Point-and-shoot cameras are just that--fuss-free picture-taking without the complicated snags that come with manual controls. But most of the time, that convenience comes at the expense of indifferent image quality.
Click. Mum has blue teeth.
Click. She's frantically waving six hands at the camera all at once.
Yes, automatic cameras are generally not terribly brainy. Under tungsten lights, white often turns out to be blue and the shutter setting is usually not fast enough to track mum's sign language. In fact, there are very few cameras that can take photos with the correct focus, exposure, white balance and shutter speed without having to do more than pressing the shutter button.
The new Panasonics claim to measure up differently. Instead of having just one hero feature (such as Fujifilm's notably high ISO), the Japanese firm has cobbled up a meta-hero-feature that it calls the Intelligent Auto Mode. This approach works by automating and simultaneously coordinating several features like face detection, scene selection, light sensitivity and optical image stabilization to capture an image. In non-geek speak, the camera is trying to make an educated guess.
Design of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 Digital Camera
The FX-33 is the lowest end of the three new cameras that Panasonic has launched and it is also the smallest. However, at 132g, some may accuse it of being weighty though it hardly strained our back pocket except for a telltale budge.
Available in four colors (black, brown, blue, silver), the FX-33 has minimal button controls. There's a small control wheel for quick function switches, but its stiffness takes some getting used to. The shortcut buttons are equally small. However, as they are well-spaced, big-thumbed folks aren't going to be frustrated… much.
Because the FX-33 is built to be automated most of the time, the user interface is simple and unlikely to throw anyone off. The in-camera menu is made up of just two tabs and the quick access menu (which is displayed as an overlay during shooting) has tweaks for image stabilization, burst mode, white balance, ISO, rate of megapixel capture and image fineness.
The 2.5-inch LCD is just average for its class, but there's a nice enhancement--hold down the LCD mode and you can select from three brightness levels. Choosing the highest level will render the LCD so bright that its viewing angle is increased to the point that you can hold the camera over your head and still see the screen.
Features of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 Digital Camera
Just a year ago, a wide-angle lens was considered a premium for compact cameras. Today, it's a little less so. But still, the FX-33's 28m wide-angle lens coupled with a 3.6x optical zoom still places it among the leaders.
For a camera marketed for its independence in taking decent pictures with minimal user input, we were not expecting many features. So while we were not surprised that there wasn’t any shutter or aperture priority modes, we were mildly pleased that we could set the custom white balance and determine the light sensitivity.
However, oftentimes, you would be relying on the 22 scene modes if you decide not run the Intelligent Auto Mode.
For potential buyers, do note that the Intelligent Auto Mode allows you to tweak only the aspect ratio, picture size, image stabilizer, burst and color mode. For stuff like white balance, ISO, image quality and autofocus area, you will have to switch back to the normal camera settings.
There's also an Intelligent ISO mode that caps the maximum permissible ISO level (400, 800, 1,250) which is good for maintaining minimum noise speckles in your pictures. And while the maximum sensitivity setting on the FX-33 is ISO 6,400, that's accessible via the high-sensitivity mode and not selectable through the normal ISO menu.
Performance of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 Digital Camera
In our Lab tests, the FX-33's time to first shot (2.9 seconds) compared disfavorably with other 8-megapixel shooters such as the Canon IXUS 950 IS (1.2 seconds) and the Sony Cyber-shot T100 (1.2 seconds). However, its shot-to-shot times (0.54 second without flash, 2.17 seconds with flash) was one of the speediest. Its burst mode was average for a new camera--1.83 frames per second.
Image Quality of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 Digital Camera
The auto white balance performs very well on the whole, whether it is under a florescent or in an outdoor environment. Image quality at lower ISO levels (ISO 100-200) is very good, with slight noise at ISO 400 and very visible speckles at ISO 800. Beyond that, the detail softening and noise at higher ISO make it suitable mainly for low-light compensation.
But the most important question is--how did the Intelligent Auto Mode fare?
Well, for one, there were misses. White balance was not spot on sometimes. But it scored more hits primarily because of the way this camera is designed--with very few onboard manual controls; it makes sense to leave it on autopilot rather than attempt to fly it without a control stick. Pictures usually turned out better in auto.
Click. Mum has blue teeth.
Click. She's frantically waving six hands at the camera all at once.
Yes, automatic cameras are generally not terribly brainy. Under tungsten lights, white often turns out to be blue and the shutter setting is usually not fast enough to track mum's sign language. In fact, there are very few cameras that can take photos with the correct focus, exposure, white balance and shutter speed without having to do more than pressing the shutter button.
The new Panasonics claim to measure up differently. Instead of having just one hero feature (such as Fujifilm's notably high ISO), the Japanese firm has cobbled up a meta-hero-feature that it calls the Intelligent Auto Mode. This approach works by automating and simultaneously coordinating several features like face detection, scene selection, light sensitivity and optical image stabilization to capture an image. In non-geek speak, the camera is trying to make an educated guess.
Design of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 Digital Camera
The FX-33 is the lowest end of the three new cameras that Panasonic has launched and it is also the smallest. However, at 132g, some may accuse it of being weighty though it hardly strained our back pocket except for a telltale budge.
Available in four colors (black, brown, blue, silver), the FX-33 has minimal button controls. There's a small control wheel for quick function switches, but its stiffness takes some getting used to. The shortcut buttons are equally small. However, as they are well-spaced, big-thumbed folks aren't going to be frustrated… much.
Because the FX-33 is built to be automated most of the time, the user interface is simple and unlikely to throw anyone off. The in-camera menu is made up of just two tabs and the quick access menu (which is displayed as an overlay during shooting) has tweaks for image stabilization, burst mode, white balance, ISO, rate of megapixel capture and image fineness.
The 2.5-inch LCD is just average for its class, but there's a nice enhancement--hold down the LCD mode and you can select from three brightness levels. Choosing the highest level will render the LCD so bright that its viewing angle is increased to the point that you can hold the camera over your head and still see the screen.
Features of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 Digital Camera
Just a year ago, a wide-angle lens was considered a premium for compact cameras. Today, it's a little less so. But still, the FX-33's 28m wide-angle lens coupled with a 3.6x optical zoom still places it among the leaders.
For a camera marketed for its independence in taking decent pictures with minimal user input, we were not expecting many features. So while we were not surprised that there wasn’t any shutter or aperture priority modes, we were mildly pleased that we could set the custom white balance and determine the light sensitivity.
However, oftentimes, you would be relying on the 22 scene modes if you decide not run the Intelligent Auto Mode.
For potential buyers, do note that the Intelligent Auto Mode allows you to tweak only the aspect ratio, picture size, image stabilizer, burst and color mode. For stuff like white balance, ISO, image quality and autofocus area, you will have to switch back to the normal camera settings.
There's also an Intelligent ISO mode that caps the maximum permissible ISO level (400, 800, 1,250) which is good for maintaining minimum noise speckles in your pictures. And while the maximum sensitivity setting on the FX-33 is ISO 6,400, that's accessible via the high-sensitivity mode and not selectable through the normal ISO menu.
Performance of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 Digital Camera
In our Lab tests, the FX-33's time to first shot (2.9 seconds) compared disfavorably with other 8-megapixel shooters such as the Canon IXUS 950 IS (1.2 seconds) and the Sony Cyber-shot T100 (1.2 seconds). However, its shot-to-shot times (0.54 second without flash, 2.17 seconds with flash) was one of the speediest. Its burst mode was average for a new camera--1.83 frames per second.
Image Quality of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 Digital Camera
The auto white balance performs very well on the whole, whether it is under a florescent or in an outdoor environment. Image quality at lower ISO levels (ISO 100-200) is very good, with slight noise at ISO 400 and very visible speckles at ISO 800. Beyond that, the detail softening and noise at higher ISO make it suitable mainly for low-light compensation.
But the most important question is--how did the Intelligent Auto Mode fare?
Well, for one, there were misses. White balance was not spot on sometimes. But it scored more hits primarily because of the way this camera is designed--with very few onboard manual controls; it makes sense to leave it on autopilot rather than attempt to fly it without a control stick. Pictures usually turned out better in auto.
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