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Average rating:
4.50
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP112.1 megapixels | 2.7" screen | 35 – 140 mm (4×)
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Average rating:
4.50
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Opinion: Great value for money recently made it a must buy - "£93? Really? For a metal-cased current-model Panasonic? Yes and Yes again please" (literally - bought one for a friend's birthday and one for myself). After getting rid of a fuji Z5 a few years ago, missed having a discreet little 'top-pocket' cam - this is an ideal update on that unit.
Lens starts at a Costco 35mm so no luxe wide at this price point which is a shame as that would give it the perfect 'piste to party' lens, and only 4x optical zoom. For £7 more could have got the fuji z300 w 5x zoom but I'd heard varying things about the IQ, and touchscreens can drive me to distraction. Please also note lens is Lumix not Leica, again as befitting its value-conscious credentials.
Pics come out sharp and with a bit of in-camera option tweaking with nice warm colours too. Intelligent Auto works really well in most cases, producing consistently good shots, all pretty much at a level matching slightly more expensive cams (funnily enough the price has gone back up to c£120 now) - so it's not going to set the world alight, but a very competent unit that can consistently give you happy results. ISO is what you'd expect from the latest generation of Panasonics - ok up to 400, some small prints still possible (and pleasing) at 800. I've found the flash produces very nice softly lit results, esp true with faces.
Surprise - video includes hi-def! Recorded in some old-style big-fat format so Eats memory - For me the WVGA option is perfectly adequete for pc playback.
Problems: The UI is weirdly unintuitive and slightly complex to allocate options for someone new to Panasonic cams - Not sure if this is just green-hands and further familiarity will breed content, but playing about with the full menu options for a couple of hours straight I'm still stumbling and might have to *gasp* read the full pdf, which can't be any target-consumers' (esp of this entry-level unit's) idea of a good time. Compared to the menus of other P&Ss I've owned it could definitely do with some shaping up.
Should have known really - On holiday recently tried to help a fellow tourist set her new TZ to shoot in b&w - After her digging around in menus for ages, and me even trying to compare and mimic the easy-peasy menu on my Nikon, we both had to admit defeat.
Opinion: Nice camera with great features for the price. The optical stabilization is quite a good feature and I really like the folded lens design - it keeps the lens safe when I have the camera in my pocket. You get a lot for the money here. 12.1 megapixel is plenty - we are well beyond the need for more as I rarely blow prints up past 8x10 or so. 12 mega can go 16" plus. The iA feature is good and the auto-focus is great. Also this camera starts up in about 1.5 seconds after the lens cover is slid back - amazingly fast.
The video mode is 720p HD and really nice as well. I don't do that much video but I now can choose to. My old Casio was OK in this regard but the FP1 is much better.
I am REALLY happy with this camera.
Problems: Watch out for your fingers in the top left (or right if you are looking at the front) of the camera as that is where the lens is - as opposed to the usual centre lens configuration. You have to learn to hold the camera on the lower area or top and bottom.
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Reviews and specs
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Galleries
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Challenges
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 | 22.3 megapixels 3.2" screen Full frame sensor |
