Customer Reviews

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30A 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Blue)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I set out to purchase FX07, but ended up w FX30, which was offered at the same price and I think is the same camera w FX07 feature-wise, except that it is slimmer and newer.

I set out to purchase an ultra compact, because I was reluctant to bring my DSLR in my first trip to China. Used to DSLR, I have high expectation of a camera.

My ground criteria: must have 28mm wide angle and optical stabliser. This significantly narrowed my selection to only 3: Lumix FX07, Lumix LX2 and Canon SD800/850IS.

Since I usually shoots w DSLR, I need 3:2 aspect and Canon does not support it, so it's out of the game.

Reading the reviews, I was initially deterred with the complaints of noise and water colour effects in Lumix. However, after seeing some samples, I decided that those noise and water colour are probably a nuisance only to those pixel peepers, not me.

It was a tough choice betw FX07 and LX2. Finally, I decided in favour of FX07's compactness and full 28mm lens, and foregoing LX2's supposedly better images, RAW support, and A/S/P exposure modes.

In a span of 1 week, I shot >600 pics. These included difficult photos: night scenery, low-light night & indoor photos, sunset, panning photos of people in the street. And wow...., this little gem camera exceeds my expectation. Extremely easy to use and very intuitive (at least for me - I hardly need to read the manual to master this camera). The quick access function menu (which provides quick access for most-frequently-changed settings such as changing ISO, white balance or single/multiple shots) is very handy. Accessing some photographic functions such as exposure compensation, flash setting and bracketing are also quick by pressing buttons instead of diving into the menu structures.

Noise turns out to be more tolerable than what I had anticipated (having read the reviews). I used ISO800 often for night photos with no flash; just do not use High Sensitivity (ISO3200) mode - this produced photos worse than mobile-phone camera. Of course, I try to use as lowest ISO as possible to minimise noise. I can handhold the camera at 1/4s with no apparent blur in the photos, thanks to the optical stabiliser, i suppose.

Being much more compact than DSLR, I think this camera is also not intimidating. I have taken many more candid photos of people in the street than I could have using DSLR.

I have not printed any of the photos, but I do not think that should be a problem.

I bought a black one, but the surface is not metal unlike the silver one. It's like a black suede material, which I just hope will not get thinned or peel off over time.

The best things about this camera are:
- 28mm is awesome. It is possible to take an arms-length self portrait and get ample scenery in the background. And it is not obvious I photographed myself. Invaluable when you can't find someone to take your picture.
- Image stabilization works well
- Fast performance. I can power on and snap off a well focused shot in a little over a second. Using a 66x 1GB SD card, I can take several shots per second in burst mode indefinitely (I've never tried more than 30 shots in burst mode but I'm sure it could do more)
- Hi-res widescreen videos look good on HDTV.
- Some manual controls such as AWB, ISO, and AF mode. Other point-and-shoot cameras had almost no manual adjustments.
- extra batteries (non-panasonic brand) can be found for cheap on well-known auction site. Look for model # BCE10E.

What I don't like:
- Low light shots are average. Most come out well-focused (due to IS), but they have more noise reduction artifacts than my Canon A510. However, the A510 tends to be blurrier. I prefer the FX30 shots due to less blur.
- No manual control over exposure time. There are a few modes for night shots with long exposres (15-60 sec) but I like to adjust shots in the 1/4-1/30 sec range and I cannot seem to do this with the FX30
- Flash is sometimes too bright in AUTO mode.
- Videos in QuickTime format. Windows users would be better served by AVI or MPEG format, as XP comes bundled with decent video editing and playback software for these formats.
- No optical viewfinder. I rarely use it but it is nice to have.

This little guy is about the size of a cell phone, but it's able to perform as well as the larger point and shoots. After a few test shots, I "tweaked" the factory settings a bit, and my "tweaking" seems to be remembered when the camera is turned off. A morning of shooting at a "robot wars" competition in a local high school gym included some film clips with sound. I would have gotten better quality with a dedicated film camera and external mike, but these are usable for electronic scrapbooking, and great for a camera of this size. (Warning: movies are in Apple Quick Time format, which does not seem to be compatible with Windows Vista.)

I have the black non-metallic version of this camera, and the softer plastic coating is helpful in keeping a grip on this little guy. The build quality seems to be very good. It's not the equivalent of a DSLR, but this is more apt to be carried on casual Saturday morning adventures.

Update to the above, 6 weeks later:

I took this little camera on a recent trip to a family wedding in another area. As a travel camera, this little guy excels. Even when you're dressed up, it slips easily into a pocket.

Outdoor candid photos were clear and sharp. Indoor photos tended to be overexposed if the subject was too close to the flash. It actually worked better in a small room to have the flash off and raise the ISO. (I set 800 as my highest ISO, and chose "natural" as the color setting.) The image stabilization technology gave sharp photos with most handheld shots, I found, even in lower light.

Main weakness of the small lens is noticeable inward curve of vertical lines (buildings on a city streetfront) when shot at extreme wide angle (to maximize available light by using the widest aperture) -- a somewhat surreal effect. Scenes without dominant vertical lines look OK.

I found the shutter lag on this camera to be a vast improvement over my older travel camera, approaching the quickness of a film camera. Much better for those candid shots. Battery held up for about 300 shots, without flash.

The reason I bought this camera was the wide-angle and the Image Stabilizer. Both features should be standard on any camera. The wide-angle allows you to take more of a scene and often those pictures just look nicer.

The IS works great. Does not do miracles and I wouldn't expect sharp pictures taken during an earthquake but sure helps take picture inside without using the flash. I was really impressed.

The camera is very small and be aware there's no grip and view finder. Can't have everything. Choose your poison.

Buttons are well positioned and very easy to use. Difficult to change setting by accident. That is the reason I did not buy the newest small canon.

There's enough options to please most of us. Quality of the pictures is good enough for me. Yah there's noise at high ISO and if you blow the picture 16X and look at them with a microscope but if you buy a small digital camera for [...]$ to produce movie posters, well the problem might not be the camera but the person holding it.

Overall it is a great point-and-shoot digital camera. If you want better quality picture, buy a DSLR.

I have had many expensive digital cameras....but when I return from my many trips, I was always disappointed by not being able to capture everyone in a large group or the grandeur of the panorama views or the buildings, when I didn't have the luxury of being able to step back....and when I did, what I wanted to photograph only got too small and insignificant....that is until I found Lumix FX30K !

Yeah, it's a big big, but this model is smaller than the older models and takes the best photos....with all the flexibility for adjusting to various light levels. With this camera, I never have to think how to crop or what to chop-off of the photo. Every one who needs an all encompassing/one-camera-for-all-uses should try this. Once you've had a 28mm wide-angle lens camera, you'll never be satisfied w/ any other. AND to top it off, the camera is quite compact and has an incredible quality lens.

It's almost impossible to take a bad photo, inside or out. This is the only camera that I feel like I got my money's worth and that I want to take w/ me for business or for pleasure.

My wife and I wanted to replace a well used Konica Minolta X50 we've had for some time and had seen some pretty heavy use over the years. We really wanted a camera that had a 28 mm wide angle because sometimes it was hard to get everything in pictures with the X50 (which has 36mm wide angle). The FX30 is a very nice small package and takes some nice clear pictures when there is good light and it can use a low ISO like 100, or 200 at the most. The optics of the FX30 seemed quite good and it did not have some of the fisheye issues at wider angles I had with a Canon SD800IS I tried at the same time. The flash on the FX30 is pretty limited and to compensate it has to raise the sensitivity. Then the pictures end up being grainy and noisy, even if you only print a 4X6 inch print. If you try and force it to a lower ISO, the pictures end up pretty dark, even with the flash on. We've also tried getting closer to subjects, but the flash tends to wash the subjects out. In the end I ended up returning the FX30 because I didn't feel it was any better than our Konica Minolta.

I ended up trying a Panasonic TZ3, which is unfortunately a little bigger than the FX30, but will still fit in most pockets and has a much bigger zoom lens while still having a 28mm wide angle. So far it seems to have some of the same limitations of the FX30, but if you force it to lower ISOs the pictures don't seem quite as dark as the FX30 in lower light. I'm probably going to keep the TZ3 in spite of it having some limitations because it is a really versatile camera with both the wide angle lens and the great zoom and would be an upgrade to our Konica Minolta.

I bought this camera on the strength of it winning the "Best Consumer Compact 2007" in What Digital Camera magazine here in the UK. I wanted a very compact camera which was well made and which also produced good quality pictures via a high quality wide angle lens.

And that is what I got - good quality pictures - and the camera itself is beautifully made, incl a Leica 28-100mm lens (perfect for landscapes and short tele work). Beautifully made? How many cameras can you say that about these days? It's a joy to use too. The menu system is dead easy - I only read the manual out of academic interest in the end (but of course that's the way to get the best out of it). Picture quality is very good indeed for a compact digital, especially so given the tiny size of the sensor in these types of cameras (compared to DSLRs). No complaints from me - I was very pleasantly surprised.

I've taken a string of indoor and outdoor shots on this camera and find viewing them on my laptop very satisfying indeed. What I mean is that I'm enjoying the picture rather than being distracted by any apparent lack of picture quality (which there isn't). And I say this as someone who also regularly shoots using a Canon 400D DSLR attached to the new Canon 70-200 F4L IS, a combination which delivers amazing image quality. However, if you want really bitingly sharp image quality then buy a DSLR and be sure to buy the best (sharpest) lens you can afford so as to do the sensor justice.

I just checked outdoor low light performance of the FX30 by taking 3 shots, ISO 100, 400 and 800 (steadied against a door frame). So that's at 5pm just now and completely overcast. Looking at the shots, I guess things are OK-ish around the ISO 100 and 200 mark. Much noisier at these light levels using ISO 400 and 800 though. As you might expect, noise quickly becomes a problem in outdoor low light conditions, but I don't suppose that this camera is worse than any other in this respect. If you are worried about this specific area then you could visit a local dealer who has one of these cameras on display then maybe you could check with your own eyes by taking a few shots out through the dealer's doorway when daylight is fading. Then view the shots on the LCD back panel and zoom in to see what you can see in terms of noise? Or back home on your laptop or PC if you take your own memory card along.

I have also used the FX30 indoors in low-ish light (mix of natural and artificial light, and sometimes just indoor lights / plus flash) and have accordingly bumped up the ISO setting to 200 or 400 (and experimented with white balance setting to see what looks best). At ISO 400 I noticed some loss of detail as you might expect but I didn't notice noise becoming a problem as such. What I did like doing around Christmas time just gone was using the camera for cosy indoor shots with decorations up, gifts laid out, Christmas lights on around fire place etc. Selecting the slow synch flash mode and upping the ISO to around 200 or 400 usually gave a really nice balanced flash effect. I could just about get away with hand-holding, i.e. relying on the image stabilization but the images was a tad sharper using a tripod as you would expect. Very nice results.

In terms of speed of use, the camera is ready to use one second after switching on. Min to max zoom takes 2 seconds, and max to min zoom takes 2 seconds also. So it seems pretty snappy to me - I never find myself waiting for the camera to catch up.

It's a case of you pays your money and takes your choice as far as the compact vs DSLR argument goes - but this is one cracking compact camera that delivers great results which surely 99% of people would happily enjoy. I'm not surprised it picked up its UK What Digital Camera magazine award. I'm very glad I bought it.

Very highly recommended.

I started out as a professional news photographer in 1970 and while I got into digital video several years ago I still wasn't into digital still cameras. I have a great 35mm Ricoh p&s that takes great pics and features a panorama view at 24mm, all in a camera that fits in my pocket. I was looking for a wide angle lens as most digital p&s are not really very wide, widest is 35mm lens and most are 38mm.

Panasonic was the only one that had a reasonably wide 28mm equivilent lens and good enough to get up close to subjects and have no real distortion. I also liked the look of the camera and the easy controls and of course,the fact that it was pretty much identical to the Leica C-Lux was also a factor, it's pretty much the same camera for $200 as opposed to the Leica at $400, both made by Panasonic.

Using the camera was easy, just set it to Normal mode, or even easier, Simple mode, and you're ready to shoot. Manual is pretty big but as with all electronics, you really use maybe 10% of the features. I like the ability to do manual white balance which it has, and also choose resolution. A word of advice though, you can shoot in 3 formats, 4:3 which is normal TV screen size, 3:2 which duplicates the 35mm frame (and 4x6 prints) and 16:9 which is HD format, so you can show your pics in wide screen on your HD TV.

But when you choose either 3:2 or 16:9, your choice of resolution is limited to two choices; 6mp or 2.5mp. But that's really all you need anyways, I have shot solely on 2.5 and get fantastic pics. I usually set my ASA at 400, same as my 35mm camera and have done great 8x10's as well as using the camera for Powerpoint presentations where the pics are blown up on a screen 10ft by 8 ft. No noticeable grain at all.

Hookups were easy, cables are provided for attaching to your TV and also to connect to your computer. I have a Dell computer with 8-1 reader so I just take my 2GB card out and insert into the Dell and the pictures appear, I select and they go to the folder I direct them to.

It's a fantastic little camera, I'm extremely happy with it and can't find any real drawbacks. Having used many cameras over the years I think this goes down as one of my favorites. And I got the black body, aluminum, not cheap plastic, it feels good when you hold it and it stands out a little from all the rest.

Wish it had a viewfinder but I guess you can't have everything.

This camera is awesome! Who could have imagined that something so small could do so much?

Indeed, the FX30 is an impressive compact camera. 7Mpex @ 4:3 image size + 3.6x optical zoom OR 5,5Mpex @ 16:9 image size + 3,6 optical zoom. 7Mpex 4:3 images are 3072*2304 px²!!! So big!

This camera can also take videos... And what videos! 640*480 px² @ 30fps. So fluid and clear. oh my god. But I prefer 16:9 videos :)

Others things like stabilizer, auto focus are very useful, powerful and fast. You will notice that. The ISO Intelligent mode is very effectiveness when you are taking a moving target. It also creates an interessant effect when you are taking cars moving... Just discover it!

Very good thing: the battery. It lasts one day (from the morning to the evening): good point, near 400 pictures @ 7mpex. To reload the battery, you only need 2 hours.

I am using a Transcend SDHC 4Gb Class6. Nothing to say: fast and powerful. But to transfer your datas on your computer, use a card reader because like all cameras, the transfer rate through a USB cable is too long (~500ko/s).

Near 0.4sec to power on => something to catch? Ok, just turn on the camera and take it easy ;)

Is there something bad? Unfortunately yes: the flash. In my opinion, it is too much aggressive, making subjects too white.

But in any situation, the Pana FX30 can take everything you can, in the perfect condition (the setup is very complete and easily to configure). But I think Blue is not so sexy like the picture...

Black is the sexiest one I guess.

In a nutshell, FX30 is a great deal in front of the Canon Ixus 850IS (not the Powershot 850IS !!). FX33 is better yes, but not so much. If the price is playing in the balance, get the FX30. You'll not regret!

I foolishly bought this camera after having an HP R707 and an Olympus SP350 thinking that the Leica lens and "Venus 3" engine made the camera perfect for me. Might I also ad that I was deceived by all the great reviews. I began taking pictures right out of the box. The first thing that I noticed was how small the camera is, which is good considering travel frequently. It's a very beautiful camera, I must say.

Pros:

1. Beautiful, slim and small.
2. Easy menus - very user friendly.
3. Lightweight.
4. Quick startup, fast shutter speed.


Cons: (I am not a professional photographer nor am I a "Pixel counter")

1. Venus engine? Noise reduction? what!? these take the grainiest pictures I have ever seen in low light without the flash - I felt like crying.
2. Poor image quality. The camera sometimes does not focus on the subjects therefore resulting in unfocused photographs. To top that off, the flash washes out the subjects. Reds look too pink and flesh tones come washed out, pale and pink (Almost like the persons skin is irritated). As for the rest of the pictures, even outdoors, colors are washed out.
3. Image stabilization works, but the only time you need it would be in low light with no flash. Your grainy pictures will not be ruined by blur.
4. Lag. Yes, the camera takes pictures quickly but wait until you want to review them! click the review button and watch an hourglass twirl for about 5 seconds. Each time you decide to review a different picture, you'll have to wait about 2-3 seconds for the camera to load.

This product is extremely disappointing in terms of image quality. I strongly advise you to look at Canon, Olympus or Nikon. Gee Panasonic, you fooled me and now you've trapped me for the next three to four years.