Shooting with the Panasonic Lumix FX07

When Filipinos shop for a compact digital camera, their shopping lists usually include Canon, Sony, Kodak, or Olympus. What they should add to that list, however, is Panasonic, which has become one of Japan’s (as well as other countries’) best-selling digital camera brands. And among Panasonic’s many compact digicams, a standout model is the Lumix DMC-FX07.

For starters, it boasts a 7.2-megapixel, 28-mm wide-angle f/2.8 Leica DC lens with 3.6x optical zoom (equivalent to 28mm to 102mm on a 35mm film camera), an Intelligent Image Stabilizer by MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), a 2.5-inch LCD monitor, and Intelligent ISO control.

The same superb 28mm Leica lens sported by its predecessor allows FX07 users to enjoy the benefit of a wide-angle lens when shooting architectural scenes, indoor group shots or expansive landscapes.

To fight against the major cause of blurred images – handshake – Panasonic invented the MEGA O.I.S. system, a feature which has long been incorporated into the Lumix range of cameras. And to compensate for the other major cause of blurred images – movement of the subject – the FX07 is also equipped with the world’s first Intelligent ISO Control (I.I.C.) and max. ISO 1250 high-sensitivity recording at full-resolution.

When set to the I.I.C., the FX07’s Venus Engine III detects the subject’s movement and adjusts the ISO setting and shutter speed to best suit the subject movement and the light condition automatically. If the subject is moving, the ISO setting would automatically rise to allow a higher shutter speed. If the subject is still and no movement is detected, you can take beautiful natural images with a low ISO setting.

The Venus Engine III also boasts outstanding response time with a shutter release time lag of as short as 0.005 sec. minimum and the shutter interval of 0.5 sec. Together with the fast start-up time of approximately 1.3 sec., the quick response of the FX07 enables easy capture of those spur-of-the-moment shots.

In the burst shooting mode, it is possible to shoot at three frames per second in full resolution. The Panasonic Lumix DMC FX07 camera also allows unlimited consecutive shooting up to the capacity of the SD/SDHC memory card. The result of all this technowizardry? Clear, crisp images in any situation and condition – all done automatically.

And as for the occasional problem we all encounter when the room is not large enough to get everyone in the frame or the light is insufficient, the FX07’s combination of 28mm Leica DC lens and the Intelligent Image stabilizer delivers beautiful images with everyone in the frame and without having to use the flash which would have spoiled the ambience of the picture.

The FX07 also incorporates a generous 2.5-inch 207k high-resolution LCD. The pixel-mixed readout method performed by the CCD automatically increases the brightness level of the live image on the LCD, which helps a lot in low-light situations.

With the help of the Power LCD function, which boosts the backlighting of the LCD by 40 percent, even shooting in bright outdoors situations is no longer a problem. The High Angle mode makes the display easy to view from low angles; for example, when holding the camera up high to take pictures over a crowd and can be accessed easily via dedicated button. In addition to standard VGA (640x480) at 30 frames per second motion image recording, the Lumix DMC-FX07 can also record stunning full-size movies in wide-aspect VGA (848x480) at 30 fps. Shooting is one thing but viewing is another, especially when you view your video on a wide-screen TV. A truly useful feature I found is that it is possible to select and display as thumbnails nine sequential frames from a motion image, which would be helpful to see the how you swing a racket or golf club – or Manny Pacquiao decking Erik Morales.

Various AF modes can be selected according to the shooting environment and the position of the subject: 9-point, 3-point high-speed, 1-point high-speed, 1-point normal-speed and spot. The inclusion of an AF assist lamp provides further assistance in low light situations when focusing is difficult. Brilliant!

An even greater variety of scene modes is included: 17 scene modes for the Panasonic FX07 to assist the user in a wide range of photographic situations. The newly incorporated "Beach" mode is perfect for shooting in strong sunlight and the "Aerial" mode assists with shooting through the windows of an airplane. "High Sensitivity" mode is ideal for shooting moving subjects without blurring at a sensitivity as high as ISO 3200.

On the other hand, in the "Simple" mode, almost all adjustments can be automatically set even including the backlight compensation, allowing even novice users to take dramatic images easily. The Panasonic DMC-FX07 is even available with a marine case to allow users to shoot underwater.

Not a bad set of prosumer camera-like features and capabilities for a lightweight compact digital camera with a price point of P25,999.