| |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 reviews
You can find here the most interesting reviews / ratings from the well-known expert sites about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Camera. Here are the reviewers:
|
- 14 April 2009 - |
|
- 0 |
|
- 03 November 2008 - |
|
- 4.5 |
|
- 01 October 2008 - |
|
- 0 |
|
- 16 September 2008 - |
|
- 0 |
|
- 07 July 2008 - |
|
- 4.5 |
|
- 25 June 2008 - |
|
- 4 |
|
- 18 June 2008 - |
|
- 4.5 |
|
- 17 June 2008 - |
|
- 4.5 |
|
- 30 May 2008 - |
|
- 0 |
DevHardware 's conclusion / rating - 14 April 2009 |
“ Overall, it seems that thePanasonic Lumix DMC-FX500is a very capable little camera. People who love the idea of a touch screen compact digital camera will love this little shooter... ”
DevHardware's rating: |
|
- 0 |
Complete review here
TrustedReviews 's conclusion / rating - 03 November 2008 |
“ The Panasonic FX500 is a superbly well made camera with a wide range of useful features and arguably the best implementation of touch-screen technology on any current compact camera. It looks great, performs well, and produces superior image quality. It may be expensive, but there’s no doubt it’s worth every penny... ”
TrustedReviews's rating: |
|
- 4.5 |
Complete review here
ePhotozine 's conclusion / rating - 01 October 2008 |
“ There is no doubt that the Panasonic DMC FX500 is an impressive camera when it comes to the number of features packed into its compact body. Picture quality is good too and all in all Panasonic have produced a very good digital camera... ”
Complete review here
Imaging Resource 's conclusion / rating - 16 September 2008 |
“ The Panasonic FX500 has a very nice build, a good control system, and some very interesting features. It also has some features that are just simply unnecessary, especially the touch screen.
The touch screen is only required to make a Record mode choice, fortunately, because most of the time you can use it there's also a simple, traditional point-and-shoot technique that's far more efficient.
Don't buy the Panasonic FX500 for its intelligent Auto mode, either. It's really too limited to be useful in live situations where plain old Program Auto serves nearly just as well.
With its above-average performance, including a very responsive shutter, the Panasonic FX500 is still fun to use and has a reasonably good shutter response. We also liked its 25-125mm equivalent lens, which delivers reasonably sharp images. Image quality is hampered by the overprocessing of flat areas that is easily absorbed by any screen when printing, and luminance noise softens the image at all ISO settings, making its maximum print size 11x14-inches at ISO 100. ISOs higher than that are better at 8x10 and 5x7. While most shooters won't print larger than that, other cameras are serving up higher print qualities at the 10-megapixel image size, so take that into consideration... ”
Imaging Resource's rating: |
|
- 0 |
Complete review here
PhotographyBLOG 's conclusion / rating - 07 July 2008 |
“ The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 bucks the trend of most 2008 cameras. Instead of building on an already proven design and incorporating a few bright ideas that enhance rather than revolutionize, the FX500 takes the FX-series by the scruff of the neck and makes some significant changes. Outwardly there's little to choose between the DMC-FX500 and previous Panasonic cameras like the FX55, but inside are several key technologies that really make a difference. The headline-grabbing touchscreen interface is actually less significant than you might think, but in a good way. Instead of making every single aspect of the camera controllable via interacting with the LCD screen, Panasonic have applied the technology only where it really makes sense. The brand new ability to focus and expose for any point in the current scene simply by tapping a couple of times on the LCD is a real revelation. HD video is less of a success. While it sounds great on paper and fits in well with Panasonic's vision of an HD-enabled home, the DMC-FX500 is no match for an entry-level dedicated video camcorder, and also suffers from muffled sound-quality and huge file sizes that quickly fill your memory card. 720p HD video in a pocketable camera is still a nice-to-have feature, but don't buy the DMC-FX500 solely because of this feature alone.
More successful is the 5x, 25-125mm wide-angle lens, which provides an entirely new angle of view when compared with conventional zoom lenses that typically start at around 35mm, or even a camera with a 28mm lens. A mere 3mm may not sound like much, but it actually makes quite a big difference to image composition. At the telephoto end, 125mm is more than long enough for head and shoulder portraits. Having such an incredibly versatile lens in such a small camera is a real boon for creative, candid photography. Add to this the very welcome inclusion of a full range of creative exposure modes, and you have a camera that will instantly appeal to anyone looking for a pocket alternative to their DSLR - only the absence of RAW mode spoils the overall package in this regard. For the absolute beginner, Panasonic have also focused on making the DMC-FX500 the ultimate point and shoot camera, with an enhanced Intelligent Auto mode that achieves great results in most situations with very little input required from the user... ”
PhotographyBLOG's rating: |
|
- 4.5 |
Complete review here
PCWorld 's conclusion / rating - 25 June 2008 |
“ The camera's responsiveness was excellent, with almost no lag time between when I pressed the shutter and when pictures wrote to the card, even at the highest quality setting. This characteristic, combined with the FX500's quick, accurate autofocus and exposure, makes the camera very satisfying to shoot with... ”
Complete review here
CNET 's conclusion / rating - 18 June 2008 |
“ If looks are the most important criteria in your decision, the rather plain FX500 can't hold a candle to the comely likes of the Canon Digital IXUS 90 IS. But in just about every other area, the FX500 knocks its competitors into a cocked hat. The Casio Exilim EX-Z200 is another wide-angle option, but you really can't go wrong with the excellent FX500... ”
Complete review here
Camera Labs 's conclusion / rating - 17 June 2008 |
“ The Panasonic Lumix FX500 is certainly a classy and feature-packed compact. The zoom range with unusually wide angle and decent telephoto capabilities is very flexible and the optical stabilisation is effective. The touch screen is fun and useful without becoming a novelty or slowing you down. The manual control is a welcome addition for enthusiasts and the Intelligent Auto is sufficiently good for many to trust it for most day-to-day shots. And finally the HD Movies are a step-up from the SD modes on most compacts.
It’s important not to get too carried away though. Like the Lumix FX35 and TZ5, the HD movie output can look quite grainy and like most compacts the audio isn’t anything to get excited about. The manual control may let you fine-tune the aperture and shutter values, but even with the lens zoomed-in and the aperture wide open, you won’t be getting very small depths of fields – see our Gallery for an example.
Then there’s the feeling with only a couple more features like RAW recording, the FX500 could have been a successor of sorts to the LX2 and more of an enthusiasts compact to rival models like the Canon G9 – albeit without its flash hotshoe or larger sensor.
Image quality is once again the biggest technical issue facing the FX500, with the quality deteriorating at 200 ISO and above – and there’s even evidence of noise at 100 ISO if you’re pixel peeping. The situation is exactly the same with the FX35 and TZ5 though, along with most other compacts, but it would be wonderful if Panasonic could couple its decent optics in the future with a larger, less noisy sensor.
If you’re after a quality compact, the FX500 will fit the bill, although it’s not got what it takes to turn the heads of real enthusiasts from models like the Canon G9. It’s also crucial to compare its features against the other two Lumix cameras mentioned above as all three have a lot in common including the same sensor and HD movie recording facilities.
Indeed you’d only go for the FX500 over either of these models if you really wanted its manual control, touch screen and found its 5x range more appropriate for your style of photography. Even then, it’s hard to resist the Lumix TZ5’s big 10x optical zoom range for the same price or slightly less, and many will ultimately sacrifice the touch-screen and manual control for the longer coverage – while also enjoying a higher resolution screen in playback.
Ultimately the FX500’s decent lens range, touch screen, manual control and HD movies all add up to product we can Highly Recommended, but do compare it very closely with the Lumix FX35 and TZ5, as one may be better-suited to your personal requirements... ”
Camera Labs's rating: |
|
- 4.5 |
Complete review here
DigitalCameraReview 's conclusion / rating - 30 May 2008 |
“ I'll get this out of the way up front: the combination of manual exposure control, processing fine-tuning options, and a touch screen interface simply don't come together in any other camera currently in Panasonic's line or any other camera on the market, for that matter. The FX500 offers some serious power where exposure and processing control are concerned, and this fact alone largely puts to rest the idea that this camera can be written off as an object of PR hype. If an FX35 with full manual control and DSLR-style JPEG processing options appeals to you, here it is. Even without the touch screen, the FX500 would be breaking new ground.
Beyond these new additions, most of what was good about the FX35 is also good about the FX500. Perhaps the bigger issue lies in the fact that most of what was not so good about the FX35 noise and graininess, some inconsistent white balance performance, and some general low-light performance concerns is still a concern with the FX500, and arguably much less excusable on a camera that sits at the top of the compact camera ladder in terms of price. What seem like irritations or niggles in a $275 camera start looking a bit more serious and less excusable at $400.
All in all, it's hard to say whether the novelty of a touch screen adds to or detracts from the FX500's appeal. Serious shooters who find the FX500's range of user control alluring may also be ambivalent about the slightly strange interface. Equally, gadget fans drawn in by the touch screen may not, on the whole, care much one way or another about exposure and processing options. In spite of all it does well, then, the FX500 seemed a little confused in who it was aiming for, and with its class-leading price tag, it simply didn't win me over the way some previous FX cameras have... ”
DigitalCameraReview's rating: |
|
- 0 |
Complete review here
|
|
Comments (3)
Video reviews (3)
Camera info
Digg
del.icio.us
Reddit
Google
Home