Overview
The Panasonic Lumix DMC FX70 is a pocket digital camera offering touch screen control. The vast majority of camera settings are changed via the screen. Aside from the touch screen element the Lumix DMC FX70 is a fairly typical smaller compact digital camera that will fit into most pockets.
Does a touch screen make a digital camera easier to use? A lot will depend on your own personal preferences. Personally I find little difference between a touch screen and the more traditional type of interface when it comes to the speed at which you can change a setting.
Why Buy The Panasonic DMC FX70
The touch screen is likely to be the most obvious attraction. Aside from that the camera looks good and feels as though it has a good build quality. There are one or two extra feature such as a large maximum aperture that help to mark out the Lumix DMC FX70 as a little bit different to some of its direct competitors.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
14
5x
3 inches
102.5 x 55.0 x 22.8mm
165g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
3cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC/SDXC
Features
Key features include 14 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom. The focal length of the lens is equivalent to 24 - 120mm in 35mm format. This means it is classed as a wide angle lens. The advantage of this is that it can help you squeeze wider scenes into your photos.
Panasonic provide a feature called extra zoom with their digital cameras. This adds quite a bit of flexibility as you can opt to decrease the number of megapixels you shoot at in return for additional zoom becoming available. This works on a sliding scale. At 7 megapixels there is 7x zoom available to you. At 5 megapixels 8.4x zoom is available. The maximum zoom is 10.5 times when you shoot at less than 10 megapixels.
Another lens attribute is the large f/2.2 aperture. This can help the camera pull in more light when lighting levels start to fall and is generally helpful in lowlight conditions. This is a feature that is not seen that often on a pocket camera. Image stabilisation is also available. This also really comes into its own once light starts to fade.
For close up work you can focus the Lumix DMC FX70 from 3cm away from the subject. There is also a cosmetic mode. This allows you to fine tune portrait shots.
Compared with other pocket cameras there are one or two extra features that allow you to fine tune settings such as more advanced white balance modes. This lets you create photos with a warmer or cooler look.
The touch controlled LCD screen is 3 inches in size.
The Lumix DMC FX70 can shoot High Definition movies with a maximum resolution of 720p
Handling
Unsurprisingly usage of the Lumix DMC FX70 is dominated by the touch screen. You should find the menu options easy enough to read through the screen, although I did find it a bit hazy for composing photos. Other touch controlled digital cameras have a larger 3.5 inch screen. In an ideal world so would the Lumix DMC FX70, but Panasonic avoid packing too many items onto each screen, so the menus are easy to read and access.
Panasonic include key settings as small icons around the outside of the screen. This makes it quick and easy to select a setting and make any changes. It is easy to select a spot to focus on by touching the screen. If you wish you can also set up the Lumix DMC FX70 so that touching the screen takes a picture. You also have the more standard shutter button placed on the top of the camera if you prefer.
The only other buttons on the camera are to shoot a movie, access shooting modes and accessing the menu. There is also a small slider to place the camera in review mode. Zooming in and out is controlled through a ring on the top of the camera.
One feature I really like is that you can scroll easily though photos you have already taken. This is achieved in a similar way to flipping through pages in a book.
The menu for normal shooting runs to nineteen items with five items to a page. In addition there is a separate page for shooting movies and five pages for general set up.
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shot 1
One area where the Lumix DMC FX70 found it hard going was in the lightest areas of this shot. Detail is lost in areas where the sun falls on the boats. This is a common problem and most pocket cameras find this difficult. In fact it is one area where you can normally see the difference in quality between small pocket cameras and larger or higher quality digital cameras.
Outdoor Scenic Shot 2
If you like plenty of depth of colour in the photographs you take then you will get that with the Lumix DMC FX70. Apart from that this is a fairly typical effort for a wide angle shot from a pocket camera at this price point. The photo looks a little unnatural as if the software inside the camera has overdone the sharpness.
Outdoor Scenic Shot 3
I prefer this shot to the second test shot where the lens is zoomed right out. Even so I would describe the result as not reaching the standards I usually see from other Panasonic digital cameras.
Outdoor Building
It is the same story with this photo too. Whilst sharpness is perfectly acceptable for snapshot sized prints it lacks the absolute clarity the best pocket cameras manage. There is only a small loss in sharpness as you move away from the centre and towards the edges of the photo.
Outdoor Portrait
The Lumix DMC FX70 appears to find it much easier when the subject is up close. This is my favourite shot out of the tests I ran with this camera. The colours have a warm look to them. Skin tones are about right with pinks kept in check well.
Indoor Portrait With Flash
As with my outdoor portrait the clarity and definition of this photo is a marked improvement on what the Lumix DMC FX70 managed for outdoor scenic shots. This is a fairly typical effort for a pocket camera.
Indoor Portrait Without Flash
Once again I am impressed by the colours on offer from a Panasonic digital camera. They help to give the photo a lift and I prefer the overall look to the portrait shot taken with flash.
Macro
I have no complaints with the macro shot. It is inline with expectations for a compact digital camera of this size. The Lumix DMC FX70 handles the artificial lighting well and manages to reproduce the colours accurately.
Colours
On the whole I like the colours this camera produces. They certainly have a vivid look to them in most instances. As with my outdoor portrait you can use the various white balance settings to help produce colour to your own personal taste.
Noise
Noise or a general haze is a problem with more distant scenes, especially when the lens is zoomed right in. This is something I have noticed with other digital cameras in the Panasonic FX range.
Picture Quality Summary
The quality of my test photos is a bit of a mixed bag. Close up work is fine, but I have reservations about the quality on offer for more distant shots.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.55 seconds
10.11 seconds
0.86 seconds
10.86 seconds
2.45 seconds
Ease of Use
I found the Lumix DMC FX70 easy to use when compared to most touch screen cameras. One or two menu items were a little fiddly for someone with larger hands, but this is par for the course for this type of camera. There are quite a few menu options to get used to, but it should not take long at all to master the basics.
Points I Like
Features - Handling - Touch Control - Build Quality
Where it Could Improve
LCD screen could be clearer- Picture Quality
Verdict
The Panasonic Lumix DMC FX70 does not quite match up to the picture quality I am used to seeing from Panasonic digital cameras. It does have a lot of other plus points, but if you are looking for true clarity in your photos there are better pocket cameras around.
Where to Buy - Panasonic DMC FX70
Test Shots
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
The camera used in this review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX70
was kindly provided by UK Digital Cameras
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Related Pages
Panasonic DMC FX70 Review Panasonic DMC FX70 Specification Panasonic DMC FX70 Sample Images
Review Date
October 2010
