Customer Reviews

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 8x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Violet)

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Lumix DMC-FH20V is my 5th digital point & shoot but my first Panasonic. I really like it for what it packs in its incredibly small and thin body. Of course it isn't perfect but no camera ever is. After playing with it for a while, here are my thoughts:

The Color:
I was a bit apprehensive before ordering the camera in the violet but really like it. Truth be told, I was a bit tired of the endless parade of silver-tone cameras and ready for something new. This purple color is not a candy-color purple but instead looks quite classy and nicely muted, especially with the brushed-metal surface.

Pros:
- Size & weight. The FH20 is perfect for anyone whose priority is to go light. I still cannot believe how they packed that many features into such a small and light-weight body (sorry for repeating myself).
- The price. For roughly $170, this is a very good deal and the price contributed to my decision to buy this camera. When looking at other brands and models, most that had comparable mega pixels and zoom cost quite a bit more.
- The combo of 14 mega pixels and an 8x optical zoom is great and was another deciding factor for me. I plan on taking this camera with me on an up-coming vacation,and felt that this allows for the versatility I will likely need and want when shooting all kinds of scenes. Beats shlepping my heavy and bulky Canon Powershot SX10IS with me...
- The auto-focus is fast and accurate. It locks reliably even in low-light conditions, much better than any of my previous cameras, including the aforementioned Canon SX10IS. One of my favorite features when it comes to this camera!
- Easy to operate. I really did not need to consult the manual, which by the way comes in its entirety only in PDF-format on CD. The hard-copy manual included in the box only discusses the basic functions. But like I said, operating the camera is pretty straight-forward and logical. At first I had been a bit concerned with the tiny camera size and consequently small buttons but it works very well, and I do NOT have particularly small hands :-).
- Tons of scene modes available for almost any situation imaginable. There are even two different portrait and scenery (i.e. landscape) modes - one regular and one for night!

Cons (if one wants to call it that):
- No manual control of aperture and shutter speed. I personally do not think of this as a negative simply because this camera is not geared to that type of photographer, but I know that some people like to have that option so I am including this in my list because of that only.
- I found that image noise is very dependent on the zoom setting, even at lower ISO settings such as ISO80 or ISO100. While the camera shoots spectacularly well at short focal lengths and low ISO settings, it does not so well at long focal lengths (engaging the digital zoom). This is not too much of an issue when printing regular 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 prints but enlarging an image that was taken at full zoom might be problematic. Of course this is more or less the same for any camera but I still feel (admittedly subjectively) that the FH20 does not do the greatest job here and is on the same noise level (if not more) as my 4 yr-old Canon PowerShot A700 6MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Zoom. That was slightly disappointing to me.
- White Balance is also something that I was not entirely happy with. Pictures taken indoors often have a very yellow tint which looks unnatural. But the white balance settings can be changed and also allow for manual adjustment, so this is not too big of an issue.

Summary:
All in all I am quite happy with this camera. I researched a lot before I bought it and still think that the combo of price, size & weight and features is hard to beat. With every camera there will be something that one person loves and another does not care for much, it is an oftentimes subjective trade-off. But anyone looking for a great, lightweight and feature-rich camera likely won't be disappointed as long as he/she keeps in mind that this is a true point & shoot camera for people who want to take good pictures without having to take a photography class first.

Last but not Least:
When looking for a camera case for the FH20, I compared a lot of measurements for different cases to make sure it would fit the FH20. I finally settled on the Caselogic TBC-302 Ultra Compact Camera Case with Storage (Magenta). It fits and does the job without adding too much bulk, plus it accommodates a spare battery. Just thought I'd add that in case you don't want to look around too much for a suitable case...

After my Canon SD1100 broke in March, I researched for several weeks for a new camera. I went to several stores to feel and play with the newer Canon...but was incredibly disappointed to see the lack of features offered for the prices.

Before the Canon, I owned a LumixFX07 which I was very pleased with, so I decided to look again to Panasonic.
After looking at the features...and the lens size of the FH20 I decided to take a risk and buy it without ever seeing it in person (a first for me).

I have owned this camera for about 2 months now and have used it quite often. (I am the girl in the group who always documents the events).

Overall I am very pleased with the photo qualities and features. The only thing I find a little inconvenient is the white balance. I often have to play around with the different WB settings in order to get the color to look natural and not orange.

Other than that I enjoy the ease of turning on the macro setting and the wide angle lens. Although it is light, it also feels sturdy and at first I was weary of the purple color, but it is not too flashy or obnoxious.

I am just a hobby photographer and own a Nikon D50, but always have a pocket camera on me...and so far the FH20 has performed very well.

I bought this camera for my wife to replace an older Canon she has been using for years. This is my first digital camera that is not a Canon and I have to say Panasonic has done a great job. Very good feature set. Shutter lag is nearly non existent which my wife loves. She can now get pictures of our kids with them in the frame! This camera is a really small, tight and high quality package. The zoom is awesome and the 720p video, while you are unable to use the zoom while filming, is a really nice that you have to pay another hundred dollars for with other brands. The ability to focus correctly and quickly in all situations, the detail and the color reproduction is nothing short of flawless so far. We still need to do some experimenting with low light pictures but I think those come out pretty good too. The flash does not extend too far but is effective at short range and takes some good night pictures as long as you stay within that range. I would definately reccomend this camera to anyone looking for a compact point and shoot.

I did a lot of comparing between this camera and the Sony Cybershot series. Ended up with the Panasonic because of the larger optical zoom and I'm really pleased with my decision. It takes great photos. The colors are bright and true, it does really well in low light situations, and the Intelligent Auto setting is fantastic. It's small and lightweight, but still feels substantial in your hand. The screen is large and bright and the controls are easy to master. Two reasons why I didn't give it a perfect score-- 1) The menus are a little hard to navigate. It's fine once you get used to it, but there can be a lot of button-pressing to get to what you want. Fortunately, the Intelligent Auto setting takes care of most of this, so it's not a huge problem. 2) The software that comes with the camera is not Mac compatible and the camera itself has a hard time with iPhoto. I'm pretty sure iPhoto '09 took care of this problem, but for those of us who don't want to spend the money on that it kind of stinks. To get pictures on my computer, I have to use Image Capture and then move them into iPhoto manually. Not a big deal, but it would have been nice to know before purchasing the camera. But all in all, I am really pleased with the photos this camera takes and the HD video is nice too!! I highly recommend this one!

Its size makes it perfect to take along on my motorcycle.

14 M setting is great for printing and a print I did is
the only way I could prove its quality since I'd need a
very high resolution monitor and graphics card to prove
it on a computer.

It's a really decent little camera. Very worth its cost.

It has a 10.5 M 16 x 9 setting I really like 'cause
pictures taken can be displayed on my HD monitor
from the get go without altering them.

Since I have a 1920 x 1080 HD camcorder I'm not concerned
with the camera movie mode but to anyone reading this I
would say it takes decent movies but no zooming once you
start. So preset zoom before you begin.

Also, small cameras like this have crappy audio.

Camera records to .mov format so you may need
program to edit your stuff.

The still pictures are what is good about this camera
and I'm quite happy with it

This camera is awesome! I own a Canon Rebel, but decided to buy a 2nd camera to use on vacations and for quick snapshots of my son around the house. It is, by far, the coolest camera I've used...and I've used a lot (and returned a lot). The clarity on the pictures - when developed - is amazing. The 8x optical zoom on this and the 14.1 MP is what makes it a great camera. The options are endless with this camera. I would definitely suggest this camera over any other if you're looking for a light, compact, and stylish camera that can get the job done whether you're at home or on vacation.

Just one word of advice:
DON'T LOSE IT! *lol*

When I ordered this camera I was certain it was "the one". My mom has a Lumix and we've been very happy with it. But then I received it, and it has one HUGE bad point - the white balance is AWFUL for fluorescent/CFL lighting. However it took me so long to do testing on it, compare photos to other cameras, etc, that I waited too long and can't return it now. So I am keeping it and I will make do, but I am stressed and unhappy by the flaw. We've had three Casio Exilims and the other Lumix and never noticed this issue with them.

I use a lot of CFL bulbs in my home, and at school and other commercial buildings it's mostly fluorescent lighting. Most of the photos I take at home or at school or church are VERY YELLOW with this camera. I tried every white balance setting, but there doesn't seem to be one specifically for fluorescent, so I can't find anything that fixes this problem.

In terms of anything bad to say, that white balance flaw is really it. Otherwise, this camera is fine. It's a nice size, not too small. Outdoor pictures are great. With the class 10 SD card, it writes even 14MP photos quickly. It has a lot of Scene modes. The Baby 1 and Baby 2 scene modes allow you to set a birthday for your child and then when you take photos it tells you exactly how old they were in the photo.

As a general complaint about all cameras, I cant see any reason to shoot a 14MP photo. I wish you could still get a 8MP camera that was super good quality, rather than these extreme MP cameras that seem like the quality is just so-so at all levels, rather than really good across the board. With this Lumix, the quality is fine for what I shoot (mostly pics of the kids and outings we take, nothing professional), but I wouldnt say it's the best thing ever.

So that is all I have to say at the moment. This isn't a bad camera. But am I unhappy with it.

ok let's keep this short and sweet: I've been using my camera for a tad over a month now. What I like most about the camera is the features, ease of use, and the overall picture quality.
What I dislike about the camera is that the auto white balance doesn't always work right. You have to play around with it but it's not a big deal for me. It takes awesome pictures with the macro feature, and even without it, they still capture a lot of detail. Really love the camera and would purchase it all over again.

So far I am amazed at what this camera can do. It's just a little point and click...a PURPLE point and click I might add...but it has a lot of amazing qualities. I love all the settings, the large LCD (larger than my last camera) I adore the Burst and high-speed Burst options. That's actually why I bought the camera, it works amazing for kids and animals! I haven't had the camera more than a few weeks, and I probably still don't know half of what it can do, but what I have figured out and done with it so far, I love it.

It's easy, lots of features, burst option, macro...really takes some great pictures, and did I say it's PURPLE!

I'm not a camera guru, so having this be easy to use and take great pictures was a must, and it is!

this little camera worked great. Its stabilizing feature was amazing, I could even walk and take pictures with it without flash, and the photos still came out focused and clear.