Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500S 10.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)
by Panasonic
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: PanasonicRelease Date: 2008-04-21
Model: DMC-FX500S
Color: Silver
Product features:
- 3" LCD Touchscreen
- 25mm/f 2.8 wide-angle Leica DC lens
- Advanced Optical Image Stabilization and Intelligent ISO
- Autofocus/auto exposure Face Detection
- HD Motion Capture with component output
- Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]
- Transcend 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card with USB 2.0 Card Reader TS8GSDHC6-S5W
- Aperture 3
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500S 10.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)
Customer Review: Very good day-to-day street shooter with full manual controls
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
More Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500S 10.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) reviews:
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Description of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500S 10.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)
3.0" Touch-Screen LCD Offers Easy, Intuitive OperationThe 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.
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