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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 Digital Camera

Panasonic DMC-FX150

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Key Features of the Panasonic DMC-FX150 :
  • Ultra Compact Digital Camera 14.7 Megapixel Resolution.
  • 3.6x Optical Zoom.
  • Large 2.7-inch LCD Screen.
  • Image Stabilization for blur free Images.
  • 28mm wide-angle Leica DC lens with f/2.8 brightness.
  • High-quality, high-performance image-processing LSI with Venus Engine III chip.
  • Even slimmer and more compact than its predecessor, the FX07.
  • Intelligent ISO Control (I.I.C.) reduces image blur from subject movement and low light.
  • Records full-size movies in wide-aspect VGA (848 x 480) at 30 frames per second.
  • 50MB internal memory.
  • Stylish and feature-rich, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 is equipped with 14.7 megapixels, and also boasts a 28mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-ELMARIT lens with F2.8 brightness and 3.6x optical zoom.

    The FX150’s manual controls and creative-shooting features distinguish it from many of its ultra-compact competitors. For instance, the Manual Exposure mode lets you choose the shutter speed, giving the freedom to render artistic images of ordinary scenes. The multi-exposure function superimposes up to three consecutively shot images together while the user views the previous image on the LCD, creating a surrealistic effect that cannot be achieved with a single image alone. Furthermore, the manual bracketing function includes typical exposure and adds new color bracketing to capture color, monochromatic and sepia shots of an image simultaneously.

    The FX150 also records original photos in the RAW file format and comes bundled with the SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0SE software application, enabling the user to freely adjust RAW data settings such as exposure bias and white balance even after shooting for greater editing and image development.

    In addition to manual controls, the FX150 also offers Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto (iA) mode that provides the user with automatic settings adjustments depending on the shooting environment. A new technology, called AF (auto focus) Tracking, has been added to the iA roster of features. AF tracking enables the camera to lock focus on a moving object. Additionally, AF Tracking increases Face Detection accuracy, allowing for crisp, sharp-focused shots even if the subject moves while shooting the image.

    When the FX150 is set to iA mode, the following technologies engage automatically, no settings need to be made:

    • Intelligent Exposure -- Helps prevents photos from being under- or over-exposed by instantly analyzing the framed image and adjusting the brightness in areas that are too dark because of dim lighting, backlighting or the use of the flash. The camera will automatically adjust the brightness accordingly.
    • Digital Red-eye Correction-- Helps to eliminate the red-eye problem that sometimes results when taking flash shots at night. Incorporated into the camera, the built-in flash emits a small preliminary flash before the main flash, detects red-eye and will digitally correct it.
    • MEGA O.I.S. -- Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.
    • Intelligent ISO -- Determines if the photo subject is moving and changes the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.
    • Intelligent Scene Selector -- Senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and will automatically select the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode. This intuitive technology, helps the consumer use the most common scene modes that are built into the camera, but often go unused, without making any manual adjustments.
    • Face Detection -- Detects faces in the frame (up to 15 faces), even if they are moving, and selects optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear.
    • Quick AF (Auto Focus) -- Starts focus on the subject by just pointing the camera at the subject, thus minimizing the AF time.
    The FX150 boasts the high-speed image processing system, the Venus Engine IV, which supports a faster response time, allowing the camera to shoot 2.5 shots per second at full resolution and six shots per second in High-Speed Burst mode. The FX150 can also record dynamic High Definition video in 1280 x 720p at 24fps. Other advanced features of the Lumix FX150 include:
    • Image Leveling -- When a captured image "leans" to the right or left because the camera was held at a slight angle when the photo was taken, the Image Leveling function rotates the image to straighten it and crops the unnecessary edges. No computer needed!
    • Scene Modes -- The FX150 offers 24 different scene modes to respond easily to any shooting situation. The new Pin Hole and Film Grain modes add unique, film-camera-like effects and ambiences to images and the Transform mode trims and stretches images to virtually transform the subject.


    Product Description
    Equipped with 14.7 megapixels, the new Panasonic FX150 boasts a 28mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens with F2.8 brightness and 3.6x optical zoom. The FX150 s manual controls and creative-shooting features distinguish it from many of its ultra-compact competitors. For instance, the Manual Exposure mode lets users choose the shutter speed, giving the freedom to render artistic images of ordinary scenes. The multi-exposure function superimposes up to three consecutively shot images together while the user views the previous image on the LCD, creating a surrealistic effect that cannot be achieved with a single image alone. Furthermore, the manual bracketing function includes typical exposure and adds new color bracketing to capture color, monochromatic and sepia shots of an image simultaneously.
     



    Panasonic DMC-FX150 Photo Samples

    Click here to view more samples.
    These are actual photos taken with Panasonic DMC-FX150.
    Photos courtesy of Flickr and belong to respective users. To view a larger image click on thumbnail.

    Compare Panasonic DMC-FX150 with similar cameras

    Name: Sony DSC-W300 Panasonic DMC-FX150
    Megapixels: 13.6 14.7
    Optical Zoom: 3 X 4 X
    Max Res: 4224 x 3168 4416 x 3312
    LCD Screen: 2.7 " 2.7 "
    Digital zoom: Yes, up to 2x Yes, 4 x
    Image stabilizer: Yes, Lens Yes, Lens
    Media Card: Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo + Internal SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
    Battery: Lithium-Ion (NP-BG1) & charger Lithium-Ion rechargeable
    Weight (with batteries): 187 g (6.6 oz) 179 g (6.3 oz)
    Lowest Price: $296.00 $293.95
    Details: View details -



    Panasonic DMC-FX150 User Reviews

    Avg. Rating
    4.0
    Out of 5
    This item is reviewed by 7 people so far.
    Click here for complete reviews.

    2
    Out of 5
    Get the LX3
    - Reviewd on: 2008-12-24 By: Erik Lanigan
    If you can afford the price difference and don't mind the extra bulk of the protruding lens, get the DMC-LX3. You will be SO much happier. It's the bigger sibling to this camera, and all the pros are buying it and raving about it. I returned FX-150 and bought the LX3 when I experienced the poor low light performance and random blurry spots on the FX-150 lens myself. LX3 has full manual controls, MUCH wider angle (which I LOVE!), and MUCH, MUCH better lower light performance thanks to its f2.0 lens and larger sensor.

    ---A NOTE ON 720p VIDEO:---

    Don't let the promise of 720p video fool you. The movies recorded on the FX-150 or the LX3 have TERRIBLE audio. It's like cell phone quality. It's really hard to hear consonants or what people are saying. It's really a shame because the video it records is pretty decent. It looks overly sharpened, though, and probably only has about 500 lines of resolution or less, not 720. Also, you cannot zoom OR refocus while filming, which means you have to stand rooted in one place, and so does your subject, which really sucks in practice. (Video/audio quality on the LX3 is exactly the same.)

    3
    Out of 5
    Noisy pictures, gimped raw capability, glorious movie capability
    - Reviewd on: 2008-12-06 By: J. Davis
    This camera has the capability to be a legend. The lens is tack sharp (besides the fact that it only has two aperture settings), and pictures look great in the day time. The auto white balance performance is better than my LX3, and the RAW capability is very cool (now with support in Adobe Photoshop Raw!). The 720/24p video is more than excellent, although it would have been nicer if it were H.264 video. The camera looks great in silver (it is actually a bit of a gunmetal color).

    That's where the good ends.

    You can see noise even at the lowest ISO setting, and chroma noise renders even ISO 800 images unusable for anything except thumbnails. Before you solely blame the minuscule sensor, remember that Ricoh Caplios have a smaller size sensor that they have been packing more pixels on for a few years now. The high ISO output from a Ricoh Caplio may be lacking in detail, but it doesn't have awful chroma noise infecting every inch of your photograph. Yes, I know the Caplios top out at 10 megapixels, and this camera tosses 15 insane megapixels, but still the density on the Caplio R10 is nearly identical! There's no reason the FX150 should be so underperforming.

    The RAW capability is nice to have. However, Panasonic saw it fit to make sure you can't EV bracket in raw. Speaking of bracketing, you can't do +2 and -2 EV bracketing either, which I feel shames both the FX150 and the LX3 (and I'm not the only one who feels this way). Another issue with RAW is that the dynamic range of the camera is so narrow that it really doesn't matter that it is there.

    This camera could have been a classic, and I really want to like it. But unfortunately, it doesn't win my heart.

    5
    Out of 5
    Wonderful Camera
    - Reviewd on: 2008-11-26 By: Mark Alley
    An absolutely wonderful camera with awesome video quality and picture quality. very compact and discreet.

    5
    Out of 5
    Best 14MP camera
    - Reviewd on: 2008-11-22 By: Enrico B. Tagle
    Before I bought this camera I just bought a Sony t300. It was a crappy camera the pictures was so bad. The Sony T300 camera with the extras cost 400. So much money for so bad pictures.If your looking for a camera with smile ang face features and very nice GUI then buy sony. But dont expect good quality pictures. So Sony never again! So, i was thinking of buying a Canon SD990. But before I buy it I checked the net for some reviews on it. It was not a bad camera but for a 14mp it wasnt what the reviewers expected. The macro was bad and also when you use high ISO. Then I decided to get this Panasonic FX150. After few tests of the camera I was amazed on the cameras crisp pictures. On Macro shots youll be amazed this camera does.

    So, Overall this camera is the best buy for me. And it only cost much cheaper than Sony and Canon. And teh best thing is the 4gb memory is free.

    4
    Out of 5
    Fairway Phil
    - Reviewd on: 2008-11-04 By: Philip C. Gavosto
    Camera has all the bells and whisles-I don't think the manual is sufficient enough to help u distinguish between all the really good features. it's my fourth Lumix so u probably guessed I like the mfg.-has a good mega pixel rating at 14.7- get the case it sometimes turns on in my pocket with other junk nudging it. If you have large fingers, the camera may be cumbersome to use especially in the one handed mode. Screen always needs to be cleaned because the camera is so small with the screen taking almost all the back side. Screen is good in all except facing bright sun. I believe there is an adjustment for such, but I have not got around to that in the manual. Just came back from Caribbean and the electronic markets down there have not seen this model yet. I believe the pricing thru amazon was competitive. The face tracking recognition feature is cool. I'm a click and shoot photographer and do not want to wait to change settings or go to manual mode to get the perfect picture. I'll shot 10 picts to get one good one and maybe fix it up in PhotoShop. Flash seems better than other comprobables. Batter last a long time on one charge. Charger is compact and takes almost no room in the luggage. Shot over 500 picts in this last week's trip. A lot of good features more than the average Joe or Jill would want.
    I like it and would recommend it. Get the case!