One smart point-and-shoot…
Business Week has a full review on Panasonic’s point and shoot, the Lumix FX35 and they’re quite impressed with it. Check this out:
Panasonic takes full advantage of its in-house technology with its Venus Engine IV image-processing chips. The zippy processor let me shoot a series of pictures with very little lag, a feature that sports- or nature-lovers should really like. Company engineers say the upgrade from Venus Engine III also cuts down on “image noise,” which is the digital equivalent of grainy film in analog cameras. While I’m no camera expert, it seemed to work well, particularly with challenging low-light situations and higher ISO exposure settings.
While most pictures came out beautifully, one problem area common to the 300 or so shots I took was oversaturation toward red. Most of the people looked unnaturally pink (though you can fix this problem with most photo-editing software). I also noticed some graininess in extremely low lighting, but was pleased overall with the results. Panasonic estimates battery life at about 300 shots. I managed about 250 with fairly liberal use of the flash.
All told, there’s a new kid on the digital camera block. Panasonic delivers a formidable competitor with the FX35 by focusing on simplicity while delivering a powerful tool for serious picture-takers.
And don’t forget the good, the bad and the bottom line…
The Good: Compact, wide-angle lens camera with smart software
The Bad: Proprietary connector requires special cables; no viewfinder
The Bottom Line: A simple, extremely intuitive point-and-shoot that takes excellent pictures
So for a very smart point-and-shoot, check out the Panasonic FX35. If you’d like more info, Business World has you covered.
