The Panasonic FX550 - a swanky-looking touch screen compact camera with 25mm wide angle lens; it looks the part and has the specs to match. So how does the FX550 fare when put to the test? The What Digital Camera Panasonic Lumix FX550 review investigates...
Panasonic Lumix FX550 review
Verdict
Quite simply the Panasonic FX550 (or FX580 for those across the pond) is an excellent little compact. Its simple design makes for easy functioning, further championed by the 3in touch screen, AF tracking and 25mm wide angle lens.
On occasion the autofocus may be a little slack, but with the fountain of other options that the Lumix FX550 puts on the table it’s forgivable; especially when considering the excellent AF-tracking mode to ensure your subject (however non-stationary) is in focus. Image quality is good in decent light and, although less reasonable in dimly lit conditions, there is always the flash there to save your shots.
Find the Panasonic Lumix FX550 at the right price and you’ll have a wide angle compact with manual modes to be proud of. At around the £250 mark you’ll be hard pressed to find a much better deal. In short: What Digital Camera recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX550.
Verdict
Quite simply the Panasonic FX550 (or FX580 for those across the pond) is an excellent little compact. Its simple design makes for easy functioning, further championed by the 3in touch screen, AF tracking and 25mm wide angle lens. On occasion the autofocus may be a little slack, but with the fountain of other options that the Lumix FX550 puts on the table it is forgivable; especially when considering the excellent AF-tracking mode to ensure your subject (however non-stationary) is in focus. Image quality is good in decent light and, although less reasonable in dimly lit conditions, there is always the flash there to save your shots.Find the Panasonic Lumix FX550 at the right price and you will have a wide angle compact with manual modes to be proud of. At around the £250 mark you will be hard pressed to find a much better deal. In short: What Digital Camera recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX550.
Details
Other:touch screen, wide angle,
Product Shots:View product shots of the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX550
Sample Photos:View sample shots of the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX550
Weight:145g / 167g with battery and SD card
Dimensions:95 × 57 × 22 mm
Power:li-ion rechargeable battery
Connectivity:USB/AV out/ digital, component out
Memory Card:SD / SDHC, MMC (no video)
White Balance:Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set / Color Temperature / White Balance Adjustment (2-axis adjustable, ±9steps each, Blue/Amber and Magenta/Green bias) / (Selectable at Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-Portrait, Sports, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity, Highspeed Burst, Pinhole, Panorama Assist mode?
ISO Range:Auto/80-800 (1600-6400 high sensitivity mode, 3MP max)
Metering System:Multi, one area high speed, one area, spot
Shutter Speeds:1/2000th/sec ? 1min, 2.3 frames/sec Max. 5 images (Standard mode), Max 3 images (Fine Mode) / High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 6.0 frames/sec (image priority) approx. 10 frames/sec (speed priority) (recorded in 3M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Exposure Modes:PASM / Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual, Intelligent Auto (iA), Auto, My Scene, Scene
LCD:3in touch screen LCD, 230k dot
File Formats:JPEG
Sensor:12.1MP, 1/2.33-in. CCD
Lens:5x optical zoom (25mm-125mm)