The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 is well-priced addition to the many point-and-click style cameras currently on the market. Available from around £120 this should be on your list to check out if you’re on a budget and looking for a good-looking camera with plenty of features. Let’s take a closer look……..
FROM THE HORSES MOUTH
Panasonic offer the Lumix DMC-FS15 as a compact digital camera with an Intelligent Auto (iA) mode with AF tracking and dedicated button, a – take deep breath, folks – 29mm wide-angle 5x optical zoom LEICA DC lens and 1/2.33-inch 12.1-megapixel High-resolution CCD. If you have no idea what any of that means, don’t panic!
Panasonic go on to explain each of the features, starting with the iA mode. This activates 6 different detection and correction functions;
“Optical Image Stabilizer“, which compensates for Mr Shaky Hands;
“Intelligent ISO Control“, which watches out for your subject’s movements;
“Face Detection AF/AE“, which does what it says on the tin, as well as reducing the dreaded red-eye;
“Intelligent Scene Selector“, which automatically selects the correct scene dependent on lighting;
“Intelligent Exposure“, which adjusts brightness levels;
“AF Tracking“, which tracks a moving subject whilst retaining the focus.
The LEICA DC lens is described as “renowned in the film camera world for its superb performance and compact size” and offers outstanding quality whatever your subject setting, giving the impression of a versatile all-rounder.
The DMC-FS15 comes equipped with a 2.7″ Intelligent LCD screen which can change back-light brightness dependent on the surrounding ambient light and is available in black, silver and a metallic blue.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The Lumix DMC-FS15 certainly looks the part. The colours are set off with an almost brushed metallic design which particularly catches the eye with the blue model. The camera is lightweight and compact and happily slips into the pocket or bag, yet feels robust enough to make it ideal for the more “dangerous” activity, such as a long trekking expedition, extreme sports or a night out with the lads in Croydon.
Power the camera up and you’ll be struck by how good the LCD screen is. Panasonic’s Intelligent screen worked well as I walked through differently lighted areas in my flat and retained a nicely lit, clear display that was viewable from plenty of angles. Excellent stuff so far.
The buttons are well spaced out with an on/off button, shutter release, zoom control and iA button housed on the top Flip down to the back of the camera to find the Playback switch at the top right with a fairly standard digital camera set-up positioned below for Mode, Menu and quick-start buttons for flash and sensitivity options.
All buttons seem easy and simple for anyone who has used a digi-cam before and even if you haven’t, it won’t take long to get to know. The camera feels comfortable to hold and even the most ardent snapper should avoid any kind of finger or hand cramps.
TAKING SNAPS
In most low price-point cameras, you may experience a reasonable delay between pressing the shutter button and the picture actually being taken due to focus response, so it is no surprise that the Lumix DMC-FS15 does the same – although the time is greatly reduced in brighter lights.
If you’re the sort who likes to take quick-fire snaps, then beware. The waiting time between shots took at least a few seconds while the Lumix processed the previous snap and readied itself for another – and when using the flash it was a little longer.
However, this is a standard issue with cameras from this price range and can be slightly remedied on the DMC-FS15 by using the “Burst Mode”, which could take 5 standard definition photos in around 7-8 seconds.
The Intelligent Auto button is convenient to use and does justice to it’s name – it seemed to do a good job with determining what settings it should use in different lighting. This is just as well, as you won’t get the opportunity to mess around with aperture or shutter speed yourself – once again, a prominent feature of the budget-priced digi-cams.
That’s not to say that there aren’t any features you can play around with; for the more artistic of you, there is a host of different colour effects available including black & white, sepia, cool and warm; you can choose one of 26 different Scene modes which are great for night shots, portraits and landscapes etc.
In terms of photo quality, the Lumix DMC-FS15 is a double-edged sword. For small, normal-sized photos it works really well – pictures are well-defined with good colours and definition but, if you’re looking at taking snaps to blow up and frame for the family collection, I would not recommend it. Anything over 8″ by 10″ suffers from splodges and lack of definition.
Photo quality is also affected by exposure. The DMC-FS15 is able to take shots at ISO 400, 800 and 1600, although I would say they shouldn’t have bothered including ISO 1600 – the photo quality is extremely poor at this setting and look like a blotchy, ill-defined mess. Even at ISO 800 the digi-cam suffers with blotches, although the photos are far more usable, whilst at ISO 400 you should be getting clean snaps with good definition.
The movie recording quality is good and although you can’t zoom whilst recording, pictures are nice and clear.
CONCLUSION
I do have issues with the photo quality from the Panasonic Lumix FS15 – particularly if you want to blow them up beyond a standard size – but at such a low price this doesn’t make it a bad camera. In fact, if you’re only interested in taking standard postcard-size pictures there isn’t too much to complain about. There are a host of features to play around with and it’s a good-looking model as well. I can see this camera being perfect for the beginner or for one of the kids, thanks to its instant usability and fairly shallow learning curve.
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