Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20

I'm a dSLR shooter, bought this for the wife as mother's day present with great expectations. But in the end, I wasn't completely thrilled.

Positives:
* Eye pleasing all-metal design. High quality construction. The pink color in far better looking than the images on this website
* Excellent Leica lens with good edge-to-edge clarity and little distortion thru out the useful 30-140mm (35mm equivalent) zoom range
* Optical image stabilizer works as advertised
* Large 3" LCD, although screen quality is just average
* By far the best manual system ever came across. It took me 15 minutes to learn to use the camera without even reading a single page of the instruction manual
* "Joy-Stick" dial offers easy navigation and it's a pleasure to your figures
* Three picture sizes...4:3, 3:2 (APS) and 16:9 (Wide) aspect ratios
* Excellent movie mode. A fast HCSD card is recommended for movies. I use a Sandisk Extreme III 4 GB card
* Quick AF speed and very capable under low lighting
* Powerful onboard flash. AF assist light works very well in darkness

Negatives:
* Noise reduction is present at all ISO settings
* Ultra-compact size makes it difficult to grip
* iA (Intelligent Automatic) Mode gets confused from time to time. A multi-colored dress wore by my girl got the camera "thinking" I'm shooting flower, it turned into the Macro Mode
* No auto image rotation
* Images with ISO above 400 is good for viewing only


The bottom line:
3-1/2 stars. I may had too high of expectations out of this camera based upon on the specs alone. The biggest disappointment, however, is the IQ. It is unfortunate an excellent Leica lens is matched with an average CCD, thus offers NO distinct advantage over any good quality 7 or 8MP camera. At a premium price tag of nearly $250 (some places selling at $300); I couldn't command this camera at this time. But people shouldn't hesitate of grabbing one when price drops below $200.

So I began shooting with a Canon Rebel. I moved onto digital with the Canon Powershot S3 - which I loved - until the LCD screen cracked. I toyed with idea of the Canon Powershot S5, but when I saw the Lumix, I balked. I really wanted a pocket camera. The others were fabulous, but just too chunky. I would get tired of lugging them around everywhere. So I read every review in the world and decided to give the Panasonic a try. It is a lovely camera. It takes fabulous pictures and is easy to use. It's intuitive, but not overly simplistic for people who like to fool around with their shots. I was concerned about the battery life, but it lasts about two days with regular use. When I was on vacation, I charged it each night and had absolutely no issues with battery life. The three-inch screen is a joy to review pics, and the "joystick" button is terrific. I love this camera and I am quite pleased with my purchase! Not to mention, the pink is really cute!!

The camera is cheap but it offers all the specs of a more expensive camera. I like the pictures that this camera produces, clear and colorful. The best thing is that the camera is userfriendly.

This is a great, really compact, easy to use, quality camera. However, if I had to do it over again, I would have just kept my old 4 MP Kodak funshare. It's really more fancy than I need. The pictures are better with the Lumix, but they take forever to load/copy onto the computer. Plus the camera is so small it is almost difficult to hold. Also without a memory card it only holds 14 pictures, so be sure to order one if you order the camera.

I'm not a professional photographer by any means which is why I like the Panasonic DMC-FS20P 10mp digital camera. One of the simplest cameras to use with a ingenious lithium battery and charger. To date the camera has taken great photos, battery life is excellent and stabilization and face detect features just what I needed. The Leica lens is one of the best in photography! Replacement battery and accessories are inexpensive as well.