Sample shots
The same shot as that taken at the wide angle setting, but using the 3.5x zoom to the max
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We were impressed by the quality of the landscape shots you can get with the DMC-FX33
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Handing over control to an intelligent picture system is a gamble, but for the most part, the DMC-FX33 delivered the goods
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But we have to say that the DMC-FX33 produced superb landscape shots, and the 28mm wide-angle lens makes a big difference to the end result. The face-recognition system was fast, responsive and accurate. The camera did an excellent job in recording subtle light and shade, and colours were vibrant. We think most people would be very happy with the results.
The DMC-FX33 also has several burst modes, including a high-speed burst which shoots around seven frames every second - and continues until you run out of memory card space. This worked well, although in this mode, you’re restricted to a maximum file size of 2.5MB. Two other burst modes let you record images up to 8MB in size, but these are much slower, operating at around 2-3f/s.
We used the movie mode to film a jazz band and the results were impressive. Yes, the audio quality would probably give an audiophile a severe headache, but the motion was smooth - and the audio it didn’t sound too bad to our ears.
Verdict
Panasonic's DMC-FX33 is no earth-shattering camera, but then again, not everyone wants such a product. It’s designed to look good and to deliver decent pictures whatever the situation. If your idea of fun is a camera that does all the thinking for you, then the DMC FX33 is certainly a lot of fun. But if you like tweaking your camera settings, you'll need to point your viewfinder elsewhere.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33
COMMENTS
Panasonic and Noise
It's not just the megapixel race that gives us noise on this camera. Panasonics are renowned for noise at anything over ISO100. I use a fantastic FZ20 with that amazing 12x Leica zoom and am constantly impressed by the class-leading glass stuck on the front, and constantly annoyed by the noisy low-light performance.
Swings and roundabouts ... if you live somewhere bright, get a Panasonic and marvel in the optics. If you live in gloomy Scotland, get a Canon or get a tripod and learn to work in low-ISO.
Re: Image Noise
Yep, it's the price we (as a society) pay for being obsessed with the megazoom and megapixel arms race. The sensors have to stay small to allow practical zoom ranges in a pocketable camera, and the (alas) vast majority of people still think an 8Mp camera is inherently better than a 6Mp one, all things being equal, when for the same size sensor the 6Mp one will deliver significantly less noisy images and still be perfectly adequate for printing at typical sizes.
Unfortunately, the manufacturers play to the mass market, and the retailers can't explain this kind of thing to the average customer. Retailers don't want low megapixel cameras on their shelves because they simply don't sell against the often inferior high megapixel stuff. As a result, the megapixels and zoom ranges carry on up and up as the image quality flushes itself down the loo. If you want to avoid bad image noise in a new camera, you have little choice but to go down the dSLR route now.
Still, console yourself with the fact that the successor to this camera (the DMC-FX35, announced in January) has 10Mp and a 4x zoom for only a minutely larger sensor, which will inevitably be still worse on the noisy image front.
@Dust?
Looks that way - probably been used one handed ...
Mine's the mac with the white stains in the lining near the pockets.
Dust?
Isn't that a pube in between the I and the 8 on the keyboard close-up shot????
@ Lloyd
Re: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC0sR5_NTFo
Holy God!....
Paris because she'll need this video team for her next hamburger commercial
