Panasonic DMC-FX07S 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

Customer Reviews:

Really a 5 megapixel camera, no matter what it says..........2007-12-04

I know that almost every critical review on this camera talks about the noise. I don't have a FX07 myself, but my boss has one that I used for office work after my Canon A85's CCD crapped out after 3 years of rigorous service.

There is normal noise and then there is FX07 noise. Normal noise (at low ISO anyway) is manageable - throw image into Noise Ninja noise reduction program, Auto-Profile, set Chrominance filtering to Max, fiddle around with Luminance filtering, process, save. Rinse and repeat.

At low ISOs, the FX07's noise is coarse and non-uniform. Which blows the Auto-Profiling - the Luma and Chroma noise level readings come out low - the noise is too coarse to be recognized. Even with maximum filtering in Chroma and Luma, you see lots of huge individual noise specks. So you run up the "Smoothness" to squelch them (like the program recommends) and lose half the detail in an photo. That's at ISO 100.

At higher ISOs, say oh 200 or 400, the noise is even coarser and more uniform. Luma and Chroma estimates remains low (for the ISOs), but the noise covers up the image in huge coarse grains. Any attempt to recover detail from said grains is futile. The image details don't just turn "plasticy", they are obliterated.

Results at ISO800 or 1250 are unusable, but since that's true of even a Powershot G9 I guess I shouldn't complain about that - it's the poor low-ISO results that are the killer.

After some painful lessons, I came to the conclusion that this is at best a 5MP camera (even at low ISO), not a 7MP. By admitting this fact and setting your camera to 5MP, the noise grains become small enough that Noise Ninja actually recognizes them as noise (the measured noise levels actually rise) and you can squelch them without destroying the image. If the image was taken in 7MP, the only real chance for usability is to scale it to 50% - that is turning it into a ~1.8MP image before putting it into Noise Ninja (Noise Ninja NR is theoretically done before downsizing but theory obviously did not factor in the Lumix FX07).

On the positive, it is a OK 2-5MP camera. It is small, colors are good, optical stabilizer works - just read the 4/5 star reviews. But do you want to pay the listed price for a 5MP (at best) camera? As for me, after 4 months of the above torture I went to buy a Canon G9 camera for use at work and home.

love it.........2007-12-02

I am very happy with this camera, it's way better than any of my friends cameras (besides my brother who has a $1000 dig slr!)...I used this camera to take photos for album art for a band and it looks very professional. I got it because it takes such great close ups. Sometimes I'm annoyed at the "glowing eyes" my dog gets when taking a picture of her...but otherwise it's great.

PANASONIC DMC FX07 BROWN........2007-11-03

I got 4 DSLRs, so i need a small camera to beat around and pocket spy cam, so i've study a lot of diff models, there are a lot of choices out there on tiny cams.I want a tiny , thin, small, and a must have wide angle, which i use more than tele, i ended up with FX07 in brown color, its made in Japan, metal body, very nicely built, good quality, got Leica lens with OIS, lens is 28-102mm and video mode, plus a metal mount for tripod, i must have shot over 300 shot by now, im very please with the sharpness and colors, its got built-in noise reduction, its really helps the noise, but a bit smeared in shadow end, colors are great, but on a bit pinkish, i use normal color set up, its very easy to use, just point and shoot, got auto iso, battery life is very good, i use a 2gb sd card in it which can shoot up to 535 shots in 7mp mode.
In all im very happy with the FX07, i paid 124$ plus shipping, therefore i have no complains at all, a great buy for any one..Now i can put it in my pocket and go any where and shoot..I bought this for my bow elk hunting trip, i can also video my hunt, and not to worry about my big dslr in the backpack..
buy it...

Amazing!.......2007-10-12

This camera is absolutely amazing. In the 3 months I had it, I got some amazing shots with it!! My original unit was stolen but I'm definately getting a replacement in the same model!

great camera.......2007-09-19

easy to understand this camera - took one night to go through manual. Great pictures, long battery life and 150$ cheaper to buy in US than Canada!It's been a couple of years since I last upgraded digital cameras and the quality is leaps and bounds beyond my old canon A75.

Product Description

With their 66-degree apparent field of view, our Expanse wide-field eyepieces will definitely turn up the Wow! factor in your deep-sky observing experiences! Imagine taking in objects like the Andromeda Galaxy, the Double Cluster, or the star clouds in Sagittarius in one sweep! With an Expanse in your focuser, you can! Expanse oculars have big eye lenses and great eye relief (13mm to 17mm). Eyeglass wearers can view the entire field without removing their glasses. All eyepiece elements are fully coated, with the outer lens multi-coated for additional light transmission. Each 1.25" aluminum barrel is threaded for filters and internally blackened to eliminate internal scattering. And their fold-down rubber eyeguards enhance contrast by blocking stray light. With our Expanse eyepieces you get a super wide field of view and superior optical performance. And check out the price. You also get a bargain!

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