Panasonic Lumix FS15 Digital Camera – Black 2.7 inch LCD
Posted by Notcot on Mar 30, 2010 in Photography |
- 5x Optical Zoom
- 29mm Wide-angle LEICA DC Lens
- AF Tracking & Dedicated iA Button
- SD Memory Card Slot
- Megapixels: 12.1
5 CommentsReply |
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I first got a digital Ixus when they came out and was 2.1 megapixel. After a few years I upgraded to the Ixus 430, it was a 4 megapixel camera. After discovering it doesn’t bounce well on concrete after a fall, I needed a new camera. I decided to cap the budget at £150, after all, I thought that no matter what I had, it would be obsolete in 4 years time with a better model, better battery, resolution etc. The reviews on virtually all sites said the Panasonic range gave good results, and for a great price, got a 12 megapixel camera with a large screen, as opposed to the tiny one I was used to.
The Lumix FS15 is a fairly thin camera and lightweight to go. The LCD screen is large and has a 29mm wide angle lens and 5x optical zoom. It can take photos in various sizes 12, 8, 5, 3, 2 and 0.3 megapixel with 2 quality settings and 3 aspect ratios (4:3, 3:2 and 16:9). It can also record movies in different formats and resolutions.
When you switch it on, it is virtually ready to use and start taking photos. The zoom seems a little to responsive, zooming in at a fast rate, and it just takes a little time to get used to what level you want. I will need to check if it can be slowed down a little, as I sometimes tend to over zoom and need to zoom out to get the right frame shot. There seems very little lag, it could be a better sensor or just a natural progression of technology since my last purchase, but it is fast. The resulting image is a clear and detailed. I have taken shots in all sorts of lighting conditions. Outdoors on a sunny day will give you rich vibrant colours, indoors at night with limited lights on still produces a good picture, although slightly grainy. However, this is to be expected with too little light. Changing to one of the numerous settings for night time or even candle gives a much improved picture.
The FS15 does not have a viewfinder unlike my other 2 previous cameras, but then again in the 9 years owning them, I think I used in only twice, so will not miss not having one. I do not see this as a negative point. The 940 mah battery supplied lasts a quite a while on a full charge, however it may be worth investing in a spare battery. Cheap compatibles are easily obtained from the internet. I like the USB connector, it is behind a hinged door on the side, with a sturdy opening and closing lid, almost like a magnet holds it in place. I am used to the rubber plug that I was always afraid of losing, so again a big improvement.
The movie mode provides a good smooth movie. I have set mine to 16:9 format which provides WVGA 848 x 480 resolution at 30 fps. The maximum amount of time you can record a single movie event is 15 minutes. A countdown appears when recording to show you how long you have left. You can keep recording movies as long as you have memory available. The only drawback with the movies is that once recording has started, you cannot zoom in or out, you are stuck at the zoom level when you started recording. To change it, you must stop recording, alter the zoom and then start recording again. This may be the normal for recording movies on digital cameras, but it is annoying.
The FS15 comes with 50Mb internal memory, which should be OK for about 10 photos at the highest resolution, but is not enough for movies. I suggest that you also get at least a 4Gb SDHC card, which will provide plenty of storage for photos and movies. I got a 8Gb card and it says can take over 1,300 high resolution photos.
I have no idea what the photo software is like as it does not work on a MAC, but file transfer speed is fast thanks to USB2.
Overall, I am well impressed with this camera. Not only is it stylish, it is lightweight, has a large screen and feels right in the hand when using it. It is recommended for anyone who wants a digital camera that will give great looking shots with the minimum of fuss.
Rating: 5 / 5
I work outdoors and I use a camera to take pictures from a macro to landscape and everything inbetween scale to record the area that I cover. While I’d love to have an SLR (and if you really want to take the best pics then an SLR is what you really need) this camera has performed exceedingly well, the colour is great – way better than my old cannon compact (which was a cracking little camera in it’s own right, but cannon seem to be on holiday, as far as producing the best cameras is concerned, at the mo), I’d be really suprised to find another camera at this price that is such a good all-rounder. I love my macro and the macro on this perfoms really well, especially with the zoom macro which means I can take pics of even smaller stuff (admitidly the zoom macro does start to loose a bit of quality but thats only me being a perfectionist – I really don’t think you’ll get better else where unless you spend substaintially more money). And then the landscape pics – great colour and cloud detail when the skys are dark!
The one thing that I was dissapointed at is the complete over exposure of anyting that is white when the light conditions are bright, or the sun is out. I have a white dog and when the sun is out the white on her is totally burnt out she becomes just a white thing in the picture (as with bright clouds and waterfalls (white-water)- definately need to play with the exposure settings, haven’t figured how to get the waterfalls to not burn out on a bright day yet). However I will forgive the camera this as I have still managed to get really stunning pictures of my dog when the light conditions have been better.
The only thing left to find out is if it will stand up to the same use and abuse my old cannon took – although I have invested in a covering for this one – do have a look at the “Always on Compact Camera Wrap”. If you’re like me and want the camera to hand ASAP without having the faff of getting it out of an often bulky case (compared to this all cases are bulky!) then this is a great bit of kit.
Would definately recomend this camera.
Rating: 5 / 5
I wanted something very compact but that took excellent pictures and this fulfills that role very well indeed. The only reason I do not give this five stars is the cost of a spare battery – Panasonic have now programmed this camera so that it only works with their own batteries which can cost abot £40 (substitutes can be as cheap as £10). So owners of this excellent little camera now need a grand gesture from Panasonic by offering us spare/replacement batteries at a much more sensible price.
As a footnote I am puzzled by Amazon’s pricing structure in that the price of items like this fluctuate almost every day. I waited until it was at the apparent bottom of the cycle when it was about £133 and when Amazon were still giving away a nice camera case so it was excellent value. I do think Amazon is a great place to shop and they have a great after sales service.
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought this camera for my recent trip to South Africa as one that I wouldn’t mind too much if I lost it, as opposed to my more expensive Lumix. I have to say, I’d never want to lose this camera! It worked amazingly in the light conditions and the zoom is brilliant, producing great, clear photos. Definitely the camera to get if you want a compact but useable camera.
Rating: 5 / 5
Superb build quality, appearance, takes great pictures, quick to start, excellent zoom, great colours, clarity, easy to operate and so on. Suitable to novices and professionals. A bit pricey at the moment but price would come down when competition wakes up to this beauty.
Rating: 5 / 5