Panasonic DMC-FX01 (black)
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"Possibly THE BEST travel camera" on by baldwinl
Pros: Image stabilization, 28mm (35eq) wide angle zoom
Cons: no manual mode, no optical finder, does not fit in mint tin
Summary: Some background: I have 25 years of photography behind me, I am an optical engineer, I once worked for Leica, and this is my 4th digicam, and the 3rd compact one. My Fuji is retired (but still works!), my Olympus Stylus is now my girlfriends camera, and my big camera is a Lumix DMC-FX20. Last September I was cycling around Holland, and the Stylus was just not up to the task of photographing inside cathedrals and art museums (no flash allowed). And sometimes the quarters were too short to "get it all in", so I ended taking mosiac pictures and stitching them together afterward. I am going back this September, and I am looking forward to taking the FX-01. With the image stabiliztion, I will be much more succesful in my indoor shots, and if that does not work, there is a special pixel-binning mode that increases the sensitivity by 4x (although at 1/4 the resolution). And that 28mm (35mm camera equivelent) will really reduce the amount of mosiacs I have to take (and stitch later on). Speed is very good by digicam standards (nothing beats a 35mm M3), sensitivity is good, noise is quite good, and accuracy is very good. I bemoaned the lack of manual mode, but the various modes, and the ability to bias exposure by up to +/- 2 stops means I hardly miss this feature. The Li-Ion battery lasts a long time (you will probably fill a 1GB card first). The final icing on the cake: an underwater housing will soon be available. I bought both of my kids Pentax Optio S5 cameras, the ones that fit in an Altoids mint tin. This camera is a bit too large for that trick, but I think the image stabilization and the "28mm" wide angle zoom more than make up for that.
Updated
I went to Europe again this September, this time with the FX01 as my only camera (no FZ10 this time). Netherlands, Belgium and France. The camera performed brilliantly, was always in my pocket (so small, I always took it). I took over 4,000 photos (over 9GB worth) which was probably a few to many. As usual I took a few "insurace pictures" but in almost all cases they were not needed - the first photo was just fine. This "high yield" of good photos will change my picture taking habits with this camera - I will take most shots once with confidence (the exception being people, where expresions change and a bad photo is a clear crisp picture where somebody blinked). -
"An excellent travel camera if noise is less a concern" on by Wingc
Pros: 28mm, real image stabilizer, excellent LCD, excellent macro
Cons: visible noise at high ISO setting. Noiser than other compact cameras
Summary: This camera is almost perfect. I have been hunting for a compact digital camera, with 28mm zoom, that I can take anywhere with me. I have a Nikon D70, Canon 350D, Canon G2, and Canon S500. This FX01 has everything I always wanted in a compact digital camera. I am impressed with the image stabilizer. It works very well. The 2.5¡¨ LCD is bright, sharp, and high res. The camera also displays aperture and exposure info at recording mode, something I find very usable but many compact digital cameras do not give. Image quality at macro mode is excellent.
The only issue I have with FX01 is noise!! At the same ISO setting, FX01 is more noisy than other compact cameras (canon S500, casio EX-z500, Kodak V570). Even at ISO 80, it exhibits visible noise in low lit area. ISO200 is the max you want to go. I will not go ISO400. At ISO400, noise is very visible and appears clearly on 4x6 prints. At low light situation, one may want to keep ISO max up to 200 and turn on the stabilizer. At high sensitivity mode (camera selected ISO800-1600), camera automatically applies noise reduction to the image at the expense of image sharpness. Thus image at ISO800 and higher actually looks less noisy than ISO400. Overall I found FX01 an excellent travel camera if noise is not a concern. -
"The perfect go anywhere, do anything camera" on by anselmpanop
Pros: Ultra portable size, bright clear LCD, very usable flash, useful features, controls are in the right places.
Cons: No manual mode, no viewfinder.
Summary: The Lumix DMC-FX01 is the finest small camera I have ever used - film or digital. I take this camera almost everywhere - its miniature size lets me carry it in a shirt pocket. This is important to me because I hate being in the position of visualizing a potentially great photograph, and not having a camera handy. What's really incredible is that this camera is as small as it is given that its lense goes down to 28mm (35mm camera equivalent) focal length.
This is the first camera I've used that uses an LCD in place of a viewfinder, but it did not take long to get used to it. The LCD is large enough and bright enough to see clearly - even in direct sunlight. In fact the LCD is so good that I found the POWER LCD mode, which increases LCD brightness, to be a nice feature, but not absolutely necessary. The LCD HIGH ANGLE mode is great for doing just that - raising the camera above my head at a high angle for shooting above a crowd.
The flash is much better than most flashes I'm accustomed to on cameras this size - there is good even coverage at reasonable distances and at all focal lengths. This is likely due to the logical location of the flash head with respect to the lense.
The DMC-FX01 has two features that I came to rely on with my Contax 167MT (circa 1989) 35mm film SLR - EV adjustment and auto-bracketing. The beauty of these features on the Contax is how quickly I could get to them. The same is true for the DMC-FX01. Simply hit the +/- button around the MENU/SET button and EV can be manually adjusted +/-2 stops in 1/3 stop increments. Hit it again and AUTO BRACKET can be selected to bracket +/- 1/3, 2/3, or 1 full stop. Its that simple. What's really nice is that when adjusting EV I can see the immediate exposure effect on the LCD. Very nice.
Photo quality is just fine - once I became accustomed to the camera's few idiosyncrasies. For one, the auto flash setting (in NORMAL PICTURE mode) does not always make the right flash on/off decision. I've come to the point where I usually select either FORCED ON or FORCED OFF as appropriate.
Controls are useful and in the places I'd expect them to be. Displayed info is just right. The on-screen menu system is intuitive.
The Lumix DMC-FX01 is so good that I'm tempted to also purchase the Lumix DMC-LX1. -
"A great ultracompact" on by Donato777
Pros: Wide angle lens; excellent image quality; price
Cons: More scene modes and they don't need 2 baby ones
Summary: I own many different cameras and I have been looking for a compact wide angle. This gem fits the bill perfectly. The Leica lens is awesome and this baby is fast. Image quality is excellent - at least for me. LCD is bright and beautiful; battery life is excellent. The camera is superbly constructed, highly quality build and classically finished. Of course, if I give it a "10" I risk being labeled a "nimrod" as one other reviewer was by a very rude person. But putting down reviewers simply because you disagree with their opinion says much more about the critic than it does the reviewer.
Updated
Today I did a little walking around our yard and tried the macro function. At ISO 80, F2.8 and White balance set at "cloudy," the results were stunning IMHO. You may view these and a few other shots with the FX-01 at this link (cut & paste):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/benedictus31/show/
These photos are just out of the camera and have not been edited. -
"Complete Little Camera for Reasonable Price" on by jl2890
Pros: Small (about the size of acredit card), lighting fast startup, clear screen, different scene modes, simple to use, MEGA O.I.S really helps
Cons: Slight noise in images, lack of manual controls...
Summary: This little camera is the best point-and-shoot I have owned. With a photography, videography, and graphic design background (and still in school,) I have seen my fair share of cameras, but this one takes the cake. I was using a Canon Powershot Pro 1 for a long time and purchased this camera (DMC-FX01) to use for quick everyday photos. Of course there is no comparison in the zoom between the Powershot Pro 1 and the FX01. The FX01 is has given me a complete, small camera, at a reasonable price.
A great attribute of this camera is that it is very forgiving. It rarely burns the faces of my subjects at close distances (unlike other cameras).
When I take this camera to school, it is practically confiscated by the instructor (a 3x Emmy award winner.) He will play with it untill the battery is dead and gone. It left such an impression on him, that on the first day I presented him the camera, within the hour he placed his Canon Powershot SD500 up for sale and placed an order for the FX01.
Whether a first time digital photographer, or a photography extrodinare, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 will not dissappoint you.
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