A thin and elegant design with
the back almost entirely occupied by a very large 2.5 inch LCD
monitor and the absence of an optical viewfinder are the first
elements to draw the eye when discovering the Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FX7.
The DMC-FX7 offers a 5 megapixel resolution, and a stabilized 3X Leica
DC Vario-Elmarit zoom.
Three controls top the FX7. Starting on the left, just past the small holes
that cover the speaker and the microphone, a slider switch
serves to turn the camera On/Off. Next comes the 2-stage shutter
release that provides auto exposure and auto focus lock when held halfway,
with the zoom control around it.
As is often the case, in Playback
the zoom control doubles as a means to see thumbnails of the
captured images (9
per screen) when pressed to the W side, while the telephoto
side (T) can be used to magnify an image up
to 16X.
The third control is a button positioned at the extreme right of the camera's
top. It operates one of the critical elements of the DMC-FX7: its image
stabilizer. Pressing the button displays a short three option menu
on the LCD monitor:
turns off the stabilizer.
the stabilizer functions while
the shot is being framed, stabilizing the image on the
screen, and during the image capture.
the stabilizer only operates
as the image is captured and not while the image is being
framed, lessening the power consumption.
The Mode dial is embedded
into the upper back ridge of the FX7 so it can be easily rotated
with the thumb. The Mode dial has 6 positions:
Playback serves to view
the images and movies that are stored on the memory card.
The Playback mode also provides full access to the playback
menu.
Normal mode is equivalent
to the Program mode on many other cameras.
The FX7 selects aperture and shutter speed, but the user
has access to all the other settings provided in the recording
menu.
Identified by a heart, Simple mode
lets the camera control everything and limits the user' input
to the selection of the image size. When Simple mode is used,
the stabilizer operates in Mode 2.
Macro mode lets the
camera focus on a subject that is from 5 cm to infinity
when the zoom is at the wide end, and from 30 cm to infinity
at the telephoto end.
This Mode dial position is the
access to the 9 scene modes offered on the FX7, any of which
is selected with an on-screen menu:
Portrait:
uses a wide aperture to soften the background
while maintaining the subject in sharp focus.
The blurred background effect is more noticeable
if the lens is at a telephoto setting.
Sports: gives
preference to a fast shutter speed to capture
movement.
Scenery: sets
the focus to operate from 5m (16.4 ft) to infinity.
The AF assist lamp is disabled and the flash
is forced off.
Night Scenery:
uses a slow shutter speed and the use of a tripod
is necessary. The flash is forced off and the
AF assist lamp is disabled.
Night Portrait:
uses both a slow shutter speed to capture the
background, and the flash in slow sync with red-eye
reduction to capture the foreground. The subject
must be positioned between 1.2 and 3 m (3.64
and 9.84 ft) from the camera and a tripod is
recommended.
Fireworks:
sets the focus to infinity, the sensitivity to
100 ISO and sets the shutter speed to 1/4 sec.
The use of a tripod is necessary.
Party: allows
only 2 flash modes, Forced On with red-eye reduction
or Slow sync with red-eye reduction. Sensitivity
is set to Auto.
Snow: adjusts
both the exposure compensation and white balance
to ensure that snow is imaged as white and not
gray.
Self Portrait allows
capturing a self-portrait while holding the camera
at arm's length. Focusing is limited to a range
of 30 to 70 cm (1 to 2.3 feet), and the zoom
is forced and locked to the wide angle position
while the stabilizer is set to mode 2.
Motion Images Mode: captures
video with a 320 x 240 frame size with sound, at either 10
or 30 frames per second. Focus, zoom, white balance, and
aperture are locked at the first frame. Recordings last as
long as there is space on the memory card.
All the other controls are located on the back of the FX7, on the right
of the 114,000 pixel, 2.5 inch LCD monitor.
The most dominant controls are the circular Cursor buttons that
are used to move back and forth in the camera menus, and select images
in playback.
A small LED, placed at the upper
left of the group, glows green when the FX7 is turned on or off,
and while it is storing an image.
The Cursor buttons encompass 5 buttons: four arrows and the MENU button
at the centre. The MENU button calls the menu according to the mode
determined by the Mode dial position. Moreover, each of the directional
buttons provide at least one additional function:
In all modes except Simple mode,
the up arrow accesses settings which are displayed
as overlays on the LCD monitor. The first is exposure
compensation, available over ±2EV in 1/3 EV
increments. The second option is for Auto Bracketing which
is performed over 3 exposures and over ±1EV in 1/3
EV increments. In addition, if the FX7's white balance
is set to a user selected preset instead of Auto,
the up arrow presents one more option for white balance
adjustment, making it possible to tweak the white balance
towards red or blue, in small increments.
When the FX7 is set to Simple mode the up arrow offers a special
function Backlight Compensation which boosts the exposure
to overcome light originating from behind the subject.
The right arrow serves
to select the Flash modes: Auto, Auto with red-eye
reduction, Forced On, Forced on with red-eye reduction,
Slow sync with red-eye reduction or Forced off.
The down arrow starts
the Review mode. The Review mode displays the last
captured image for 10 seconds, during which it can be deleted
or magnified up to 8X. The Review mode does not allow the
Playback menu to be displayed.
The left arrow starts
the Self-timer. Two delays are available, 10 or
2 seconds. When the FX7 is set to the Simple mode
however, the self-timer is always 10 seconds.
Two more buttons, positioned below the Cursor buttons, complete the external
controls of the FX7, and each of these provides a dual function:
Selects the Single or Burst modes,
and each is identified by a variation of the icon used to
represent the Burst mode:
High Speed Burst captures 4
images at the highest image quality and resolution at 3
frames per second.
Low Speed Burst captures 4
images at the highest image quality and highest resolution
at 2 frames per second.
No Limit Burst captures photos
at 2 frames per second (highest image quality and best
resolution) for as long as there is space on the card.
The same button, in Playback
or Review modes, can be used to Delete unwanted
images.
The other button, closest to the LCD monitor, controls:
The depth and type of information
superimposed on the monitor:
When set to Simple mode, the overlaid information
consists of the image format, the state of the battery's
charge, the flash mode, the remaining number of images
that can be stored, the AF brackets and the backlight
option if it is in use. Pressing the DISPLAY button
once removes all information with the exception of
the AF brackets.
In all other still image capture modes, the information
includes the capture mode, the flash mode, the stabilizer
mode, ISO setting, battery state, remaining shots,
and the AF brackets. Pressing the button once adds
a histogram. A second press of the DISPLAY button
removes all information aside from the AF Brackets,
but adds a composition grid. And pressing the button
a third time leaves only the AF brackets.
During playback, the image under review is accompanied
by information about its size and compression, the
state of the battery, the image file name, the position
of the image within the group under review, and the
time and date of its capture. Pressing the button a
second time adds a histogram, while pressing it a third
time removes all info, leaving only the photo.
In addition, pressing the button
for more than one second provides an access to a setting
for the brightness of the monitor.
Comparably sized to a deck of
cards, the Panasonic DMC-FX7 offers good ergonomics thanks to
well though-out and comfortably spaced controls. It appears to
be an excellent update of the FX5,
commercialized at the beginning of this year, and which it seems
destined to replace.
The use of a large LCD screen makes the camera easy to use and, for the
most part, replaces an optical viewfinder quite well.
Introduction
(9
per screen) when pressed to the W side, while the telephoto
side (T) can be used to magnify an image 
up
to 16X.
