Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 Digital Camera Review

Model Design / Appearance (7.0)
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 comes in silver and black colors and is built with a combination of metal and plastic parts. Most of the components are metal, but the rear panel surrounding the display screen is plastic. The overall look of the body is quite plain. There are a few highlights, like the chrome finger grip and the shiny rim around the lens. But the matte look is all too familiar and the shape is something like a week-old bar of soap with its rounded edges. So while the FX50 doesn’t scream “homely,” it certainly isn’t anything a celebrity would be caught carrying.

Size / Portability (7.0)
The FX50 is able to fit into a pocket, but it will be a tight squeeze. It measures 2.25 x 3.85 x 0.99 inches. The camera has more heft than one would think, but it’s no paperweight either at 6.28 oz fully loaded. The Panasonic FX50 has an eyelet on its right side that is small, but is still easy to loop the wrist strap through. The included strap isn’t the best quality; it’s the same material used to make cheap lanyards. Overall, the FX50 is easily portable but isn’t the type of camera that will comfortably slide into the pocket of those tight pants.

Handling Ability (6.0) 
The Panasonic FX50 is shaped like a week-old bar of soap, but handles a bit better than soap. For one, its matte texture ensures that it won’t slip. Secondly, there are a few more dips and bumps on the surface that aid in handling. There is a set of bumps on the back side for the thumb to grip and a protruding half-pipe-type feature on the front for fingers to grip. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 is compact, but not tiny enough to cause hand cramps or anything. Overall, this digital camera is fairly comfortable for a compact model but still doesn’t have the plush hand grip or other features larger SLRs are endowed with.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.5)
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 keeps its controls atop and on the rear of the camera body. The top has a power switch that requires a serious push to turn on; this is good because the camera will be unlikely to boot up in a backpack or pocket. Also atop the camera is the shutter release button, surrounded by a zoom ring. There is a tiny nub on the ring where users are supposed to place their finger to push, but the nub is so small that it requires a little too much effort to zoom in and out with this control. Even still, the control itself still provides a good interface for the lens. The shutter release button is not domed like on some models, but its top is flush with the zoom ring. This makes it just a bit more difficult to push in. On the right edge of the top is a tiny button with a shaking hand icon next to it; this chooses between two image stabilization modes. The placement of the button is a little strange and users aren’t likely to use the button often, so this feature could have very well been accessed from a menu. Perhaps Panasonic wanted to showcase its flagship feature by giving it a designated button. From the top, users can see the mode dial – although it is technically controlled from the back because that’s where the grooved edge sticks out for fingers to rotate. Its rotation isn’t entirely smooth. The dial is very stiff and requires a lot of force to move it from one mode to the next.

The back of the camera is home to the multi-selector, which consists of a single joystick that can move in all directions and can be pushed in. The joystick is large enough that it won’t hurt fingers to push around, and there is a big enough difference between pushing side to side and pushing inward that the camera won’t accidentally make a selection. There are two other buttons on the back: one changes the display screen and the other activates the burst mode while recording or deletes photos while in playback. Overall, the FX50’s controls has its ups and downs. The ups include the fat joystick and nice power switch. The downs include the flat shutter release, the stiff mode dial, and the excessive force required to activate many of the controls.

Menu (7.5)
Panasonic’s menus are quite colorful when compared with those of other manufacturers. The Lumix DMC-FX50’s menus have folder tabs on the left side to keep options organized and easy to find. Each tab has a simple icon or letters (“SCN”) to designate what options can be found there. At the top of the screen is a red horizontal bar showing the name of the menu being currently viewed and the “page number” (eg. ¼). At the bottom is a blue bar with arrows and directions on how to navigate through the menus and exit.

White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloud, Shade, Halogen, Manual, White Set
Sensitivity	Auto, Intelligent ISO, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1250
Aspect Ratio	4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Picture Size	7M, 5M, 3M, 2M, 1M, 0.3M
Quality	Fine, Standard
Audio Recording	On, Off
AF Mode	9 pt, 3 pt high speed, 1 pt high speed, 1 pt, Spot
AF Assist Lamp	On, Off
Slow Shutter	1/8, ¼, ½, 1
Digital Zoom	On, Off
Color Effects	Off, Cool, Warm, Black & White, Sepia
Picture Adjust	Natural, Standard, Vivid
Clock Set	Time, Date, Y/M/D or M/D/Y or D/M/Y

Picture Mode	Enlarge, 4 x 6, E-mail
Auto Review	On, Off
Beep	Off, Low, High
Clock Set	Date, Time, Y/M/D

Clock Set	Time, Date, Y/M/D or M/D/Y or D/M/Y
World Time	Destination, Home
Monitor	+/- 3
Guide Line	Recording Info (On, Off), Histogram (On, Off), Pattern (Thirds, Cross)
Travel Date	Off, Set
Auto Review	Off, 1 Sec, 3 Sec, Zoom
Power Save	Off, 1 Min, 2 Min, 5 Min, 10 Min
Economy	Off, Level 1, Level 2
Beep	Beep Level (Off, Quiet, Loud), Beep Tone (1, 2, 3)
Shutter	Shutter Volume (Off, Quiet, Loud), Shutter Tone (1, 2, 3)
Volume	7 levels
No. Reset	Yes, No
Reset	Yes, No
Video Out	NTSC, PAL
TV Aspect	4:3, 16:9
Scene Menu	Off, Auto
Language	English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Traditional Chinese

Dual Display	(shows two pictures on screen at once)
Slide Show	Start, Duration (1, 2, 3, 5 sec), Effect (Off, Slide left to right, Fade, Zoom, Mix), Audio (On, Off)
Favorite	On, Off
Rotate Display	On, Off
Rotate	Left, Right
DPOF Print	Single, Multi, Cancel
Protect	Single, Multi, Cancel
Audio Dubbing	Start, Stop
Resize	5 MP, 3 MP, 2 MP, 1.1 MP, 0.3 MP
Trimming	Zoom to Trim
Aspect Conversion	3:2, 4:3
Format	Yes, No