Review based on a production Panasonic DMC-FX7
Announced at the end of July (alongside the lower-spec FX2), the DMC-FX7 is an ultra-compact replacement for the well-respected FX5. As well as being smaller than the FX5, the FX7 boasts the Venus II engine for improved responsiveness and the new two-mode MEGA O.I.S image stabilization used to great acclaim in the FZ3/FZ15/FZ20 models. Panasonic has also managed to squeeze a huge 2.5-inch LCD screen onto the back of the FX7, though it did so at the expense of an optical viewfinder. Here's a quick rundown of the headline features to whet your appetite:
| Street price | • US: $440 • UK: £300 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Metal |
| Sensor | • 1/2.5" CCD, 5.4 million total pixels • 5.0 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | • 2560 x 1920 |
| Movie clips | • 320 x 240 (10 / 30 fps) • With audio • Limited only by storage |
| Lens | • 35 - 105 mm equiv. (3x zoom) |
| Focus | • Normal: 0.5 m - Infinity |
| Shooting mode | • Portrait |
| Sensitivity | • Auto • ISO 80,100,200,400 |
| White Balance | • Auto • Cloudy, daylight, incandescent, manual (custom) • White balance fine tune |
| Image parameters | Color (Natural, Standard, Vivid) |
| Continuous | • 3 fps high speed, 2 fps low speed |
| Flash | • Built-in flash • Auto, on/off, red-eye reduction: on/off, slow sync with red eye reduction • Range (ISO auto): W 0.3m - 4.0m (0.98 - 13.1 ft) |
| Storage | • SD/MMC • 16MB supplied |
| Viewfinder | None |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5" TFT LCD • 114,000 pixels |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Full speed • A/V out • DC-IN |
| Power | • Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery • Charger included |
| In the box* | • DMC-FX7 camera |
| Other features | • PictBridge |
| Weight (inc batt) | 153 g (5.4 oz) |
| Dimensions | 94 x 50 x 24 mm (3.7 x 2.0 x 1.0 in) |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).
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Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2004 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7K 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Black) | $384.95 |
Remanufactured Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7K 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Black) | $269.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9K 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Black) | $70.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7S 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Silver) | $399.95 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 12.1 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 24x Optical Zoom - Black | Too low to display |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX12K 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) | $299.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30K 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) | $399.66 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x f/2.5 Ultra Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Lens and 3.5-Inch Touch LCD (Black) | $109.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7S 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Silver) | $399.95 |
Panasonic Lumix Brown Digital Camera 7.2MP DMC-FX07 | $119.95 |
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX07 3.6 Optical Zoom Digital Camera-Chocolate Brown | $103.30 |
Panasonic DMC-FX07K 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) | $39.50 |
Panasonic DMC-FX07R 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Red) | $299.90 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX12S 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) | $112.00 |
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