Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07 Review
Review Date: November 20th 2006
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Introduction
The new Panasonic DMC-FX07 takes over from its predecessor, the FX01, as the smallest digital camera in the world with a 28mm wide-angle digital zoom lens. The FX07 offers a 28-102mm, 3.6x zoom lens in a stylish and ultra-compact metal body. The Panasonic DMC-FX07 also features a 7 megapixel sensor, 2.5 inch LCD screen, and as with all Panasonic cameras, the company's MEGA O.I.S optical image stabilisation system for shake-free photos. The Panasonic FX07 offers an extended ISO speed of 100 to 1600, 9-point auto-focus system, LSI Venus Engine III image processing, and 3 additional scene modes. Intelligent ISO Control is a new feature which automatically adjusts ISO and shutter speed by analyzing the speed of subject movement, whilst the High Sensitivity Mode allows a maximum ISO of 3200, although at a reduced image resolution. Is the Panasonic DMC-FX07 the best ultra-compact digicam around? Read our review now to find out.
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07 has a 7.38 megapixel, 1/2.5 inch CCD that delivers 7.2 effective megapixels. There are three aspect ratios on offer (4:3, 3:2, 16:9) with a range of image sizes (4:3 Aspect Ratio: 3072 x 2304, 2560 x 1920, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x960, 640 x 480 / 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 3072 x 2048, 2048 x 1360 / 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 3072 x 1728, 1920 x 1080 pixels). Images can be recorded as either Fine or Standard quality JPEGs. The camera's 3.6x Leica DC Vario-Elmarit optical zoom lens is equivalent to a 28-102mm lens on a 35mm format camera. There is also a 4x digital zoom should you feel the need to use it. MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) is available with 2 different modes. The camera is supplied with a 16Mb SD Memory Card and also supports the SDHC and MultiMedia Card formats.
The Panasonic DMC-FX07 offers Auto, Simple and Macro exposure modes plus 19 different scene modes (Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-portrait, Food, Party, Candle, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Baby1, Baby2, Snow, High Sensitivity, Underwater, Aerial photo, Beach). The maximum aperture is f2.8 (wide) – f5.6 (tele), and the shutter speed range is 60 secs. – 1/2000th sec. There are 5 ISO speeds ranging from 100 to 1600, Intelligent ISO Control mode, an Auto option and a High Sensitivity Mode that allows a maximum ISO of 3200, although at a reduced image resolution. There are 5 different White Balance presets to choose from (Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set), plus an Auto setting and White Balance Adjustment (150K step, -1500K - +1500K). The camera offers exposure compensation in ± 2 in 1/3 EV steps and auto-bracketing is available in +/- 1/3 EV -1EV steps for 3 frames.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07 has a normal shooting mode, Self-timer (2 secs. or 10 secs.) and 2 different Continuous modes - High (3 fps) or Low (2 fps), with a maximum of 8 images in Standard JPEG Mode and 6 images in Fine JPEG Mode for both modes. There are 4 different colour effects available (Cool, Warm, Black and White and Sepia) and 3 picture adjustments (Natural, Standard, Vivid). The Macro setting allows you to focus on subjects that are as close as 5cms at the wide-angle lens setting. The camera offers 5 auto-focus systems - 1-point, 1-point high speed, 3-point high speed, 9-point and Spot - and you can choose from Normal or Macro focus. The exposure metering system is Intelligent Multiple. There is an AF assist lamp to help achieve focus in low-light situations. The built-in flash offers 4 different modes - Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced On/Off.
To compose your images, you can use the LCD monitor - there is no optical or electronic viewfinder. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07 has a 2.5 inch TFT LCD Display which has 207,000 pixels and offers 100% scene coverage. There is a High Angle mode which allows you to hold the camera above your head and still see the LCD screen clearly, and a Power LCD mode which increases the screen's brightness. The Panasonic DMC-FX07 can record movies at 848 x 480 (16:9 aspect ratio), 640x480 or 320 x 240 pixels, at either 30 fps or 10 fps with sound. Video is recorded in the Quicktime with audio format, and the length is limited to a 2Gb memory card. A 5 second soundclip can be attached to an image. A histogram is available in both shooting and playback modes. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07 supports the DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) and PictBridge printing standards, and it connects to a computer via USB 2.0.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07's dimensions are 94.1 (W) × 51.1 (H) × 24.2 (D) mm, and it weighs 160g with the battery and storage card fitted. The camera is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion Battery Pack (3.7V, 1150mAh), which has an approximate CIPA battery life of 320 shots. There is a metal tripod mount in the left corner of the bottom of the camera.
Finally, the standard box kit contains a Battery Charger, Battery Pack, 16Mb SD Card, AV Cable, USB Connection Cable, AC Cable, Strap and Software CD-ROM (LUMIX Simple Viewer, ArcSoft PhotoBase, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft Panorama Maker, USB Driver). Note that you can only store 3 images at the highest quality JPEG setting on the supplied 16Mb SD memory card. You will therefore need to invest in some more memory cards to store your images on.
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