Physical Tour

In the upper right corner of the front face is a sensor for the FX01. Along the top of the camera to the left of the lens is an in-camera horizontally constructed flash that is positioned away from fingers as well as the center of the lens axis. A horizontal ridge appears in the center of the left side and this subtle design component improved the handling of this otherwise clean straight-edged rectangular form.

**Back
**The back of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 frames and slightly raises the 2.5-inch 207K pixel LCD on the left two-thirds of the camera’s back face. There is no viewfinder on the FX01, so users have more room to engage the external controls. External controls are positioned on the right side and are placed so that the thumb of the right hand can quickly and effortlessly move between them.

Placed in the upper right corner of the camera is a textured pad for some additional grip and control when shooting one-handed. Above the textured pad the user will find a mode dial that can be turned via its grooved side; it permits quick movement through the following mode options: playback, record, favorite, macro, scene and motion. This jog dial is set into the camera body and users can only view three of the settings at one time, which is a bit of an annoyance. The dial doesn’t spin 360 degrees and it’s necessary to scan back and forth on the dial to register what shooting options are available.

The four-way controller is large and positioned directly beneath the thumb pad and jog dial for maximum accessibility. The four-way controller features a Menu/Set button at its center. While controlling menu navigation in shooting and playback modes, the four-way also provides engagement of the following features when shooting: the up arrow doubles as the control for exposure, the right arrow controls flash, the down arrow enters review mode and the left arrow engages the self-timer. Beneath the four-way control and alongside the LCD is a button which adjusts the level of LCD display information. The burst mode button is located to the right of the display button and allows fast access to the burst mode without necessitating that the user enter the menus of the FX01. When in review mode the burst mode button doubles as a delete control for the camera.

**Left Side
**The left side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 is slightly rounded and lacks controls, features, grips or ports on its smooth surface.

**Right Side
**The right side of the Panasonic DMC-FX01 features a port cover that opens from the back edge of the camera. This cover is well designed and should hold up over time. Beneath the port cover of the FX01 are two ports, one for alternate DC in power and the second for USB / A/V out. There is enough space between these two ports to allow access to both without concern over unplugging or disrupting the functionality of either option. The wrist strap eyelet is placed at the center of the top edge of the right side and is set into the camera body so that threading a strap through this feature will be anything but simple for the less dexterous photographer.

**Top
**The shutter button for the Panasonic DMC-FX01 is positioned on the right side of the top and has a polished silver finish to distinguish it from the body of the camera. Surrounding the shutter button is a zoom ring that slides to the left and right via a tab on the front of this control. When the camera is in playback mode the zoom ring functions as a multi-up and playback zoom toggle. In the front right corner of the top face is the image stabilization button that can be quickly engaged thanks to its external placement; users won’t need to worry about entering menus when shooting on the go in fast paced situations. To the left of the shutter button, closer to the back edge of the camera, is the off/on power switch. And finally, to the left of these controls the user will find the microphone and in-camera speaker for audio recording and monitoring prior to exporting.

**Bottom
**The battery and SD slots are located beneath a locking port cover found on the right side of the FX01’s bottom. To access these slots the switch must be unlocked and the cover slid to the right to reveal the Lithium-ion battery and SD card beneath. This cover is well built and shouldn’t open accidentally when users are transporting or mishandling the camera. All the way to the left edge of the camera is the metal tripod mount. If the tripod is positioned correctly, users could in theory access to the memory card slot even when the mount is in use.

Components

**Viewfinder
**There is no viewfinder on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01. This really isn’t a huge loss considering the small size and inaccurate frames produced by "real image" optical viewfinders most often found on point-and-shoot and compact digital still cameras.

**

LCD Screen
**The LCD screen for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 measures 2.5 inches and consumes at least two-thirds of the camera’s back face. This 2.5-inch LCD has a resolution of 207,000 pixels which makes it a far superior viewing device compared to compact cameras like the SP-320 released by Olympus at PMA 2006, which is only equipped with 115K resolution. The LCD screen was clear to see when viewed on the convention floor and didn’t appear to suffer from solarizing when viewed at a variety of angles.

**Flash
**Unfortunately, the flash on the Panasonic FX01 is poorly designed and placed. The flash is positioned above and to the left of the lens center, so photographers should expect to see

shadows cast from left to right across their subject. This is rarely a flattering effect and the uneven dispersion will lead to impaired image quality compared to images from a camera with a flash positioned on the lens axis.

Flash settings on the FX01 are activated and cycled through by pressing the right arrow on the four-way control. When activated, the flash control allows the user to set the flash to auto, auto/red-eye reduction, slow sync./red-eye reduction, forced on and forced off. Panasonic quotes the FX01’s flash range in wide angle at 0.6 to 4.0 meters while in telephoto the range is 0.3 to 2 meters, when shooting in Auto ISO.

**Zoom Lens
**The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 has a 3.6x Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens with 7 elements in 6 groups with 4 aspherical lenses/4 aspherical surfaces. It is housed in an extending lens barrel with a focal length of 4.6 mm to 16.8 mm which is equivalent to 28mm to 102mm on a 35mm camera body. The maximum aperture for the FX01 is f/2.8 in wide angle and f/5.6 in telephoto setting. The zoom is controlled via the zoom ring that surrounds the shutter button on the top of the camera. A small tab extends out from the ring and allows clean and concise movement through the zoom range without stuttering or uneven zoom speeds.

Design / Layout

**Model Design / Appearance
**The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 has a sleek exterior that features clean lines without excessive design embellishments. The rectangular body comes in four colors, permitting the user to choose between black, sliver, white and pink. The body has a matte finish that surprisingly didn’t show fingerprints and smudges. There are limited external controls which have a metallic silver finish that allowed these features to stand out noticeably from the black body of the camera, although white or silver models may cause the controls to blend in.

**Size / Portability
**This point-and-shoot digital camera definitely falls into the pocket camera category with a slim silhouette that enables photographers to comfortably throw it into a purse, bag, shirt pocket or pants pocket when not in use. The camera doesn’t have extending controls or design which aids in transportation, although this could lead to accidental dropping if the camera isn’t securely attached around the wrist when the user holds the camera between shots. The camera has overall dimensions of 3.70 inches in width, 2.01 inches in height and a mere 0.95 inches in depth. The FX01 only weighs 4.64 ounces, making it quite portable.

**Handling Ability
**With a small camera frame that emphasizes an understated rectangular design, the Panasonic FX01 was easy to shoot with one hand. And since the lens barrel extends from the camera body, users won’t need to worry about accidentally covering the lens with fingers during shooting. The camera does have a few features intended to help improve grip and control during shooting, including a horizontal bar on the front face for fingers of the right hand. On the back of the camera is a pad of raised dots for the thumb of the right hand. That aside, the camera body is a smooth small rectangle that is easy to shoot with in normal situations but seems as though it could be troublesome if fingers or the camera were slightly damp.

**

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
**The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 isn’t overwhelmed with external controls, instead preferring to leave many of the image and camera control options within camera menus. Those controls which are external are well sized and well placed to allow quick and easy access, even when users are searching quickly. The four-way controller is large enough to overcome any of the problems that normally occur when all the cardinal directions are linked via a large circle. It would be preferable if the mode dial turned 360 degrees and continued to rotate; however, users will have to backtrack once the final selection is reached on either side. The only other concern is in the labeling of external controls with icons rather text descriptions. While users familiar with cameras will find the icons mostly intuitive, the beginning or amateur user will find the lack of textual insight to be potentially confounding.

**Menu
**The menus for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 continue a tradition of simple, opaque structures that provide full text submenu titles, help screens and basic icons that even the least savvy point-and-shoot user can comprehend. The menu structure is list based and is accessed by pressing the menu/set button at the center of the four-way control. The following menus are available based specifically upon the mode the camera is currently entered in when the menu button is pressed.

When the camera is in regular shooting mode the user can access both the record menu and the setup menu for the FX01. This Panasonic provides a live view when users manipulate white balance although ISO does not have a live view option. The rec. menu provides access to the following settings: white balance, ISO, aspect ratio, picture size, picture quality, audio record, AF mode, AF assist lamp, slow shutter, digital zoom, color effect and pict. adj.

The setup menu for the DMC-FX01 is accessible throughout the shooting and playback process and is meant to allow the user to tailor the camera layout and functionality to suit specific needs the user may have. The setup menu provides these options: clock set, monitor brightness, travel date, power save, economy, auto review, beep, shutter sound, volume, no. reset, USB mode, video out, TV aspect, scene menu and language.

If these options seem a bit daunting and the ultimate in point-and-shoot simplicity is desired, the user can switch the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 into the simple mode. The menu within simple mode is unsurprisingly basic and understated, allowing control over only these few options: picture mode (enlarge, 4 x 6 or email settings), auto review, beep and clock set.

If the simple mode is a bit too rudimentary but manual controls still make you quiver, the handful of scene mode options should satisfy your need to adjust camera settings without entering the regular shooting mode. The scene mode options are presented in a list with text and icon representation and a full text info menu so that further information regarding each specific setting can be easily ascertained. The scene modes for this camera are: night portrait, night scene, self portrait, food, party, candlelight, fireworks, starry sky, baby 1, baby 2, snow, high sensitivity and underwater modes. In addition to the scene mode menu, there is also access to a truncated rec. menu that allows control over aspect ratio, picture size, picture quality, audio record, AF mode, AF assist lamp, slow shutter and digital zoom.

When the FX01 is switched into movie mode the rec. menu is shortened, although the color effects option is included with this shooting mode. When the rec. menu is opened the user can alter these settings: aspect ratio, picture mode, AF Mode, AF assist lamp, digital zoom and color effects.

Finally, in Playback mode users can select, alter, add audio, and display images once captured to memory. The playback menu options for the FX01 also provide for access to these features: slide show, favorite, rotate display, rotate, DPOF, protect, audio dubbing, resize, trimming, aspect conversion and format.

**Ease of Use
**The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 is a strong contender in this area thanks to a well laid out external control design that complements the basic, linear and logical menu structure of the camera. External controls are well labeled and easy to recognize and navigation of the internal controls is simple due to the size of the four-way control. Mode dial selections are easily switched between and although the mode dial would benefit from being able to rotate continuously this design misstep isn’t a huge detraction. This camera is meant for the point-and-shoot user and the design highlights this by providing camera and image parameters in a simple system for user interactivity.

Modes

**Auto Mode
**Auto mode for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 is accessed by turning the jog dial to the rec. mode, represented with a red camera icon. This mode also lets users adjust manual controls, image size/quality and other features since there isn’t a separate manual mode for this camera. Manual options in auto mode include: flash mode, exposure compensation, AE bracketing, white balance, AF modes and ISO. The auto focus settings for the camera performed with speed and accuracy when shooting was done in well lit scenes, although the camera did take a few moments for focal adjustment in low light. Check back in the coming months to see the full review when we can better test auto mode efficiency and accuracy when it comes to low light, white balance and color accuracy.

**Movie Mode
**The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 does come with a movie mode option for users to shoot video clips with simultaneous mono audio recording. The movie mode is entered by turning the jog dial on the back of the camera to the film camera icon. The movie mode allows three image sizes to be engaged, two with 4:3 aspect ratios and one with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. These image sizes have frame rates of 30 fps. To ascertain and alter image ratios the user must enter the rec. menu where the aspect ratio submenu is located. The following options are provided: 320 x 240, 640 x 480 or 848 x 480. The user of the FX01 will also find that the color effects options found in still mode are also accessible when shooting video clips. Audio is recorded via the microphone on the top of the camera and while this is not a great position for recording frontal audio, the noise produced by the mechanics of the lens barrel won’t be picked up during recording.

**Drive / Burst Mode
**To access the burst mode the user must press the burst button beneath the four-way controller. According to Panasonic, the FX01 will shoot in either standard mode for 8 images at an approximate rate of 2 to 3 frames per second while the fine mode will shoot 6 frames at the same rate.

**Playback Mode
**Playback mode may be entered through two controls. The jog dial, located in the upper right corner on the back of camera, easily turns and allows the user to select the playback setting from amongst its shooting options. The second way of entering review/playback mode is through the down arrow of the four-way control, which doubles as the review button when the camera is in regular shooting modes and not entered into a menu structure.

Once the FX01 is in playback mode, the user has access to images as singles, in groups of 9 or 25 or in a calendar view that allows the user to navigate photos by date taken. Moving between display setups is simple with the zoom ring surrounding the shutter button on the top of the camera body. If a single image is zoomed in upon the camera is capable of providing 4x, 8x and 16x playback digital zoom levels. The playback feature also displays image information that includes aperture, shutter speed, date captured and histograms.

Although not as extensive as the separate image editing software included with the camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 does possess some in-camera editing abilities to allow the user to resize, trim and rotate images.

**Custom Image Presets
**If users find themselves acclimated to the auto mode of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 but still not quite comfortable enough to enter into manual control operations, a handful of preset shooting modes will allow the user to tailor shooting parameters to better suit more complicated lighting situations. To enter the scene mode setting, the jog dial needs to be turned to the appropriate icon. Once this mode is entered the user can immediately scan the presented scene options to select a mode which fits the parameters of the composition.

The scene modes are presented in a list form within an opaque menu and are described with a simple illustration as well as a full text label. The camera also provides an additional info screen that displays a full description of when and how each mode can be used. The preset shooting options for the FX01 are portrait, sports, food, scenery, night scenery, night portrait, baby, soft skin, fireworks, party, snow and self portrait. These options should appropriately cover many situations, and while it’s not a 33-preset list (ahem, Casio) the short list at least means that you will be able to scan through all the options sometime before judgment day.

Control Options

**Manual Control Options
**Manually, the Panasonic FX01 has some surprises and some disappointments. It’s not as resplendent with offerings as the Canon A-series is, but the FX01 does give beginning point-and-shoot users a good base to work from. Manual controls are easily accessed through either the dual functions on the external four-way control or through the menus entered via the menu/set button. Manual control options provided with the FX01 are: ISO, white balance, white balance adjustment, exposure compensation and AE bracketing. All other control options are automatic.

**Focus
***Auto Focus
*Auto focus control on the FX01 is accessed by entering the camera’s rec. menu and then selecting the AF Mode submenu. This menu lists the following AF options: 1 point, 1 point high speed, 3 points high speed, 5 point and spot focus. The auto focus reacted speedily, which is good considering the lack of manual control over this feature. The camera snapped quickly into focus although a lag in time began to be noticeable when the camera was shooting in lower light situations.

In addition to the AF modes menu, there are two auto focus systems that can be chosen from, normal or macro AF. These two controls are moved between by turning the mode dial in the upper right corner on the back of the camera.

*Manual Focus
*With a primarily point-and-shoot structure that has minimal manual control options, the FX01 does not provide a manual focus option. With that said, the camera has a number of auto focus options that the user can select to partially tailor the camera to their shooting style and the demands of the scene.

**Metering
**Unfortunately the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 does not provide the metering options often found on cameras within this price range, even those that are primarily point-and-shoot models. The only metering option for this camera is multi-pattern metering, which gauges lighting for the entire scene and an acceptable overall exposure. This is fine when lighting is either consistent or subjects are front-lit, but without a spot or center-weighted option, the user can’t properly compensate for backlit subjects or high-contrast scenes.

**Exposure
**Control over exposure compensation and bracketing is possible when shooting with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01. The exposure compensation control is accessed through the up arrow on the four-way control. When this arrow is pressed, a live view screen with a horizontal exposure scale overlay appears. When this scale is open the user can make adjustments to the setting through the right and left arrows on the four-way. The exposure compensation scale is a standard +/-2 EV with 1/3-stop increments throughout.

To access control over the auto bracketing AE feature the user must press the up arrow twice in succession, thus displaying a scale which allows selection of either +/- 1/3 EV, +/- 2/3 EV, or +/-1 EV. All options record three frames to memory.

**White Balance
**To access control over the white balance settings of the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX01, the camera’s rec. menu must be entered by pressing the menu/set button in the center of the four-way control. The white balance submenu has these options: auto, daylight, cloudy, halogen, flash and white set (manual white balance). The camera additionally offers a white balance adjustment scale (fine tune) which is accessible when shooting with any white balance mode besides the auto setting. The white balance for the FX01 does provide a live view option so that as changes are made to this feature, users can see how the new settings will affect the image.

**ISO
**Image sensitivity is manually controllable on the FX01 and accessed by pressing the menu/set button in the center of the four-way control. The ISO settings are located within the rec. menu and consist of auto, 80, 100, 200 and 400 ISO. There is also a high sensitivity shooting mode that automatically engages ISO settings between 800 – 1600 once set, although users should expect to observe an overwhelming amount of noise in the images.

**Shutter Speed
**Like aperture and focus, the shutter speed range for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 is automatically controlled, although it does provide a rather wide range of speeds that should suffice for both well lit and low light situations. The automatic shutter speed range for the FX01 is 8 seconds to 1/2000 of a second with shutter speeds of 15, 30 and 60 seconds available when the camera is entered into the Starry Sky preset shooting mode.

**Aperture
**Not too surprisingly, the FX01 does not provide manual control over aperture. If manual control over aperture is wanted, it would be wise to look at models in a slightly higher price range or by manufacturers like Canon, Nikon or Sony. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 has an automatic aperture range of f/2.8 to f/5.6 in wide angle and f/5.6 to f/11 in telephoto.

Image Parameters

**Picture Quality / Size Options
**There are a number of image options that should set the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 apart, including a 16:9 format that is present in both still and video modes. When shooting in still image modes the camera can record in the following resolutions in a 4:3 aspect ratio: 2816 x 2112, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960 and 640 x 480. When recording with a 3:2 aspect ratio, resolutions of 2816 x 1880 and 2048 x 1360 can be selected. And finally, when the aspect ratio is a 16:9 format the user will can capture images in 2816 x 1584 or 1920 x 1080 resolutions. Selecting these resolutions and aspect ratios is done by entering the rec. menu and entering the aspect ratio and picture size option submenus.

When shooting video clips, the 16:9 option remains in addition to these options: 320 x 240 and 640 x 480, which are fairly standard options for most digital cameras with hybrid abilities. The addition of the 16:9 format, which will record still images with a resolution of 848 x 480, is somewhat unique.

**Picture Effects Mode
**The picture effects controls can be engaged prior to shooting and allow the user to alter their images in a handful of standard although potentially useful ways. To access these features in either still or movie mode, the rec. menu must be entered and either the color effect or pict. adj. submenu entered next. The color effects menu allows access to: cool, warm, black and white and sepia options. The pict. adj. menu has settings to alter images through natural, standard and vivid filters.

Connectivity / Extras

**Connectivity
***Software
*The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 does come with included software for post-production image editing. The camera comes with ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft Panorama Maker and ArcSoft PhotoBase software applications. They are certainly not as extensive as the controls found on PhotoShop, but they should at least be a functional starting point for the casual user.

*Jacks, Ports, Plugs
*The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 manages to provide users with jacks and ports on the small camera body without exporting these features to a clumsy and breakable dock, a common solution to the problem of shrinking cameras without reducing functionality. The ports on the right side of the camera are beneath a port cover; when opened, it reveals two well placed ports, an A/V / USB out port and a DC in port. On the base of the camera is a port cover with a lock, which conceals the rechargeable lithium-ion battery and SD memory card slot. This cover is well designed and users needn’t worry about it accidentally unlocking and exposing these features.

*Direct Print Options
*The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 is PictBridge compliant and connects directly to a printer via the USB out located on the right side of the body. Printing is accomplished through the playback menu, but a dedicated external button would’ve been preferable.

*Battery
*On the bottom of the camera, beneath the same port cover that protects the memory card, is the Lithium-ion Battery Pack for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01. This battery will supposedly provide

users with 230 shots per battery charge, and although recharging takes longer than putting in new disposable batteries, the drastically higher shot count of this battery type in comparison to alkaline models makes this a far superior option for most users.

*Memory
*The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 accepts SD memory cards via the slot located beneath the port cover on the base of the camera. Although no internal memory is included with the FX01, this camera does come with a 16MB memory card. If extended shooting, high resolution stills or video files are expected to be shot with this camera, the purchase of extra memory will be a wise investment since 16 MB isn’t going to suffice for very long.

**Other Features
***MEGA Optical Image Stabilization -* The DMC-FX01, like all of Panasonic’s current Lumix offerings comes equipped with an optical image stabilization system that is heavily marketed by Panasonic throughout their camcorder and digital camera lines. The FX01 comes with MEGA O.I.S, which can be engaged when shooting with shaking or unstable conditions resulting from cars, caffeine or earthquakes. It is enabled via the image stabilization button in the front right corner on the top of the camera.

*16:9 Image Format - *Although Panasonic camcorders aren’t able to produce 16:9 in their lower-end models, the FX01 digital still camera can shoot in both 4:3 and 16:9 formats when recording both still images and video clips. These formats can be selected within the aspect ratio submenus listed within the record menu.

Overall Impressions

**Value
**In terms of value the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 is a strong contender, due to the 28-102mm wide angle zoom lens which is capable of recording true 16:9 in both still and video recording modes with optical image stabilization for under $350. The camera has a handful of preset shooting modes, a couple of manual control options, minimal image editing in playback mode. Its 2.5-inch LCD with 207K resolution comes in four body colors for a little theoretical personalization, and the small frame and clean external and internal design should allow easy navigation and comfortable portage. But if full manual control is wanted within this price range, it may make sense to look at other alternatives.

**Who It’s For
***Point-and-Shooters -* This camera is certainly a strong option for this crowd, considering its simple interface, basic scene modes and strong image parameter options.

Budget Consumers - At an MSRP of $349, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 may fall outside the point-and-shoot budget price range, especially when price is more important than options, size or style. In the end though, it may be worth paying a bit more for a camera that gives users confidence in their shooting and optical image stabilization.

Gadget Freaks - While the 16:9 format is interesting and the design is sleek, this isn’t really a camera intended for the gadget freak seeking the latest, fastest, smallest and shiniest object to covet.

Manual Control Freaks – Manually, the camera does offer a smattering of options such as exposure comp. and AE bracketing, white balance and ISO; however, the options end here and the manual control freak will be left unsatisfied.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists - This is a point-and-shoot camera and there is no reason that the pro or serious user would find this a compelling purchase.

Conclusion

**Conclusion
**The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 provides beginning and casual photographers the opportunity to shoot still images and video clips in not only the standard 4:3 aspect but also the 16:9 format without confronting a complicated menu system or overwhelming external layout. The design of the camera emphasizes simplicity with minimal external controls and a logical navigation and labeling of menu options.

The only real problem with a limited palette of controls is that if user confidence increases, a new digital camera must be purchased to expand the range of options available. Other manufacturers like Canon provide users with point-and-shoot cameras that also have extensive manual control settings. Aside from this, the DMC-FX01 offers optical image stabilization and wide angle shooting potential with a 28-102mm zoom lens for $349.95. It will be interesting to see how this digital camera stands up to our battery of tests that will be conducted for our full review. Come back in the near future to see how this 6 MP digital camera with 16:9 format handles our low light, resolution, dynamic range, speed and color accuracy tests.