The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 offers a comprehensive front line spec to appeal to all those who need to tick the right boxes with their compact camera. It comes with a 12-megapixel sensor, the ability or shoot HD video footage and the promise of good low-light performance from the Leica lens. But does it deliver on these promises?

The FX60 is a good looking camera. It has a premium sheen about it thanks to a metal body and a relatively slim profile, but is carrying a little weight compared to similar spec rivals like the Canon IXUS 120. It measures 97.2 x 54.1 x 19.4mm and weighs 147g all-in with memory card and battery.

Around the back you'll find a 230k-dot display measuring 2.7-inches on the diagonal and offering 100% field of view. It gives great colour reproduction making it a pleasure for previewing images with excellent viewing angles - ideal for sharing images with friends.

Controls are conventionally placed on the top plate and the back of the camera. The top sees the power switch and shutter button encircled by the zoom ring. A mode dial sits neatly on the back edge, falling comfortably under the right thumb. On the back the controls continue, giving you a switch to move from shooting to playback. Otherwise you are left with a four-way controller with the usual shortcuts and finally display and quick menu toggles.

The construction is good, it feels solid and there is a nice precise action to the buttons, the mode dial and the switches. There is no chance of turning this on in your pocket or accidentally changing to video over regular stills shooting. The switch for playback or shooting does mean that you can't simply flip between the two without physically sliding something, which adds an extra step over the more common single press option.

Shooting modes offered on the dial look rather limited, offering Panasonic's iA (or Intelligent Auto), auto, scene, video and a final "clipboard" setting, which takes low res shots and will ultimately be ignored. There is no sign of manual control for more advanced shooting, but all is not lost, because the quick menu does offer up some options for those wanting a little more.

A Leica branded 5x zoom (25-125mm 35mm equiv) F/2.8 lens sits on the front of the camera and isn't the fastest in zooming or deployment, but does offer quite a range from such a compact bundle. There is noticeable barrel distortion at the wide angle as is often the case with compacts.

Focusing gives you the option of the usual face detection and macro and so on, but also 11-point AF and AF tracking with metering thrown in. A neat AF lock is easily accessible meaning you can lock on to your focal point and aim off for creative effect and it works very well. Normal focusing is a bit hit and miss however, sometimes failing to grab the point of focus you want first time.

Another headline boast tackles the area of low-light shooting. The FX60 has a normal shooting range running up to ISO 1600. You can keep this under control by selecting an upper maximum, to stop the camera bumping the ISO to capture a low light image when it really needs a longer exposure. That said, you can't select the value you want, only limit the range to a maximum of 400, 800 or 1600.

Noise is evident in dark and shadow areas at ISO 400 and gets progressively worse up to ISO 1600, where it is really invasive. The FX60 doesn't bump the ISO high for no reason though, so indoors you'll often find you are shooting at ISO 400, where rivals might take you higher.

Image noise on the crowded 12-megapixel sensor can be a bit of a problem for the FX60, with 100% crops showing this noise bringing in softness in normal shooting that can take the edge off some photos, but this will only bother those who like to crop closer to the detail or who are planning to print at full size.

Boosting the low light performance is Panasonic's famed Power OIS, or optical image stabilizer, giving some compensation for camera shake. It works too, letting you hand hold shots of a longer exposure than you'd often consider, but giving you plenty of warning that shake is possible through icons on the display.

Metering is generally good with great colour results coming out of everyday shooting. You can expect luscious greens and authentic flesh tones, but it does sometimes lose grip on details in tricky sky areas and highlights can lose detail, a common problem on compact cameras. Some purple fringing is evident on high contrast shots.

There is no continuous shooting option, but you are offered burst shooting which will give you three full resolution shots in quick succession. Strangely, this is one of the options that is hidden away in the full menu and not through the quick menu.

Scene settings allow you to take advantage of the preconfigured options to get the result you want in lieu of much direct control. All the normal suspects are in here, from night portrait to pets, including the option to name and age those pets in the picture, if that rings your bell.

Image results overall are generally good, with the iA mode scanning the scene and choosing the appropriate settings. For many point and shooters this will suffice for the majority of everyday shooting, with scene modes being automatically picked out, for example taking indoor shots without using the flash.

Video gives you several options of resolution up to 1280 x 720 at 30fps. HD video capture gives some good results but suffers from noise in shadow areas and in low light. There is plenty of detail at the highest setting however and for those candid moments, you'll get video that is perfectly acceptable on your TV in the lounge. As is often the case, the mic is a little exposed to wind noise.

The battery life is impressive and we managed to get close to the documented 360 shots from a single charge. In terms of connectivity you'll find a flap opens to reveal two bespoke connections and if you want to hook-up to your HDTV you'll need to buy Panasonic's DMW-HDC2 Component accessory cable for an extra ?25, or settle for the bundled Composite cable, which won't let you take advantage of your high resolution video.

Verdict:

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 is an easy to use point and shoot, demonstrating excellent build quality and giving results that great for the majority of everyday shooting. The HD video capture will please those who like to bring a little quality to their home movies and the battery life will see you through your average wedding.

The FX60 stumbles on noise however, with crammed sensor showing its hand and bringing in noise sooner and many rivals. However, if you most print album shots and share online this won't be much of an issue as you'll be able to make use of most shots anyway.

It is a little on the expensive side for the range of controls on offer, but overall it is a competent little camera.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras Panasonic Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 12 megapixels

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 compact camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:44:38 +0000

Panasonic’s first two Micro Four Thirds system cameras – last year’s G1 and this spring’s GH1, which added high-def video – based their designs on that of traditional digital SLRs. Even though technically they weren’t, having junked the integral mirror box mechanism in order to bring lens and sensor closer together.

In theory this promised more diminutive camera bodies and lenses, yet in practice neither G1 nor GH1 are much smaller than the latest entry-level DSLRs based around regular APS-C sized sensors.

But that aspect is about to change. As the advertising blurb runs, the new Micro Four Thirds Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is like a DSLR – in that lenses can be changed and image quality is a step up from a bridge camera – only smaller.

Its styling is closer to a compact camera, albeit one that will be a snug fit for even the deep pocket of an overcoat; the busy top plate control layout recalling the look of a high-end rangefinder camera. It is the manufacturer’s answer to, and direct rival of, Olympus’ E-P1, otherwise known as the Pen.

While that camera’s hybrid nature was deemed revolutionary on release, it omitted a couple of fairly crucial features for the photo enthusiast – especially one spending ?600 on a body without lens.

Fortunately the similarly solidly built (but fractionally lighter) GF1 has shoehorned in one of its rival’s omissions – a flash of the pop-up variety to maintain the Lumix’s boxy lines – whilst, doubtless partly due again to size, still failing to deliver an optical viewfinder.

However it does offer an electronic viewfinder (EVF) like those incorporated on the G1 and GH1, as an optional extra that clips onto the vacant top plate hotshoe. This costs around ?160, compared to ?100 for an optional optical viewfinder for the Olympus Pen.

Photos are composed on the GF1 in its absence via the 3-inch, 460k-dot resolution LCD with Live View; double the resolution offered by the E-P1, which in our eyes makes for a much smoother, more life-like display image.

Headline resolution is otherwise nigh on identical, at 12.1 effective megapixels from a 13.1 megapixel LiveMOS sensor, and, like the Pen is basically a concertinaed Olympus E-series DSLR, so the GF1 squeezes the functionality of its G1 and GH1 forebears into a more manageable shape.

This includes a mono HD video mode with a dedicated recording button, and a choice of AVCHD or (more widely compatible) Motion JPEG compression, resolution being the lower 1280 x 720 pixels rather than the Full HD 1920 x 1080. A side mounted HDMI port is also provided for hooking the camera up to an HD TV, though the required cable costs extra.

If you really want the most compact camera solution, then opt for the 20mm non zoom "pancake" lens we had on test, equivalent to 40mm in 35mm terms, which, when bought in conjunction with the Panasonic body, will set you back a not-so-cool ?800. We found it works best for shooting portraits and close ups, where a shallow depth of focus, blurring distracting backgrounds, proves a specific aid to creativity.

If we’ve one true criticism it's that the blocky, rectangular GF1 lacks anyway in the way of a decent grip, with only a thin raised strip on the front providing purchase for the fingers when shooting handheld. Still, it’s also possible to use the camera as a gloried point and shoot courtesy of Panasonic’s reliable intelligent Auto (iA) mode, whereby it recognises common scenes and subjects and adjusts settings automatically, saving the user otherwise fiddling around with controls and dials to achieve similar results.

With the GF1 powering up for action with DSLR-approximate swiftness in just over a second, other built-in aids to creativity include its "My Colors" modes that come across as Panasonic’s re-interpretation of the Olympus Pen’s Art Filters. They even include a pop art style "Dynamic Art" option.

We also get film simulation modes "borrowed" from its G1 and GH1 siblings and a Peripheral Defocus Mode that blurs potentially distracting backgrounds – even when you’re not shooting with a 20mm lens. Left on standard default settings colours are rendered beautifully natural and life-like with a crispness few standard fixed lens compacts could match. Impressive stuff – though of course it comes at a price.

Verdict:

So does the GF1 beat the Pen as the best, most affordable DSLR/compact hybrid to date?

Of course the answer depends on your personal requirements, but used as a tool for general purpose photography, the clearer, smoother LCD for shot composition and review, plus built-in flash inevitably take the Panasonic up a notch.

It therefore gets our vote as the current most successful marriage of DSLR functionality with compact portability and usability. But with further incarnations of the Pen promised very soon by Olympus, it’s unlikely to stay that way for long.

It’s also worth noting that for the near ?600 UK asking price for the GF1, one could buy a very capable APS-C sized DSLR with lens included.

PHOTOS: Panasonic Lumix GF1 digital camera

Tags: Cameras Micro Four Thirds Compact cameras DSLR cameras 12 megapixels Panasonic Panasonic Lumix GF1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000