The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera provides 10.1-megapixel resolution with a 5x wide angle f/2.8 Leica DC lens (equivalent to 25 - 125mm on a 35mm film camera), features an Intelligent Image Stabilizer based on the renowned MEGA O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer) and includes Intelligent ISO control.
The large, 3.0-inch LCD display provides a beautiful and clear way to frame and view your images and also provides intuitive touch-screen operation. There are also a variety of advanced functions, including Auto Focus (AF) tracking which continuously tracks the subject and adjusts the focus, even after the AF is set, which is especially helpful for catching active children or pets. Plus the iA (Intelligent Auto) mode is a helpful shooting assist function that lets the user leave all the settings to the camera. Taking maximum advantage of this iA mode, users can then go a step further to set auto focus and exposure on the desired subject by simply touching it on the screen.
The camera also provides true HD motion picture recording and HD slideshows complete with music. There is even an optional cable available to provide HD output so that you can view your movies and images in true HD quality.
For more intuitive operation, the DMC-FX500 has a hybrid control system that combines joystick control with touch-screen operation, allowing basic settings to be directly controlled by the joystick. Other extensive controls are finely adjusted by touch or by moving a slider on the screen with the finger or an included stylus-pen. This beautifully designed digital camera is easy to use, comfortable to handle, (thanks to it's slim body), and can appropriately be used both at a family gathering or at a formal event.
| Camera Type | Wide-angle Ultra-Compact Point-and-shoot Digital Camera with Image Stabilization |
| Image Quality | |
|---|---|
| Image Sensor | 1/2.33", 10.7 Megapixel CCD with Primary Color Filter |
| Effective Resolution | 10.1 million pixels |
| Color Depth | 24-Bit RGB |
| Color Modes | Natural, Standard, Vivid, Cool, Warm, Black & White, Sepia |
| Image File Formats | JPEG (Fine, Standard) |
| Recorded Resolution |
4:3 Aspect Ratio 3648 x 2736 3072 x 2304 2560 x 1920 2048 x 1536 1600 x 1200 640 x 480 3:2 Aspect Ratio 16:9 Aspect Ratio |
| Video Recording |
QuickTime Motion JPEG with Audio HD (1280 x 720 @ 30 fps or 15 fps) WVGA (848 x 480) @ 30 fps or 10 fps VGA (640 x 480) @ 30 fps or 10 fps QVGA (320 x 240) @ 30 fps or 10 fps) Clip Length limited by available memory to a maximum of 2GB |
| Audio Recording |
WAV Format Up to 5 seconds record time with image, up to 10 Seconds Dubbing |
| Optics | |
|---|---|
| Lens Type | Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens (7 Elements in 6 Groups with 4 Aspherical Lenses) |
| Optical Zoom | 5x (up to 8.9x Extra Optical Zoom) |
| Lens Focal Length | 4.4 - 22.0mm (25 - 125mm equivalent) |
| Digital Zoom | 4x |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 2.0" (5cm) |
| Maximum Aperture | f/2.8-5.9 |
| Optical Image Stabilization | Yes (Mega O.I.S. with Intelligent ISO Control) |
| Accessory Lens/Filter Mount | No |
| Focus Control | |
|---|---|
| Focus Type | Auto Focus System with AF assist lamp |
| Focus Modes | Face, 1 point, 1 point high speed, 3 points high speed, 9 points, Spot, Touch AF |
| Focus Range |
Normal: 19.7" (50cm) - infinity Macro/Simple: 2.0" (5cm) - infinity wide |
| Exposure Control | |
|---|---|
| Sensitivity |
Auto ISO High Sensitivity Auto(1600-6400) Selectable ISO (100, 200, 400, 800, 1600) |
| Shutter Type | Not Specified |
| Shutter Speed |
60 - 1/2000 seconds 15, 30, or 60 seconds in Starry Sky Mode |
| Aperture Range | f/2.8-5.9 to f/8.0 |
| Exposure Metering | Intelligent Multiple Metering |
| Exposure Modes | Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual, Touch AE, Exposure Compensation (±2.0 EV in 1/3 EV increments), Backlight Compensation, AE Lock, Auto Bracketing AE (±1/3 EV - 1 EV Step, 3 Frames) |
| White Balance Modes | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set, White Balance Adjustment (±1500K in 150K steps) |
| Scene Modes | Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-Portrait, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby1, Baby2, Sunset, Pet, Hi-speed Burst |
| Flash | |
|---|---|
| Built-in Flash | Yes (Auto, Red-Eye Reduction Auto, Slow-sync, Forced On/Off) |
| Effective Flash Range | 1.8' (0.6m) - 20.1' (6.0m) wide |
| External Flash Connection | No |
| External Flash Control | Not Applicable |
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Start-Up Time | 1.7 seconds |
| Shutter Lag | 0.005 seconds |
| Time Between Shots | 0.9 seconds |
| Burst Capability |
Burst Mode: 2.5 fps up to 5 images (Standard), or 3 images (Fine) @ all resolutions Hi-speed Burst Mode: 6 fps (2.5 Megapixel resolution or lower) |
| Self Timer | 10 seconds or 2 seconds |
| Interval Recording | No |
| Date & Time Stamp | Yes |
| Memory & Power | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Built-in Memory | 50MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compatible Memory Cards |
Secure Digital (SD/SDHC) Card MultiMediaCard (MMC) |
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| Recording Capacity |
Includes 50MB Built-in Memory Still Image Capacity
Video Capacity
* A high speed SD/SDHC Card is recommended for recording these video formats. |
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| Battery Type | DMW-BCE10 Lithium-ion Battery (3.6V, 1000 mAh) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Adapter | DMW-AC5 AC Adaptor (110-240V) (Optional) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Input/Output | |
|---|---|
| Computer Interface | USB 2.0 (Full Speed) |
| Direct Print Capable | Yes (PictBridge) |
| Remote Control | No |
| Video Output |
NTSC & PAL HD Video (requires DMW-HDC2 Cable - optional) |
| Web-Cam Capable | No |
| System & Software Requirements |
Windows 98/98SE, 2000, ME, XP, Vista Macintosh OS X (10.1 or later) |
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Viewfinder | No |
| LCD Display | 3.0" Polycrystaline TFT Touch Screen Color LCD (230,000 pixels) with Real-time Histogram & Composition Guide Lines |
| Language Options | English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese |
| Playback Options | Single Image, 30 or 12-Thumbnail Display, Slideshow Mode (with Category Playback), Calendar Display, Easy Organization (Favorites, Delete, Title Edit, Trimming, Resize), Zoomed Playback (16x max), Image Rotation, Slide Show, Favorite Pictures, Resizing, Trimming, Protection, Aspect conversion, DPOF print setting, Creating still pictures from a motion picture, Dual image playback |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 3.8 x 2.3 x 0.9" (95 x 57 x 23mm) |
| Weight | 5.5oz (155g) excluding battery |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Reviewed by 14 customers
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
Great wide angle view! If your trying to find a point and shoot that will make your pictures look artistically better without even trying... this is it. The wide field of view that this camera provides (25mm equivalent) blows away all the regular (35mm equivalent) point and shoots away. When comparing the 2 side by side the differences are very noticeable. Just imagine your taking a picture of 5 people shoulder to shoulder with a 35mm equivalent camera, now if you use the FX500 in the same position you could fit 2-3 people more in the shot. Colors are very nice and very good detail with the 10 megapixels.
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
I carry the point and shoot with me everywhere. I am a photo enthusiast and never had my D300 and "stuff when you found that great shot.
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
I'm a landscape photographer who wanted a new camera to upgrade my Canon A540, and I require superb image quality, wide angle capability, and a decent price. I also wanted a camera with manual controls, but that's getting harder and harder to find without paying big bucks. And a lot of camera companies now seem to think that if the camera's lens goes down to 28mm, then they don't need to make an optional wide angle lens. The only options were the Nikon P6000, Panasonic LX3, and Ricoh GX200, all quite expensive, and of limited availability. There were the Sony W150 and W170, but they have no manual controls. Canon doesn't make a wide angle lens for the G10, so that left only the A590 from them, whuch is really not any better than my A540. That left me with the Panasonic FX500 and it's 25mm Leica lens.So I ordered it from B&H, [...]Well, yhis is the best camera I've ever used. The metering is super accurate, the Leica glass is awesomely sharp, the color fidelity is fantastic, and the touch screen manual controls are a delight to use. The LCD when cranked up is even really visible in direct sunlight. And having a 3in. LCD instead of 2.5in. really makes framing a lot easier. The only criticism I can think of is that the battery life could be better. I originally tried an FX35, but couldn't deal with no manual controls. In every other regard, it was practically identical to the FX500, except for the fact that it was a little smaller, had better battery life, but slightly poorer color fidelity, and tended to expose more for the shadows, thereby tending to blow out highlights more. Overall, still the second best camera I've ever used, second only to the FX500. So. if you're unsure of Panasonic because they aren't a well known "camera" company like Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Fuji, Ricoh, or Pentax, rest assured that Panasonic's offerings are equal to or superior to a lot of products out there. Highly reccomended!
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
Pros: this tiny piece of heaven is increadible. Granted noise reduction could be a bit better for the price, the color reproduction is stunning. The picture quality is fabulous, especially when the camera is configured properly. The exposure customizability allows you to shoot pictures just how you want to, wherever, whenever. Simply put, unbelievable. And it's a supercompact for a reason. Batery lasts long enough for several shoots without recharging. Has a built in speaker, so you can hear recorded videos. So many usefult tools, only takes a bit to learn them all.
Cons: Arduously long flash recharge, but not much different than comprable models. Without flash, wonderfully fast.
Other Thoughts: since it's a wide-angle lens, the 5x zoom only really gets you comprable results as from a 3x regular camera zoom. But with 10mp to crop from, that's no biggie.
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
this tiny piece of heaven is increadible. Granted noise reduction could be a bit better for the price, the color reproduction is stunning. The picture quality is fabulous, especially when the camera is configured accordingly. The exposure customizability allows you to shoot pictures just how you want to, wherever, whenever. Simply put, unbelievable. And it's a supercompact for a reason. Batery lasts long enough for several shoots without recharging. Has a built in speaker, so you can hear recorded videos. So many usefult tools, only takes a bit to learn them all. Note: since it's a wide-angle lens, the 5x zoom only really gets you comprable results as from a 3x regular camera zoom. But with 10mp to crop from, that's no biggie.
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
Very Sharp Leica Lens and beautiful high resolution images from a super compact body. Love the good quality 720p 30 frame per second HD video and the super wide 25mm lens. So far the BEST travel companion I ever had!
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
This camera is amazing, I used plenty of cameras in the past, but this one is by far the best one. The picture quality is amazing. And even though I like to use manual controls, auto features on this camera super. Another great feature is being able to record HD video. Granted it will never replace true HD camcorder, but the video looks great considering you shot it with a small still camera. Over all very happy with the product.
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
As I expected, in high ISO values (>400), is posible to see some noise on the photo. The on/off button is not so great, it could be better an also the optical zoom.
The FX-500 do a great job in low light environment, it's posible to use ISO 400 and the photo will be fantastic. (Remenber: It's not a pro digital camera).
The fantastic 25mm lens can do amazing photos. Very good in parties and small places. Another very important thing is the possibility to record movies in High Definition. A pocket cam making something like that! Superb!
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
I was using 'celluloid' camera's since 1975...yes that old...up unto Nikon professional's F3 and all. Switched to Sonytr700 series because of the lenses and now my world is changed for ever...Using this small leica lensed camera i spend 4 weeks traveling the states and shot amzing pics. wide angled as it is the grand canyon looks amazing. small tele effect gives beautifull portrait shots and even the mpeg movies are good enough for home use and youtube. the hassle of packing a camera are gone, it fits in your trouser pockets as easy as your hanky. so pack your wallet, phone and lumix and travel all over the world!! simple to use touch screen, easy dialogue, even shutter or diaphragm setup is possible if you want to experiment. different autofocus options and a decent flash complete the package.
Really, i should have had this cam years ago!!
Hope you have as much fun and beautifull pics as i have,
Peter Damhuis,
Netherlands
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
It's a great camera with many features and still very easy to operate.
The image quality is brilliant when properly focused, as the face detection is not always as good as you could wish. However, that is compensated with the function that allows you to select the target manually on the touch screen. That actually works very well.
The touch in general works perfectly although many features unfortunately cannot be selected from the touch screen.
I would definately recommend the camera it's brilliant for the amateur photographer. - And the video quality is actually also very good, although the sound is not really comparable to what you would get from a real video camera.
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
I bought the Camera over the internet, knowing that it was the latest that Panasonic has to offer in its compact range.
I did not have a limit on what i was going to spend (Compacts top out at £300 in anycase) and wanted the top of the range.
The DMC is easy to use, looks great, the LCD is very bright and the wide angle lens is absolutely fantastic!
The only potential shortfall could be the battery life.
I would not change my purchase and recomend the product to friends.
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
Easy to use
Nice colors
Good wide angle and zoom
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
Very light weight camera. Great wide angle Leica lens.
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Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera (Black):
Doesn't have the quality of my Canon DSLR but its sheer convenience and range of features might make this my primary camera!
Displaying reviews 1-14