Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Silver)
- 14.1-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-size prints
- 5x image-stabilized optical zoom; 24mm, F2.2 ultra-wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Summicron lens
- 3.5-inch LCD with full touch-screen operation
- Capture 1080p HD video in AVCHD format; Intelligent Auto (iA) mode; Face Recognition feature
- Capture video and images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700 14.1 Megapixel Compact Camera – 4.30 mm-21.50 mm – Silver DMC-FX700S Digital Cameras
List Price: $ 399.00
Price: $ 184.99
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Great compact camera,
I have had the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX700 for only a few days. I love everything about this camera it does everything I want it to – EXCEPT the one thing a camera should do well – take sharp clear pictures. The FX700 fails in that task. It is a shame that Panasonic chose to use a lackluster lens and too small sensor (a 14MP sensor should have a much larger physical size) in this otherwise amazing prosumer camera. I chose this camera despite a lack of reviews (because it is so new) because of the amazing number of advanced features packed into its small size. The camera’s large touch screen makes it easy to access and use its many features.
The top of the camera has the speaker and stereo mics (not sure they should be on top where it is easy to cover them with a finger), the slide on/off switch, the shutter button with the manual zoom control around it (VERY convenient) and the dedicated movie start/stop button. The lens retracts completely into the camera and is protected by metal shutters when retracted. The side of the camera has a cover protecting the USB 2 and HDMI sockets. The bottom houses the battery/memory card compartment and a tripod socket. The back has the large touch panel, a slide switch to choose either record mode (take pictures) or playback, a mode button that brings up the 6 mode choices on the screen and a menu button.
I was considering the Canon S95 which was the same price. And while the S95 produces sharp clear pictures (I have its ancestor the S70) it cannot touch the FX700 when it comes to features. I was a little leery about the touch screen but I am very pleased with it. The only problem I have noticed with the touch screen is that when viewing pictures that I have zoomed in on (you can magnify a saved picture up to 16 times) it is VERY easy to increase the magnification (which is done by touching the screen) while trying to move around the enlarged picture (which is done by sliding a finger around the screen).
The HD movies looked good, but I haven’t yet played them back on an HD screen. The photos, as I mentioned above, are NOT sharp and clear. There is a “softness” about them. I do not know what other word to use. They are not bad – just not sharp. I think it is like watching a program on a standard TV versus watching the same program on an HD TV. The still pictures look like you are seeing them on a standard TV. Running the pictures through Photoshop’s unsharp mask can improve the quality a bit.
I like the shutter response time compared to my S70 – which has a significant delay. The SX700 shutter delay is minimal – especially if the focusing is completed (by pushing the shutter button halfway down). The burst mode is fast, the face location/recognition works well, the image stabilization does an excellent job. You can use the zoom while taking movies – a feature I like and one that many cameras do not allow – you can even take still pictures while shooting a movie. The battery lasts quite a while – shot 65 pictures, mosts with flash, and the battery indicator was still indicating full. The camera is very customizable allowing you to turn on/off most features and customize what info is shown on the LCD when shooting or playing back pictures. Panasonic did an excellent job with this FX7x series (which includes the FX75 and FX70) except for the picture sharpness. If you are not a stickler for very sharp pictures, I think you will like this camera, if you are put off by anything less than an ultra sharp picture, this is not the camera for you.
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|Average picture quality, excellent video and fully packed with features.,
I wanted to have a all-around P&S camera, let me share some comments on my new FX700 camera after some time testing it.
The camera doesn’t surprise in terms of picture quality, it’s pretty average and works fine if you don’t crop the image. Fitting 14 MP on a small sensor is a challenge that all these small P&S cameras are facing, the result: they simply fail to deliver sharp clear pictures. The MOS sensor even increases the problem as the picture quality is worst with the offset to have a much better video quality.
What this camera doe’s fine is with the intelligent Auto mode, it really picks the right shooting mode for the best picture possible. The only thing I did is to change the color effect from standard to happy to improve the color saturation. There are times where the iA actually doesn’t work and you have to go over either with scene or program mode, make sure you properly setup these modes in order to improve the picture quality; what I did was:
– Limit the ISO to 200, as the picture quality really decreases with 400 or beyond
– Select intelligent Exposure to standard
– Select intelligent Resolution, it really gets better picture quality (this is not available on iA, so make sure to switch if you want a sharper picture)
– Changed the color effect from standard to warm to improve color saturation
There is a firmware update from 1.0 to 1.1 (improving Motion Deblur in iA and autofocus on video capture) that I really recommend to upload on your camera.
On Panasonic’s global webpage -> support -> consumer products -> Digital AV -> Digital Camera -> Download -> DMC-Fx70/DMC-FX75/DMC-FX700 Firmware update service
There are some really interesting shooting tips (some are just plain basics) on Panasonic’s web page that can help you improving the picture quality. See the attached link and select the FX700 model.
The shooting tips specifically for the FX700 camera can be found on Panasonic’s global webpage -> support -> consumer products -> Digital AV -> Digital Camera -> shooting tips -> FX700
One that was particularly helpful was to take portrait pictures on the telephoto end of the lens to avoid barrel distortion. This was a very annoying problem that I fixed just zooming in when taking portrait pictures.
Video recording is one of the strong points for this camera, video and audio quality is superior to any flip or similar compact camcorders.
The touch screen menu is quite intuitive and takes only little time to get familiar with it. One really nice feature is the manual focusing by touching the subject on the screen, the focus is followed as the subject moves on the screen and you can change from portrait to landscape mode just by touching the subject or the background.
It’s not the best picture quality camera I have had, but for a P&S camera and sharing pictures that are seen on a PC screen (without cropping) or on the TV is more than enough.
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