The Panasonic DMC FX100 is a 12 megapixel digital camera with a compact design. It has a 3.6x wide angle lens for capturing landscape photos and groups of people. It has more features than the typical point and shoot model. These include image stabilisation, wide screen movies and a special LCD screen that can be seen even when you hold the camera above your head. The DMC FX100 is also easy to use.

Image Quality Panasonic DMC FX100 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
As with many of the other digital cameras I tested at this time the DMC FX100 finds it difficult to cope with the glare of the sun. This creates two problems. The first is a loss of detail showing in the wooden slats under the roof of the building and also on areas of the boats. The second problem is that it causes blue lines on the boats to show as purple.

The sharpness of the photo is good. The brickwork of the building is clear and sharpness is retained towards the edges of the photo as well.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
Looking at this photo you can see the impact a wide angle lens has as there is more width to the photo then you find with a more standard lens. Sharpness levels are good although as with a lot of wide angle lenses there is a softening of the photo as you move towards the sides of the photo. There is plenty of colour in the skies.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
With the lens zoomed into its maximum the DMC FX100 takes a good picture. Sharpness levels are above average and the camera is able to retain colour in the shot as well.

Outdoor Portrait
The photo was taken in the shade, so I used the white balance setting of shady. The result is a photo with plenty of colour. In fact the colours may be too powerful for some tastes and I would like to have seen a little less of the orangey glow the photo has. It is a well focused shot.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
In lower light indoors the camera manages to produce a good portrait photo with the flash turned on. Compared with other cameras this is some way above average. Flash levels are about right. This helps the camera to retain colour in the shot.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
I am not sure what happened here! The picture is extremely dark and the DMC FX100 is simply unable to adjust to the conditions. The lighting is not perfect, but it is also not especially extreme. I have taken other test shots with this camera in lower light and although none have been anywhere near as bad as this one I have noticed the camera does struggle in lowlight without the flash.

Colours
Colours have been strong throughout all my test photos. In the case of the outdoor portrait the colours are perhaps a little too strong. This makes the DMC FX100 a good choice for anyone who likes a more vibrant feel to the colours.

Macro
I have no complaints about the macro photo. The DMC FX100 manages to produces a sharp photo. It also manages the colours well too.

ISO 400
At ISO 400 the inevitable noise can be seen clearly in the photo. Levels are no worse than with most digital cameras, but you will notice a loss of quality in photos taken using this setting.

ISO 1600
Noise now creates a serious problem and the photos have lost their way at ISO 1600.

Overall
Overall I am impressed with the quality of the images the DMC FX100 has taken. They compare well with other cameras with a similar specification. There are one or two areas where the camera can improve. For indoor party type photos or lowlight shots in general you will need to use the flash.

In older Panasonic digital cameras noise has sometimes been an issue even at lower ISO settings. This was not something I could really detect in my test shots this time around.


I was able to take a single shot in 0.35 seconds and five in 12.66 seconds. With the flash on times increased to 0.51 seconds for a single shot and 13.89 seconds for five photos. These are reasonable times, but could be better. I also found the DMC FX100 could be inconsistent in its focusing times. This could lead to a greater delay in response and cause missed photo opportunities.

Style: A smaller compact, that will just about fit into a decent sized pocket. It is a fairly standard design, but the rounded ends and edges give in a more attractive look. The DMC FX100 is available in black and silver.

Dimensions: 96.7 x 54.0 x 24.5mm

Weight: 148g

Batteries: Lithium ion. A battery and charger are supplied as standard. Panasonic estimates 320 photos can be taken before the battery will need to be recharged.

Memory cards: 27mb of memory have been built into the camera. It is compatible with SD and SFHC cards. I was able to take 4 photos before the internal memory was full. I also noticed writing to the internal memory could be very slow.


Ease of use rating: Very Good. The layout of the menus is well thought through. I also find the menu screens Panasonic use to be amongst the easiest to use with decent sized, black text on a white background.

Points I like:
Overall picture quality - settings for 6 x 4 prints and panoramic shots - image stabilisation - LCD screen display - ease of use

Where it could improve:
Small internal memory - flash needed for lowlight shots

Verdict:
The Panasonic DMC FX100 is a very handy camera. It is easy to use and takes a decent photo in most instances. In fact for a smaller camera with a wide angle lens picture quality is better than most of its rivals. I also think it is very well priced. It has a simple, unfussy design.