Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 review (blue)

The FS15's performance falls in line with a majority of sub-$200 cameras. Start-up time is 2 seconds with shot-to-shot times averaging 3.1 seconds without flash and 3.3 seconds with. From focus to capture in bright lighting conditions is a long 0.7 second; in dim lighting the time goes up to a more typical 1 second. The only thing the camera does well is burst shooting at 1.8 frames per second.

Sample photos:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15

Overall, the photos produced by the FS15 are good for snapshots, but there are a couple of issues that keep the camera from getting a better rating. Photos, when viewed at 100 percent, show visible noise at all ISOs and faint yellow coloring. It isn't until ISO 400 that noise and noise suppression combine to soften detail. At ISO 800, photos take on a soft, painterly appearance and the yellowing gets more noticeable, but fine detail is still fairly good. Though there's still some detail at ISO 1,600, photos are for the most part unusable because they are covered in faint yellow splotches along with a good amount of noise. Colors are pleasing and natural from the FS15. Exposure is fairly good; however highlights tend to blow out.

Photos are at their sharpest when the camera is in Macro. Sharpness is good at the center, but gets softer out to the corners. The 29mm-equivalent wide-angle lens has just some minor barrel distortion at its widest position. Purple fringing was minimal in high-contrast areas, too.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15's design and features are spot-on for its price. The performance and photo quality keep me from giving it an across-the-board recommendation. Those wanting to regularly make prints larger than 8x10 inches, doing a lot of low-light shooting with no flash, or trying to snap subjects in motion, will probably want to pass on the FS15. It is otherwise well suited for everyday snapshot photography.

Shooting speed
(seconds: smaller is better)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290

1.3 

2.7 

2.3 

0.7 

0.4 

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS

1.4 

3.2 

2.1 

0.7 

0.5 

Nikon Coolpix S570

2 

3.8 

2.2 

0.8 

0.6 

Pentax Optio P70

2.5 

4 

3.9 

1 

0.5 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15

2 

3.3 

3.1 

1 

0.7