Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 First Impressions Review

Model Design / Appearance
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 has a sleek exterior that features clean lines without excessive design embellishments. The rectangular body comes in four colors, permitting the user to choose between black, sliver, white and pink. The body has a matte finish that surprisingly didn’t show fingerprints and smudges. There are limited external controls which have a metallic silver finish that allowed these features to stand out noticeably from the black body of the camera, although white or silver models may cause the controls to blend in.

Size / Portability
This point-and-shoot digital camera definitely falls into the pocket camera category with a slim silhouette that enables photographers to comfortably throw it into a purse, bag, shirt pocket or pants pocket when not in use. The camera doesn’t have extending controls or design which aids in transportation, although this could lead to accidental dropping if the camera isn’t securely attached around the wrist when the user holds the camera between shots. The camera has overall dimensions of 3.70 inches in width, 2.01 inches in height and a mere 0.95 inches in depth. The FX01 only weighs 4.64 ounces, making it quite portable.

Handling Ability
With a small camera frame that emphasizes an understated rectangular design, the Panasonic FX01 was easy to shoot with one hand. And since the lens barrel extends from the camera body, users won’t need to worry about accidentally covering the lens with fingers during shooting. The camera does have a few features intended to help improve grip and control during shooting, including a horizontal bar on the front face for fingers of the right hand. On the back of the camera is a pad of raised dots for the thumb of the right hand. That aside, the camera body is a smooth small rectangle that is easy to shoot with in normal situations but seems as though it could be troublesome if fingers or the camera were slightly damp.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 isn’t overwhelmed with external controls, instead preferring to leave many of the image and camera control options within camera menus. Those controls which are external are well sized and well placed to allow quick and easy access, even when users are searching quickly. The four-way controller is large enough to overcome any of the problems that normally occur when all the cardinal directions are linked via a large circle. It would be preferable if the mode dial turned 360 degrees and continued to rotate; however, users will have to backtrack once the final selection is reached on either side. The only other concern is in the labeling of external controls with icons rather text descriptions. While users familiar with cameras will find the icons mostly intuitive, the beginning or amateur user will find the lack of textual insight to be potentially confounding.

Menu
The menus for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 continue a tradition of simple, opaque structures that provide full text submenu titles, help screens and basic icons that even the least savvy point-and-shoot user can comprehend. The menu structure is list based and is accessed by pressing the menu/set button at the center of the four-way control. The following menus are available based specifically upon the mode the camera is currently entered in when the menu button is pressed.

When the camera is in regular shooting mode the user can access both the record menu and the setup menu for the FX01. This Panasonic provides a live view when users manipulate white balance although ISO does not have a live view option. The rec. menu provides access to the following settings: white balance, ISO, aspect ratio, picture size, picture quality, audio record, AF mode, AF assist lamp, slow shutter, digital zoom, color effect and pict. adj.

The setup menu for the DMC-FX01 is accessible throughout the shooting and playback process and is meant to allow the user to tailor the camera layout and functionality to suit specific needs the user may have. The setup menu provides these options: clock set, monitor brightness, travel date, power save, economy, auto review, beep, shutter sound, volume, no. reset, USB mode, video out, TV aspect, scene menu and language.

If these options seem a bit daunting and the ultimate in point-and-shoot simplicity is desired, the user can switch the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 into the simple mode. The menu within simple mode is unsurprisingly basic and understated, allowing control over only these few options: picture mode (enlarge, 4 x 6 or email settings), auto review, beep and clock set.

If the simple mode is a bit too rudimentary but manual controls still make you quiver, the handful of scene mode options should satisfy your need to adjust camera settings without entering the regular shooting mode. The scene mode options are presented in a list with text and icon representation and a full text info menu so that further information regarding each specific setting can be easily ascertained. The scene modes for this camera are: night portrait, night scene, self portrait, food, party, candlelight, fireworks, starry sky, baby 1, baby 2, snow, high sensitivity and underwater modes. In addition to the scene mode menu, there is also access to a truncated rec. menu that allows control over aspect ratio, picture size, picture quality, audio record, AF mode, AF assist lamp, slow shutter and digital zoom.

When the FX01 is switched into movie mode the rec. menu is shortened, although the color effects option is included with this shooting mode. When the rec. menu is opened the user can alter these settings: aspect ratio, picture mode, AF Mode, AF assist lamp, digital zoom and color effects.

Finally, in Playback mode users can select, alter, add audio, and display images once captured to memory. The playback menu options for the FX01 also provide for access to these features: slide show, favorite, rotate display, rotate, DPOF, protect, audio dubbing, resize, trimming, aspect conversion and format.

Ease of Use
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 is a strong contender in this area thanks to a well laid out external control design that complements the basic, linear and logical menu structure of the camera. External controls are well labeled and easy to recognize and navigation of the internal controls is simple due to the size of the four-way control. Mode dial selections are easily switched between and although the mode dial would benefit from being able to rotate continuously this design misstep isn’t a huge detraction. This camera is meant for the point-and-shoot user and the design highlights this by providing camera and image parameters in a simple system for user interactivity.