1. 3" LCD Touchscreen
2. 25mm/f 2.8 wide-angle Leica DC lens
3. Advanced Optical Image Stabilization and Intelligent ISO
4. Autofocus/auto exposure Face Detection
5. HD Motion Capture with component output

Editorial Review :

3.0" Touch-Screen LCD Offers Easy, Intuitive Operation
The DMC-FX500 Lumix compact digital camera features a hybrid control system that combines joystick control with touch-screen operation. Use the joystick for basic settings and the touch-screen for others like AF/AE, Manual Operation and Slideshow functions, which can be adjusted by touching or moving a slider on the screen with your finger or with the included stylus pen.

25mm Wide-Angle LEICA Lens with 5x Optical Zoom
With both a bright F2.8 25mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens and a 5x zoom, this is one camera that does it all. The sophisticated lens system lets you capture dramatic images that convey an impressive sense of breadth and depth - remarkable for such a compact camera. The 5x zoom is great for small or distant subjects, and there's also an Extra Optical Zoom function that boosts zoom power to 8.9x in 3-megapixel resolution mode.

Intelligent Auto Mode Helps Get Great Shots in Every Situation
Set the FX500 to iA mode and let the five Intelligent Auto functions team up to help prevent shooting errors. Intelligent Exposure corrects lighting differences, so images come out just the way you see them; Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation; MEGA Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur; and Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings.

Customer Review :

Girlfriend loves it.

I got this for my girl about a year and a half ago now. Takes great wide angle pics. Outdoor pics are great. MY issue is indoor pics when using the flash. It creates lense flare that end up looking like big opaque DOTS.... most likely on your face.

Rating :

flimsy video quality

pros: large touch screen, boxy appearance
cons: video quality especially under/facing strong sun shine or indoor light

Rating :

Well pleased!

I purchased this camera primarily for its wide angle capability (25mm lens). Although it is a subcompact, due to the photo quality, size of the display and the numerous (more than I'll likely ever use) features, it appears as though it will amply satisfy my requirements.

Rating :

Picture Banding

I have had this camera for a year and have had a banding problem with it since new. Panasonic refuses to admit that this is a common problem with their cameras. About 20% of the photos that I take with the camera will be split in half horizontally with a very visible line across the middle. The the top half of the photo will have either a magenta, green, or washed out appearance and the bottom half of the photo a contrasting magenta, green or dark appearance. I have tried all kinds of different settings indoor and out, different PC programs for display, and different SD cards. Nothing worked. It has to be a problem with the camera. The banding problem also appears on the camera LCD, so it can't be with the PC or software as Panasonic claims.

Rating :

Very good day-to-day street shooter with full manual controls

I was tired of my Olympus XA rangefinder film camera getting stuck so that the film would not advance and the shutter would not fire. I have used it for a long while and really enjoyed a "small shooter" I could pop out at any time and snap a quick candid. This camera is not as unobtrusive as the XA because it has no viewfinder (only the screen) meaning I have to stand there with my arms out staring at the screen and looking a lot more conspicuous. I also lost the three-point stabilization of two hands + face that helped hold the camera steady.
Having said all that, I am very glad I bought this. The photo quality is nice ISO 200 or lower and reasonable up to 400. Compared to a film camera not so good but to other digitals in the same genre I find that it excels. The menu system is so intuitive as to make the manual unneeded for standard shooting (read it anyway -- there are a lot of amazing features available).
The Leica-branded optics are excellent... I have seen very little flair, almost no falloff or vignetting, and no CA (at low ISO). The camera gets noisy quick at 400 and images shot at 800 or higher are not usable unless you just want something to prove you took a picture. This was never my requirement and my intent is to use this camera until a decent, pocket-able DSLR becomes available and affordable (Micro Four Thirds, I would guess, but even the current generation is not quite ready for prime time) or until I am willing to spring for a Leica D-Lux or something comparable.
In the meantime, I find this camera a ready and able street-shooter. The biggest pluses I can mention are:
--Rapid shutter. You push, it shoots. Push again, it shoots again. The shutter release is VERY responsive, one of the biggest problems with most compact digitals.
--Flash is a fill flash. No harsh shadows.
--Image Stabilization. Compensates for the hand shake with a compact.
--Small, light, and unobtrusive. Fits nicely in a shirt pocket or a cell-style belt pouch.
--Extremely well designed and intuitive menu system
--Full manual control over exposure and aperture with an excellent TTL meter. This is rarely available on a compact and makes the term "point and shoot" invalid when applied to this camera, though it can be used that way.
--Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes, as well as Program AE.
--Extremely accurate auto-focus
--Auto-focus is FAST
--Depth of field is displayed right on the screen (e.g. 1.5f to 35ft)
--Auto-focus is easily adjusted shot-by-shot if desired...just touch the AF point on the screen
--Extra wide-angle lens perfect for landscapes and large groups.
--Optical zoom with the ability to completely disable so-called "digital zoom". In fact, it was disabled by default on my unit.
--Battery life is so long as to obviate the need for a spare (but I still have one). I shoot for 10 days or so without recharging and the battery has never been dead yet. Caveat: I almost never use a flash.
--JPEG engine seems to produce high quality files that are not overly large despite the high megapixel count
Cons:
--It is a compact digital, no viewfinder
--So-so image quality at ISO 400, noisy at 800 and useless at 1600. These are not a concern for me. The image stabilization has allowed me to shoot at the lower ISO speeds with a slower shutter speed and not see any motion blur (or only background subject motion, not camera shake).

Overall, I find this to be an outstanding camera compared with ANY compact digital. I highly recommend this camera.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. 9-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-sized prints
2. 10x optical zoom Leica DC lens; Face Detection
3. Wi-Fi capable; standard 802.11b/g wireless LAN connectivity and access to T-Mobile HotSpot service
4. 3.0-inch LCD; Mega O.I.S. and Intelligent ISO
5. Captures images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Editorial Review :

9 MEGA PIXEL 28MM WIDE 10X OPTICAL ZOOM 3.0 LCD OPTICAL STABILIZATION FACE DETECTION -HD- SILVER, Wi-Fi

Customer Review :

good stuff

bought the tz5 2 weeks ago and i think the camera is great but it all depends on the user. i was indoors for a wedding and alot of my pics were coming out a bit red in both the background and in the faces. another friend took my camera, doddled with the settings and his pics came our perfect. so its takes time to learn. the iA setting isnt always perfect, its just the quickest. the zoom is great but only goes up to the max 67.5x (optical times digi) on certain settings, and the resolutions also goes down from 9M to 3M at the super high zooms (the camera automatically changes it). the wifi feature is decent, you can upload via your home wireless network. kinda slow, about 15-30 sec a pic so this is only good for a handful of pic if you are in a rush to get it up online. but overall, the camera is GREAT!! great feature for the price =o)

Rating :

Nice Camera but Panasonic will not stand behind it

I bought this camera in October of 2009 to use on a trip to Egypt. The camera was great. Perhaps a little large for a casual photographer but otherwise great. Picture quality was terrific. After my trip I used it very little but did use it on occasion. Last month I picked it up and the shutter covers were sticking. I called Panasonic customer support and they told me to send it in for warranty service. 2 weeks later I received a call. They said I had damaged the camera and the warranty was void. They want $250 to fix it. They will make no concessions. I'll never buy another Panasonic product.

Rating :

The Panasonic Lumix DMC - Be Careful and Choose Wisely!

I purchased this camera right before I went to live in Italy for three months. I was studying there and wanted to document my experience for obvious reasons!

After researching for months I decided on this Panasonic model and all the accessories so I would be prepared...and it took the most beautiful pictures - while it still worked! After only a month the lens cover wouldn't open when I turned the camera on. Then my zoom went. Then the thing wouldn't even turn on. I was stuck in Italy with no camera and two months of my trip left.

Luckily one of the other girls there had a spare camera I could use some of the time, but its really disappointing when you fork out all this money and your amazing camera craps out after a month of ownership. Like I said, this camera worked beautifully when it worked. I have never seen a camera take such amazing night shots. Maybe I just got a fluke model.

Well, I've sent it in to be repaired so hopefully things with be resolved...but I still spent two months in Europe with no camera. That is the part that kills me.

Rating :

Very good pictures

The Panasonic DMC-TZ50 offers the same 9.1 megapixel resolution, 3" LCD, lens and 10x zoom as the Panasonic DMC-TZ. The wifi capability is added on but does not work well enough to pay extra to get. It is getting hard to find the TZ5 at a good price, but the TZ50 offers the same camera for less. This is a highly versatile camera with a great feature set so If you can get it for under $300 it is a great buy. You can not see much on the LCD in bright sunlight but adding a Delkin pop up shade helps a bit as would a non-glare film added to the LCD.

Rating :

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50S Camera

This is a pretty amazing camera when compared to other digital cameras. The zoom really blows me away. It can take some WIDE, wide angle shots, along with a tight zoom. The wide angle is not like anything I have seen in this type of digital camera. The screen is really clear. The price was very competitive for all of the features it supplied. Without doubt, I would buy it again. I have not used the wireless yet since I can download using the cord.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. 12.1-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-size prints
2. 5x MEGA image-stabilized optical zoom; 25mm ultra-wide-angle Leica DC lens
3. 3.0-inch touch-screen LCD
4. Intelligent Auto (iA) mode; Face Recognition feature
5. Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Editorial Review :

12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera Intelligent Auto Mode Helps prevent shooting errors Touch Screen Manual Operation 3" Intelligent LCD w/ auto brightness LEICA DC Vario-Elmar Lens 25mm wide angle Black

Customer Review :

An outstanding product.

The size is unbelievable small and the quality of the pictures is very good.
The touch screen makes everything easier. I strongly recommend it.

Rating :

Very nice camera

Nice camera. The whole family loves it. I will buy another one, first got stolen

Rating :

Check your packaging!

Received this camera direct from Amazon. The camera had obviously been returned and not inspected. The USB cable was missing from the packaging. Make sure you check all your accessories when you open your package. Amazon told me to go out and buy a new cable and they would refund me the price. Review on the camera itself coming soon.

Rating :

Nice camera though Amazon almost blew it

I ordered this "in stock" item then watched and waited for a week for it to be shipped.

Facing a Christmas deadline, I had to contact Amazon customer service (which takes a good bit of effort in itself) and pay $10 additional before the camera left Amazon.

Rating :

Would have expected better

Let me start off saying I have a really nice DSLR and just wanted a small Point and Shoot to replace my aging canon elf. I was really excited about this camera after seeing it had all of the features I wanted plus the fact it comes with the leica optics. The camera itself is built very well, and the features are great. One of the reasons I bought this was for the manual control over aperture and shutter speed. In the daylight (outside) the camera takes some really great pics, but inside (70% of my shooting) the pics look really noisy. Even at low iso and on manual settings, the pics come out grainy. The flash is good but can creates some funny bright spots. The HD video is good outdoors, but not as good as the sony cameras, and the video indoors is horrible. I returned it and bought the Sony TX7 (love this camera).

Rating :

More reviews...

1. 10.1-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-size prints
2. 4x MEGA optical image-stabilized zoom; F2.8 Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens
3. Intelligent Auto (iA) mode
4. 2.7-inch LCD screen
5. Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Editorial Review :

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7 Point & Shoot Digital Camera - Silver 10.1 Megapixel - 16:9 - 4x Optical Zoom - 4x Digital Zoom - 2.70

Customer Review :

Value for money. I'm happy with it.

This a very good portable camera for day time photography. Built in flash is not that powerful. Photos are in natural colors. Sharpness and contrast are really good too.

I'm a happy buyer...if you are looking for portable camera this is a good choice with good battery life.


Rating :

Absolutely Perfect

I was in the market for a 10mp point & shoot camera, and was going back and forth because the Canon & Sony's are always top rated. Panasonic is a great brand, but maybe not the FIRST name you think of. I did a little researching and narrowed it down to a 10mp Sony or a 10mp Panasonic. I felt (when compared side by side) all I was paying more for in the case of the Sony, was the name. I bought the Panasonic, and it's NO JOKE. It's compact, light, has almost NO shutter lag, and is very user friendly. So far it's been used for stationary pics, pics of my two (quick & active) dogs, and it's performed beyond what I expected. I have not used the zoom, so I can't comment on that. I will say, that every other feature is as good, or better than the big names out there- and I've previously owned a Canon and Sony digital camera.

Rating :

Highly recommended!

I bought this camera for my boyfriend for Christmas and gave it to him shortly after he proposed. Needless to say we've used it quite a bit and I am buying another for my mother's birthday present.

It's quite user-friendly so I would highly recommend it for technophobes (such as my parents) but takes great pictures for someone in my age group who only wants a point-and-shoot that they can take anywhere.

Rating :

Good value

I've been using this camera for a week and am happy with the purchase so far.

Rating :

At least it is inexpensive

This camera feels reasonably well made although not as well as the Canon line. But, as compared to the Canon SD780, its about $100 less. Picture wise, it is not as good as the SD780 although that is not saying much. The camera has basically two modes automatic and "manual". One nice feature is that you can set up the camera not to use an ISO higher than a certain number. The camera lacks a viewfinder so on a day when the sun is bright and the screen is washed out, you will be out of luck.

The pictures though are very very noisy even at the lowest ISOs. The camera has ISO 1600 but anything over ISO 400 is not really useable. ISO 1600 is very poor. Images are not sharp either alot of which is because of the high noise.

This is an easy to use basic snapshot camera. I wouldn't use it for anything that was really important. Unfortunately, the ultra compact cameras with tiny sensors and high megapixels do not do well. I would pick this over some other offerings only because of price.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. 10-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-sized prints
2. 4x wide-angle optical zoom; Mega Optical Image Stabilized
3. 2.5-inch Intelligent LCD screen; Face Detection
4. Intelligent ISO; Intelligent Scene Selector
5. 50 MB built-in memory; captures images to SD memory cards (not included)

Editorial Review :

Simply set the 10.1-megapixel DMC-FS5 to iA mode and let the four Intelligent Auto functions team up to help prevent shooting errors. Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation; MEGA Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur; and Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings. The 30mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens with 4x optical zoom takes wider shots than an ordinary 35mm lens. This is helpful in small rooms or crowded places, for example, letting you fit more people into a group photo. There's also an Easy Zoom button on the camera top - just press it, and the optical zoom and Extra Optical Zoom instantly extend to full telescopic position. This quick zooming lets you catch even fleeting opportunities. The brightness and contrast of the large 2.5" diagonal LCD adjust automatically in 10 steps as ambient light conditions change, so images are clear, bright and easy to see day or night, indoors or outdoors. f=5.2-20.8mm (35mm Equiv. - 30-120mm) Focal Length 2.5 Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (230K dots) Focusing Area Normal - Wide 50cm/ Tele 100cm - infinity, Macro / Intelligent AUTO - Wide 10cm / Tele 100cm - infinity 8 - 1/2,000 sec. Starry Sky Mode - 15, 30, 60sec. Shutter Speed Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode - Auto(1600 - 6400) ) ISO 27MB Internal Memory (additional memory recommended to store more photos and video) Built-in Microphone and Speaker SD/SDHC, MultiMedia Card Slot Built-in Flash with Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off modes DC Input, A/V Output (NTSC/PAL), USB Connections PictBridge Compatible Approximate Battery Life - 310 Shots (CIPA Standard) Approximate Unit Weight - 0.291 lbs

Customer Review :

Love this cameara

This is a really nice camera and easy to use. Takes great pictures and the video is fine too.
Surprisingly decent video and sound.
Battery life is good and response is pretty snappy for the most part. It is a great looker and the build feels solid.

My one misgiving: Flash pictures in low light situations have really bad color (class plays for my kids). So I have to turn flash off when I am taking the picture. Yes I understand that the flash is not meant to light up the whole world...but still I wasn't that far away. So I'd say the flash is on the weak side.
But I still would buy this camera if I had a choice again.

Rating :

great camera!

This is a great camera and an excellent buy. I purchased it for my teenage son and he loved it. Too bad he LOST it on our trip to Israel this past summer along with the over 100 pictures he had taken!

Rating :

Great point and shoot camera

I'm not a professional photographer. I got this camera to use on the spur of the moment or for those walking moments when you just want to snap a picture. I like the size, the feel, and the picture quality a lot and recommend it. I'm into other technologies, and in those, can subject any purchase to exhaustive, punishing tests. Photography, I'm not able to do that. But, for what I got this camera for, it is great. The pictures are clear, it is fast enough for me, and has a classic look that I like a lot. The Leica lens is a great feature, since I cannot afford a Leica. I'm sure when "fighting breaks out," this camera will document just as well as a Leica will do.

Update: I have had this for a few months now,and it remains for me, a great camera. I use it for 'documentary' photos, and in that role it does very well indeed. It is easy to use, and has a retro look that I appreciate.

Rating :

Nice Camera, Dust Problem

This is a nicely built camera. Solid metal case has withstood rough handling and even a 4' drop onto a metal floor (dented the casing but camera functioned without a hiccup). Image quality is nice but not quite as natural or smooth as those from Canon. Autofocus is also slower than Canon and can be very indecisive in certain conditions, a problem for spontaneous picture taking. I still use Canon as the standard for comparison for subcompact cameras.

One big problem with this model is internal dust due to a bad seal. Images started showing dark splotches after a couple months use; camera was stored uncovered in pants pocket or thrown in backpack. These splotches came from dust on the internal lens and CCD. Disassembling the camera and cleaning out these components resolved the problem. However, I decided to get a new camera after having to do this several times, and not another Panasonic.

This camera should be fine for clean environments or if it's constantly protected. However, it may develop problems if stored and used unprotected in dusty environments, such as for hiking and traveling in dusty environments. The autofocus is also a very subjective matter; it's not that critical for people who can take their time waiting on the cameras to focus but a problem for people who take spontaneous pictures.

Rating :

Beach Camera

I purchased a Panasonic Lumix camera from Beach Camera, Edison NJ through the Amazon website. Beach Camera shipped my camera via FedEx overnight (only charging me for standard shipping). My camera arrived in perfect condition, and I'm very happy with it. I also paid about $40 less ordering from Beach Camera than what the Panasonic site was charging. Amazon has never disappointed me. I always find the best deals, and the vendors are top-notch. I can trust ordering from Amazon, and the customer service is great. Keep up the good work, Amazon!

Rating :

More reviews...