Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS16 review

There’s a similar story for its photos. Image quality won’t impress photography enthusiasts but for casual use it’s up to the job. Photos taken using automatic settings were nearly always the right side of acceptable. Details looked a little scruffy when viewed up close, especially at high ISO speeds where photos sometimes also exhibited multi-coloured blotches. However, resizing photos to fit the screen or printing at modest sizes rendered these issues virtually imperceptible. Meanwhile, with optical stabilisation built into the lens, the need for high ISO speeds isn’t as great as it is in cameras that lack this feature. Then again, the cheaper Panasonic S3 has stabilisation too, and its high-ISO shots were slightly cleaner.

Decent colours and well-judged exposure produce some excellent shots, but details are a little scruffy close up – click to zoom

Photo quality is good rather than excellent, but the streamlined controls and smart, slim design make it a strong contender at this price. However, we’d pay more for the big leap in quality offered by the Canon Ixus 115 HS.