Review based on a production Panasonic DMC-FX9
The original FX7 was announced in July 2004 and went on to be one of the best-selling cameras of last year thanks to its winning combination of cool styling, compact dimensions, big screen and image-stabilized Leica lens. After a fairly disappointing upgrade earlier this year in the form of the FX8 (which basically did little but address the appalling battery life of the original) we didn't have to wait long for the next generation, which - as well as incorporating the improvements seen in the FX8, increases the pixel count, improves the screen and adds a couple of new scene modes.
Panasonic FX9 |
Panasonic FX8 |
Panasonic FX7 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | July 05 | May 05 | July 04 |
| Sensor total pixels | 6.4 million | 5.4 million | 5.4 million |
| Maximum resolution | 2816 x 2112 | 2560 x 1920 | 2560 x 1920 |
| Image ratio options | 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 | 4:3, 16:9 | 4:3, 16:9 |
| Movie mode | 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 30/10 fps | 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 30/10 fps | 320 x 240, 30 fps, with audio, unlimited |
| Screen | • 2.5-inch • 207,000 pixels | • 2.5-inch • 114,000 pixels |
• 2.5-inch • 114,000 pixels |
| Battery life (CIPA) | 300 shots | 300 shots | 120 shots |
| Processor | Venus Engine PLUS | Venus Engine PLUS | Venus Engine II |
| Scene modes | • Portrait • Sports • Food • Night Scenery • Night Portrait • Baby • Soft skin • Candlelight • Fireworks • Party • Snow • Scenery • Starry sky • Self portrait | • Portrait • Sports • Food • Scenery • Night Scenery • Night Portrait • Baby • Fireworks • Party • Snow • Self-portrait • Soft Skin |
• Portrait • Sports • Landscape • Night Landscape • Night Portrait • Fireworks • Party • Snow • Self-portrait |
Whereas the FX8 was a minor update to the original FX7 (adding a bigger battery, a couple of scene modes and a slight performance boost thanks to the new Venus Plus engine), the changes brought in with the FX9 are more significant (though still fairly limited). As well as the extra million or so pixels, the new model has a better screen (much higher resolution) - and a couple of new scene modes.
| Street price | • US: $410 • UK: £300 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Metal |
| Sensor | • 1/2.5" CCD, 6.4 million total pixels • 6.0 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | • 2816 x 2112 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 (10 / 30 fps) • 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 |
| Shutter speeds | • Auto mode: 1 to 1/2000th sec • Scene mode: 8 to 1/2000th sec • Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30 or 60 seconds |
| Sensitivity | • Auto • ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 |
| White Balance | • Auto • Cloudy, daylight, halogen, custom • White balance adjust |
| Image parameters | • Color (Natural, Standard, Vivid) • Color effect (Cool, warm, B&W, sepia) |
| Continuous | • 3 fps high speed, 2 fps low speed. 1.5 fps Unlimited |
| Flash | • Built-in flash • Auto, on/off, red-eye reduction, slow sync with red eye reduction • Range (ISO auto): W 0.3m - 4.0m |
| Storage | • SD/MMC • 16MB supplied |
| Viewfinder | None |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5" TFT LCD • 207,000 pixels |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Full speed • A/V out • DC-IN |
| Power | • Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery • Charger included |
| In the box* | • DMC-FX9 camera |
| Other features | • PictBridge |
| Weight | • 127 g (4.5 oz) (without battery and card) • 155 g (5.5 oz) (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | ~94 x 51 x 24 mm (3.7 x 2.0 x 0.9 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 2005 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-FX9K 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Black) | $70.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 12.1 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 24x Optical Zoom - Black | Too low to display |
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-FZ100 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 24x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD - Black | $359.99 |
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 (Gold) | $169.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH27 16MP 8x Zoom Digital Camera with 3.0" Touchscreen (Black) | $114.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX12K 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) | $299.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 24x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD - Black | $379.99 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500S 10.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) | $239.00 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500K 10.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) | $249.00 |
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