Overview
The Panasonic Lumix DMC FS15 is a good quality, mid priced, pocket digital camera. It has 12 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom lens. The lens has wide angle capabilities. I like the extra zoom that becomes available when shooting at lower resolutions.
Why Buy The Panasonic DMC FS15
There is a good range of features for this type of camera. These include image stabilisation, a 2.7 inch LCD screen and extra zoom when shooting at low resolutions. Picture quality is good and the camera is easy to use.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
12
5x
2.7 inches
97 x 54.4 x 21.7mm
116g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
5cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom):
The Lumix DMC FS15 certainly handles sun glare very well in this picture. There is very little detail lost. Another point worth a mention is how well the name on the boat on the left hand side of the shot shows up. The name is in the shade and many digital cameras find it very difficult indeed to show this level of clarity in shady areas of a photo. Overall sharpness in the shot is good too.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom):
Digital cameras with wide angle lenses can find it that bit harder to produce a sharp shot when the lens is zoomed all the way out. This is because it is hard to squeeze high quality into such small lenses. The Lumix DMC FS15 does a pretty good job here though. The colours are strong in this shot. This suggests you should be able to capture plenty of vivid, blue skies on sunny days.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom):
With the lens zoomed in to its full capacity sharpness is about average. Some of the sharpness is lost as you move away from the centre of the shot.
Outdoor 4 (Building):
With around half to two thirds or zoom power used the Lumix DMC FS15 finds a point where the lens is able to focus very well. In general I am happy with the levels of sharpness in my test shots so far.
Portraits
Outdoor Portrait:
There is plenty of warmth showing in the colours. I think this helps to produce a pleasing looking shot. There are no problems with focusing with the face detection setting being used.
Indoor Portrait with Flash:
You can barely tell that flash has been used in this shot. The upside is there is very little light reflecting back off the face. The downside is the shot is darker than I would personally like to see.
Indoor Portrait without Flash:
If anything this is a better effort than the indoor portrait taken with flash. Noise levels are kept low and this helps to bring out more detail in the shot. You should be able to produce window light portraits with the Lumix DMC FS15.
Macro, Colours and Noise
Macro:
For close up shots the Lumix DMC FS15 is able to focus in from 5cm. This should be close enough for most macro shots. Panasonic digital cameras are strong in this area and you should be able to produce good quality close up shots.
Colours:
Colours are stronger than some brands produce. You will either prefer this more vivid feel or you may prefer a more natural look you get from other brands such as Nikon.
ISO 400 and ISO 1600:
The Lumix DMC FS15 handles higher ISO levels better than most compact digital cameras do. Yes there are increasing levels of noise in the shots as you step up to higher levels, but colours remain fairly true.
Summary
The Lumix DMC FS15 does just about everything you can expect a mid priced point and shoot camera to do. Picture quality works well in most situations and my only negative point is the amount of brightness in my indoor portrait shot.
Style
The Lumix DMC FS15 looks like many standard pocket cameras. It has an unfussy, fairly plain design. You can buy models in silver, black and blue.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.43 seconds
16.09 seconds
1 seconds
18.29 seconds
2.69 seconds
Ease of Use
There are enough buttons on the back of the camera to give you access to most standard features without becoming confusing. The menu system is bright, clear and easy to read.
Points I Like
Picture quality - simple design - value for money
Where it Could Improve
A bit more light from the flash unit
Verdict
The Panasonic Lumix DSC FS15 does most things well. If you are looking at mid priced, pocket digital cameras then this is certainly one for your shortlist.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Panasonic DMC FS15 Review Panasonic DMC FS15 Specification Panasonic DMC FS15 Sample Images Panasonic DMC FS15 Features
Review Date
March 2009
