Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 Review

August 18, 2010 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 (also known as the Panasonic DMC-FX75) is a new touch-screen digital compact camera. Offering a large 3.0-inch LCD with full touch-screen operation, the 14.1 megapixel FX70 also features a bright f/2.2, 24-120mm 5x zoom lens, HD video at 1280 x 720 pixels in the AVCHD Lite format, Intelligent Resolution technology and improved Intelligent Auto mode with a new Motion Deblur anti-blurring function. The FX70 / FX75 is available in black in Europe and silver and black in the USA, priced at £269 / $299 respectively.

Ease of Use

Successor to the DMC-FX60, the new FX70 combines the point-and-shoot simplicity of that model with the touchscreen interface of the DMC-FX550, but almost entirely dispenses with any external controls, relying instead on interaction via the large 3 inch screen. Outwardly, the solid feeling, pocket-sized Lumix DMC-FX70 has a slim 22.8mm depth and glossy black and silver finish to our review sample. Weighing 1464g without battery or card inserted yet still feeling sturdy when gripped in the palm, feature-wise it includes an ultra wide, Leica branded 24mm lens.

Beneath the unassuming but not unattractive metal and plastic exterior the FX70 packs the advantage of a 5x optical zoom, starting at the aforementioned wide angle 24mm equivalent (in 35mm terms) and peaking at 120mm at the telephoto end. The very bright f2.2 lens is stored compactly within the body when the camera is not in use, and its positioning and eventual prominence ensures, when active, that there's no danger of fingers straying into shot when shooting handheld. Its broad-ish (for a compact) focal range ensures this snapper has most everyday subjects covered, from landscape and group portraits to candid close ups. And, if you don't mind a resolution drop to three megapixels then use can be made of the device's Extra Optical Zoom function which utilises the central part of the CCD sensor - effectively a crop - to boost the reach to a 10.5x zoom equivalent.

Also new to the FX styling is the rounded left-hand side, something of a departure from the previous boxy design. It doesn't really add anything in terms of overall functionality other than making the strap eyelet sit flush with the edge of the camera body, so its appeal is purely aesthetic. There's little if anything provided on the camera's rounded edges or smooth and shiny front and back surfaces for the user to get a firm grip on when taking photographs without the aid of a tripod - save for a small square of nine raised nodules at the back that fall under the thumb - it's important that the FX70's image stabilization proves effective to avoid external wobble translating into blurred images.

Thankfully the FX70 has an effective anti-shake system, on this model the Power O.I.S. variant. Turn it on via the Stabilizer option in the main menu and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 automatically compensates for camera shake, which is a slight blurring of the image that typically occurs at slow shutter speeds when the camera is hand held. There are three different modes, Mode 1 is on all the time including image composition, Mode 2 is only on when you press the shutter button, and there's also an Auto mode. In practice I found that it does make a noticeable difference, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page. You don't notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when anti-shake is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos. Thankfully leaving the anti-shake system on didn't negatively affect the battery-life, with the camera managing just over 350 shots using the supplied rechargeable Li-ion battery.

The High Sensitivity mode also helps combat the effects of camera shake. When this scene mode is selected, the camera automatically raises the ISO speed from 1600 up to a maximum of 6400 and therefore allows for a faster shutter speed. This mode allows you to handhold the DMC-FX70 without using the flash and get more natural results, whilst at the same time freezing subject movement more successfully. There are some obvious drawbacks with this special scene mode, principally a significant reduction in resolution to a maximum of 3 megapixels in the 4:3 aspect ratio, and the Quality is also set the the lowest level. The user guide states that "you can take pictures suitable for 4x6 inch printing" using the High Sensitivity mode. You also need to select the right scene mode and therefore have some idea about when it is applicable to your subject.

The Intelligent ISO menu option is the third way in which the DMC-FX70 attempts to avoid subject blur in low-light conditions. The camera automatically sets the appropriate shutter speed AND ISO speed for the subject that you are taking pictures of. So if you're taking shots of a child indoors, the DMC-FX70 automatically raises the ISO and in turn the shutter speed to avoid blurring the child's movement. If the subject is still, then the camera chooses a lower sensitivity and slower shutter speed. It's a clever idea that works well in practice, with the camera generally choosing an appropriate combination of shutter and ISO speed. You can also limit the maximum ISO speed that the camera can choose, which I'd strongly advise, as the fastest available setting of ISO 1600 produces very noisy images - ISO 800 is a better choice.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Front Rear

From the front the DMC-FX70 displays a clean, unfussy faceplate, with the retractable lens barrel the most prominent feature, top left of which is a lozenge shaped window for the built-in flash - sufficiently clear of the camera edges to avoid fingers partly obscuring it - and to the right, we also find a small porthole housing the reasonably powerful AF assist lamp/self timer indicator.

Moving to the top, set into a nail file-thin brushed metal panel that runs the length of the FX60's top plate is the shutter release button, the largest control here, encircled by a zoom slider with raised lip to the front in order to allow some purchase for the forefinger. Next to this is a partly recessed on/off switch. Power the camera up and in just over a second, we were ready to begin shooting, the rear 3-inch, standard-issue 230k dot resolution LCD having burst into life in the absence of any optical viewfinder alternative. Operate the zoom and the user can move through the complete focal range from wide to tele setting in just over two seconds, which again is fast without being surprisingly so. Also set into the FX70's top strip are two small slots housing the mono built-in microphone plus two rows of four further dots for the integral speaker - so barely noticeable that there's nothing to confuse first-time users here.

A new addition to the FX70 is the useful Motion Picture button which sits alongside the shutter button, a logical position that can be operated with your forefinger. As you'd expect, it allows you to start recording a movie with a single push of a button, and then stop recording by pressing the same button, regardless of which shooting mode is currently selected. This is much quicker and more intuitive than having to select the movie mode then press the shutter button, as on most cameras.

The FX70 can record HD 1280 x 720 movies at 30 frames per second in the AVCHD (MPEG-4/H.264) format. In addition it can also record Motion JPEG movies at 320 x 240 at 30fps, 640 x 480 at 30fps, 848 x 480 at 30fps and 1280 x 720 at 30fps, useful as this format can currently be shared more easily. AVCHD features almost double the recording time in HD quality compared with Motion JPEG, but software support is currently a bit thin on the ground. Panasonic describe it as the best mode for playing back on a HD TV direct from the camera, and Motion JPEG best for email and playing on a computer.

The Panasonic FX70's Intelligent Auto mode also works in movies as well as for still photos. Simply select iA on the mode dial and press the Motion Picture button. The Intelligent Scene Selector automatically determines the most suitable Scene mode from Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery, and Low Light, Face Detection automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts the focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion, Intelligent Exposure continually checks the ambient light level and adjusts the exposure setting as conditions change to prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows, and the POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and Motion Deblur mode help prevent blurring from hand-shake when using the zoom lens.

Stereo sound is recorded during video capture via the large internal mic on top of the camera, which is a big improvement on the rather muffled noises recorded by most digital cameras, helped by the wind cut function which blocks out most of the noise from background wind. The HDMI port allows you to connect the FX70 to a high-def TV set, but only if you purchase the optional HDMI mini-cable. You can simultaneously take still images while recording movies, although only at a reduced resolution of 3.5-megapixels, while the Video Divide function divides the video into two sections to shorten or delete them in-camera.

You can use the zoom lens during recording and really make the most of the 5x focal range, although the zoom speed is unfortunately much slower than for still images and you can hear the zoom mechanism during recording. Focusing is set via the Focus mode dial on the top of the camera. On the negative side, you'll find that if you choose continuous auto-focus, areas of the video will be blurred before becoming sharp again as the camera tries to refocus. On a more positive note, the the FX70 is quite fast at re-focusing, and having this system is much better than not being able to auto-focus at all.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Front Touchscreen LCD

The back of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 is unsurprisingly dominated by the LCD, stretching across almost three quarters of the available space. The DMC-FX70's main innovation is its touchscreen interface. Panasonic have departed from their previous touch-screen cameras, where they wisely restricted the amount of things that you could do by interacting with the screen, now having to push and prod the LCD for almost all the camera's options. A column of five icons on the right of the screen - Exposure Compensation, Flash, Auto Focus, Self-Timer and Display- effectively replaces the FX60's four-way controller and Display buttons, while alogn the bottom are icons for accessing the Quick Menu options, setting the burst shooting mode, and enabling the ability to take a picture simply by touching the screen.

The most immediately noticeable function is the ability to use the 1-area AF mode to focus on your main subject simply by touching it on the LCD. If the subject then moves, the DMC-FX70 cleverly follows it around the screen using the the AF tracking function. If the subject exits the frame entirely, simply recompose and tap it again to start focusing. Impressive stuff that makes focusing on off-center subjects fast and intuitive. It is a little too easy to accidentally press the screen and set the focus point to the wrong area for the current subject, but a simple tap in the middle of the LCD will center the AF point (or you can turn this feature off altogether).

When Intelligent Auto is switched on, the DMC-FX70 changes the scene mode used when you touch the subject, for example selecting portrait mode if you touch a face and macro mode if you touch a close-up flower. If you prefer to manually focus rather than use the snappy AF, you can magnify any part of the subject by 1x, 5x or 10x by simply dragging the image around the screen. The final touchscreen ability from an image composition point of view is the ability to release the shutter, with a small icon on the right hand screen enabling this functionality, and then a single on-screen tap all that's required to take the picture.

Most of the menu options can be changed via the touchscreen interface, notably the Quick Menu and the Info Display menu - the main exception to this rule is the Main Menu, which is still controlled via the navigation buttons. You can also control image playback by touching the screen, with the ability to tap a thumbnail to see the full-size version, scroll through your images by dragging them from side to side, and magnifying them up to 16x.

As mentioned, the control layout at the back does away with virtually all physical controls at the rear in deference to its touch screen, with just three positioned to the right. There's 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 the 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 four 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, where the camera chooses the best settings for the user's chosen subject. Panasonic have tried to make things as easy as possible for the complete beginner by providing this shooting mode, which allows you to point and shoot the camera without having to worry about choosing the right mode or settings. Intelligent Auto Mode automatically determines a number of key criteria when taking a picture, including selecting the most appropriate scene mode (from 5 commonly used presets) and ISO speed, and turning face detection (up to 15 faces, even sideways on), image stabilization and quick auto-focus on. The Intelligent Auto Mode includes Intelligent Exposure, which increases exposure only in the under-exposed areas of the image, Digital Red-eye, which automatically detects and removes red-eye, and AF Tracking, which continually tracks a moving subject and keeps it in focus, without you having to hold the shutter button halfway down as on most other cameras.

Face Recognition is a fun and genuinely useful new feature which "remembers" up to 6 registered faces and then always prioritizes the focus and exposure for that person in future pictures. Very useful for group shots where you want your loved ones to be the centre of attention. You can specify the age of the registered subject, stamp the age of the subject onto your photos, change the focus icon for a particular person, and playback only the photos that contain a certain face. The camera will even automatically switch to Baby mode if someone registered as less than 3 years old appears in the frame!

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

New to the FX70's Intelligent Auto functionality is the Motion Deblur mode, an automatic combination of Intelligent ISO Control and Intelligent Exposure. The former automatically adjusts ISO setting and shutter speed according to the subject’s movement while the latter optimizes the exposure. The camera then sets the appropriate shutter speed to keep the subject sharp, raising the ISO speed if necessary. Three different Colour Effects are available in iA mode, including the rather curious Happy mode, which optimizes color, saturation and brightness to make both photos and movies more vivid. Note that the camera's Intelligent Resolution technology is always activated in the iA mode. This makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, and it also digitally boosts the zoom magnification from 5x to 6.5x.

In practice the Intelligent Auto Mode system works very well, with the camera seamlessly choosing the most appropriate combination of settings for the current situation. The 6 available scene modes are Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery and Sunset, so obviously not all situations are covered by Intelligent Auto Mode, but it does work for the majority of the time. It makes it possible for the less experienced photographer to easily take well-exposed, sharp pictures of people, scenery and close-ups by simply pointing and shooting the camera.

Intelligent Resolution is a brand new feature for Panasonic's 2010 range of compacts. It performs two main functions - it either makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, or it digitally boosts the zoom magnification from 5x to 6.5x with minimal loss of quality and no reduction in resolution. In both cases, it's easy tell which image was taken with Intelligent Resolution turned on and which ones with it turned off, particularly if viewing onscreen at 100% magnification, as our test shots on the Image Quality page show. The difference isn't quite so apparent on a print up to A3 in size, but I'm not convinced enough to recommend it except when you really need the extra reach - it undoubtedly improves on the digital zoom, but not so much that I'd regularly use it.

Intelligent Auto is followed by the Scene Mode option, which lets the user select from amongst a broad range (27 in total). 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.

Normal Picture provides the greatest level of control over what is predominantly a point-and-shoot camera. Select this option and then press the camera's Menu button and you're provided access to a wider range of functionality than offered by the pared down previous modes, laid out across four 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 Normal Picture mode, while the user can likewise also implement intelligent exposure and face recognition mode, as found on other new Lumix models. Among the other tweaks that can be made in Normal Picture 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.

The final shooing mode is the new Cosmetic Mode, which allows you to take creative portrait photos by choosing the skin colour and the intensity. There are three skin colors on offer (soft skin, natural skin, summer look) and three degrees of transparency of skin detail (low, standard, high).

While the left hand flank of the camera - if viewing the FX70 from the rear - is devoid of any features, the right hand side features an indented eyelet for attaching the provided wrist strap, alongside which are two covered ports for attaching a HDMI cable and connecting the camera up to the TV and a combined AV out/USB socket. The latter cables for this at least comes provided in the box, although there's no HDMI cable supplied. At the base of the FX70 we find a metal screw thread for a tripod which is inconveniently located in the far-left corner, alongside which is a sliding compartment that houses both the rechargeable battery and a slot for an optional SD / SDHC card.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 14 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5.5Mb.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 produced images of good quality during the review period. The 1/2.33 inch, 14 megapixel MOS sensor used in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 produces noise-free images at ISO 80-200, with limited noise and colour desaturation starting to appear at ISO 400. ISO 800 exhibits quite visible noise, smearing of fine detail and colour desaturation, and ISO 1600 is even noisier, although still usable for small prints.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 dealt fairly well with chromatic aberrations, with some purple fringing effects appearing mostly in high contrast situations. The flash worked well indoors, with a little red-eye and adequate exposure. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 60 seconds allowing you to capture plenty of light. Anti-shake is a feature that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range.

Macro performance is very good, allowing you to focus as close as 3cms away from the subject. The images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting if you don't like the default results. The new Intelligent Resolution feature either makes a standard image look sharper, albeit with some unwanted artefacts appearing, or it digitally increases the 5x optical zoom to 6.5x, again with a slight loss in quality.

Noise

There are 6 ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70. 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)

Focal Range

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70's 5x zoom lens provides a focal length of 24-120mm in 35mm terms, as demonstrated below.

24mm

120mm

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. You can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default look.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

File Quality

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

14M Fine (5.71Mb) (100% Crop) 14M Normal (3.36Mb) (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 handled chromatic aberrations fairly well during the review. There's some purple fringing between areas of high contrast, but it's only noticeable on close inspection, as shown in the examples below.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Example 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 3cms 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-FX70 are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, and Flash Synchro. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (24mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (24mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (120mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (120mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are a couple of portrait shots. Both the Forced On setting or the Auto/Red-eye Reduction option caused a tiny amount of red-eye.

Forced On

Forced On (100% Crop)
   

Auto/Red-eye Reduction

Auto/Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70's maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds in Manual shooting mode and the Starry Sky Mode scene mode, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 80. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Anti Shake

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images to show the results. As you can see, with anti shake turned on, the images are much sharper than with anti shake turned off. This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)

Anti Shake On (100% Crop)

1/10th / 24mm
1/2th / 120mm

Intelligent Resolution

The Intelligent Resolution feature either makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, or it digitally boosts the zoom magnification from 5x to 6.5x.

Off

On

   

i.Zoom

 
 
   

Off

i.Zoom

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 camera, which were all taken using the 14.1 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 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 11 second movie is 18.1Mb in size.

Product Images

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Front of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Front of the Camera / Turned On

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Isometric View

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Isometric View

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Rear of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Rear of the Camera / Quick Menu

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Top of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70
Bottom of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70
Side of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70

Side of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70
Front of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70
Front of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70
Memory Card Slot
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 marries an effective touchscreen interface with a fast, wide-angle 5x zoom lens and the tried and tested FX series styling, resulting in a classy point-and-shoot that delivers satisfying picture quality. Having to operate almost everything by interacting with the LCD does inevitably slow things down though, so it's best to try before you buy if possible.

The fast F/2.2 lens is a cut above the rest of FX70's competitors, allowing the camera to collect more light and effectively allowing you to use a slower ISO speed to achieve a similar shutter speed. Having such a wide-angle setting of 24mm is also a real attraction of this model, with the telephoto reach of 120mm enough for candid head and shoulder shots. The move up to a 14.1 megapixel sensor doesn't really improve the image quality compared to the previous FX60 model, other than slightly increasing the amount of resolution, with noise readily apparent at ISO 400 and much more obvious at ISO 800 along with smearing of fine details, with the fastest speed of ISO 1600 being something of a last resort.

The touchscreen interface is well-thought out, extending the FX550's hybrid approach so that most options are set directly via the LCD. If you've used any kind of recent Apple product or Smart Phone, you'll be right at home, and the system isn't overly complex for new users to literally get to grips with. The jury's still out for us on whether a touchscreen interface makes absolute sense for a digital camera, but the ability to focus on and even capture your subject with the touch of a finger is undeniably appealing and genuinely useful.

An official asking price of £269 / $299 doesn't feel like too much for such a cutting-edge yet still very accomplished camera. If you're in the market for a compact point-and-shoot with a difference, then the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 certainly fits the bill.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4
Image quality 4
Value for money 4

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX70 from around the web.

trustedreviews.com »

It had to happen sooner of later. Panasonic has finally changed the design of its flagship luxury compact model, a body shape that has been around since the launch of the original DMC-FX1 in 2003, and continued virtually unaltered through the FX3, FX33, FX35, FX37, FX40 and even last year's FX60. However Panasonic has just launched the latest in the series, the new Lumix DMC-FX70, and has changed the design. Don't get too excited though; they've only changed one end of it.
Read the full review »

reviews.cnet.co.uk »

The 14.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-FX70 is one of Panasonic's top-end compact cameras. It's not quite in the same territory as the new Lumix DMC-LX5, which is aimed more at serious enthusiasts. Instead, it's pitched at tech-savvy shooters who lust after cutting-edge automation, 720p movies and touchscreen control. But is it worth £250 or thereabouts?
Read the full review »

Specifications

Optics

Camera Effective Pixels 14.1 Megapixels
Sensor Size / Total Pixels / Filter 1/2.33-inch / 14.5 Total Megapixels / Primary Color Filter
Aperture F2.2 - 5.9/ Iris Diaphragm (F2.2 - 6.3 (W) / F5.9 - 6.3 (T))
Optical Zoom 5x
Focal Length f=4.3-21.5mm (24-120mm in 35mm equiv.)
Extra Optical Zoom (EZ) 5.9x (4:3 / 10M), 7.0x (4:3 / 7M), 8.4x (4:3 / 5M), 10.5x (under 3M)
Intelligent Zoom 6.5x
Lens LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON / 7 elements in 6 groups / (3 Aspherical Lenses / 5 Aspherical surfaces / X ED Lenses)
Optical Image Stabilizer Power O.I.S. (Off / Auto / Mode1 / Mode2)
Digital Zoom 4x / ( Max. 20.0 x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom ) / (Max. 42.2 x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Focusing Area Normal: Wide 50 cm - infinity / Tele 100 cm - infinity / Macro / Intelligent AUTO / Clipboard: Wide 3 cm - infinity / Tele 100cm - infinity
Focus Range Display Yes
AF Assist Lamp Yes
Focus Normal / Macro, Zoom Macro, Quick AF On/Off (On in Intelligent Auto), AF Tracking, Touch AF/AE
AF Metering Face / AF Tracking / 11pt / 1pt HS / 1pt / Spot
Shutter Speed Still: 8 - 1/2000 sec / Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec.
Shutter Interval approx. sec

Recording

Motion Deblur mode Yes
ISO Sensitivity Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / High Sensitivity (ISO 1600-6400)
Face Recognition Photo
Optical Image Stabilizer Photo & Movie
Intelligent ISO Control Photo
Face Detection Photo & Movie
Intelligent Scene Selector Photo (Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Sunset, Macro)
Intelligent Exposure Photo & Movie
AF Tracking Photo & Movie
Digital Red Eye Correction (Red-Eye Removal) Photo
Intelligent Resolution Technology Photo & Movie
File Format Still Image: JPEG(DCF/Exif2.3) / Image with Audio: JPEG (DCF / Exif2.3) + QuickTime / Motion picture: AVCHD Lite, QuickTime Motion JPEG
AVCHD Lite REC NTSC / PAL (Depends on Region)
Mode Switch [Recording] / [Playback]
One-Touch Movie Button Yes
Mode Dial / Mode Button Intelligent Auto, Normal Picture, Cosmetic, SCN
Still Image Scene Mode Portrait, Transform, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Panorama Assist, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, / Pet, Sunset, High sensitivity, Hi-Speed Burst, Flash Burst, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial photo, Pinhole, Film Grain, High Dynamic(Standard, Art, B&W), Photo Frame
Movie Scene Mode Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Low Light, Food, Party, Candle Light, Sunset, Beach, Snow, Aerial, Pinhole, Film Grain, Underwater, High Sensitivity, High Dynamic(Standard, Art, B&W) / (Activated by selecting Still Picture Scene Mode then pressing movie button. Still Picture Scene Modes without corresponding Movie Scene Mode is recorded in Normal Mode)
Continuous Shooting Mode Full-Resolution Image, 1.8 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)
Flash Burst Continuous Shooting Mode Max. 5 images (Standard mode)
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 pixels, / NTSC Mode: NTSC model: 60p(CCD output is 30p) / PAL model: 50p(CCD output is 25p) / (AVCHD Lite, SH: 17Mbps / H:13Mbps / L:9Mbps ) / / 30fps (Motion JPEG)
AVCHD Lite with picture quality set to [SH] (Continuous recordable time) approx.110 min (TBD)
MOTION JPEG with picture quality set to [HD] (Continuous recordable time) approx.110 min (TBD)
AVCHD Lite with picture quality set to [SH] (Actual recordable time) approx.60 min (TBD)
MOTION JPEG with picture quality set to [HD] [[SH] (Actual recordable time) approx.60 min (TBD)
Exposure Program AE
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
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple
Aspect Ratio 4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9/1:1
Still Picture Recording [4:3]4320x3240(14M) / 3648x2736(10M) / 3072x2304(7M) / 2560x1920(5M) / 2048X1536(3M)?/ 640X480(0.3M) / [3:2]4320x2880 (12.5M) / 3648x2432 (9M) / 3072x2048 (6M) / 2560x1712 (4.5M) / 2048x1360 (2.5M) / 640x424 (0.3M) / [16:9]4320x2432 (10.5M) / 3648x2056 (7.5M) / 3072x1728 (5.5M) / 2560x1440 (3.5M) / 1920x1080 (2M) / 640x360 (0.2M) / [1:1]3232x3232 (10.5M) / 2736x2736 (7.5M) / 2304x2304 (5.5M) / 1920x1920 (3.5M) / 1536x1536 (2.5M)/ 480x480 (0.2M)
Image Quality Fine / Standard
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set / (Selectable at Portrait, Transform, Self-Portrait, Panorama Assist, Sports, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity, Highspeed Burst, Pinhole, Photo Frame, High Dynamic, Cosmetic?
Quick Menu Yes
Color Mode / Color Effect Standard, Vivid, Natural, Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm, Happy (only in iA Mode)
Still Image with Audio Recording 5 sec
Real-time histogram Yes
Composition Guide line Yes (2 pattern)
Auto Review 1sec, 2sec, Hold
Easy Zoom / Zoom Resume No / No
Optical Zoom in Motion Picture Yes
Macro Zoom Yes
Orientation Detector Yes
Scene Mode Help Screen Yes
Self Timer 2sec / 10sec
Focus Icon Select Yes (in Face Recognition only)

Playback

Face Recognition Edit Yes
Playback Mode Normal Playback, Slideshow, Category Playback, Favorites Playback
Thumbnails / Zoomed Playback 12,30-thumbnails / Max 16x / Touch Maginification
Calendar Display / Dual-Image Playback Yes / No
Set Favorites / Rotate Image Yes / No
Playback Still Images with Audio Yes
Playback Motion Picture Yes ( AVC HD Lite / Motion JPEG)
Slideshow Mode All / Still Images Only / Motion Picture Only / Category / Favorites / BGM Effect (Natural / Slow / Swing / Urban / OFF)
Show Histogram Yes
Delete Image Single / Multi / All / All except Favorites
DPOF Print Setting / Set Protection Yes / Yes
Resize / Trim / Aspect Conv. / Leveling Yes / Yes / No / Yes
Copy / Title Edit / Text Stamp Yes / Yes / Yes
Video Divide Yes
PictBridge Support Single / Multi / All / Favorites / DPOF

Setup

OSD language Japanese, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Movie REC Guide Yes
Wind-Cut in Motion Picture Yes
Travel Date / World Time Yes / Yes

Metrics

Dimensions (W x H x D) 102.5 x 55.0 x 22.8 mm / excl. protrusions: XX.X mm (4.06 x 2.17 x 0.89 in / excl. protrusions: 0.XX in)
Weight Approx. 165g with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.36 lb) / Approx. 144g without Battery and SD Memory Card (0.32 lb)

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
Touch Panel Yes (Touch Shutter, Touch AF Tracking)
Built-in-Flash Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off / 0.6 - 7.4m (Wide/ISO Auto), 1.0 - 2.8m (Tele/ISO Auto)
Recording Media Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Built-in-Memory Approx. 40MB
Microphone / Speaker Mono / Yes
Interface AV Output (NTSC/PAL, NTSC only for N. America), mini HDMI, USB2.0 High speed, DC Input (requires optional DC Coupler)
Viera Link Yes
HDMI output Video: Auto / 1080i / 720p / 480p(576p for PAL) / Audio: Mono
Power ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, Minimum: 940mAh) (Included) / AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional)
Battery life (approx.) 360 pictures (CIPA Standard)(TBD)
Included Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition / QuickTime / Adobe Reader
Standard Accessories Battery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery Case, Stylus Pen, AV Cable, USB Cable, AC Cable, Hand Strap, CD-ROM

Further Specifications

NOTE • Motion pictures can be recorded continuously for up to 15 minutes in European PAL area.

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