Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 > Reviews (8)

I wish I was a beginner again so that I could justify buying this camera. Reader, I want it. It's pretty. It's sexy. I bang on and on about how a camera should be an investment, should grow with you and shouldn't be purchased because it's Pretty Like The Fujifilm Ones, but this is gorgeous. And fortunately, the Lumix DMC-FX55 has brains to back up its beauty.

=THE BODY SPECS=
DIMENSIONS: Small, as you'd expect from the Lumic FX series. Weighs 143g (not phenomenally light, but not heavy at all), measures 9.5 x 5.7 x 2.3 cms.
LOOK: Sexy, as I've said. Brushed silver look OR glossy black/silver combo. The latter is more fashion accessory, the former more futuristic/mechanical. Up to you!
DURABILITY: Very durable and long-lasting case.
CONTROLS: A bit of a let-down; the new joystick function Panasonic's gone for is stiff and hard-to-use at first; different fingers may have different experiences, and it's certainly not a big issue. Buttons are clearly labelled.
BATTERY: Rechargeable Li-on battery, included. Takes 280+ shots at a time.

=THE PHOTOS=
IMAGE QUALITY/LENS: A very very healthy 8.1 megapixels and 28-100mm LEICA DC lens (wide-angle 3.6x zoom lens). The Panasonic technology also means that you get particularly good image clarity; no problems with blurring. There's also a great telephoto setting that really enhances the zoom - these are the best photos I've ever seen taken on a point-and-click camera.
COLOR: A nice selection of options; Standard, Natural, Vivid (a little too vivid to be of much use, but whatever), Black and White, Sepia, Cool or Warm.
SIZE: Unusually good mix of dimensions (pixels x pixels).
DISPLAY: Biggest display I've ever seen on a camera of this size: LCD screen, 3 inches, a huuuuge 230,000 pixels. No viewfinder, though, but there's one nice touch - the LCDmode which means that the screen looks clear and is usable at any angle (even when tilted to shoot sharply up or down or over your head). This is so cool, and should become a standard.

=THE FEATURES=
MODES: Two modes - Record and Setup. Straightforward, manipulated using the controls. Options and icons are both clear and easily found across three menus. Menus are logically arranged so you find the commonest/most useful items soonest. Lots of viewing/playback options (including setting print orders and the addition of a text stamp), not all of them useful (no matter HOW easy-to-use a camera is, this sort of thing is still better done on a computer.
SELF-TIMER: A little disappointing since "worse" and cheaper cameras now offer timers of up to 20s: the LumixDMC-FX55 offers 2 and 10s timers.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Okay, here's where I get excited. NO beginner photographer knows how to use all the controls on even a point-and-shoot camera. I didn't. You don't NEED all of them, of course, but there are some which make little miracles the first time you use them. This discovery, of course, precedes a period of anguish while you contemplate just how much BETTER your early photos would have been had you actually got to know your camera/learnt to balance the various control factors on your machine.

Although you DO still have to learn this sooner or later, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 takes a LOT of the pain away through its great new Intelligent Auto mode, which automatically detects the situation and chooses the settings that'll give you the best picture. Five "environmental" settings detected by the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 mode are Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Night Portrait and Night Scenery.
There's also something called O.I.S. Mode that offers an anti-shake to compensate for the unsteady hands of a beginner (helps to compensate for the absence of an optical zoomfinder).

=THE ACCESSORIES=
MANUAL: Easy to follow and useful. In print form.
SOFTWARE: A large selection of titles including ArcSoft (2) and UMIX Simple Viewer.
BUNDLE: A proper pack! Everything except the carry-case (I think I exist in a twilight zone where these still happen). Lots of battery accessories (charger, pack, carry-case); 2 cables (AV and USB), AC cable and a safety strap. Woohoo!

=PRICE=
£200 is a reasonable benchmark, although an increasing number of sites seem to want to charge you in excess of £250. Just say no.

=VERDICT=
+ A point-and-click that's exactly that, NOT because it's "budget" or "without the thrills" but because it creates the conditions YOU need to just TAKE GOOD PHOTOS. Complex enough to grow with you, easy enough to take great photos and make great memories from Day 1. Good accessory bundles, instruction manuals and some intelligent design just complete the picture. And oh, I know I'm shallow but... pretty....!