Customer Reviews

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9K 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Black)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, I should qualify this by saying I've been a huge fan of Panasonic digital cameras since I bought the DMC-LC20. I later upgraded to a DMC-LC33, and now, I've taken the plunge and bought the FX9.

The camera I compared this with the most, and nearly bought was the Canon SD400. And I actually was really close to buying the SD400 over the FX7, but luckily I waited long enough to hear about the FX8 and FX9 being launched in the US. I could not have made a better choice.

Panasonic's carried over some of the best features of some of its previous lines:
- Size: This camera is tiny. It fits nicely in your pocket. The black version of this camera also looks really sleek. Very nice brushed finish to it that doesn't get fingerprints on it too easily.
- An absolutely beautiful 2.5" LCD screen. Seriously, this screen alone is reason enough to get the FX9 (207k pixels) over the FX8 (114k pixels). It is simply amazing. You can tell right on the screen whether the picture you took is in focus, and the colors are just more vibrant.
- The Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) is works wonders for this ultra-compact camera. Some would argue that well, if you had an optical viewfinder, you wouldn't need the OIS because you could stabilize the camera against your face. But seriously, who uses a viewfinder with an ultra-compact digital now? Digital SLR, sure, but an ultra-compact? Granted, if a viewfinder is important to you, this camera may not be right for you. But really, with the 2.5" LCD, you won't miss the viewfinder. I actually compared shots between the SD400 and FX9, and at full zoom, you can really see that the OIS helps with the image's focus.
- Leica lens: Gives amazingly sharp, vibrant pictures.
- Burst mode: Allows you to take literally an infinite number of pictures in rapid succession in well-lit (no flash) conditions. This is an amazing feature for taking action and sports shots. I loved this feature on my old Panny cameras and I still really enjoy it on this one.
- Picture Review: The picture review on this camera is amazing. First, you can zoom up to 16x to check the clarity of the picture. Second, you can zoom out and review 25 thumbnails at once. 25! That's what a 2.5" LCD can do for you.
- Movie mode: Although a HUGE memory hog, the movie mode is vastly improved from the FX7. In fact, one reason why I almost opted for the SD400 was because the movie mode on the FX7 was pretty much useless. The FX9 takes great video, and the image stabilizer (detailed below) works to help stabilize the video image.
- Powerup lag and time between pictures has been excellent.

Some of the cons of this camera:
- The on-off switch of this camera could be designed better. I've accidentally turned the camera on several times while reaching into my pocket and have resorted to turning the mode dial to Review mode whenever I pocket the camera to prevent any damage to the lens motor.
- Unfortunately, they've done away with AA batteries, but in a camera of this size, AAs wouldn't even fit. So I can understand the transition to proprietary batteries. At $69 a pop for a spare OEM battery though, that sorta hurts.
- Once again, Panasonic has seen fit to package the camera with pretty useless software and a practically unusable 16MB SD card. Come on... 16MB? That's good for no more than 8 pictures in full-resolution.
- I hear the FX9 isn't great in low-light condition and has a weak flash, but I haven't had too many problems with it.

Of course, which digital camera you buy depends on what features are most important to you. I bought this as a camera to bring anywhere I wanted to go. I realized that the bulk of my old camera was preventing me from bringing it out everywhere, so I decided early on to get an ultra-compact. So far, I've been exceptionally happy with my purchase.

I exercise with my dog every morning early am. Ok you want to know about the FX9 not my dog. My point is I live near a pretty park, and very beautiful woods. I always wanted to take some shots of the early morning beauty but I didn't want to carry my huge Canon G4 around. Long story short, I started hunting for one of these pocket sized cameras. I read TONS of reviews and looked at sample pictures. Finally I got taken in by the cuteness of the Casio s500 camera. I had it about 1 week and after the cuteness wore off I had to return it as the pictures OVERALL were pretty bad..and lacking detail etc. Next I had a gift cert to "another web site" I decided I'd try the Canon sd450. Well that camera actually is quite good. But I still wasn't THRILLED. So I used 1 more gift cert..to another site..and just had to try this Panasonic FX9 camera. Like a crazy person I kept A-B-eeeing The SD 450 with this FX9. In the end I ended up loving the FX 9 while just liking the Canon. I must say for indoor flesh tones I must give the edge to the SD450. However after much reading I found if you set the white balance manually on the FX9..it looks pretty awesome on people..on everything. Outdoors I just use auto white balance. One major reason I'm SO impressed with this little guy is about the 2nd day I had the FX9 i accidentally dropped in on a VERY hard floor from 5 feet above the floor. It slammed to the ground right on the lcd and slid about 3 feet. I felt sick. But it only had a TINY dust like scratch. Everything still worked...this thing can take abuse ..though that's the last thing I wanted to do to this FX9.
In the end..I found that overall this camera is just awesome. The user inteface will just MAKE you like it. It's SUPER easy to use..and feels solid as a rock. In the end...it's about picture quality.I'd say the pic quality is about as good as it gets in this class..and I ought to know having owned 3 cameras in this category and the FX9 to me is the CLEAR winner!

I was originally planning to buy Dimage X1. However, after some researches, I decided to go to Panasonic. This camera is just what I wanted, compact-sized(size of cigarette pack) and image stabilized.
For outside shooting(under daylight), it is not really necessary to change many settings, but automatic shooting is good enough like most cameras. However, this camera shines for indoor shooting with the image stablization.
For those who are new to camera, let me say that image stabilizer is not a miracle-maker letting you to get clean and sharp picture in the middle of earthquake. However, it is capable of compensating shake of hand holding camera good enough if used with some physical stabilization, or if there were nowhere to put your arms, with timed shutter. This camera has 2-sec and 10-sec timer, and I mostly use 2-sec without using flash indoors. (Force of pressing shutter may give camera shake that image stabilizer cannot compensate, so timed shutter is very handy.)
Result? Good enough, although I could see some noise indoors with automatic ISO setting(it usually sets ISO to 200 for some reason).
One thing: most of my indoor shootings are still-life(many times in macro mode). I haven't tested it for portrait yet, but I guess that shooting portrait in some distance may require less concern for hand-shake, unless under low-light condition.
Battery duration seems very good, too. However, extra battery will be nice.

Complaint: (maybe or maybe not)

1. Single file of 6 megapixel picture usually costs between 2 and 2.5 megabytes, but Panasonic only included 16MB memory. Is it a joke?

2. It's not really a complaint, but big LCD screen means more chances of getting scratches. I use the protective film (designed for PDA, so I have to cut it to right size) for all of my digital cameras.

Ok, I haven't had this camera for a long time yet (a week perhaps), so this review is just what i had gathered from it so far. I might update it some time later.

I must say that this was an excellent buy for me. When i first took it out of the box, i was stunned by the beauty and small size of it (the black finish looks awesome). It's very small and lightweight, even with the battery and sd card in. So, for looks, this camera definetely scores very high.

Some reviews i found when i was deciding whether or not to buy this camera said that the controls were kind of confusing. On the contrary, i found that the controls were relatively easy and only took me about 2 mintues to comprehend. Although i agree that the buttons might be too small for some people with large fingers, I think that it would do for most people (It's great for me).

Two of the major selling points for me when shopping for this camera were the Mega OIS and the large 2.5" LCD. I must say that the OIS works like a charm in low light conditions. It even works in the movie mode. =), i love the movie mode - from just a few samples i have taken, they seem to be great. The 2.5" LCD also gives me a great view of the pictures i had just taken. I can tell that the power lcd mode does work, although i cannot say how well yet b/c it has been cloudy everyday since i've gotten the camera.

I also found some reviews saying how flimsy the cover for the battery and sd card compartment was. I, again, find this not the case for me. the cover has a lock/open switch. when its locked, it seems to stay closed; when it's open, it swings open lightly by a spring in the hinge. I honestly cannot say how long the battery life is, but from numerous other reviews, i think it ranks above average.

The performance of the camera is good enough for me. It starts up pretty fast (maybe about 2 seconds?) and has very little shutter lag. The zoom works pretty fast and you can use the extended zoom feature that allows you to extend the optical zoom to 4.1x (compared to the regular 3.0x), but it reduces the number of megapixels as well. The burst shot mode on this camera works fine as far as i can tell. all in all, i think the performance of this p/s ultra-compact is more than adequate.

Now, I didn't give this camera a 5/5 b/c it does have its imperfections (minor ones, but imperfections nonetheless). I cannot say that I'm an expert in image quality (this only being my 2nd digicam, the first a canon powershot s45), but i have noticed more purple fringing than my old camera. The images at the higher isos can sometimes be a bit too noisy for my tastes, but i rarely have to use high iso b/c of the OIS. I've also noticed that in low light, sometimes objects (especially skin) may have a yellowish tint to them. I haven't tested out the flash thoroughly yet, but i've heard that it isn't the best (nor the worst) indoors. Again, these imperfections do not bother me so much, as i rarely print very big sizes, but it might be a major issue for some other people.

I also have some minor gripes about the bundle the camera comes with. The 16 mb sd card that it comes with can store about 5 pictures at max resolution, I mean come on... The wrist strap that the camera comes with looks and feels as if it would fall off your wrist at any second. I had to use the wrist strap that my old camera came with as it had a little thing that allowed you to tighten it around your wrist. I haven't tested the software out yet, so i can't say anything about that. One of the things i like about the bundle is that the battery charger has a built-in plug, so you can just put the battery inside the charger and plug it into an outlet. However, some people may find this a bad thing as you have to take the battery out of the camera in order to charge it. I personally like this better for travel b/c i dun have to carry around a big bulky dock for my camera.

Another thing, when you buy this camera i suggest you also buy some accesories for it, some of which can be:
an extra battery - i dun have 1 (and i don't plan on getting one), but i dunno, maybe you don't like charging?
a case - it might be hard to find one that fits your needs, but i recently ordered a Lowepro Slider 20 from best buy. It says online that the camera should fit, but i'll have to see for myself in about a week.
LCD screen protector - i dunno if it really needs one, but ever since reading those reviews of the fragile Canon SDxxx lcd's i've been a lot more paranoid about them. Plus, it can't hurt to put one on. I mean, hey, a larger lcd does mean a bigger chance that it's gonna get scratched. I'm getting a Brando Workshop Ultra Clear screen protector - might be a tad bit too expensive, but i hear it's pretty good.
And last but certainly not least, a SD memory card - a MUST have accesory. the 16mb card supplied is a joke! I got a 1GB SanDisk Ultra II and i'm loving it. A good SD card completes this whole package!

I recommend this camera for a person who wants a small, beautifully designed, p/s digital camera, but doesn't need DSLR image quality or to print pictures that big. For any reason whatsoever, whether you want to impress you friends with its good looks, or if you simply want an ultra-compact rather than carry around that bulky SLR, this camera is a good choice. While not without it's imperfections, I think that this camera, bundled with its amazing Mega OIS system, is an excellent buy, but I'll leave the deciding to you.
Happy camera hunting!



btw, since it's almost Christmas, I'd like to say Happy Holidays to all and Happy New Years!

In my opionion, the Panasonic DMC-FX8 and FX9 are the best choices in the ultra compact camera category. I have owned a couple of the Canon SD cameras (SD200 and SD300) and the pictures produced by the FX7/8/9 are vastly superior, esp. with Indoor Shots. The Image Stabilization really helps in Indoor, Low-Light Settings which if you are like me, is where you take the majority of your snapshots. The Canon SD500/550 are arguably better cameras due to their bigger sensor, 7 MPs, and stronger flash BUT they are not small enough to toss into my front pocket (a pre-requisite). As for the cracked LCD screens, google "Canon and Cracked LCD Screen". It is not an isolated problem! The best precaution you can take is two-fold. Buy a LCD screen protector as well as a hard camera case (I review one of each btw).

Finally, the FX8/FX9 have corrected the two major complaints people had with the very popular and well-regarded DMC-FX7. They now boast a faster AF, a longer-lasting battery and 640x480 Movie Mode. If they had manual controls, they would have created the elusive "perfect ultra compact" camera!

What a great camera! I am still getting used to all the features. Recently took it to a concert that forbade flash photos. Holding the camera over my head, zoomed to the maximum optical zoom, the results were astounding!! That anti-shake function works great!!! I do miss having a traditional viewfinder, but I am adapting. The original camera I had began malfunctioning the first week, every few seconds it would display a message requiring me to turn the camera off and back on. It was really annoying and it was during Christmas, so I really wanted to use it. The pictures did turn out fine, and none were lost. Panasonic wanted me to send it in to be serviced or replaced and said it would take 4-6 weeks, no promises! Luckily I called Amazon and they sent me a replacement that arrived in 2 days and let me send the bad one back to them after it arrived. Well done! The less than stellar response by Panasonic is the only reason I downgraded from 5 stars to 4. Oh yeah, sometimes the on/off switch is too easy to accidently turn on. Don't get me wrong, I love this camera and the pictures are great!!

This is my second digital camera.
The first one was olympus stylus 800 . While the night photos were the best of any other digital camera on the market, the over all photo quality was bad (plus bad auto-focus, which caused the pics to become blurry due to a very minor hand-shake).

I decided to got with Panasonic's FX9 after I read professional photo review of it and saw samples at
[...]

Every PROS that was stated on that website is true!!!
PROS:
-Excellent (vivid but natural) color!
-Excellent battery performance (and the power only 1300 mah!!!)
-Camera is very fast in every aspect (the delay between shooting the next pic is only a second!, plus just a second start-up time)
-Very sharp images

TO THE PERSON WHO SAILD THAT O.I.S doesn't work at night:
It does work perfectly when flash is on
When you turn the flash off, during artifical home lighting,
O.I.S. will not completely compensate hand-shake, but if you try to hold the camera more still, you will be amazed with results. (So, Image Stabilization on Panasonic's camera at least does 90% of the job perfectly!). If it didn't have stabilization, you wouldn't be able to shoot without flash at all.
-

For those who are not very familiar with digital photography I must tell that Flash mode very often causes red-eye on small sized cameras (despite the anti-red eye mode is always being turned on) and unnatural skin/object color. In addition, Flash causes dark background when taking photos in night time outside.

So solution seems very simple:
JUST TURN THE FLASH MODE OFF!
BUT HERE IS ONE NO TO IT:
If shooting without Flash is occured in home electic light conditions or in outside electril light conditions, the shutter speed of the camera becomes very slow, which causes the pics to become blurry. Well this is not the case with Panasonic's FX9 Model, where Optical Image Stabilization sytem reduces bluriness caused by slow shuter speed!

FX9
PROS:
-O.I.S. Really works! (No bluriness from hand-shake anymore!, with flash or in good day light)
-Excellent screen resolution (207.000 pixels! per 2.5 inch screen)
-Excellent, natural color!
-True 6 megapixel sharpness
-Great batterry life (thanks to new low power consuption processor)
-When shooting in low light conditions with flash mode turned off, pics don't become blurry (Thanks to O.I.S. again) like on other cameras.(just remeber: O.I.S. cannot eliminate handshake completely yet, if the flash is turned off. So just try to hold the camera more still, and you will be amazed with results)
-Easy to use menu system

CONS:
I haven't found yet!

GREAT JOB-PANASONIC AND LEICA!
5+

After settling on the Nikon 7900 (7MP) I decided to go to the store and do one more run through. I took my Treo with me (which uses SD and can view the pics) and shot several different scenes - outdoor, indoor, motion. I could not tell the difference between the Nikon and the Panasonic. So why did I end up with the FX9? My wife came over and refused to even try the Nikon because it was "ugly".

After spending some time with this camera, I can say that the speed of shot to shot and colors are two major reasons to buy this camera. It is also sexy, and the additional features are great, image stabilization (it really works), and auto-orientation sensor are two I use all the time.

This camera has once again turned the heads of my colleages and friends, which is harder to do these days since everyone has a digicam.

I will post any updates next week as I give it the "Thanksgiving trial by fire"

Altoids-sized, rectangular cameras are a very competitive niche. What stands this camera apart is that it has both active focus assist and motion compensation. I have not seen both, in this tiny a camera, from any other manufacturer.

There are three other distinctions this camera has: a slightly higher resolution than average; the cachet of the noun, Leica, engraved on the lens ring; and that it is available (in Europe) in red. I paid a little more and took a little larger risk (no US warranty) for the later. But it just looks so darn cool.

Fit-and-finish are very good. The User Interface is very nice. And the point of all this all, its picture-quality what I'd always fantasized Elmarit lens would give me. It is incapable of making raw files. Nuts.

Interestingly, the serious photography-only camera stores in my area do not carry Panasonics, only the big box discount stores.

Things that I don't like. It doesn't fit into the World's best camera case, an empty Altoids tin like my Pentax Optios did.

Cameras like this totally abstract fundamentals like f-stops, shutter-speeds, depth-of-field considerations and all those other Ansel Adams master craftsman, operational parameters. But in my dotage, I'm finding that increasingly ok and also reckon that I love the metier of image-capture more than ever. And did I mention that it can do the almost de rigueur 640x480, monaural, 30fps Quicktime video? With active, real-time motion compensation? 660 sec/gigabyte is dear compared to MPEG-1, but it'll do.

It is what it is, compromised and niched in the "take me along" bin. I have bigger, more "serious" dcams (and solid tripods) for once-in-a-lifetime or extreme photography (one of them, a Canon IS2 has less rez). Altoid-cams are to seduce to you carry as regularly as car-keys, cell phone, iPod and wallet.