Megapixels and Zoom
The Panasonic DMC FX55 is an 8 megapixel camera with a 3.6x wide angle, zoom lens. The zoom capacity can be increased when shooting at lower resolutions. The maximum amount of extra zoom is 2.1x. In order for this amount of zoom to become available the resolution needs to be reduced to 2 megapixels. 4x digital zoom is also available.
The focal length of the lens is equivalent to 28 - 100mm in 35mm format. The aperture works in the range Wide: F2.8 / F8.0 (2 steps) Tele: F5.6 / F16 (2 steps).
Basics
- Image stabilisation
- Self timer with a 2 or 10 second delay
- Record 5 seconds of sound with a still image
- Or add 10 seconds of commentary after a photo has been taken
- Colour Effects - Black and White, Sepia, Cool, Warm
- Special aspect ratio for 6 x 4" prints
- Special aspect ratio for displaying photos on a widescreen television
Focusing
For close up work the DMC FX55 can focus from 5cm away from the photo.
LCD
The 3 inch LCD screen is made up of around 230,000 pixels. I found the screen easy to see even in sunlight. The screen has a special high angle mode. This helps you to view the screen if you need to hold the camera above eye level to take a shot.
Flash
You can select from the following modes: Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Scene Modes
The scene modes available are: Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High sensitivity, Hi-Speed Burst, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial photo and Underwater.
Movies
There is a special resolution (848 x 480 pixels) for shooting widescreen movies. Movies can be captured at a maximum resolution of 30 frames per second. Optical zoom can be applied before you start to record the movie, but not while recording is in progress. Sound can be captured as well.
Advanced Features
The more advanced features you can work with include ISO sensitivity (Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1250 / 1600), white balance (Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set), exposure compensation (1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV) and bracketing (+/- 1/3 EV).
There is a burst mode. This allows you to take 7 photos at a maximum speed of 3 frames per second. Consecutive shooting is also available. This allows you to shoot continuously at a slower rate until the memory is full.
Backlight compensation is available in Intelligent Auto mode.
Shutter speeds are set automatically by the camera in the range 8 - 1/2000 seconds.
Computer - Printers - Television
Cables and software are supplied to attach the DMC FX55 to a television, computer and compatible printer.
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