The Panasonic DMC FS5 digital camera is small enough to slip into a pocket and has a 10 megapixels with a 4x optical zoom lens. The lens is a wide angle lens. This helps you to squeeze extra width into a photo. This can be especially useful for landscape shots, groups of people and for taking pictures of buildings.
Why Buy the Panasonic DMC FS5?
Panasonic have built a number of features into the DMC FS5 that are likely to appeal to someone looking for a digital camera that is easy to operate. The camera has a special intelligent auto mode where the camera is able to detect any hand shake, motion in the shot, what type of scene is being captured and whether or not there is a face in the picture. It can then optimise the shot automatically for best results.
The camera also has a smart, stylish design and is small enough to take anywhere.
Image Quality Panasonic DMC FS5 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The first thing that strikes me about this photo is the brightness this Panasonic digital camera manages to capture. It lifts the picture that bit out of the ordinary. I also like the sharp focus. This shows across the photo from the bricks on the building to the names on the boats. You should be able to produce crisp, bright prints from this camera.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
This is a good effort from a camera with a wide angle lens. You often see a greater loss of sharpness, but the DMC FS5 holds on to focusing well. There is some noise in the most distant area of the shot.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
This is another photo that comes out well. Once more I am struck by the brightness of the photo. Sharpness is above average.
Outdoor 4 (Building)
Looking at this shot I can see immediately that the picture produced is sharper than the one produced by the Sony DSC W120 I reviewed yesterday. The brickwork stands out well and I am impressed by the levels of sharpness across the entire picture.
Outdoor Portrait
With white balance set to shady the DMC FS5 produces quite strong colours. This gives the photo a warm glow. I like the result as I think it adds a bit more life to the photo than with some digital cameras I have tested recently.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
This is a very bright and clear photo. There is plenty of colour in the shot with the flash unit able to assess accurately the right amount of light to add to the picture.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
Even without flash the DMC FS5 digital camera is able to produce a bright photo. I must admit that the lighting used is not overly challenging and you may find you need to use flash for a lot of indoor and general lowlight photography.
Colours
I would describe the colours produced by Panasonic digital cameras as more vivid than is the norm. It depends on your personal taste as to whether you feel this gives each photo that bit of extra pep or you would prefer something a little more natural. I personally like the colour levels.
Macro
The macro result is pleasing. There is plenty of definition in the photo and with this pocket digital camera you should be able to produce some good close up shots.
ISO 400
Panasonic use a feature they call intelligent ISO. This means that you set the maximum ISO rating, but the camera will decide on the final ISO level to use. At ISO 400 the DMC FS5 still manages to produce a decent image with relatively low noise levels.
ISO 1600
There is less deterioration in this shot than I am used to seeing at this ISO level. More noise appears in darker areas as you would expect, but the DMC FS5 does a decent job overall.
Overall
One of the most impressive features that covers all my test shots is the brightness of the photos. This helps to give them a bit of extra life. On the whole picture quality is very good.
Shutter Lag
I was able to take a single picture in 0.48 seconds (slower than average) and five in 10.08 seconds (about average). With the flash times increased to 1.77 seconds (quite slow) for a single shot and 12.38 seconds (about average) for five shots.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: The DMC FS5 has an unfussy design. Rounded ends stop the camera from looking plain. It is available in black, red and silver.
Dimensions: 94.9 x 53.4 x 22.5mm
Weight: 119g
Batteries: A lithium ion battery provides the power. Panasonic estimates you should be able to take up to 300 shots between charges.
Memory cards: A generous 50mb of storage have been built into the camera. This is enough for around 15 photos. The DMC FS5 is compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards.
Click here to save money on SD cards..
Ease of use rating: Very Good. One of the factors I like about Panasonic digital cameras is the fact that the menu system is so easy to read. The text is very clear. I had no problem finding my way around the camera.
Points I like:
Ease of use - design and build quality - automatic features - overall picture quality - wide screen movies
Where it could improve:
Shutter delay could be that little bit faster
Alternatives
An alternative, cheaper, pocket sized camera is the: and Olympus FE-340.
Verdict:
The Panasonic DMC FS5 is a very good digital camera. With 10 megapixels you can make extra large prints. The 4x optical zoom lens offers flexibility for wide shots. The camera is easy to use and takes bright, colourful photos. What more could you want from a camera you can slip into a pocket?
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
| Panasonic DMC FS5 Summary |
| Description: | 10 megapixels and a 4x zoom lens |
| Ease of Use: | 8 |
| Features: | 8 |
| Colour: | 8 |
| Macro: | 8 |
| Indoors: | 9 |
| Value for Money: | 8 |
| Style: | 9 |
| Movie Mode: | 9 |
| Image Quality: | 9 |
| Build Quality: | 8 |
| Total: | 84 |
| Verdict: | This is a very good little camera. It scores well for ease of use and I was very impressed by picture quality. If you are looking for a small camera that can produce sharp, bright photos with plenty of colour then take a good look at the DMC FS5. |
| Review Date: | April 2008 |
| Click for: | Specification Sample Images Features |
|
