Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Terrific Camera - Image Stabilization Works Well April 25, 2008
J. Riga (Columbus, Ohio United States)
39 out of 44 found this review helpful
I am highly impressed with the FX500. The touch screen is very cool, though most of the actual setup and operation must be done with the small joystick (also easy to use). The large 3" display is crystal clear and bright, even in sunlight. The camera has a metal body and machined metal lens casing and buttons - very sturdy camera. The photos are excellent in quality, better than my last Canon (the SD1000, total junk camera) by FAR. Lightweight and the video recording in HD at 720P feature is AWESOME for shooting small clips that look excellent on my 42" plasma. Flash is bring enough for all situations, and in natural light shooting with no flash the Optical Image Stabilization helps a lot. Some graininess noted in photos above ISO 400 and in a basement with no windows and lighting dimmed WAY down, but that's to be expected from ALL cameras. Quick fiddling with the manual mode (done by touchscreen) and you can take 10MP photos in very low light with no flash and they look quite good... very impressed. One last note, this works perfectly with my Macbook Pro, recognized by iPhoto right away and imports are lighting quick too!
Excellent at it strengths, good even at it's weaknesses May 14, 2008
O. Wilson (Seattle, WA USA)
31 out of 33 found this review helpful
First of all, I can't comment much on the value for the money, since my purchase was based solely on features and I was willing to pay for them. I searched for 6 months for a camera that met my requirements (in this order).
Must Haves:
-fast first picture from 'off' state
-good low light pictures (as good as a compact anyway)
-small enough to fit in pocket (for bars, parties, etc)
-HD Video
-7MP or more
Nice to have:
-manual photo options
-Zoom while video record
-.avi video recording
-4x zoom or more
I was originally going to purchase the TZ5, but this model's manual options and smaller size won me over. For my purposes, giving up the 10x optical zoom was well worth it.
PROS:
-excellent (amazing) "Auto Ai" mode: It's truly point-and-shoot if you want it to be
-image stabilization 'mode 2' works very well to reduce blur
-about 1.25 second to first pic from off (about 2 sec with flash)
-battery life (second only to the Casios that I've purchased for friends and family)
-low-light pictures: if you set the correct scene mode, you can get a very decent picrture without flash - better thatn any other compact digitals I've seen.
-great video quality: 720p .MOV format is compatible with iMovie and looks great on a 42" 1080P LCD TV on a computer (you'll need to pay extra for the cable that goes directly from the camera to the TV)
-25mmm wide-angle is surprisingly useful, but you have to remember to zoom slightly if you don't want a slight 'fisheye' view.
-there is a 'quick menu' that gives you 2-button access to all the most often used functions (they change with each mode)
-one touch access to self-timer (great for quick self-portraits)
CONS:
-no zoom while video recording (TZ5 only as far as I know)
-sometimes it's unclear whether to use touchscreen or the joystick (I think anywhere that uses the touch should also be able to use the joystick)
-flash pics are about 6 seconds shot-to-shot (with 2/3 battery on full iA mode with double red-eye reduction flash)
MINOR ANNOYANCES:
-the LCD turns off after a some flash pictures for 1.5 sec or so (I suppose to help the flash recharge more quickly)
-tripod mount is to far left of body: bad for tiny portable tripods, but placement allows you to change battery/card without disconnecting tripod
-USB cable is not a (current-standard) mini-USB on the camera end. This may be a plus later on as more phones and cameras use micro-USB
SUMMARY:
This is the best camera available for my requirements, and an excellent overall compact. It has the best low-light pictures (with defeated flash) that I've seen on a digital compact (aside from the old, old Fujis). It's the first camera that I've been truely comfortable setting on 'auto' and knowing I will almost always get a good picture.
If you want a pocket-sized camera that you can just whip out at an event and be assured of a good picture or take a great looking video clip, while retaining the ability to do some limited manual exposures, this is the one for you.
 I REALLY wanted to like this camera... but I don't May 27, 2008
R. Vrshek (chicago)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I completely fell in love with my Panasonic DMC-FX01, which has taken many unbelievable photos over the last 3 years until it finally ingested too much sand and died. I badly wanted a pocketable camera with 5x optical zoom, manual controls, a wide angle lens, and above all, great image quality. I have been so happy with Panasonic compacts that I decided to wait 2 months for the DMC-FX500, but I feel like that was a complete waste of time. With all its bells and whistles, and the promise of full manual settings, this camera just doesn't take good photos.
For the steep $350, I expected the camera to at least somewhat approach the image quality of my Canon G7, which has near-DSLR IQ. This camera sadly doesn't even hold a candle to my wife's DMC-FX03, an older, low/middle-range Panasonic. Photos are generally very soft, and lacking focus. Highlights are often blown out, and lack vibrant colors. About 1 in 4 photos actually comes out decent, with somewhat acceptable focus. The 9-point auto focus setting turned in the best results, but even those were spotty.
I spent much of a 3-day weekend trying to tweak the manual settings, white balance, megapixel levels, sharpness and noise reduction controls, and came up with about the quality I'd expect from a $100 camera. Neither close-ups nor wide shots lacked sufficient detail. The "intelligent" auto setting is odd b/c there seems to be nothing intelligent about it - the results are almost random - some are way under-exposed and others are badly blown out. Some shots are relatively well-focused, while others are soft/blurry. Almost none approach a "great" shot.
I keep wondering if I've gotten a bum unit, but I'm so disappointed with this camera that I don't feel like bothering. Even with the Canon SD870IS' questionable reliability (our friends had trouble with theirs), I'd rather drop down to 4x zoom and 8 megapixels, which will be better anyway due to not having to stuff too many MP into a small image sensor. I don't have any doubt it will take the quality of photos I expect from a higher-end compact, and for about $90 less than this one.
 Do not buy advisory.... May 8, 2008
Stefan Zawistowski (New York City)
16 out of 72 found this review helpful
This camera has been crippled from the get go by removing ZOOM from the video mode (except for 10 fps mode, which does not count). If this is the business model Panasonic wants to practice (so as not to compete with their camcorder dept.) that's fine with me, but they should explicitly state so, otherwise their "5 x zoom" marketing is misleading and deceptive. A month ago I bought Canon SD870IS and was happy with it, except for its 3x zoom (too small for lots of professional dance shots that I make). Then I read the announcement for the upcoming FX500s. They sold me on the 5x zoom and HD movie resolution (that Canon lacks). I was in a 14 day return period so I decided to part with Canon and wait a month for this one. Today I gladly received Lumix DMC-FX-500S, but was dismayed and upset that having decided to sell it as the most advanced pocket size cam on the market (e.g. manual exposure that e.g. Canon lacks) Panasonic has decided to drop zoom mode while filming (you set the zoom prior to the recording but not during it, which is outright dumm). I hope there will be more returns like mine (sorry Amazon) so they can learn their lesson the hard way and be forced to rethink their modus operandi and perhaps upgrade the firmware. I am sorry, but as it is now, lack of the zoom in video recording mode is a deal breaker for me. For others who don't mind this may be a superior product.
Sophisticated but not better than others May 14, 2008
Joe
15 out of 20 found this review helpful
I have this camera. I got it in Japan.
It has many automatized features that looks very nice. The stabilization works well. The menu is very easy to use.
However, I have been disappointed by the poor quality of the pictures. It does not show better results than most other compact cameras whereas it is rather more expensive and heavier.
Most outdoor pictures are over-exposed (intelligent mode), and it is not easy to check with the display. I took many pictures that I thought were nice but finally looks very bad on the computer and print. Indoor pictures with flash and artificial lighting looks yellowish unless the subject is very close to the camera (<1 m). The pictures looks grainy or soft in many circumstances. Maybe Panasonic is not ready for 10 Megapixels.
As mentionned by others no zoom in video mode.
Nice wide angle but there is noticeable distortion at the edges. A person at the edge of a picture taken without zoom looks somewhat deformed.
I compared with my canon powershot 710IS. The canon (7 MPx, X6 optical zoom, stabilizer, digital zoom in video) is much better though just a little bit thicker. I was planning to give it to someone and keep the FX500... I may do the contrary!
Conclusion: nice piece of technology but disappointed by the results considering the price and the weight compared to other products.
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