The camera shown here has a 28mm lens. The FX35 has a 25mm lens. The only wider point and shoot camera is the Kodak v570 and v705 (hard to find).

And yes, 28 vs 25 does make a difference. Especially for real estate photography.

Frank

The camera arrived in a 7 1./2 x 5 ½ x 2 ¼ inch box. The box contained the camera and accessories, i.e., USB and AV cables, battery, battery charger , CD, hand strap, software pamphlet, and a 125 page printed Operating Instructions Manual, It was easy to use "out of the box", after the initial battery charge. The transfer software installed quickly and automatically, on my Vista system, after the camera was initially connected to my computer via USB. I've used earlier Panasonic models so others may have a different first impression. Although I have reasonably large hands, this camera is comfortable to hold, although almost too small.

The subcompact size (3.7 in x 2.0 in x 0.9 in) and light weight (4.4 oz) is ideal for a camera to carry everywhere. It is very thin. The camera sits comfortably in a small `belt bag' that allows me to carry it, extra battery, and backup SD card while adding just a little to total size and weight.

A short while back, I took interior pictures using a similar-sized Fuji camera with a 28mm wide angle zoom. I recently took photos of the same locations using the FX35 at its 25mm settings. It might seem that the photographic difference between 28mm and 25mm would be small. However, visually the difference was obvious. The 25mm setting produced almost panoramic wide angle coverage.

At the wide end the camera has been ideal for my primary applications: social situations, urban scenes, and interiors. However, the telephoto end is a bit short for some needs. The image quality allowed me to crop images in Photoshop to approach the telephoto results I wanted. The slight quality loss was not a problem for 11 X 14 inch enlargements. I have not yet tried larger formats.

Considering the camera packs 10 mp on a relatively small 1/2.33 inch sensor, noise seems reasonably well controlled at ISO settings below 400. At lower ISO values images are very good. Above 400 noise is obvious and distracting. I found ISO 400 was the highest level at which I achieved acceptable images. At ISO 1,600 shadow areas show large blotches of color noise even at 4x6 inches, and should only be considered in emergency situations. I have a longer zoom Panasonic camera with a Venus III LSI processor that occasionally smeared fine details. The FX35's new Venus IV engine seems to do a slightly better job of detail preservation. I also appreciate the dedicated slide switch on the back of the camera that switches between playback and picture taking.

The camera has a very nice array of quite useful features, as well as some `gimmicky' ones. The 25mm ultra wide angle, the 1280 x 730p HD movie mode, and the Advanced Intelligent Auto Mode, which actually works to correct an array of common problems, proved to be of real value. The covers to the cable compartment(DC in, Audio Visual, and component out cables), and battery and SD memory compartment are solid, unlike covers on some other cameras.

The camera is not without a few disappointments. My prior experience with subcompact digital cameras in high contrast situations were that highlights were blown out or shadow detail were lost. The FX35's "intelligent exposure" apparently adjusts total exposure downward so that highlights are not over bright, and then identifies and brightens only shadow areas to avoid under-exposure. I didn't find a significant difference in the few high contrast situations I recently faced. Some omissions are understandable even on a relatively expensive point-and-shoot, e.g., lack of raw mode, and manual aperture and shutter adjustments. Although clearly desirable, they are less important to many buyers. However, its disappointing to find the zoom can't be changed while in movie mode. Another disappointment is the slightly small 2.5" LCD. Canon, Fuji, Nikon, and Kodak are able to package larger displays in some of their subcompacts. I would also have liked to have even a minimal optical viewfinder. Its really needed for sunlight scenes where the LCD brightness is insufficient to make for easy screen viewing. Hopefully these deficiencies are due to non-obvious engineering issues rather than marketing decisions to hold these back for future models.

The bottom line: This camera's image quality at ISO 400 and below is higher than I anticipated for a sensor this small. It has a truly exceptional wide angle lenses, HD movie mode, and exposure, focus, and scene mode capabilities that usually work flawlessly. Although the subcompact size means there were compromises, e.g., image quality at high ISOs, the glaring lack of movie zoom capability, and a max telephoto aperture of F5.6, deficiencies are minor compared to the totality of the camera's capabilities. Its state-of-the-art zoom lens produces excellent images and in most shooting situations it makes the right decisions to produce superior results. Outfitted with an 8GB SDHC Extreme III card, which allows for over 1,600 photos at the highest quality setting, and is useful in HD movie mode, this is the camera I carry with me every day, replacing an earlier model Fuji subcompact. Although I've had it only a short time, if it were lost or damaged, I would replace it with the same model. Its an easy to use subcompact camera and, except for the absence of movie zoom capability and the poor quality at high ISOs, its an excellent camera overall.

Perhaps the real question is, with so many lower priced subcompact competitors is it worth the extra cost? For me the answer is an unqualified yes.

I received my camera a few days ago after deciding to buy it based on the reviews of quite a few cameras in its general class. I was looking for something quite specific - a small, easy-to-use camera with good image quality and, most particularly, the widest-angle lens I could find. I was looking for a pocket-sized camera with a wide-angle zoom starting at 28mm (in terms of equivalence to 35mm film camera lenses) when I noticed that the Lumix FX35 has a zoom range starting at 25mm. That was the main selling point for me.

My main use for this camera will be for taking pictures of properties as my wife and I start looking for a new house. I have found it very helpful to have a camera that will let me get the whole front of the house and front yard in the picture without having to stand too far back. Also, for interior shots it can be difficult to capture a useful image of a room without a good wide-angle lens.

Having used the camera for a few days now, here are my impressions. I have never had a Panasonic camera before, so the camera's controls and features were new to me. I have used mostly Canon Powershot cameras, and a few others, with somewhat different systems of menus and controls. So, my impressions are those of a first-time Panasonic user, and I can't compare this model to previous Panasonic models or to other cameras.

This camera is very small, about 3 3/4 inches wide by 2 inches tall by 3/4 inch deep, and light. It feels solidly built and feels good in my average-sized hands. The LCD screen of 2.5 inches is not as large as those on some cameras, but is perfectly adequate. The camera has no separate viewfinder, and it can be hard to see the LCD in bright sunlight, but I found I can see enough of the image to compose the picture, even in bright sun.

I particularly like that the menu system is easier to use than the system on some other cameras. I found it to be quite intuitive and sensible, without a huge number of options to sift through. You can set the shooting mode, ISO sensitivity, backlight compensation, etc., but there is no real manual mode; the camera is essentially automatic, which is fine for my purposes.

One point confused me at first -- there is a setting for "minimum shutter speed," which is initially set to 1/8 of a second. So, when I tried to take pictures indoors with the flash forced off, the shutter closed too quickly, and the picture was always too dark. I finally realized I had to reset the minimum shutter speed to one second (its longest setting), and then I was able to take pictures indoors without flash, at least as long as there was a fair amount of ambient light.

There are several useful buttons on the back of the camera that let you control the flash, exposure compensation, macro mode, and self-timer, so you don't have to memorize menu settings to make those adjustments, which is nice. Also, there is a "quick menu" button, which lets you get quick access to just a few of the most common adjustments while shooting, including image stablization, burst shooting mode, auto focus mode, white balance, ISO, and image quality, which is a helpful and welcome feature if you want to set up a shot rapidly without going through many menu screens. I found that the quick menu system really adds to the camera's usefulness for everyday shooting, especially for someone like me who does not use the camera constantly, but likes to have it ready to use easily when needed.

The camera has many features, including HD video capability, which I have not tried. It sounds like a good thing to have, but as of now I haven't had a need for it.

I tried the audio recording function, which left something to be desired. If you set the audio record function to on, then, whenever you snap a still picture, a microphone icon appears on the screen, and you have about 5 seconds to record your voice or any other sounds. I found it difficult to gauge exactly when to begin and end my talking, so my voice got cut off at times. This could be useful for quick and dirty audio notes, such as, in my case, stating the address of a house whose picture I'm taking, but it would be more useful if you had the option to start and stop the recording on your own terms, rather than being limited to the 5 seconds allowed by the camera.

The camera accepts SDHC cards, which have a capacity of up to 16 GB. I purchased a Transcend 8 GB card, which has worked fine so far. The camera also has a small internal recording capacity of about 50 MB, so you can record some pictures even if you don't have a card, which is a nice feature. You can only use a card of up to 2 GB capacity unless it is an SDHC card.

As far as criticisms of the camera are concerned, I don't have any really serious ones. I think it's obvious that any camera in this class, with a fairly high mega-pixel count (10.1 in this case) and a small image sensor is going to have some compromises. The image quality is perfectly adequate for my needs, and the pictures look great to me, though I'm not scrutinizing them from a technical point of view. There is a noticeable increase in image noise at ISO 400 and above, but if that's not a big issue for you, the pictures are still fine records of what you snapped; there just is a little fuzziness. The lens has a maximum opening of f/2.8, so you can set the ISO to 100 when shooting outdoors and get good results in most cases. (Oddly, the minimum aperture is f/5.6, so there is not much of a range in lens openings. I don't know how that compares to other cameras nowadays; that just seems strange compared to lenses I used in the past with openings down to f/22.) The manual suggests you use the "natural" color mode setting to minimize the effects of the noise.

Overall, I'm very glad I found this model, and will be sticking with it for the foreseeable future. It has several other features I have not experimented with, such as face-detection, red-eye prevention, and "intelligent auto mode." Those might be added reasons to get this camera, but for me, I am very pleased that the camera feels solid, is very easy to use to take pictures quickly, yields excellent images, and, most importantly, has the great wide-angle lens. I am giving it four stars instead of five only because of the noisy images at ISO 400 and above. That's not a big issue for me, and I believe it's an issue with other cameras in this class as well, but it's something you should be aware of.

I've been a photographer since I was 14 and started working in my own darkroom. In the forty years since I've owned a lot of cameras including digital SLRs that I use for art and nature photography. But for an anticipated trip to the middle east I wanted something light and slim (that I knew I wouldn't hesitate to grab on the way out the door). This camera was my choice and it's been great for that purpose.

Photo quality, excellent, except that they are .JPG, not RAW, which I would prefer. Video quality, a surprise, really good, at 1280 pixels too. Battery life, excellent, I did my whole trip without a recharge. I bought a 2GB card and still have plenty of space after my entire middle east trip ended, some 200 photos and 9 minutes of video later.

Down sides, if any, limited zoom, but I knew that going in, preferring a wider angled lens (this one is great!) to a telephoto which would have added bulk. Biggest complaint - non-standard USB cable jack. C'mon, would it have so hard to include a standard jack? That would make this a 5 review. Excellent camera. Buy it and enjoy.

I guess if you are reading this review it's because you are someone like me. You're a buff in photography (amateur, professional, it doesn't matter, you just love what you are doing). You've got all the other gear - the heavy stuff with big glass - but you don't want to carry it everywhere. Problem: you never found what you were looking for: a small camera, with a wide-angle lens, image-stabilization, and maybe few extra gadgets like a decent movie mode and things like "Highlights & Shadows". Well, look no longer, the Panasonic will make you happy. Maybe it won't be as good as what you are accustomed to but you will quickly realize that you are taking many more pictures with it than you might have expected to. So, in the end, I think it deserves 5 stars, like the other gear. Really.

I go through about 7 cameras a year in my business practice and I have used them all. I can attest that the Panasonic Lumix brand is the best camera overall out of all the digital point and shoot cameras available. Its even better than the Canon G9 which is actually pricier than this camera. This camera is a work horse, long battery life, great picture quality, extremely durable. I carry this camera in my pocket daily and its never failed, even after the lens accidentally opens in my pocket under pressure and not being able to open fully. The picture quality is the best and easiest to quickly focus. I believe this is due to the Leica lens. For those that do not know about Leica, Leica is considered to be the Rolls-Royce of camera lenses. Ive also bought the Canon Powershots and they dont even come close to this one. Ive also bought the Canon G9 and it doesnt even compare to the this and the G9 is about $200 more. Bottom line, this is what you want.

i love this camera its take a nice shots even at night ,but indoor not very good, but its ok , i love the video its 1280x720p nice. and wide angle 25mm . its better than canon sd900. buy it and you will love it

Here are the positives and negatives.

Well, no camera is perfect, but this one is overall excellent. The images have depth and clarity, the hd video is truly hd, and the super fast multi-burst option will probably be used more than I had intended. Also the long 30 second exposures for the night time are beautiful (also likely to be used more than expected). One great thing that I discovered, and never read anywhere, is that your settings for one mode do not apply to another. I think this is awesome as you can have 16:9 Hi-def video, then have 3:4 10mp resolution for manual, and say a 7mp saturated, high exposure with 3:5 for automatic! In addition, the lens is great, the camera is small and solid, and lastly, it has an internal 50mb memory as a back up if your sd card gets filled.

Negatives? Well, the 16:9 photo format is 7mp, will not shoot at 10. Also, what I assumed to be a usb mini, is in fact some weird version of a usb mini with a custom size jack, so if you lose your cable, then you must order another from Panasonic - of course using a card reader as I do will solve this problem. Lastly, the brighter the light the better the photos, same with the hi-def video. It only "looks" hi-def with solid lighting, so don't expect great results at your kid's birthday party unless its 12 in the afternoon in the summer. That might be an exaggeration, but it really makes a difference. Most digital cameras are terrible in low lighting anyway, so this isn't a big surprise, but something to be aware of.

My background is in architecture and design, so while I'm not a professional photographer, I make a living by producing quality images. I don't really want a camera that is completely manual, but I need something that can go beyond point and click. This camera will easily accommodate the complete novice, but it also contains the tools to produce more sophisticated imagery if the need was to arise.

Real Wide Angle Snap & Shoot Camera, I like it, my wife likes it. It could not be better. On Time, Better than represented...

This is a really tough review to write. I won't go into too much detail because I really just want to add my own perspective. First off - I love the small form factor. It's pocketable so I can take it anywhere and everywhere. It's got a solid feature set, the wide-angle is fantastic for interior shots and the picture quality with good lighting is great.

Now to the negatives and this is why I only give it three stars: shutter lag is pretty bad. I've played with the settings and no matter what I do I really can't capture what I see on the display unless the subject is still. Shot-to-shot delay with the flash is absolutely horrible. Something on the order of 5 seconds or so.

I love this camera. Really easy to use and the pictures come out crystal clear.

I usually drag around my big ol film cameras, and finally decided I needed something I could just put in my pocket. The Lumix is a point & shoot, and it pretty much controls how the picture will be taken. Which is fine. The quality is fine, it's small, and the shutter delay is minimal. Glad I bought it.

i bought this camera cheaper here cause it supposedly had a scratch. well i have yet to find a scratch. great price for a great camera!