Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Silver)Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Silver) Product Description:
- 14.1-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-size prints
- 5x image-stabilized optical zoom; 24mm, F2.2 ultra-wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Summicron lens
- 3.5-inch LCD with full touch-screen operation
- Capture 1080p HD video in AVCHD format; Intelligent Auto (iA) mode; Face Recognition feature
- Capture video and images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
Product Description
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700 14.1 Megapixel Compact Camera - 4.30 mm-21.50 mm - Silver DMC-FX700S Digital Cameras
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful.
Average picture quality, excellent video and fully packed with features.
By HEPF
I wanted to have a all-around P&S camera, let me share some comments on my new FX700 camera after some time testing it.The camera doesn't surprise in terms of picture quality, it's pretty average and works fine if you don't crop the image. Fitting 14 MP on a small sensor is a challenge that all these small P&S cameras are facing, the result: they simply fail to deliver sharp clear pictures. The MOS sensor even increases the problem as the picture quality is worst with the offset to have a much better video quality. What this camera doe's fine is with the intelligent Auto mode, it really picks the right shooting mode for the best picture possible. The only thing I did is to change the color effect from standard to happy to improve the color saturation. There are times where the iA actually doesn't work and you have to go over either with scene or program mode, make sure you properly setup these modes in order to improve the picture quality; what I did was:- Limit the ISO to 200, as the picture quality really decreases with 400 or beyond- Select intelligent Exposure to standard- Select intelligent Resolution, it really gets better picture quality (this is not available on iA, so make sure to switch if you want a sharper picture)- Changed the color effect from standard to warm to improve color saturationThere is a firmware update from 1.0 to 1.1 (improving Motion Deblur in iA and autofocus on video capture) that I really recommend to upload on your camera.On Panasonic's global webpage -> support -> consumer products -> Digital AV -> Digital Camera -> Download -> DMC-Fx70/DMC-FX75/DMC-FX700 Firmware update serviceThere are some really interesting shooting tips (some are just plain basics) on Panasonic's web page that can help you improving the picture quality. See the attached link and select the FX700 model.The shooting tips specifically for the FX700 camera can be found on Panasonic's global webpage -> support -> consumer products -> Digital AV -> Digital Camera -> shooting tips -> FX700One that was particularly helpful was to take portrait pictures on the telephoto end of the lens to avoid barrel distortion. This was a very annoying problem that I fixed just zooming in when taking portrait pictures.Video recording is one of the strong points for this camera, video and audio quality is superior to any flip or similar compact camcorders.The touch screen menu is quite intuitive and takes only little time to get familiar with it. One really nice feature is the manual focusing by touching the subject on the screen, the focus is followed as the subject moves on the screen and you can change from portrait to landscape mode just by touching the subject or the background.It's not the best picture quality camera I have had, but for a P&S camera and sharing pictures that are seen on a PC screen (without cropping) or on the TV is more than enough.
70 of 78 people found the following review helpful.
Promising features and specifications... but terrible performance!
By N.K.
Before I go into my impressions, allow me to share some quick information with you. I bought this camera for a number of reasons, which include:- Leica Lens- Fast 2.2 aperture- Full HD video- VIdeo records in AVCHD- 10 FPS burst @ full resolution and up to 60 burst at 3.5 MP- Size and weight- Wanted to try out touch screen camera- Wide, 24mm lens- Cool features such as motion blur and intelligent burst, which chooses the burst speed based on the amount of movement occurring in the frame- Manual controls (actually has PASM)- MOS Sensor (which is huge for me, see below)- Four different aspect rations (1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9)I have been a long time SLR/DSLR user, and have always had a backup camera. Up until a few months ago, I was happy lugging around super zoom point and shoots as backups. Then, I got tired of not being able to take a camera to dinners, events, concerts, etc. since I was unable to lug around a large SLR format camera or super zoom P&S to certain places and often times did not want to carry around something so obtrusive. Recently, I have been researching some of the newer point and shoots, including the FX700, SD4500IS, S95, ZS7, and LX5. This is the second of the bunch I have tried. The other was the LX5, which I will briefly touch upon below.As stated, there were numerous features about this camera that caught my eye. So, why not buy it!!! Well I did and I am VERY disappointed with the image quality. Tonight I had a chance to test the ability of the camera to capture shots in a low to medium light setting. Of the 140 or so pictures I took, all but a dozen or so were soft and many had a very hard time focusing properly, even on IA (automatic) mode which I tried using a for a few shots. For the average person, the pictures may cut it but for me, they were really unimpressive. Additionally, the few pictures I took of people with the flash were awful. The people were wearing black and white but the entire picture had a nasty, red hue. The placement of the flash is very awkward as it is right by the hand grip (if you hold with right hand) so your index finger could easily cover the flash. At first, I thought the red hue was caused by my finger accidentally being placed over the flash but after being very careful to avoid that, the same result(s) occurred. Truly disappointing. On the plus side, however, the camera performs moderately well in well lit situations but unfortunately, that is not what makes a camera good in my eye. This is because I feel as though every camera (especially in this price range!) should do at a decent job in well-lit situations... I should also let you know that I have tried to camera on an overcast day, a clear and sunny day, in an artificially lit room, and in moonlit environments. I was hoping I just had a few crappy outings but I just didn't get the quality I wanted and expected... but maybe I expect too much from having used SLRs and the new LX5.As for ISO performance... I really thought the camera suffered greatly at any ISO level above 200. In addition to the aforementioned subpar low-light image quality, the inability for the camera to offer good high ISO performance (in my opinion), really makes shooting low light more frustrating and unappealing. A cool benefit of this camera, however, is the ability to choose between four different aspect rations, which are 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, and 16:9. This feature really gives the photographer more "creative control" when taking pictures. Standard cameras generally offer only two or three of these aspect ratios, so keep that in mind! Another plus side is that the camera can utilize shutter speeds of 60 - 1/2000 sec, which is pretty good, but nothing new for a compact camera. Obviously the ability to use 1/3200 and 1/4000 shutter speeds would make the camera better for certain situations but it is pretty good as is. Also, the burst mode works well manually and with intelligent burst so if you want a super fast compact camera and don't mind sacrificing image quality, this may be to your liking.Now onto video.... Another big selling point for me was the Full HD video capability. I was able to test the camera in well-lit and poorly lit situations and both did fairly well for a compact point and shoot. I was pretty impressed by the quality and the sound was actually pretty amazing for a camera of this size. The MOS sensor was especially appealing to me because the CCD sensors of the LX5, s95, ZS7, etc. really bother me when light sources produce vertical blue/violet lines as a result of the CCD sensor overload. This camera DOES NOT do that since it uses a MOS sensor. For many people, this is a huge selling point so keep it in mind... The only downfalls about the video capabilities is that it cannot record 720P @ 24fps (unless I missed this somehow) for the "film like" look that many people seek or 1080p at any FPS. Please note that some reviews/comments have stated that this camera is 1080p capable but it is not. Also, the product page says it is 1080p capable but I believe that is erroneous. From my observations, it is capable of 1080i. Moreover, I do have and do love the ability of the LX5 to take super crisp 720p/24fps HD videos but really disliked the CCD overload. An LX5 with a large MOS sensor would be the perfect set up... maybe the LX6 to LX7 will make this wish come true.Another small, and relatively insignificant issue I have is the relatively low resolution of the screen. Since it is a touch screen camera in at a fairly high price point, I expected a nice, crisp, high-resolution screen. Much to my dismay, the screen only had a resolution of 230k. I would have much rather liked to see 460k, which has become relatively standard on point on shoots. Please note that I am saying that it COULD be better and not that it is bad as is. The screen it has is fairly good and gets the job done.In summary, the camera is WONDERFUL on paper but in action, it really doesn't do a great job for what I needed and expected. If you are looking for a camera that does a good job in low light situations with great image quality, perhaps consider an LX5 (love it!) or S95 (which I am yet to try). Or, if you want a cheaper option with better (or at least better known) results, check out the ZS7. My friend swears by his and I am going to try one soon. If you, however, only shoot in well-lit environments, then this may be a good option for you! But remember... you may not be getting what you are paying for!
29 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700 delivers as promised.
By David Perez
After reading some of the negative reviews on this camera I decided to test it out for at least two weeks before writing my review. I'll not bore you with lots of technical information. There is plenty of that available in Camera Review Blogs online. The following is my opinion on the performance and features of the FX700.* No ..... The FX700 does not shoot great photos in bad lighting. Neither does any other camera that I am aware of. Lighting is everything when it comes to photography. Ansel Adams would wait for days for the perfectly lit scene before recording his masterpieces. We have become consumers that seek miracles from new technology ... The magic pill that will make you lose weight, feel great and stop all of your joint pain, the titanium driver that will fire a golf ball over 300 yards with accuracy and consistency; a cell phone that will make clear un-dropped calls from anywhere in the country; a powerful lightweight vacuum cleaner that will clean the entire house with very little effort; and yes "a camera that always shoots great photos in bad lighting". I don't believe that such animals exist.If you are lucky to have a camera that takes great photos in poor lighting .... God Bless You! You are living a supernatural life. I am quite sure however, if you try to enlarge such photos you will find them to be quite fuzzy and grainy when blown up. The FX700 does a fairly good job in poor lighting if you are able the keep the ISO setting below 400 ISO, slow the camera exposure down, and have your subject remain perfectly still. The best strategy however is to do like the pros. Don't take photos in badly lit scenes.* The video quality is really one of the highlights within the FX700. I found very little camera shake, easy controls, smooth zooming and spot on focusing. A quality memory card is essential. I use a SanDisk 16GB Extreme - SDHC Class 10 High Performance memory card (SDSDX3-016G-P31). It more than satisfies my needs and is extremely fast.* The touch screen controls on the FX700 make quick programming changes a snap. This is the best upgrade on any new camera that I have seen recently. No more spin dials, toggle buttons, awkward menus, etc. The touch screen also assists in face recognition, subject focus, and many other easy to set functions.* The camera is very solidly built. It is similar in size to my FX55 which also sports a 3" LCD screen. But that's where the similarities end. The FX700 has many great new features that render my FX55 as a hand-me-down to one of the family members.* The "panorama assist" and "hand-held night photo" features are another great bonus with the FX700. I was able to shoot a 360° panorama perfectly on my very first attempt. The night time photos are the best that I have experienced without the use of a tripod.If you are looking for a small pocket-sized camera with loads of features, the FX700 is worth considering. There are many great options in the market. I am very happy that I made this purchase. The FX700 certainly has fulfilled my expectations.David Perez
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