Panasonic DMC FX60 Review

Ultra Compact

Picture
Panasonic DMC FX60 Ease of Use 8
Features 8
Movie Mode 9
Build Quality8
Colours 9
Photo Quality 9
Style 8
Lowlight 9
Macro 9
Value for Money 9
12 Megapixels
5x Zoom
2.7 inch LCD Screen
97.2 x 54.1 x 19.4 mm
126g

Overview

The Panasonic Lumix DMC FX60 is a high quality pocket camera. It has 12 megapixels and an extra wide 5x optical zoom lens. Extra flexibility is offered by Panasonic as you can reduce the amount of megapixels you shoot at in order to increase the amount of zoom available. When shooting at 3 megapixels the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX60 can increase zoom to 9.8x.

Other features include High Definition movies, image stabilisation and a 2.7 inch LCD screen.

Why Buy The Panasonic DMC FX60

This camera offers a great combination of picture quality, ease of use and rapid response times.

Main Features

Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:

12
5x
2.7 inches
97.2 x 54.1 x 19.4 mm
126g

Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:

3cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC

Image Quality - See Sample Images Below

Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom): With the low sun at the time of year this photo was taken it is not surprising that sun glare just takes the edge away from the level of detail displayed on the boats. Away from the boats detail levels and the sharpness of the shot is impressive. There is minimal fall off in sharpness as you move towards the edge of the photo.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom): For a camera with such a wide angle lens the Lumix DMC FX60 produces a top quality effort. Focusing is some way above what I usually see from cameras with a similar specification. It is also an improvement on recent models in this part of the Panasonic range.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom): Here we have another effort that is comfortably above average when it comes to focusing. I also like the contrast of colours on display.

Outdoor 4 (Building): Out of all the cameras I tested on the same day the Lumix DMC FX60 stands out for producing sharp, clear images. Again this picture is some way above standard.

Portraits

Outdoor Portrait: I like all three of my portrait test shots. Starting off with my outdoor shot the colours produced by the Lumix DMC FX60 gives the shot a pleasant warm feel. This is impressive when you take into account that the picture was taken on a chilly, late autumn day.

Indoor Portrait with Flash: Smaller compact digital cameras often have problems in getting flash levels right. In this instance I would say the camera has managed to get the amount of light and also the spread of light across the picture just about perfect. Even the darker areas in the hair are well lit.

Indoor Portrait without Flash: This is another good effort. Noise levels are controlled well. You will need lighting levels to be good if you are taking a shot indoors without flash, but with this picture you should be able to take the occasional window light portrait.

Macro, Colours and Noise

Macro: You should have no problems producing good quality close up pictures with this camera. It manages to bring out plenty of detail when placed in macro mode.

Colours: I would describe the colours produced by Panasonic digital cameras in general as being more vivid then standard. Even so I think the colours produced by the Lumix DMC FX60 stay well within reasonable limits and do not overpower the scenes.

Noise: Panasonic manages to keep noise levels controlled in shady areas of photos. An example of this can be seen on the first picture where the definition remains good in the shady areas such as around the names of the boats.

Summary

Overall I am delighted with the quality of the photographs produced by the Lumix DMC FX60.

See sample images link arrow

Style

To my eyes this is a simple, unfussy pocket camera. It is available in blue, red wine, black and silver.

Shutter Lag Times

Shutter Lag Rating Fast

Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time

0.23 seconds
8.32 seconds
0.52 seconds
11.69 seconds
2.21 seconds


Shutter Lag Table link arrow

Ease of Use

Ease of Use - Par Very good. The menu system used by Panasonic is straightforward and easy to use.

Points I Like

Picture quality - simple design - value for money

Where it Could Improve

There is little that I can come up with.

Verdict

In my opinion the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX60 is one of the very best pocket cameras on the market. Picture quality compares with the best digital cameras in this category. The camera is also easy to use and has good response times.

Product Shots

Front View

Front View

Back View

Back View

Top View

Top View

Sample Menus

menu 1 menu 2

menu 3 menu 4

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Related Pages

Panasonic DMC FX60 Review Panasonic DMC FX60 Specification Panasonic DMC FX60 Sample Images Panasonic DMC FX60 Features Canon IXUS 120 IS vs Panasonic Lumix DMC FX60 Nikon Coolpix S640 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC FX60

Review Date

November 2009

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