Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 First Impressons Digital Camera Review

Product Tour

Overview

The DMC-FX48 looks like a basic point-and-shoot. It's average sized; it could easily fit in your pocket, but it would likely be noticeable. The flash is to the left and the autofocus illuminator is off in the top right corner.

Front

The DMC-FX48's face has three main features: the lens, the flash, and the autofocus assist lamp (in the top right). When not in use, the lens retracts into the camera's body.

Back

Like any good point-and-shoot, the main feature on the DMC-FX48's back is its LCD. To the right are the majority of the camera's controls. Although it's hard to see, there's a three-by-three array of dots above the four-way controller,  to the left of the mode selection switch. This is the camera's speaker; we're not sure why it's placed right in the thick of the camera's control panel. Since the camera really doesn't have many controls, however, the speaker's odd placement doesn't get in the way of usability.

The mode selection switch toggles between shooting mode and playback mode. The four-way controller contains typical shortcuts: up is exposure compensation, left is selftimer, right is flash mode, down is macro, and the center button is menu.  Of course, the four-way controller will serve as your main means of navigating menus. The final two buttons on the back side are the display and quick menu buttons. In playback mode, the quick menu button will open up deletion options.

Sides

Point-and-shoot cameras often have relatively featureless sides, and the DMC-FX48 is no exception.. The one noteworthy feature is a hatch on the right side. The curious will undoubtedly discover the hatch covers the data and power ports.

Top

The top of the DMC-FX48 starts off with some branding and follows it up with the camera's mic. Continuing on towards the right, you'll see the on/off switch, shutter button and zoom ring, and control dial. The dial is located under the surface of the top, so you can only see the bottom-most portion.

Bottom

The bottom of the DMC-FX48 has two features: the tripod socket, and the cavity where the battery and memory card are kept. While these are standard features, it's atypical to see the tripod socket so far off to the side: usually it's located towards the center.