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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 Review



First look posted 11/6/2008
Conclusion and samples posted 11/7/2008

Introduction & Physical Views


Click to take a QuickTime VR tour of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150
Click on the Lumix FX150 to take a QuickTime VR tour

Panasonic has recently announced the latest addition (as of 11/08) to their popular FX-Series of LUMIX digital cameras with the unveiling of the feature-rich DMC-FX150. Equipped with 14.7 megapixels, the FX150 also boasts a 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens with F2.8 brightness and 3.6x optical zoom.

Not only can you capture JPEG images and movies, but the FX150 also records original photos in the RAW file format and comes bundled with the SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0SE software application, enabling the user to freely adjust RAW data settings such as exposure bias and white balance even after shooting for greater editing and image development.

In addition to manual controls, the FX150 also offers Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) mode that provides the user with automatic settings adjustments depending on the shooting environment. A new technology, called AF (auto focus) Tracking, has been added to the iA roster of features. AF tracking enables the camera to lock focus on a moving object. Additionally, AF Tracking increases Face Detection accuracy, allowing for crisp shots even if the subject moves while shooting the image.

When the FX150 is set to iA mode, the following technologies engage automatically:

  • Intelligent Exposure - Helps prevents photos from being under- or over-exposed by instantly analyzing the framed image and adjusting the brightness in areas that are too dark because of dim lighting, backlighting or the use of the flash. The camera will automatically adjust the brightness accordingly.
  • Digital Red-eye Correction- Helps to eliminate the red-eye problem that sometimes results when taking flash shots at night. Incorporated into the camera, the built-in flash emits a small preliminary flash before the main flash, detects red-eye and will digitally correct it.
  • MEGA O.I.S. - Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.
  • Intelligent ISO - Determines if the photo subject is moving and changes the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.
  • Intelligent Scene Selector - Senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and will automatically select the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode. This intuitive technology, helps the consumer use the most common scene modes that are built into the camera, but often go unused, without making any manual adjustments.
  • Face Detection - Detects faces in the frame (up to 15 faces), even if they are moving, and selects optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear.
  • Quick AF (Auto Focus) - Starts focus on the subject by just pointing the camera at the subject, thus minimizing the AF time.

The FX150 boasts the high-speed image processing system, the Venus Engine IV, which supports a faster response time, allowing the camera to shoot 2.5 shots per second at full resolution and six shots per second in High-Speed Burst mode. The FX150 can also record dynamic High Definition video in 1280 x 720p at 24fps. Other advanced features of the LUMIX FX150 include:

  • Image Leveling - When a captured image "leans" to the right or left because the camera was held at a slight angle when the photo was taken, the Image Leveling function rotates the image to straighten it and crops the unnecessary edges. No computer needed!
  • Scene Modes - The FX150 offers 25 different scene modes to respond easily to any shooting situation. The new Pin Hole and Film Grain modes add unique, film-camera-like effects and ambiences to images and the Transform mode trims and stretches images to virtually transform the subject.



DMC-FX150 Major Features:

  • 14.7-megapixel imager with 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios
  • 3.6x Leica zoom lens, equivalent to 28-100mm on a 35mm camera
  • Optical image stabilization to prevent camera shake and blurring
  • RAW and JPEG still image modes
  • 11-point AF system with Face detection technology
  • 2.7-inch TFT color LCD with High Angle mode and 100% frame coverage
  • Intelligent Auto, Program, Manual and 25 scene modes
  • ISO Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600; High Sensitivity Mode (1600 - 6400)
  • 2.5fps Burst mode (Max 4 JPEG Fine images, 3 RAW)
  • QuickTime movies in either standard (640x480/320x240) or wide (1280x720/848x480) aspects
  • Built-in flash with auto, fill, slow synchro and red-eye reduction modes
  • TTL Auto White Balance, 5 presets and custom set
  • 50MB of internal flash memory
  • Card slot supports SD/SDHC/MMC card storage
  • Plug-n-Play USB, Mass Storage compliant
  • PictBridge Direct-Print compatible
  • Powered by rechargeable Li-ion battery


The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 is available in silver and black and blue with an MSRP of US$399.95. The camera kit includes: battery charger, battery pack, AV & USB cables, hand strap, and software CD-ROM.


Physical Views

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150



Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150

The DMC-FX150 compared in size to a standard CD disc.






Lumix DMC-FX150 Specifications

Camera Effective Pixels 14.7 Mega pixels
Optical Image Stabilizer MEGA O.I.S. (Auto/Mode1/ Mode2)
Optical Zoom 3.6x
Image Sensor 1/1.72" 15.0 Total Mega Pixels CCD
Primary Color Filter
Digital Zoom 1 4x
( Max. 14.3x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom )
(Max. 30.8x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Focal Length f=6.0-21.4mm (35mm Equiv.: 28-100mm)
Lens LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT
7 elements in 6 groups
(4 Aspherical Lenses / 5 Aspherical surfaces)
Aperture Range Wide: F2.8/F9.0 (2 steps)
Tele: F5.6/F18 (2 steps)
Conversion Lens Compatibility No
Focusing Area Normal: 50cm - infinity
Intelligent AUTO / Macro: Wide 5cm / Tele 30cm - infinity
AF Metering Face / AF tracking / multi-area / 1-area high speed / 1-area / spot
Focus Normal / Macro, Quick AF On/Off (On in Intelligent Auto), AF Area Select, AF Tracking
AF Assist Lamp Yes
ISO Sensitivity Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode : Auto(1600 - 6400) )
Exposure Program AE, Simple Manual
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV
Backlight Compensation Yes (auto in Intelligent AUTO mode)
Auto Bracketing (AE) +/- 1/3 EV ~ 1EV step, 3 frames
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple / Center-weighted / Spot
Scene Modes Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-Portrait, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby1&2, Sunset, Pet, Hi-Speed Burst, Multi Aspect
Advanced Scene Mode No
Shutter Speed/Shutter System P:1-1/2000sec (Selectable minimum shutter speed)
M:60-1/2000sec
Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec
Self Timer 2sec, 10sec
Auto Review 1sec, 2sec, Zoom, Hold
Review No
Picture Adjustment Contrast +2steps
Sharpness +2steps
Saturation +2steps
Noise Reduction +2steps
Color Effect Mode Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm
Color Mode No
Recording Format Still Image: JPEG(Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard), RAW, DPOF corresponding image with audio: JPEG (Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard)+ QuickTime
Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Image Quality Fine/Standard/RAW/RAW+JPEG
4:3 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 4416x 3312
3648 x 2736
3072 x 2304
2560 x 1920
2048 x 1536
1600 x 1200
640 x 480
3:2 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 4416 x 2944
3648 x 2432
3072 x 2048
2560 x 1712
2048 x 1360
16:9 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 4416x 2480
3648 x 2056
3072 x 1728
2560 x 1440
1920 x 1080
Burst Shooting Mode Full-Resolution Image, 2.5 frames/sec Max. 8 images (Standard mode), Max 4 images (Fine), Max 3images (RAW)
Unlimited Consecutive Shooting 2 Yes
Intelligent Exposure Off / Low / Standard / High
Digital Red Eye Correction Yes
Easy Zoom/Zoom Resume/Motion Zoom Yes/No/No
Still Image Recording with Audio 5 seconds
Audio Dubbing Maximum of 10 Seconds
Composition Guide Lines Yes (2 patterns)
Built-in Memory approx. 50MB
Scene Mode Help Screen Yes
Auto Angle Detection Yes
Flip Animation No
Travel Date/World Time Yes/Yes
Title Edit Yes
Text Stamp/Date Stamp Yes
Built-in Flash Type/Mode Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
0.6 - 5.9m (Wide/ISO Auto), 0.3 - 2.9m (Tele/ISO Auto)
External Flash No
Viewfinder No
LCD Monitor 2.7" TFT LCD Display (230K dots)
Field of View : approx. 100%
AUTO Power LCD mode, Power LCD mode, High angle mode
Film Mode No
Playback Mode REC/Play Selector Switch, 30 & 12-thumbnail Display, Calendar Display, Zoomed Playback (16x max), Playback of Fav Pics, Image Rotation, Resize, Trim, Protection, Aspect Conv. DPOF Print Setting Creating Still Pics from Motion Picture, Dual Image Playback
OSD Language English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Russian, Chinese(Traditional), Chinese(Simplified), Netherlandic, Thai, Korean, Turkish, Portuguese, Arabic, Persian, Japanese, Swedish, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish
Recording Media Built-in Memory
SD Memory Card
SDHC Memory Card
MultiMediaCard (Still image only)
Microphone Yes
Speaker Yes
Interface DC Input, AV Output (NTSC/PAL), HD AV Output (Component), USB 2.0 High Speed
Direct Print PictBridge
Power Supply Li-ion Battery Pack (3.7V, 1150mAh) (Included)
AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional)
Battery Life 3 330 pictures (CIPA standard)
Included Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO -viewer- 2.1E
ArcSoft (MediaImpression / Panorama Maker)
SilkyPix Developer Studio 3.0SE, QuickTime, USB Driver
Standard Accessories Battery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery carrying case, AV Cable, USB Connection Cable, AC Cable, Strap, CD-ROM
ISO Limit Set Yes
Multi-Exposure Yes
Multi-Aspect No
Rec Mode (Mode Dial) Intelligent AUTO, Program AE, Manual, Motion Picture, Scene mode
Color Bracketing Standard / Black & White (2 images), Standard / Sepia (2 images), Standard / Black & White / Sepia (3 images)
Real-time Histogram / Highlight Display Yes / Yes
Motion Picture 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 640 x 480 pixels 30 fps, 320 x 240 pixels 30 fps/10 fps 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 848 x 480 pixels 30 fps
Dimensions (H x W x D) 2.12'' x 3.8'' x .98''
Weight .33 lbs

Footnotes

1   As digital magnification increases, resolution significantly decreases.

2   Number of shots may vary depending on memory card size, battery power, picture size, and compression. The consecutive shooting speed varies depending on the memory card or the built-in memory.

3   Shooting conditions: 73.4°F with 50% humidity;LCD On; Using an SD Memory Card; Starting to shoot 30 seconds after turning on the power; Shooting once every 30 seconds with the flash in full operation for every other shot; Changing the zoom setting from telephoto to wide, or wide to telephoto, for each shot; Temporarily turning the power off after each 10 shots (long enough to lower the battery temperature. For DMC-LC1: Shooting once every 30 seconds, flash in operation for every shot, 77°F(25°C) ambient temperature.

(Specifications as provided by the manufacturer.)


Next: Features & Controls

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