Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100 review

The FX100 excels in areas where Panasonic normally does well and stumbles at its usual hurdles.

It's very compact and stylish, with an elegant menu system and fast operation that make it a pleasure to use. However, it's lack of manual exposure and focus controls is disappointing. We believe these are reasonable expectations at this price, whether the camera is intended for casual snappers or enthusiasts.

Two features separate the FX100 from most other compact cameras. One is its wide-angle lens, which allows you to get in closer to subjects and exaggerate the sense of perspective. The other is a 12-megapixel CCD. Along with Kodak's Z1275, this is the highest resolution we have seen.

Whether anyone needs this many pixels is debatable, but for those who decide that they do, the FX100 certainly lives up to its specifications in brightly lit conditions. It produced what were marginally the most detailed photos we have seen from a digital camera. Colour accuracy and automatic exposure were nothing short of outstanding, the auto-focus was extremely reliable and there was little evidence of noise. Sadly, though, indoor photos taken without the flash told a different story. Even with plenty of ambient light (and ISO speeds as low as 200), noise began to creep into photos. Artificially lit shots at ISO 400 were scruffy and lacked detail. This is a common complaint with Panasonic cameras, but the tightly packed individual sensors on the FX100's 12-megapixel CCD exacerbate the problem.

The FX100 is a fantastic outdoor camera, and its wide-angle lens and massive resolution make it an excellent choice for people who want to produce business materials, which may need to be blown up to large print sizes. However, for general use its disappointing indoor performance is just as significant as its excellent outdoor performance.