[usurp]

are you guys talking about something like this?



http://www.dpreview.com/news/0403/04031101epsonrd1.asp
http://www.epson.fi/products/imaging...rrd1/index.htm

[InactionMan]

Originally Posted by sunrain I bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 for my wedding and honeymoon. It's a great little compact camera with an amazing battery life. As with most compact cameras, it isn't at its best in low light, but otherwise has been fantastic. The link above is to dpreview.com. They have quite thorough reviews on the latest cameras.

I know I could get a somewhat similar camera from Canon, like the Powershot A530 or A540 for cheaper, do you think the quality of the FX01 is worth the extra price? Do you find the 28mm lens makes a difference in the quality of the pics you've taken? I know it's a tiny camera but does it still feel like a real camera.

Yeah, I'm seriously think about upgrading from my old Powershot A40 and just wanted some reassurance for I dropped my money on this.

If anyone else has any experience with Panasonic cameras feel free to chime in.

[torifile]

Bumping this thread after nearly 3 months, but it's got a lot of great info in here. I was looking at the Kodak v570. It's gotten good reviews on dpreview but I was intrigued by that Canon Digital Elph at newegg. It's now $264. We're in the market for an ultra-compact camera (our DSLR is too big to carry everywhere). Any more recent recs?

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by InactionMan I know I could get a somewhat similar camera from Canon, like the Powershot A530 or A540 for cheaper, do you think the quality of the FX01 is worth the extra price? Do you find the 28mm lens makes a difference in the quality of the pics you've taken? I know it's a tiny camera but does it still feel like a real camera. Yeah, I'm seriously think about upgrading from my old Powershot A40 and just wanted some reassurance for I dropped my money on this. If anyone else has any experience with Panasonic cameras feel free to chime in.

The wide angle capabilities of the camera have been quite nice. It makes the camera all the more flexible a lens like that in such a compact body. Just to reiterate the battery life, I bought an extra battery but have found it completely unnecessary. As I said before, other than in low light, this camera takes fantastic photos for its size and price. If you don't mind using the flash, it even works quite well in low light.

[doublem9876]

We've got the A620, and it works beautifully. The whole interface is extremely fast and responsive - no delay in loading pictures, and the picture, as from all my Canons, is brilliant.

[Matsu]

Anyone coming from a DSLR would I think be happiest with a Fuji F10/F11/F30 -- in terms of image quality, if not handling...

I think it's small enough to carry all day. Certainly no bigger than my Canon A70...

[torifile]

Originally Posted by Matsu Anyone coming from a DSLR would I think be happiest with a Fuji F10/F11/F30 -- in terms of image quality, if not handling... I think it's small enough to carry all day. Certainly no bigger than my Canon A70...

I looked at the fujis online but I couldn't find any of those models in my local stores (I hate living in a smallish city). I did find a spectacular deal on the Canon SD700IS at Circuit City. It was originally out of my price range, but with a little convincing, I was able to get the price down to $320 including tax! Everything I've read about this camera makes me think it's ideal for what I need. Good quality with ease of use. And it seems good enough that I could leave my DSLR at home for ordinary use. Now I need to get some new glass to make my DSLR needed again.

[billybobsky]

My personal experience with Fugis is that they suck, hard and not in the good way. I bought one of their digicams two years ago with a 10x optical zoom as I had previously been using a Pentax SLR and prefer(ed) to maximize pixel usage (as DSLRs do), but the damn thing vignetted from the start and its start up time was impossibly slow, its contrast ultimately lacking even for digicams... I just couldn't take the pictures I wanted to with it. I took some beautiful pictures with it, mind you, but not all of the ones I wanted, and certainly not most. I decided to retire it and move up to a DSLR, which I do carry everywhere with me if I am planning to take pics using one of lowepro's camera bags. That said, i have heard good things about the elf...

Eh... just my twenty three cents.

[InactionMan]

Originally Posted by sunrain The wide angle capabilities of the camera have been quite nice. It makes the camera all the more flexible a lens like that in such a compact body. Just to reiterate the battery life, I bought an extra battery but have found it completely unnecessary. As I said before, other than in low light, this camera takes fantastic photos for its size and price. If you don't mind using the flash, it even works quite well in low light.

I ended getting the FX01 and loved the wide-angle lens. The outdoor shots were incredible. And the image stablization was great. But the low light shots were abysmal. There was so much noise they looked worse than my four year old PowerShot A40. I really tried to like the FX01, I took over 600 shots in a few days on every possible setting to make sure I wasn't missing something but the noise was just killing me. It also didn't work perfectly with iPhoto. It showed up, but as "Untitled Camera" and had to be manually ejected from iPhoto. And I also really missed the full manual control on the PowerShot line.

So I returned it and got a PowerShot A700. It's not as slick as the FX01 but it's just a nice solid camera that takes consistently good pictures in every condition. If Panasonic ever gets their act together on the noise issues I will definatly pick up one of their cameras.

If anyone is thinking about getting a Panasonic, make sure the store has a liberal return policy so you can test it out to make sure the noise levels are okay with you.

[gusmore]

The f30. It's fucking great.

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by InactionMan I ended getting the FX01 and loved the wide-angle lens. The outdoor shots were incredible. And the image stablization was great. But the low light shots were abysmal. There was so much noise they looked worse than my four year old PowerShot A40. I really tried to like the FX01, I took over 600 shots in a few days on every possible setting to make sure I wasn't missing something but the noise was just killing me. It also didn't work perfectly with iPhoto. It showed up, but as "Untitled Camera" and had to be manually ejected from iPhoto. And I also really missed the full manual control on the PowerShot line. So I returned it and got a PowerShot A700. It's not as slick as the FX01 but it's just a nice solid camera that takes consistently good pictures in every condition. If Panasonic ever gets their act together on the noise issues I will definatly pick up one of their cameras. If anyone is thinking about getting a Panasonic, make sure the store has a liberal return policy so you can test it out to make sure the noise levels are okay with you.

Very understandable. We bought the camera for your standard vacation snaps and liked it for its ultra-portability. I've got a much more full-featured (and bulkier) camera that I use for times when I don't really care about being able to slip the camera into my shirt pocket. I tried to emphasize its low light shortcomings, but I suppose I should've made the point better (especially considering my use).

I didn't have any trouble with iPhoto, however.

[CitizenTony]

Originally Posted by sunrain I bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 for my wedding and honeymoon. It's a great little compact camera with an amazing battery life. As with most compact cameras, it isn't at its best in low light, but otherwise has been fantastic. The link above is to dpreview.com. They have quite thorough reviews on the latest cameras.

I bought the same and can agree with everything you've said in this thread. The FX01 has been a great little camera that does almost everything I ask of it. The low light, as you said, isn't the best but it does well enough. Pop the flash and your problems are gone (though I never use the flash). The LCD is amazing compared to the competition at the time it came out. I think almost twice the resolution of the comparable Olympus models.

Another plus is it's video mode. It runs at 840x480 and 30fps which was 15fps higher than the competition. I thought I'd never use the video function myself, but it's been fun on rollercoasters and other places when you just want a quick bit of video to remember something.

The 28mm lens is nice as well in that you can get more action in the frame without having to back up so much. Makes photos at parties that much easier.

I think my only real complaint is the battery/memory door. It feels like it could break off with the slightest of a push when open but I'm careful by nature and it hasen't been a problem.

ETA: InactionMan's post that I didn't see. The noise is an issue with low light there is no doubt. I knew it going in and for myself it's not really a problem since most of my shots are during the day time. I wish it could be better in low light, but I do have another camera for that type of shot that I won't be getting rid of. The FX01 is a second (throw in the pocket on the way to the park/family event) camera for me and that should be kept in mind if you use anything I've said in a purchase decision.

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by CitizenTony The FX01 is a second (throw in the pocket on the way to the park/family event) camera for me and that should be kept in mind if you use anything I've said in a purchase decision.

That's probably what I should've clarified in my previous posts. Definitely a secondary, quick and easy camera. Of course, I would expect as much given the size and price.

[InactionMan]

Right, if I could have two cameras, the FX01 would've made a great secondary camera. But as I only have one (and only the budget for one) I needed somethings that wouldn't piss me off in less than ideal conditions.

It really is a beautiful piece of electronics. The white one looked very nice beside my iMac.