The Panasonic LumixFX series has a new addition, the DMC-FX30,
an extremely compact model that is equipped with the Venus
III processor.
The top of the camera supports
the power switch and the 2-stage
shutter release, surrounded by the zoom control.
Moreover, as is almost the norm, the zoom control, when pushed
to the W (wide) side, also serves to review
captured photos as index screens ,
first with 9 thumbnails per screen, then with 25 thumbnails
per screen, then in a calendar format with the days on which
photos were captured highlighted by a thumbnail of the first
image captured on that day. Pulling the zoom control to the
T (telephoto) side serves to zoom
into a photo under review up to 8X.
All the way on the right, the
mode dial is embedded into the upper right
of the camera's back with its edge sticking out so that it can
be turned easily with the thumb. The mode dial has eight
positions, six of which are capture modes, still image or movie.
When the dial is turned, a virtual dial appears on the monitor,
rotating simultaneously as the mode dial is turned, making it
possible to keep looking at the monitor while turning the dial.
The first position of the
dial is the access to the 21 Scene modes of the
FX30. Scene modes are presented on a single screen,
using icons. Highlighting any of the icons displays
the name of the mode below the icons, and pressing the
DISPLAY button (see further)
while any mode is highlighted presents a short text
description of the mode for 2 seconds.
Portrait
Soft Skin
Self Portrait
Scenery
Sports
Night Portrait
Night Scenery
Food
Party
Candle Light
Baby 1
Baby 2
Pet
Sunset
High Sensitivity
Starry Sky
Fireworks
Beach
Snow
Aerial Photo
Underwater
Simple mode handles
all photographic decisions, allowing the user to simply
press the shutter release. Still, when the subject is
backlit, the flash can be used to provide fill-light,
and a 10-second self-timer is also available.
The Playback mode
serves to review photos and movies captured with the camera,
and has its own menu (see the Characteristics
section of the review).
Intelligent ISO
mode uses the technology of the Venus III processor to
increase sensitivity according to the subject's movement
and the focal length in use so as to avoid camera shake.
The upper limit of the ISO sensitivity increase can be
specified in the menu (see the Characteristics
section of the review for a description of all the functions
contained in the menus).
Normal mode is the
equivalent of the Program AE mode found
on other cameras. The shutter speed and aperture are selected
by the FX30, but the user has control over all other settings
such as ISO, white balance, etc.
Although it behaves like the
Normal mode, the Macro mode allows the camera to
focus on a subject that is 5 cm (2 inches) away when the
zoom is set to the wide angle end, and 30 cm (1 ft)
away at the telephoto end.
Motion Picture mode offers movie
recording using either one of two aspect ratios:
4:3 (standard television) captures movies
with either a VGA format (640 x 480 pixels)
or QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) at either 30 or
10 frames per second.
16:9 (HDTV) captures a frame size of 848
x 480 pixels at either 30 or 10 frames per second.
During the recordings, the zoom position and aperture
are fixed at the first frame. Optical stabilization
only operates in mode 1 (continuous). If the internal
memory is used, the recording is limited to QVGA at
10 frames per second. Irrespective of the capacity of
the memory card used, the maximum recording is limited
to 2 GB.
Print
serves to print images when the DMC-FX30 is connected
directly to a PictBridge compliant
printer. Once the connection between the camera and
the printer is established, a menu is displayed on the
monitor that serves to select the images to print, the
print size, the page layout, the number of copies to
make of any particular image, and decide whether or
not the date and time an image was captured should be
superimposed on the printed image.
All the other external controls of the FX30 are grouped on
the right side of the 2.5-inch monitor, composed
of 207,000 pixels.
Four arced buttons make up the 4-direction control.
These serve to navigate the menus and review images when the
camera is set to the playback mode. At the centre, a button
labelledMENU/SET serves to call up the menus,
and confirm selections. In addition, each of the four direction
buttons supports a function when the camera is set to a capture
mode:
The up arrow serves
to adjust up to 3 settings, depending on the camera's
mode:
Exposure compensation over a range of ±2
EV in 1/3 EV increments.
Exposure Bracketing over
a range of ± 1 EV in 1/3 EV steps.
White Balance Adjustment when the white balance
is set to a setting other than Auto, making it possible
to adjust the colour tone towards red or blue in 10
steps.
Set to the Simple mode, the button
activates the flash in Auto with Red-eye Reduction
mode, or Forced On.
The right arrow
button controls the Flash Modes: Auto,
Auto with Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On with
Red-eye Reduction, Slow Synch with Red-eye Reduction,
or Forced Off.
REV
The down arrow starts
the Review Mode, which displays the last captured
imagefor 10 seconds, a period of time during
which the image can be deleted, or zoomed to 4X then
8X. The mode does not offer access to the Playback menu.
The left arrow
controls the Self-timer, offering a 10-second
or 2-second delay, except in the Simple Mode,
when the self-timer is limited to 10 seconds.
Two other buttons are aligned below the 4-direction control,
completing the external controls of the FX30. On the right
the DISPLAY button has a dual function, depending on
how long it is pressed: it controls the information superimposed
on the monitor, and if pressed longer, it accesses the LCD
MODE.
LCD mode displays three options
on the monitor:
Off, the default, is the default brightness level.
Power LCD increases the monitor's brightness so
it can be seen better outdoors.
High Angle increases the brightness further, and
is designed to make the monitor visible to the user when
the camera is held overhead, as when shooting above people's
heads in a crowd.
Pressing the DISPLAY
button briefly controls the quantity of information superimposed
on the image.
In the capture
modes the most critical camera settings are organized on the
periphery of the image, the shutter speed and aperture appearing
at the lower part of the screen when the shutter release is
pressed halfway. A histogram can first be added, then a composition
grid, then all the settings information can be removed.
Set to the playback mode, only a few details
about the image are displayed by default. A first press of
the DISPLAY button adds the image's histogram,
while a second press of the button clears all superimposed
information off the image.
The button on the right also
offers two functions:
FUNC
In the capture modes,
the button displays a menu referred to as the Quick
Setting menu at the top of the monitor that
contains the most important settings, allowing them
to be modified quickly. The number of options displayed
varies according to the capture mode, and the Simple
mode has no Quick Setting menu. When all options are
available, the following can be controlled:
MEGA OIS Optical Image Stabilizer:
OFF: turns off the image stabilizer,
necessary when the camera is mounted on a tripod
and the system can cause an interference.
Mode 1: stabilizes the image
continuously, both during preview and capture.
Mode 2: stabilizes the image only at
the precise moment of capture, providing both
a higher degree of stabilization, and a lower
level of energy consumption.
Drive Mode:
OFF: captures one image at
a time.
High Speed captures 5 images, at the highest
JPEG image quality and resolution, at 3 frames
per second.
captures 5 images, at the highest JPEG image quality
and resolution, at 2 frames per second.
Unlimited captures JPEG images at 2 frames
per second for as long as there is space on the
memory card.
White Balance: Auto, Daylight,
Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent or Custom (established
under ambient light using a white surface)
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100, 200,
400, 800 or 1250 ISO. When the camera is set to Intelligent
ISO this option serves to set the maximum sensitivity
the camera can use (400, 800 or 1250 ISO).
Image Aspect Ratio: 4:3, 3:2 or
16:9.
Image Size: see the Characteristics
section of the review for a list of the image sizes
available.
Image Quality selects the compression
level: Low or Standard.
While when the camera is set
to the playback mode, it serves to delete
unwanted images either one at a time, or those that have
been selected in an index view.
The FX30 fits well into the
series of very compact cameras that have contributed to the
success Panasonic has had with its Lumix line. Indeed, although
quite small, the DMC-FX30 has an excellent ergonomic design
and responds instantly to its controls and the large monitor
makes it easy and comfortable to frame and review shots. The
only drawback is with the position of the mode dial. While
it is practical when the camera is in hand, the dial is easily
turned when the camera is slipped into a pouch, making it
necessary to check the setting when the camera is taken out.
Compare Prices for Panasonic dmc-fx30 Battery (1000 mAh)
Introduction
,
first with 9 thumbnails per screen, then with 25 thumbnails
per screen, then in a calendar format with the days on which
photos were captured highlighted by a thumbnail of the first
image captured on that day. Pulling the zoom control to the
T (telephoto) side serves to zoom 
into a photo under review up to 8X.
High Speed captures 5 images, at the highest
JPEG image quality and resolution, at 3 frames
per second.
captures 5 images, at the highest JPEG image quality
and resolution, at 2 frames per second.
Unlimited captures JPEG images at 2 frames
per second for as long as there is space on the
memory card.
