix FX550 therefore feels like a worthy addition to the range, rather than one that's acting as the latest market saturating stopgap between one release and the next that many of its competitors are guilty of. A little Internet investigation should also shave a few pounds that asking price, with, at the time of writing, e-tailers offering the camera for between £230 and £260. A Photography Blog Recommendation then, with the caveats as given above and in the body of this review.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4
Features 4
Ease-of-use 4
Image quality 4
Value for money 4

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 from around the web.

whatdigitalcamera.com »

The Panasonic Lumix FX550 (or FX580 as it’s known Stateside) is Panasonic’s latest 12.1 megapixel compact camera. The FX550 incorporates a 3in touch screen and wide angle 25mm lens to boot. If you’re looking to review which wide angle compact to buy this year then the Panasonic FX550 is a sure-fire contender. Read on for the What Digital Camera Panasonic FX550 review…
Read the full review »

Specifications

Optics

Camera Effective Pixels 12.1 Megapixels
Sensor Size / Total Pixels / Filter 1/2.33-inch / 12.7 Total Megapixels / Primary Colour Filter
Aperture F2.8 - 5.9 / Iris Diaphragm (F2.8 - 8 (W) / F5.9 - 8 (T))
Optical Zoom 5x
Focal Length f=4.4-22.0mm (25-125mm in 35mm equiv.)
Extra Optical Zoom (EZ) 6.1x (4:3 / 8M), 7.8x (4:3 / 5M), 9.8x (under 3M)
Lens LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT / 7 elements in 6 groups / (4 Aspherical Lenses / 6 Aspherical surfaces, 1 EA lens)
Optical Image Stabilizer MEGA O.I.S. (Auto / Mode1 / Mode2)
Digital Zoom 4x / ( Max. 20.0 x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom ) / (Max.39.2x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Focusing Area Normal: Wide 50cm/ Tele 100cm - infinity / Macro / Intelligent AUTO : Wide 5cm / Tele 100cm - infinity
Focus Range Display Yes
AF Assist Lamp Yes
Focus Normal / Macro, Touch AF/AE Tracking (On / Off), Quick AF (Always On)
AF Metering Face / Touch AF/AE Tracking / Multi (11pt) / 1pt HS / 1pt / Spot
Shutter Speed 60-1/2000 sec (Selectable minimum shutter speed) / Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec.

Recording

Face Recognition Photo
Optical Image Stabilizer Photo & Movie
Intelligent ISO Control Photo
Face Detection Photo
Intelligent Scene Selector Photo (Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Macro)
Intelligent Exposure Photo (Low / Medium / Strong / OFF)
AF Tracking Photo
Digital Red Eye Correction Photo
File Format Still Image: JPEG (DCF / Exif2.21) / Image with Audio: JPEG (DCF / Exif2.21) + QuickTime / Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Mode Switch [Recording] / [Playback]
Mode Button Intelligent AUTO, MySCN, SCN, Motion Picture, P(Program) mode, A(AperturePriority) mode, S(Shutter Priority) mode, M(Manual) mode
Still Picture Scene Mode Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Panorama Assist, Sports, Night Portrait, / Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High sensitivity, / Hi-Speed Burst (Image Priority / Speed Priority), Flash Burst, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, / Aerial photo, Pinhole, Film Grain
Continuous Shooting Mode Full-Resolution Image, 2.3 frames/sec Max. 5 images (Standard mode), Max 3 images (Fine Mode) / High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 6.0 frames/sec (image priority) approx. 10 frames/sec (speed priority) (recorded in 3M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Unlimited consecutive shooting 1.8 frames/sec
Motion Picture Recording [4:3] VGA: 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (Motion JPEG) QVGA: 320 x 240 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG) / [16:9] WVGA: 848 x 480 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG) / [HD Movie] 1280x720, 30fps (Motion JPEG)
Exposure Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV
Backlight Compensation Yes (only in Intelligent AUTO mode)
Auto (AE) Bracketing '+/- 1/3 EV ~1EV step, 3 frames
Colour Bracketing Standard / Black & White / Sepia (3 images)
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple/ Center Weighted/ Spot
ISO Sensitivity Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 High Sensitivity (ISO 1600-6400)
Max Auto ISO Setting Yes
Aspect Ratio 4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9
Still Picture Recording [4:3] 4000 x 3000(12M)/ 3264 x 2448 (8M EZ) / 2560 x 1920 (5M EZ) / 2048 x 1536 (3M EZ) / 1600 x 1200 (2M EZ) / 640 x 480 (0.3M EZ) / [3:2] 4000 x 2672(10.5M) / 3264 x 2176 (7M EZ) / 2560 x 1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048 x 1360 (2.5M EZ) / [16:9] 4000 x 2248(9M) / 3264 x 1840 (6M EZ) / 2560 x 1440 (3.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (2M EZ)
Image Quality Fine / Standard
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set / Color Temperature / White Balance Adjustment (2-axis adjustable, ±9steps each, Blue/Amber and Magenta/Green bias) / (Selectable at Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-Portrait, Sports, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity, Highspeed Burst, Pinhole, Panorama Assist mode?
Quick Menu Yes
Colour Effect Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm
Picture Adjustment Contrast ±2steps / Sharpness ±2steps / Saturation ±2steps / Noise Reduction ±2steps
Still Image with Audio Recording 5 sec
Audio Dubbing Max. 10sec
Real-time histogram Yes
Composition Guide line Yes (2 patterns)
Auto Review 1sec, 2sec, Zoom, Hold
Easy Zoom / Zoom Resume Yes / No
Zoom Macro Yes
Orientation Detector Yes
Scene Mode Help Screen Yes
Self Timer 2sec / 10sec
Focus Icon Select Yes (in Face Recognition only)

Playback

Playback Mode Normal Playback, Easy Organization, Thumbnails, Calendar Display, Slideshow, Category Playback, Favourites Playback, Dual-Image Playback
Easy Organization Set Favourites / Delete / Edit (Resize / Trimming / Leveling / Title Edit / Text Stamp / Protect)
Touch Zoom Yes
Thumbnails / Zoomed Playback 12,30-thumbnails / Max 16x
Calender Display / Dual-Image Playback Yes / Yes
Set Favorites / Rotate Image Yes / No
Playback Still Images with Audio Yes
Playback Motion Picture Yes (Motion JPEG)
Slideshow Mode All Still Images / Favourites / Category / BGM Effect (Natural / Slow / Swing / Urban / OFF)
Show Histogram Yes
Show Highlights Yes
Delete Image Single / Multi / All / All except Favourites
DPOF Print Setting / Set Protection Yes / Yes
Resize / Trim / Aspect Conv. / Leveling Yes / Yes / No / Yes
Copy / Title Edit/ Text Stamp Yes / Yes / Yes
PictBridge Support Single / Multi / All / Favourites / DPOF

Setup

OSD language Japanese, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Travel Date / World Time Yes / Yes

Others

LCD Monitor 3.0" TFT Touch Screen LCD Display (230K dots) / Field of View : approx. 100%, Wide Viewing Angle / AUTO Power LCD mode, Power LCD mode
Built-in-Flash Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off 0.6 - 6.0m (Wide/ISO Auto), 1.0 - 2.8m (Tele/ISO Auto)
Recording Media Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard (Still image only)
Built-in-Memory approx. 40MB
Microphone / Speaker Mono / Yes
Interface HD Component Output, AV Output (NTSC/PAL or NTSC only) / USB2.0 High speed, DC Input (requires optional DC Coupler)

General

Power ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 940mAh) (Included) / AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional)
Battery life (approx.) 350 pictures (CIPA Standard)
Included Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO v3.0 / ArcSoft (MediaImpression / Panorama Maker) / USB Driver, QuickTime
Standard Accessories Battery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery Case / AV Cable, USB Connection Cable, AC Cable / Hand Strap, CD-ROM, Touch Pen
Dimensions(W x H x D) 94.9 x 57.1 x 21.9 mm (3.74 x 2.25 x 0.86 in)
Weight Approx. 145g (0.32 lb) Approx. 167g with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.37 lb)

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