Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6148 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: DMC-FX500EBK
• Released on: 2008-04-24

Manufacturer's Description
The new 10.1-megapixel DMC-FX500 features a 25mm ultra-wide angle Leica DC lens with 5x optical zoom. Touch-screen operation on a large, 3.0-inch LCD brings new enjoyment to the digital photography and enables easy manual operation, which is another first for the FX series. A variety of advanced functions, including Intelligent Auto mode, HD motion picture recording and HD component output, and slideshows complete with music, also enrich the camera’s potential and user experience.

The newly developed Leica DC lens with 5x optical zoom boasts an 25mm ultra-wide angle of view that captures almost double the recording area at the same shooting distance compared with a conventional 35mm lens.

For more intuitive operation, the DMC-FX500 has a hybrid control system that combines joystick control with touch-screen operation. Basic settings can be directly controlled by the joystick, and others extensive ones are finely adjusted by touch or by moving a slider on the screen with the finger or an included stylus-pen.

Auto focus (AF) tracking is also new with the DMC-FX500. It continues tracking the subject even if it moves after the AF is set, which is especially helpful for catching active children or pets.

The iA (Intelligent Auto) mode is a helpful shooting assist function that lets the user leave all the settings to the camera. Taking maximum advantage of this iA mode, users can go a step further to set auto focus and exposure on the desired subject by simply touching it on the screen. This kind of quick, easy rational operation is given form by the new touch-screen interface.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Panasonic FX500 review
I had this camera for Xmas - I had dropped hints over the last few weeks & it was to replace my old Nikon 5200 over 4 years old. I had read all the reviews & this camera came top of my list for features, size & value (this is fairly expensive due to the Yen as it is made in Japan). I don't know what the earlier reviewer bought but it was not this superb camera. It is an excellent compact camera with a 5X Optical zoom (which can be extended to 9X by reducing the pixel count to 7megapixels)a great size to put in your shirt top pocket, very well built & it looks great.Picture quality is top notch with the great wide angle lens & it is very very simple & intuitive to operate & understand. The manual is clear & explains everything. HD video is a real bonus 1080i / 720p, I found the flash to be easy to use, it lit the subjects right & if you read the manual & by having a go you can get really excellent photos with the benefit of manual control as well to try out. It really is the jack of all trades & master of them all a superb travel & compact camera great results - you just have to read the manual & have a go to get the best out of it. Excellent camera with an easy 3" touch screen on the back to use.

Delighted

I've been a longtime user of SLR's and compacts .. both film and digital and up until the FX500 had always considered compacts as a second best option and a compromise. After 4 months this camera is changing my mind.
What I like:
- excellent build quality, feels substantial though remarkably compact and carryable. Good organisation of physical controls for clumsy fingers, and intuitive digital controls. As a first time user was anxious about whether the touch screen would be really useful but very quickly became second nature.
- I use this camera a lot for work, which occasionaly involves making records of newspaper sized text on a wall 10 feet away. As a measure of the quality of the lens and sensor I can reproduce and read this text clearly with good definition from the highest image quality setting .. a challenge that my Canon 350D and earlier Lumix FX35 could not handle in a usable way. This also includes getting the exposure right, not always easy. Its never failed me.
- Combined with the touchscreen capability of locking onto a near object and keeping this in focus the unusually wide angle lens provides a real boost to creative possibilities.
- Battery lasts the longest time of any digital camera so far
In summary .. no regrets at all.

Awesome
I bought this product in advance of my 7 day old son being born (not off Amazon due to price). This was to reaplce a lower budget camera from old. The attraction was the HD output and the video option, the camera produced brilliant results and functionality is superb, whilst I am no expert on photography this offers everything I require and more. It also looks very stylish in black!!!