Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 Digital Camera Review

by Emily Raymond
Published on September 20, 2006

Navigation
Intro	Testing / Performance
Physical Tour	Components
Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters
Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Specs / Ratings
Photo Gallery

Auto Mode (8.0)
This digital camera has a so-called Normal mode that is designated on the dial by a camera icon. Usually, this is the symbol for the auto mode. The Normal mode is more like a Program mode though, as it allows full access to the menu and is this camera’s closest thing to a manual mode. The Simple mode, designated by a heart icon, is most definitely the most automatic mode on the FX50. The menu options are extremely limited and the camera becomes nothing more than a point-and-shoot. Even the options on the multi-selector have limited functionality: the exposure compensation turns a backlight on and off, and the flash can be turned to auto or off. For technophobes who see the camera as a necessity but don’t really want to delve into more advanced controls, this is the perfect Auto mode.

Movie Mode (6.5)
The movie mode has its own spot on the dial indicated as a film strip icon. It records television quality video of 640 x 480 pixels at a rate of 30 or 10 fps. A smaller, more email-friendly 320 x 240 pixels is available too. And for those proud parents who want to show little Bobby toddling across the lawn on the new widescreen television, the Panasonic FX50 is equipped with a widescreen optimized 848 x 480-pixel mode too.

 

The screen sizes and frame rates are great, as are a few other aspects of this camera’s movie mode. The menu in the movie mode provides access to white balance, so video clips at Cousin Sue’s wedding don’t include a yellowish dress. The auto focus mode and color effect can be selected too. A big help to the movie mode is the optical image stabilization, which keeps the image looking like the photographer isn’t jostling around – even if they are. Well, the system is effective on normal hand shake, but certainly can’t correct waving in the air and such extreme movement. The image stabilization worked noticeably well at the top frame rate, but was useless at the slower 10 fps rate because it looked choppy already. The movie mode does have its flaws. There is no zoom available – optical or digital. The audio is terrible. Subjects more than about ten feet away sound awfully muddled, and even when the photographer speaks the audio just isn’t clear. Movies in bright light look pretty good, except for a tendency to wash extreme whites out. In low light, the video is full of dancing noise and doesn’t look good at all. Thus, the movie mode works best for neutral lighting like a cloudy day at the park or a brightly lit classroom. The movies, also called “Motion Pictures” by the camera, can be viewed with included QuickTime software on the computer or in the playback mode.

Drive / Burst Mode (6.5)
The burst mode has its very own button on the back of the camera, but it has to be really jammed in there for the camera to register that it is being pushed inward at all. Once pushed in, users can choose between these options: Off, High Speed, Low Speed, and Unlimited. The High Speed choice snaps 3 frames per second for up to 6 images at a time at the finest image size. When the top image size is downgraded to standard compression, the burst lasts to 8 frames. The Low Speed and Unlimited options both operate at 2 fps, so it is unclear why anyone would ever want to use the Low Speed choice. These speeds are for SD cards only as MMC cards cannot read and write quite as fast. Overall, the speed of the Panasonic FX50 is quite impressive for a compact model in its price range. Also of note is the camera’s self-timer available from the left portion of the multi-selector. 2 and 10-second options are available, and the orange LED on front indicates when the picture is about to be taken.

Playback Mode (6.75)
The FX50’s playback mode has its own home on one end of the mode dial. There are plenty of ways to view pictures, with the scrolling one at a time method being the most obvious. The view is controlled by the zoom ring. When pushed to the right, the image can be magnified up to 16x – enough to see all the noise this camera produces. Pushing the control once to the left will display 9 thumbnails. Pushing a second time will show 25 thumbnails on the screen. Pushing yet once more will enter a calendar mode, where the first picture taken on each day appears on a real calendar layout. There is also a unique dual display view in the playback menu that displays two images side by side; each can be controlled to scroll to different pictures.

There are some editing options available for still images, including rotation, resizing, and trimming. Users can also attach up to 5 seconds of audio with each picture and protect them from deletion. Deletion is done with an on-camera button. Pushing it once gives users the option to delete a single frame or cancel. Pushing the button twice lets users scroll through thumbnails and tag certain ones to delete or gives users the option to delete them all at once.

There are no editing options for movies. Those can be played back, stopped, fast forwarded or rewound, but they cannot be divided. The volume can’t even be adjusted; users have to dig into the setup menu for that. Slide shows can be played with the pictures showing up for 1-5 seconds and four different transition effects. The audio to movies and memos can be turned on or off.

Files can be tagged as favorites within the playback menu, and pictures can be added to a print order much in the same way as they are deleted: all at once, one at a time, or selected from a scroll view. The playback mode has some neat viewing options, but its editing features and slide show mode are standard fare.

Custom Image Presets (8.0)

The scene modes have their own space on the mode dial. Users can choose in the setup menu whether the selection menu appears automatically when the dial is turned to “SCN” or if users must push the Menu button manually after the scene mode is entered. Either way, when the custom image presets are displayed in the menu there is an explanation for each. An arrow to the right of each scene prompts users to push the joystick right and check out the help guide. It is as follows.

 

Portrait	Impressive portrait with rich flesh tone. Use at maximum tele setting for best results.
Soft Skin	Detect the flesh tone area like human face and add soft effects on it to show the skin detail more smooth
Scenery	For taking pictures of distant and vast landscapes. Auto focus priority is set to infinity.
Sports	Faster shutter is selected to help freeze the action. Recommend taking pictures in bright daylight.
Night Portrait	Portrait with night scenery. Hold the camera firmly and the subject should keep still for at least 1 second.
Night Scenery	For taking a picture with night scenery, Shutter will be set to max. 8 sec. Be sure to use a tripod.
Self Portrait	We recommend using the zooms wide-end and 2 sec self time when taking a self portrait picture.
Food	For taking pictures of food. Take a picture without flash for the best result.
Party	For taking a picture indoors you can get more natural color under the indoor light source.
Candle Light	For taking pictures expressing the atmosphere of the candle lit subjects. Recommend using a tripod.
Fireworks	For taking a picture of fireworks. Press the shutter when the fireworks fully spread. Recommend using a tripod.
Starry Sky	For taking pictures of extremely dark subjects like a sky with many stars. Please be sure to always use a tripod.
Beach	For taking pictures on a beach. Prevents under exposure of the subject under strong light.
Aerial Photo	For taking pictures through an airplane window. Please turn off the camera when taking off or landing.
Snow	For taking pictures of snow. Exposure and white balance are set for reproducing the snow as white as it actually looks.
High Sensitivity	Higher ISO sensitivity is set to reduce blurry images of moving subjects especially when shooting indoors.
Baby 1	Suitable for taking pictures of your baby. Age can be displayed if you set the birthday.
Baby 2	Suitable for taking pictures of your baby. Age can be displayed if you set the birthday.

 

At 18 scene modes, that’s quite a lengthy list. It takes up 5 screens of menus. Its selection covers all the basics and then branches out into the more specific modes like Aerial Photo and High Sensitivity. The latter mode uses up to ISO 3200 to keep subjects properly exposed without using the flash. The Baby scene modes aren’t interesting for their imaging capabilities. Their best feature is the file information, which stores the birth date of a child and displays the exact age down to the day. Overall, the scene mode selection is great and the menu interface is interesting. There is a help guide for beginners and tiny icons next to the text that move when scrolled upon. For instance, the High Sensitivity mode shows a dancing ballerina, the Starry Sky mode shows falling stars, and the Baby modes show babies crawling. Sure, it isn’t the most sophisticated animation – but it keeps things interesting.