No doubt that Panasonic is getting better and better in terms of Digital camera. They are using good lens, wide angles, and now, they are the first introduce some very exciting and yet useful feature. Look at this manual auto-focus function on FX520.
Panasonic introduce this manual "auto-focus" function. That means you touch the screen and tell the camera which object to be focused, and the camera and lock it down and focused even the object moves. Always when you use compact digital camera, do you have the experience that they are focusing on something that is not you want. Even though they got face detection, but doesn't mean that I will be taking human all the time. And I may have other objects to be focused rather than face. But now, you can focus to everywhere you like.
1) Large LCD screen, as large as the Canon SD870.
2) Manual function, you can adjsut the aperture, shuttle speed etc.
3) Very compact and small in size.
Some drawbacks:
1) Use joystick rather than button. Joystick get spoilted easily.
2) Some functions only available at touchscreen, some functions can be controlled by both touchscreen and the joystick.
Unknown:
1) Image quality.... not ure the "over processed" problem in earlier Panasonic cameras being solved in this series. Maybe someone can let me know.
Other than above, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500/520 is a 10.1 megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera features 5x Optical Zoom (35mm Equivalent: 25 - 125 mm) with image stabilization, Intelligent Auto Mode, ISO 100-1600, and a 3.0″ Intelligent LCD screen. The camera measures 94.9 x 57.1 x 22.9 mm (3.74 x 2.25 x 0.90 inch) and it weighs 155 g (0.3417 lb).
Click here for more Panasonic review
Battery life isn't getting put out to pasture though, with 300 hours of standby, 8-10hours of 2G talk, 5 hours of 3G talk, 7 hours of video and 24 hours of audio. GPS is also a go. Apple is using A-GPS, which supplements regular satellite GPS data with info from cellular towers for faster location. (WiFi data is also worked into the mix, which should give users a pretty solid lock on where the heck they are on this planet.) Unfortunately, as expected there's no front-facing cam, and while its edges are thinner than before it's still about a millimeter thicker at the center (12.3mm over 11.6mm before). Apple hopes to launch in 70 countries this year, with the black 8GB going for $199 and 16GB for $299 in black or white. (Both price points require a contract, of course.) Apple will be hitting the 22 biggest markets, including the US, on July 11th.
