easy to use. fun wide angle feature. I miss my zoom on my old camera, but in general this camera is very nice for a digital.

I had no prior experience with digicams nor did I know anything about purchasing one. I chose this camera based on the LCD screen size, the Optical image stabalizer and overall look. I've read the manual and there are so many functions that make it very easy to take great quality pictures. I absolutely love it and have become more interested in photography because of this camera.

I do not recommend this camera. Within six weeks of getting it, after routine usage,it died and Panasonic would not repair or replace it despite the 90-day warranty. They said the camera had sand in it. If it broke down that easily and that quickly, and the manufacturer will not stand behind its product, then stay away from this camera.

During the brief time the camera was working, it took pictures that were no better than any other digital camera I've seen. Why buy an average camera from a manufacturer that will not stand behind its product?

Over the past several years I've accumulated a half-dozen digital cameras. Up 'til now, they were all Canons. The G series are great do-everything, point and shoot models; the Rebel XT is a fine entry-level SLR, for when an SLR is called for. The SD10 and SD20 are handsome little bits of camera jewelry. And the S70 offers most of the features of the G cameras, but in a smaller package. So okay, I'm a total equipment junkie, but I wanted a subcompact, Elph-class camera with a useful zoom range and nice feature set.

I looked closely at the Canon SD450, SD600 and SD630, as well as the Fuji F10, F11 and F30, before choosing the Panasonic FX01. None of the Canon models I examined had image-stabilization, or the 28mm equivalent wide angle. I also know from experience that the Canons are prone to purple fringing around bright areas and in the corners of shots - something I can fix in Photoshop, but I rather not be bothered. The Fuji models have a reputation for having the best low-light capabilities with very low noise, but in the minus column, had cumbersome menu navigation, limited wide-angle capabilities, and use XD format cards, which for me would have been a third card format. I ended up choosing the Panasonic because it had, at least on paper, the best feature set of the models for what I like to shoot: image-stabilization, true wide-angle lens coverage with low distortion and little purple fringing, easy to navigate menus, SD-format cards, three selectable aspect ratios (4:3, 3:2, 16:9) and the option of having a grid superimposed on the view screen, helpful for composition and keeping the camera level.

For the most part, all these features work the way they're supposed to, but I'm not completely convinced I made the right choice. I had read - in a variety of sources - that Panasonic models have issues with digital noise. I had thought to myself, I'll just keep the ISO set low and rely on image stabilization to keep my shots steady. Well, sorry, but I've discovered the Panasonic noise issue is apparent at all ISO settings, not just at 200 and 400. At ISO 80 and 100, low-light images look like shots from my Canon models at ISO 400. Clearly, for low-light shooting, the Fuji models would have been a better choice. I've just resigned myself to accepting the noise as part of this camera's "look" - akin to always shooting with ISO 800 film in 35mm. In better light conditions, the Panasonic's noise problems are less obvious, but in bright sunlight, the LCD can be hard to see clearly - a problem that this camera has in common with just about all digital models that don't have seperate optical viewfinders.

Finally, I'd like to comment on the Leica branding on this camera's lens. The practice of Asian manufacturers putting German names on their digital camera's lenses - Panasonic with Leica, Sony with Zeiss, Samsung (and now Kodak) with Schneider - is mostly a marketing ploy that adds cachet to Asian models, while keeping licensing fees flowing into the coffers of these venerable German firms. But from any practical standpoint, I'd hesitate to make my purchase choice on this point alone: a number of these lenses branded 'Leica', 'Zeiss', or 'Schneider' were in fact sourced from Canon, Pentax and other Asian makers. There's nothing wrong with the optics of the Panasonic FX01. This little zoom is sharp, and has low distortion and fringing issues compared to my Canon models, but the Leica branding shouldn't indicate the lens is manufactured by optical elves in the Black Forest.

I purchased this camera for a vacation to Europe. The camera was small and easy to carry. The photos it took were beautiful and even though some were taken while moving and bouncing, they all came out perfectly clear. I never was able to fill up the one meg digital card even though we were gone for 10 days. Even without the view finder that are on cameras with film, I didn't have any trouble seeing the image on the large screen in direct sunlight. I am totally thrilled with my purchase. The only negative is that I ordered a case from Panasonic on the internet and they failed to tell me that they didn't have any cases in stock (seems strange) and that it would take over a month to get. The anti shake feature is what sold me and it paid off.

I looked pretty hard through the market to find this camera, and was not disappointed. What I wanted was (1) a large, hi-def LCD, (2) a standard SD memory slot, as everything else I have uses SD (3) good, non-choppy video with sound and (4) a long lasting, rechargeable battery. I would have preferred AA rechargeables as these by far have the longest battery life and are easy to find & cheap, but the DMW-BCC12 battery isn't too hard to find or expensive. Surprisingly I couldn't find this in any store I looked, and I looked around almost two weeks.

As a previous digital cam snapper, my reasoning was the 95% of the pictures I take I never take the trouble to print, and I go around shuffing through the LCD and showing them. That's what has happened at just about any get together or trip I've been to. I suspect many other people end up doing this too. My friends also like videos, and videos without sound (forget about using their TV and plugging in, carrying cables around, that never happens). The LCD pictures with 200K pixels and 2.5 size were a hit.

My only complaint is (okay, I'm being picky) the small size. I have large hands and sometimes with these digital cameras I feel like I'm a giant playing with a toy. But the buttons are not hard to get at or prone to finger-fudging. And at least as in some models, you don't have to use tweezers. Why can't they make cameras man sized anymore? I'm not afraid to carry one around and I'd never put one in my pocket anyway. Aside from that, I give this 5 stars. My 2c.

It so nice picture. Very nice picture in the night without flash. good price, Good quality !

I love this camera. Used it for the first time out in Montana and Wyoming and took 300 photos. I purchased this camera because it has a wide angle lens-not everyone carries this product. It was easy to use and directions are clear. Thank you amazon for carrying this product!!!

This camera excells in most outdoor situations, but when brought indoors it is nealry useless without a flash. It severely underexposes indoor shots without the flash, but other than that it seems to be one of the best ultra-compact cameras out there.

I love this camera. I originally bought it for my wife but I've been using it more than she has. The wide-angle lens is great and I value it much more than a big zoom. It's great for close-up shots, group photos, and landscapes. The 16:9 format is great for landscapes, sunsets, etc. The display is clear and bright but a little slow.

Overall, I'm very happy with the picture quality but there is quite a bit of noise in low light situations and the exposure control is sometimes unpredictable. I also can't seem to get the flash to work just right. If you're too close it washes out the subject and if you're too far it's not effective at all.

Overall I would definitely recommend this camera.

So first, this camera does show very noticeable noise in low light/ high iso.

Now for the good stuff...

The wide angle lens is F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!!! You will have so much fun with it!

The movie mode is absolutely awesome!!! I played them back on the TV and they are of similar quality as a camcorder.

The photo quality and flash capability is great!

Buy this camera... you will not be dissapointed!

If you are interested in portable digital point and shoot cameras, since Canon discontinued the Power Shot S-80, this one is one of THREE digital point and shoot cameras on the market that I know of that have a "true" WIDE ANGLE lens of 28mm! (The other is: The Canon Power Shot SD800 IS for [...]----and another one is Kodak EasyShare V570 which has a 23mm lens and sells for about [...])

So, you ask, "who needs a 28mm lens?" You do! Most people concern themselves with how LONG is their telephoto lens. But, most people who "know" know that it is the WIDE ANGLE lens that is most important---most of the "best shots" are made with a WIDE ANGLE lens. For example, you're in Europe and you are trying to "get a shot" of that Cathedral of Notre Dame over there. You NEED a WIDE ANGLE lens. You are in the California Poppy Fields and you want to get the expanse of the golden-yellow poppy flowers with the huge blue sky filled with white clouds above---you need a WIDE ANGLE lens. You are sitting at thanksgiving dinner and you want to take a photo from the foot of the table with everyone sitting on the left and right---you NEED a WIDE ANGLE lens. You are in the garden of the California Mission and you want to take a photo of the ENTIRE garden surrounded by the mission walls---you NEED a WIDE ANGLE lens. It's Christmas day and you want a photo of the ENTIRE GROUP of visitors in front of the Christmas Tree---you NEED a WIDE ANGLE lens. This is where the 28mm lens on THIS camera comes in! So, you NEED THIS CAMERA! Otherwise you'll be cutting off heads and leaving Aunt Sylvia out of the "Christmas Group Photo" this year---and she'll disinherit you and you'll live a life of poverty and misery! :o) If you agree or disagree or know of ANY other digital point and shoot camera that has a WIDE ANGLE lens please write, Email:boland7214@aol.

Pro: love how fast it turns on, and the time between pictures. love the wide angle lens.

Con: the JPEG image processing in this camera is bad. noise is way too high. this camera might be great if it offered a RAW image format, and allowed the image processing to be done on the computer. you'd do better with a 4 megapixel camera that offered a RAW image; as it is, you end up with a big, noisy picture that can not be blown up as large as you would expect from a 6 megapixel camera.

Great snapshot camera, but nothing more...

I bought this camera for my girlfriend's birthday and she absolutely loves it. Panasonic has teamed up with Leica to produce something truly great for a very reasonable price. The same camera made under the Leica brandname costs twice as much. I'm very happy with my purchase and my girlfriend is too. Thanks so much!

This is my third digital camera, (first Panasonic). I am rather ancient and like the stabilizing as it gets rid of shakey hand holding. I keep it with me at all times since it fits in shirt pocket. Haven't been in my darkroom since I bought the first digital. Made an 8X10 print this morning of mountain scenery using about half the frame (would have been 16X20 if I used all) and quality was as good or better than from my 35mm Nikon film camera.

I bought this for my 12yr old daughter as a Christmas gift. Not only was she excited about the color but she took it right out of the box and used it w/no problems quite easily... Of course, she read the manual later and learned more.. the screen is quite big and it takes great pics.

I'm not a camera expert, but I love this camera. It's nice and small and lightweight. the picture quality is great. There are many different options on this camera, but I haven't used them yet. ( I use it in simple mode and it automatically does flash or backlight adjustments) It was a bit of an adjustment to get used to pressing halfway to focus, then smap the picture. What I love is when viewing the pictures on the LCD screen it automically turns the picture upright no matter which way you took the picture. I did buy a 1GB card and it stores plenty of pictures for our holidays and vacations.I recommend this for anyone who wants a small useful camera.

Great camera, wide angle, excellent quality with light and acceptable under low light conditions. One person bought this camera and after observing the capabilities of such a small pocket toy 3 people ordered also.
Video is also good but it is sad that these pocket cameras do not operate the zoom while taken video. A good 2GB. SD card is needed for video.

I was very impressed with this camera. The picture quality is excellent. It is compact and very easy to carry. The large view screen is a plus. Like all LCD screens a bright sun makes viewing difficult.

The camera lacks a standard viewfinder which isn't a problem except in bright sun.

It is very intuitive and easy to operate. Very feature rich for the price.

I highly recommend it.

I have had all around good results with this camera. The optical image stabilization works well. The screen is easy to see in bright sunlight so the lack of optical viewfinder is not a big problem. The movies are very good when set to the high resolution setting. This is a good camera for the price

I bought this camera to replace a Casio Exilim that I lost in a trip to Europe. I wasn't expecting it to be much better than the Exilim - but it was ! Image stabilization is great, the "scenes" are easier to set than in the Exilim (which has more options), battery life is great, and the pictures look terrific ! All in all, a pleasant surprise and an easy camera to use.

A melhor máquina para mulheres! Pequena, elegante e potente, tira fotos enormes com ótima qualidade.

I PURCHASED THIS PANASONIC DMC-FX01P DIGITAL CAMERA FOR MY COLLEGE DAUGHTER FOR CHRISTMAS AND SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS COMPACT PINK CAMERA THE MINUTE SHE OPENED IT! SHE LEFT FOR THE PURDUE COLLEGE BOWL GAME IN ORLANDO AFTER CHRISTMAS AND TOOK HER CAMERA AND SHE SAID IT WAS EASY TO OPERATE AND SHE LOVED THE LARGE VIEWING SCREEN. THIS CAMERA WAS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE AND SHOPPING ON LINE WITH AMAZON FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS A GREAT WAY TO DO CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!

Great quality photos; easy to learn how to use. Acceptable "pause" time between pressing button and shutter. Didn't know memory card was "token" and needed to go out and make a separate purchase. Flash doesn't seem to be very strong, but all settings are easy and accessible.

I have recently gotten this camera, and i'm very happy with this purchase. It's very easy to use, compact and include all you need if you are a beginner taking picture.
For those person who look for made in japan electronic, this is a great product, that combine german thechnology too, as it has a Leica lens, witch in my opinion it is one of the best optical products.
It is a very good choice, for price, quality and features.

this was a gift for my teenage daughter. she finds it very easy to use, and loves the small size, being able to take with her anywhere.

I bought this camera because a good friend recommended it to me and all the reviews I've read confirmed that recommendation. I am replacing a Canon sd400 which got the infamous e18 error 3 years after i bought it :-(. I was very happy with my canon till it broke, I have a one year old and the canon has made it easy to record her first steps. After I received the fx-01 I took 100 picture the same day (ok it was at night) 33 of the pictures were out of focus - i had never had such a bad rate with my canon, in fact focus was something i wasn't even aware of till I tried this camera out. Also I found it difficult to take pictures of my daughter the camera took to long to take the shot and I seemed to miss most of them, even my sd400 felt faster. I'm in the process of returning this camera, it reads great (reviews, price, etc) but for my reality (pics of kids, friends, vacations, etc.) it can't focus and is too slow. I've used the sd600 before and consider it to be a much better camera (who cares about IS and 28mm if it can't focus?) I should warn you that I'm just a guy taking pics around the house with no professional experience, so these are my .2 cents.

Short and sweet folks! This compact digital camera is by far the best camera I've ever seen! It takes beautiful sharp pictures and the camera itself is very easy, extremely easy to operate. All or any settings are only a click away. You will surely be satisfied with your purchase of this camera.

This is a great camera and the value makes it an even better deal.
I needed a 28MM lens at the low end of zoom for wide angle shots on hikes and group photos at gatherings. The image stabilization allows great shots in low light (evening and indoors) with little or no flash. It also insures a much higher success rate than any previous camera in obtaining a usable snapshot. (I've owned 5 digital cameras) The pictures can be noisy if you leave the "sensitivity" set at auto. I set it to 80 and it works great. If I can't get the shot I need at 80 then I switch to the "scenes" mode and let it automatically set the parameters. I did this when I went skiing and got great shots in the "snow" mode. I also had the camera in an outside jacket pocket with the temperature in the mid 20's F. The camera got extremely cold, BUT NEVER MISSED A BEAT as I took over 20 pictures during the day. I also ran a half marathon with it and was able (with the 28mm lens) to take good self portraits and video thru the entire race. (Image stabilization was a great feature when you're tired and trying to hold a steady shot while running)

Pros: High Success rate (not blury or out of focus)
16 x 9 picture size (high def TV dimensions)
Relatively quick start-up and photo
Durable construction
28mm lens
image stabilization (1/8 second handheld pictures)

Cons: As with most compact cameras - the limited space for holding the
camera will require some getting used to before you stop accidently
activating some buttons while trying to take a picture.

Noisy pictures in low light if sensitivity is set to auto or above
200
- the noise was never a factor since:
1. I would not have been able to take the photo with most
other compact cameras. (ie. sensor pushed to the limits)
2. When printed out 4" X 6" or less, then noise seems much less
compared to the computer monitor(Both Canon MP500 and Epson 300R)

I have purchased 2 of these cameras - The second I gave as a gift to my brother after being impressed with its performance. The Canon SD800 with similar features is $400 and this Panasonic FX01 is available for just over $200. I also have two other Canon digital cameras.

I have owned this camera for about 6 months.
Pros: This is compact and light camera, which makes it very easy to take along on day trips and dinner parties. The battery lasts forever. The controls and on screen menus are easy to use. The case and controls have a quality feel. The camera starts up very quickly and writes to the card very quickly. The screen is large and crisp.
Cons: Unfortunately it takes pretty crummy pictures. Low light is the worst, producing very grainy, poorly exposed, and out of focus pictures. Day light, not surprisingly, produces the best results with rich color. But the camera also overexposes a bit in bright daylight. Flash pictures are almost always blown out. Red eye reduction on the flash is very slow, so you get a noticeable lag between pressing the button and having the flash pulse and the shutter release.
This camera is like and old Polaroid or instamatic... you can't expect much, and you will never count on it for true "keepers". That said, it goes with me everywhere and is handy for when lugging around a DSLR is overkill.

Pics taken outdoors and in very brightly lit indoor settings are fine. However, for the times when I want to take quick snaps of the kids and the lighting conditions are not ideal (read: most of the time), the fx01 creates images that are either cold and unnatural looking (flash on, but this is kinda normal for this space), or are noisy and grainy (which is not normal). I found some success tweaking the settings, but I bought this to be a point and shoot camera, not a dslr, and while I don't expect the world from an ultra compact, I think the fx01 should take better pics, and there are many other cameras that do. I returned it.

The noisiness aside, it does have a bunch of cool features. I don't think I will buy another camera without the wide angle lens, which makes framing shots so much easier. It has a setting that makes it so you can see the lcd when you hold the camera above your head for a higher angle shot, I could see myself using that on occasion. It goes pretty quick from off to taking the pic, which is essential for snapping candids of the kids. Also the image stabilization works.

Overall, this camera has all the right features, it just falls short on the images. Panasonic just needs the fix the sensor to take cleaner pics to be real competition for Canon. I have read that the fx07 is even worse, so skip that. The fx30 was just announced, so I am going to wait and give Panasonic another chance (provided that my old s50 stays with me). If that doesn't work out I guess I will either have to suck it up and shell out the extra cash for the Canon sd800is, or sacrifice the wide angle lens in the Fuji f40fd.

With the exception of low-light photos, and action photos which has been talked about in other reviews, this camera has done a good job. The wide angle is nice, gets more in the photo.
The biggest problem I have had with it is that it does not have a standard USB cable. So, it will not work with the single cable that my Canon camera and my motorola phone both use.

Good product but the color was not so attracticed.

I bought this camera more than half a year ago. My intention was to get a decent camera for images, but then also be able to use it for filming short movies.

I'm very pleased with its performance. In good lighting conditions, colors come out to be amazing. I really really did not expect them to be so vivid and sparkling! In darker conditions, well, it still works fine, not nearly as bad as I expected from some other reviews. Photos might be grainy or not as vivid anymore, but the stuff is still perfectly suitable to show the photos to people.

As about filming, it's terrific. I mean, resolution is great (sth like 848 by 640 or so), better than what one could possibly expect from a regular camera. And the quality is super awesome, looks very neat on computer screen. Respect.

It has to be pointed out that you cannot zoom while filming, but not many cameras out there can do that.

Oh, it's also very small with a gigantic screen and great battery life. A great buy.

I spend hours pouring over reviews trying to decide which ultracompact was the best deal and the best overall camera. In the end, it came down to Panasonic's FX01 and Cannon's SD600. I read the warnings from other reviewers that the Panasonic's images weren't top quality, but I chose to ignore those reviewers because on paper the FX01 looks like it would out perform the SD600. I was wrong.

After using the FX01 for a few days I knew what those other reviewers were talking about - grainy photo after grainy photo. I really really wanted this camera to be great, but it just wasn't. Actually, my old 3mp camera took better shots then the 6mp FX01! Very disappointing. I ended up returning this camera to Amazon (very easy-great service) because of the poor image quality. I mean, wanting good photographs is why you take photos, right? I know someone with the SD600 and he's very happy with the quality. Judging by the customer images on the SD600's page on amazon, I think I should've gone with Cannon.

this is my fifth digital camera, and i like it the best by far. it's also the cheapest. it's my first wide-angle and my first silver-not-black: as someone else said, i don't see how i would ever go back to a non-wide-angle after this; but i do wish mine were black. i have noticed the colors are faded in fluorescent light, but for macro it is excellent--much better than the more expensive camera i already had bought for macro purposes (canon.) i also love the battery, which seems to last forever. i bought a replacement lenmar battery which is also great, and cheap, but it got some bad reviews because it was described as being for the wrong model camera, not the fx-01. (if you read the customer reviews, you can figure out which one is the right one for you.)
i do have problems understanding the display, which shows options that don't correspond to any place on the camera you can select the options at. (i guess i should look at the manual.) also, i don't like the software and decided not to download it at all.
i bought this because i wanted a camera made by a computer company as much as a camera company, that is, i wanted it to work. also, someone had sent me an email about the history of leica, and how they saved a lot of jews from the concentration camps. the other nice thing about this camera is that i use it a lot more because i carry it with me every day: it is tiny and the battery always works, so why not?
as for the graininess, on my desktop the pics look fine, and i would not be raving about this camera if it were not very easy to take good pics with--but i have to admit i haven't used it for printed pics so far.

I am accustomed to using a larger point and shoot zoom. This is a sleek pocket sized point and shoot that gives exceptionally sharp pictures. It focuses very swiftly I would suppose due to the Leica lense. The battery life is good. I do notice that photos tend to calibrate a little to the blue range. I like to have a little more zoom. Overall,I like it very much.

The Panasonic is very compact, very stylish SEXY as my wife called it, but the photos are very disappointing: they are way to noisy! Even if set on the lowest ASA setting at 80ASA it is just barely acceptable and they do get progressively worse anything above 100ASA.

The colours are good, and it does take very good videos, but still photos are just plain bad when compared to other cameras in Photoshop CS2. Of course it is easy to understand why: the native resolution of the images. If one investigates such things, will notice that the Panasonic is only 72 dpi, same as Sony's, Canon improves this to 180, and Nikon is at 300 dpi. It is not just about megapixels folks, but how those megapixels are recorded and at what resolution. Obviously a camera with 72 dpi will have more noise than one at 180 or 300 dpi.

So before you buy any digital camera or thinking about upgrading to a newer model, do yourself a favour. Try 4 or 5 cameras in the same megapixel range at a good camera store by taking photos of the same subject in the same light condition. Set the camera for the lowest ASA and the highest picture quality in JPG format, take the photos, pop the SD card into the computer, compare the images in Photoshop. Enlarge to full pixel size (100%), and and look at the meta data at the same time and you will see for yourself. That is what I did, since I was not very happy with the images my Panasonic produced! I had this camera for 11 months and 20 days exactly, and today I traded it in on a Nikon P5000 after evaluating over a dozen models including the Leica D-lux3 10MP camera, and driving the sales persons crazy with all the testing and spending 4 hours at the store, but it was very educational for them too.

I deal in major brand cameras and Panasonic cameras are my personal favorite! I've seen people whine about the "noise" they make many times but have never found it to be a problem. I own the FZ10 and the FX01 for my personal cameras. The FX01 is a very fast camera and takes great pics! I love the 28mm wide lens. Compared to most cameras I've used the FX01 does a real good job of metering the light and exposing the images.

I love Panasonic's solid build and reliability. They may not be as popular as Canon or Sony but in my opinion are every bit as good.

I have owned Canon Powershot S-series (S330), A-series (A540, A570is) and the S2 IS. I wanted a 28mm wide angle point and shoot, so I bought this because Canon's SD800 IS is outrageously priced. I'm a Canon fanatic, so be prepared for multiple comparisons. However this camera is worth crossing over to Panasonic for.

PROS - I definitely enjoy the 28mm feature. The bright rear display is wonderful, the OS is quite intuitive as well. Also it gets great battery life. The ~ 300 shot estimate in the specs is pretty realistic.


CONS - Compared to Canon cameras this is my conclusion -

All of Canon's camera have much truer white balance presets. Even with RED & BLUE fine tuning options, indoor dim lighting is really hard to do, as is snow lighting.

This camera takes much more saturated and contrasty photos than Canons do. Even when the FX01 is set to be less-vivid, it's way more saturated than Canon's most vivid setting. The end result is a dramatic and unrealistic photo sometimes.

The CCD noise is another issue. This camera's sensor is much noisier than Canons'. Nothing dramatic and deal-breaking, but don't expect the same crisp, clean shots a Canon will take.

Finally Panasonic image stabilization. It really does not hold its own against Canon. I used the 570 IS and handheld shots that were a 1/4 second, and sometimes longer, with decent results. The same goes for the S2 IS (which I HIGHLY recommend as a digital camcorder/super zoom hybrid). The panasonic's sensor doesn't seem to match the ISO standards that you set it to, and it wants slower shutter speeds at f2.8 ISO 100 than a Canon set at the same f-stop and ISO. So, despite the FX01's Mega OIS, its longer shutter speeds mean you still get shake that you wouldn't with an equivalent Canon.


I know Canon, Canon, Canon. Well, I told you I'm biased. After reading these cons, why would you get this? It's 1/2 the price of the SD 800 IS (if you shop around) and it's a must have for city photos, big landscapes (skies look so cool with wide angle) and it's vital for indoor group shots!

Buy it, but don't expect the world from it.

I love this camera. It is handy, goes in my purse everywhere. Sure it isn't a Canon Rebel or remotely like it, but it is fast fast fast, holds a charge, takes a great wide angle shot and takes superb macros. I don't use the movie feature but it has it. There is a lot to offer in this little camera. I have people stop me all the time and ask what brand it is. Buy it and be happy :)

Bought the camera on a recommendation, and also what looked like good specs on the web. Owned it for less than two weeks when the LCD screen cracked (below the surface of the protective cover). Turns out this is a very common problem with these cameras. Panasonic will not warranty fix this! If you do get one, or own one, be very careful not to use the left nav button. If you do, be very careful on the pressure you apply. This is the camera's glass jaw, and you might end up "bricking" a brand new camera. I am replacing mine with a Canon.

I usually don't write reviews, but I just had to tell everyone out there that this camera is amazing.

Today, I accidentally dropped it, screen first, about five feet onto the sidewalk. Not a scratch, chip, or anything. I was terrified for the screen, but besides from a smudge of dirt on the corner, it was perfectly fine.

Since the day I bought it, which was in December, I've never had a problem. The battery is just fantastic, I've only recharged it about twice now. And I've taken a LOT of pictures, and not one is blurry.

If you're looking for a camera that you can trust to work, and work WELL, choose this one.

My husband accidentally ran over the previous version of this camera. We loved that camera too. This one is even better because there is audio for the video mode play-back. There was not in the previous version.

This camera is a great deal for the quality picture that you get.

I recently purchased this camera for my daughter, I was so impressed with the image quality and 28MM (widescreen)that I bought one for myself!

If you are looking for a great little pocket camera that takes excellent pictures, I would highly recommend this camera. It has been around for about a year, so you can buy it now for a pretty reasonable price.

Canon is the big name out there and they make great cameras, but I think Panasonic makes a better camera with better technology.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed!

An added bonus, it is actually Made in Japan!!!

This is a nice camera. It produces huge pictures (3.5MB) so make sure you buy an SD card with it (why do they waste our time including a 16MB card?). Another piece of advice, buy a case to put it in, the whole back of the camera is an LCD display that scratches very easily.

Shop around before you buy, though. I just saw a 7MP version at Costco for a lot less than this.

And I've owned a Canon and Sony. But this stylish, compact Panasonic beats them hands down! Lightweight yet made of quality materials, I often just sling it around my wrist with the complimentary wristband and walk around taking pictures all day.

Pictures are sharp and focused, no matter what light I took them in. It has such a variety of settings for all sorts of occasions that I take quality photos at EVERY setting. The stabilizing feature works PERFECTLY. I thought a friend had ruined a photo by moving the camera the second after he pressed the shutter, but the picture came out crystal clear!

I was very impressed that Amazon shipped me a new product that was MADE IN JAPAN -- and you know that Japan makes quality electronic products. It was a very professional and comprehensive package, I just LOVE this camera!

If you buy this camera, do not use it anywhere near the beach. I bought one as a present for my daughter going overseas and it broke within a few weeks. I sent it in for warranty service and was told that the warranty was voided because the camera had sand in it. They offered to sell me a new one at a price higher than Amazon charged me. Apparently, others have had problems with sand blowing into the camera - it must not be sealed very well. Customer service was rude and not at all helpful. I would stay away from Panasonic entirely. I will certainly not buy from them again.

I have had many digital cameras over the years, and today have 4 that work. I use this the most just because it is so small and easy to carry. Panasonic is going to release a 12 mp model soon which I might buy.

I've had this camera for about seven months. It's wonderful! The controls are easy to use, the pictures are very clear, and the motion picture is great. I would recommend this camera to anyone.

I've had this camera for over a year, have taken thousands of pictures, and am completely happy with it and recommend it (or its newer siblings) highly.

Prior to the Lumix FX01, I'd owned several Canon pocket-sized digital cameras (S100 and SD400), and considered myself a die-hard fan of Canon's quality and interface, but when I broke my SD400 (my fault, not Canon's) and needed a replacement, I was drawn to the Panasonic/Lumix instead. Thinking back to the SD400 and the photos I'd taken, 2 problems stood out: a lot of the pictures I took were blurry, and often I couldn't fit everything I wanted to in the frame.

For the blurriness problem, usually the photos would look good on the camera's built-in screen, but when viewed at their full size on a computer or printed, the blurriness would be apparent. The obvious solution: optical image stabilization. It's just really hard to hold something as small and light as these cameras perfectly still, so OIS is a big help.

For the fit-in-frame problem, sometimes moving farther away is just not an option, and 35mm equivalent starts you off too close. The obvious solution: a wider lens. Unfortunately, that was very rare in pocket cameras... until the FX01.

I chose the FX01 because at the time of its introduction, it was the only pocket digital camera whatsoever to combine a wider-than-35mm-equivalent lens and optical image stabilization. This was enough to make me take a chance on a new brand, not knowing how well the controls and interface would perform in actual use. Over the next year, it's turned out great -- there are somethings I've preferred about Canons and some things I've preferred about this, but this camera has taken consistently good (and not blurry!) pictures.

One more thing I only learned after the purchase: the build quality (construction and materials) of this camera is amazing. I don't use a carrying case for my pocket cameras, since then it can't fit in my pocket! Instead, I just keep the camera naked in a pocket with no keys or other metal objects, or keep it in a $5 soft sunglasses sack. After a year of this treatment, the SD400 still worked fine but had a bunch of minor scratches and a few missing screws. After over a year of this treatment, in comparison, the FX01 still looks brand new. It bears repeating: it's amazing.

The image quality isn't quite perfect (one common complaint is noisy images under low light conditions), but given the tradeoffs necessary to make something this small with all the other features and abilities you want, I'm completely satisfied.

Since the FX01 pioneered the OIS+wide lens combination, other pocket cameras (Canon's SD800) do it too; a friend has the SD800 and it's great too. You won't go wrong with either one, in my opinion.

I purchased a panasonic camera 5 MP model about 4 years ago and we used it to the point to where it doesn't turn on right away sometimes. I have taken thousands of pictures with the old camera and I would have to say that this version is absolutely awesome. I pop the card out, copy and paste into a folder and have pictures ready to print or email in a matter of seconds. I'm still learning the new features but so far so good. If you want something reliable that takes good pictures and portable then you can't go wrong with this. The only downside I guess would be the rechargeable battery not being able to use AA's. Oh well you can't have everything right. I recommend buying an extra battery on amazon so you can always have an extra one on hand when you are busy wailing away taking pictures.

You gonna love the 28mm of this lens. It is very fast responsive and the quality is great!! Speacially for those places you are not gonna take your DSRL.
Great buy!

I got my camera about a year and a half ago before I went to college (UF - Go Gators! :) When I was purchasing my camera I was torn between getting a Canon and a Panasonic, but the Best Buy sales guy that I spoke with told me that the Lumix lens on this camera was very good, better than the Canon I was looking at. He was very right. I have never had an issue with my camera (Panasonic DMC-FX01). It has a very durable exterior (I dropped it twice), has a nice big LCD screen on the back, has easy to use buttons, has many scene modes (like sports, scenery, soft skin, portrait, night portrait, night scenery, self portrait, food, party, candle light, fireworks, starry night, baby, snow, and underwater) You can also take videos with this cam. All your pictures can be stored on a regular Scan Disc and transferred to your computer (unless you would rather use the USB cable, it does come with it). In addition, the battery is long lasting. It has a very nice feel to it. I don't really know how to explain but I'm gonna try... When you hold it, it has a nice heavy expensive feel to it without feeling too heavy. It has taken some very nice photos too. The Panasonic also allows you the option of taking your pictures in black/white, sepia, or warm, cool, or neutral color. I have used this option many times. I'm not lying when I tell you that I've gotten alot of compliments on my Panasonic. Anyway, I'm not saying this is the camera you have to get, because there are probably many more expensive ones out there, but for the price this is pretty good. This was my first and I have to say I am 100% satisfied with it. :)

I have four of these -- for me, my wife, and each of my two daughters -- and we took it to Europe in April and took 2000 pictures with it. In many ways it's a good little camera -- very compact, good zoom (3x), a somewhat wide-angle (28mm) basic setting, which is handy for taking pictures indoors, lots of special settings if you want to use them, shutter lag that's not too bad, and generally good guesses as to the right lighting for a balanced picture. Its video capabilities are very reasonable too.

Our only ongoing problem is that many of our pictures are out of focus, and we don't really know why. We are going to try "prefocussing," where you push the button down halfway first, so the camera gets a focus, and you can see in the (very big and bright!) LCD display on the back what it's focussing on, and see if that helps.

It seems to have the most focus trouble in lower light conditions. I notice that even with ISO set at 400, it will often slow to 1/8th a second or even slower -- and there's no way we can hold the camera steady at that slow shutter speed, even with the dual image-stabilization/ anti-shake feature it has. So it may be blur rather than focus that's our problem. Some future day when we buy another snapshot camera, we'll see if we can spend more for one with a higher ISO setting (800 or 1200), though that can drive the cost up quite a bit. Of course, we *could* just get a tripod, or a monopod, but this is a snapshot camera, how much of a camera geek do you think we are??

If we can conquer the blur problem, this will be the nearly perfect everyday camera, especially for travel.

I'm an amateur photographer. I bought this little camera for a handy use. Previously I had similar items by Nikon coolpix, Pentax Optio, Canon; they are so so to okay. But this one I like the most. Good quality image, long life battery, exellent wide angle range, several mode to play with, nice external look. Great!!!!

Camera takes great photos if out in the sun or daylight. Indoors or flash are awful from my experience. It is nice and small, sturdy and has served me well for what I like to take photos of and I have several others so this is just one for the pocket when out and about.

This vendor sold me a broken, re-furbished camera. On the first day of my trip to Brazil my camera broke. I didn`t drop it or bang it against anything, I used it normally, took some photos that afternoon. I noticed that the camera was draining my batteries (from a previous version of this camera) much faster than normal. I tried turning on my camera the next day and it didn`t work. I tried recharging the batteries again and nothing. Its a shame, because I had a previous version of this Panasonic Luminix camera and they are great cameras`... and of course it also almost ruined my trip to south america as i had to buy another camera from Sony Brasil that isn`t that great in quality (errors on some of the images I took)

I've had this camera for about a year now. I've taken thousands of shots and it has preformed without missing a beat. What I still love most about this camera is it's small size, quick start up and amazingly long battery life. What I like least is the picture quality. It's fine for shots that don't require a great level of detail but use it for something close up or zoom in on a picture you've taken and you'll notice a great deal of "noise" in the image. I'm still happy using it but I know there is better out there. When this one dies I will probably get a Canon based on the several positive reviews I read about that make.