Review: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01
March 23rd 2007
I’ve been in the market for a new camera after having my Olympus E-300 stolen out of my car a while back, and before going on a ski trip this year, I decided to just go grab one from Best Buy. I did minimal research before going, but I’m happy with what I got, so here’s my review.
For specs and in-depth testing, you can read the excellent review at dpreview.
After using this camera for a couple of months, I’ve come to like it very much, and especially some of it’s very unique features. To get right to the point, these are:
- 28mm wide-angle zoom lens
- Optical image-stabilization that actually works
- Leica-branded sharp optics
That’s it really. Those are its unique features. The rest is pretty run-of-the-mill. But let me explain why those three are so great and make this camera worth its weight in plastic.
Wide-Angle!
First, a 28mm-equivalent lens on a pocketable camera is almost unheard of. Most all small digital cameras (and even the larger ones) have 32-35mm at the wide end, and some have as high as 38mm. So 28mm is a big deal– it’s pretty wide-angle, not quite super-wide, but getting there. It lets you do things other pocket-sized cameras couldn’t even dream of, like the image on the left. It’s great for landscapes like that, where the wider shot makes the photo seem more expansive and larger in any direction you want. It’s also perfect for indoor shots where you need to get all the people in one shot or take pictures in small rooms at parties. And since it’s a zoom lens, you can always zoom in a little if you don’t want that “wide” feel. It’s never a disadvantage, and I can’t understate how big of an advantage it is.
Image Stabilized
The second big plus is the Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) technology, which uses a shifting lens (or moves the image sensor itself) to correct for shaking and hand motion that often (very very often) blurs and ruins shots in low light. The OIS on this little camera works fairly well in both modes, and if you already have a steady hand it can give you superman photographer abilities: I’ve taken several sharp shots at 1/8th sec. with the OIS on. The shot at the right was 1/6th of a second from the hip, notice how the ground is (relatively) sharp. I get all giddy when it works like that; at those shutter speeds, any shot should be blurred like crazy, but OIS sometimes helps you pull them off (it’s not magic, but it makes it possible, which is pretty good).
Leica Label
The third fairly good “feature” is the good lens this camera has. A lot of small cameras have good lenses, but this one says “Leica” on the front, which gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. And it generally makes good on the name, for such a small package. Here are some example images I took to prove my point.
Cons
This camera does have some problems, but they’re not terrible. First, the image sensor doesn’t do the lens justice. It’s got great color and even decent dynamic range (from what I see), but it’s got noise in shadows even at ISO 80, and pretty bad noise at ISO 200 and 400. It has an ISO 800-1600 mode labeled “High Sensitivity,” but it basically makes paintings of your photos. However, it’s still useful for dark situations where you can’t use a flash, and honestly, they’re still photos. The camera’s image advantages (wide angle, sharp lens, great colors) far outweigh the noise. If you’re a Canon SLR user for whom image noise does not exist, this camera isn’t for you, but even for me the noise levels in the Lumix aren’t an issue.
The second problem is just with the controls, and it’s half a problem and half a really great feature. The controls are really easy to click! Turning on the camera is a hard switch–no waiting, I like that. But it turns on in my pocket… which is bad. Options have buttons that are real easy to click, which is great and makes it easy– but I click them by accident all the time. So it’s a little balance issue — Panasonic made all the controls as fast and easy as possible with no regard for accidental activation. It doesn’t come up that often, but it is a problem you should know about.
In conclusion…
Overall, I really like this little camera. It’s very durable, easy to carry around, and takes great pictures with lots of artistic flexibility at a very usable resolution and in all kinds of situations! It’s really versatile, and I think with any other camera I’d miss things about this one, which is saying a lot. I can wholeheartedly recommend this camera to advanced photographers and beginners alike, and especially to those looking for a second pocketable camera to go with their SLR. You’ll appreciate everything this camera has to offer!
Check out my photos for more examples, most all of them since January were taken with this camera. I also uploaded a few full-resolution ones as samples here.