Panasonic's swanky little 12-megapixel compact is easy on the eyes. Does the wide-angle compact offer more than just looks and portability? Read the full Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 review to find out.
Review summary of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48:
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 Its sexy, classy and highly portable. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 is one of those compacts that beckons the eyes with its simple, yet attractive architecture. But its looks might be its primary attribute. We found image quality to surpass many of its peers, but we ran into the same dastardly noise issue we had experienced with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580. The Lumix DMC-FX48s interface was lacking and features were tuned for novices and amateurs. The kicker is that the DMC-FX580 is a $50 price hike, but listen to what you get: Full manual control, touch-screen hybrid, larger LCD and additional features. This is a steal in the camera industry, for most manufacturers will jack a models retail value up just for one simple upgrade like an LCD boost. Those seeking the best image quality will want to check out the Fujifilm Finepix F200 EXR or the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS. Release: June 2009. Price: $350.
Pros: Hot little number. Highly portable. Great auto mode.
Cons: Inconsistent image quality (noise). Skimpy interface. Limited features.
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Full Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 Review:
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Design Good
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 is one of the sexiest compacts we've seen all year, thanks to its rounded edges and matte black micro-textured surface. This camera actually looks like a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 that was placed in a shrinking machine and stripped of its popup flash and stylized right hand grip. This is a compact we could take everywhere without a hitch, due to its highly portable size and light weight. This camera is the alternative to the touch-screen hybrid Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580, which retails for $50 more and features a larger LCD. That's why there's nothing particularly special about the Lumix DMC-FX48's outward appearance regarding external controls or buttons.
We're glad Panasonic finally fixed the dreaded Mode dial issue we experienced on the Lumix DMC-ZS1 earlier this year and the shutter button zoom toggle was a welcome addition. We liked the offset lens because our hand could not obstruct the view, but the off-center flash led to uneven lighting. Panasonic still insists on retaining some semblance of old-school design elements, namely the manual On/Off and Camera/Playback switches. It took a little while to grow acclimated to the additional finger work, but they give the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 a retro look. The camera has Component and AV/Digital outputs, but no HDMI. Overall, the camera is a conservative approach by Panasonic, but it's one of the classiest models in its price range.
Interface Mediocre
Considering the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48's hefty price tag, we're not sure why it got shafted with a 2.5-inch LCD, but the 230,000-pixel display was sharp and resisted solarizing at steep angles. There was no viewfinder to shield our eyes from the blazing sun, but how many compacts feature viewfinders in this day and age anyway? It's also amazing what a $50 gap will do. In this instance the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 gets a standard four-way directional pad with minimal external controls and typical quick functions. We'd like to see a lot more control poured into it's frame, but it screams consumer instead. We could set two different patterns of guide frames on the Lumix DMC-FX48, a standard grid structure and a grid structure with diagonal lines, which helped frame some of the more symmetrical shots.
Menus were solid as usual and the four-way directional pad allowed us to rifle through options like Speedy Gonzalez. The Q. Menu was especially handy when we needed a quick White Balance or ISO adjustment, but we would have liked to have seen ISO and White Balance buttons within the vicinity of the four-way directional pad. The camera's histogram was small, yet accurate, working in tandem with the Exposure Compensation slider bar. Playback has been a touchy subject regarding Panasonics we've recently seen, but the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 was one of the faster models. The Zoom feature took its sweet time at the top of each picture and scrolling between images lacked the rapid response of the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS. Image Information was also limited, but we could view multiple thumbnails on a calendar in order to select by date. Canon still has the best Playback mode on the market, but Panasonic is not terribly far behind.
Features - Good
We witnessed the effects of the $50 gap in the features department as well, for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 is saddled with more of a consumer fleet of controls including Intelligent Auto and a standard Camera Mode. We didn't have Program AE, Aperture Priority or Manual mode like we had on the DMC-FX580, and that was significantly limiting in relation to advanced photography. Instead, the camera shares its tools with the DMC-FX48, which featured a 1-second shutter speed cap in Camera mode. The Starry Sky Scene mode was our only option for low shutter shooting, and it worked well, despite the fact that we could only choose shutter speed presets rather than set our own increments. The Canon PowerShot lineup offers full shutter speed control with the Long Shutter Scene mode. The Lumix DMC-FX48 had a basic ISO range of 80 1600 and a decent White Balance lineup, but there were no manual controls that really set the camera apart from the pack.
Intelligent Auto was the way to shoot with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48, though we spent most of our time in Camera mode for its advanced nature. AF Tracking worked well, allowing us to lock in a subject and have it tracked throughout the frame of the LCD while we moved the camera. Certain objects would easily drop off the radar, but it was a rare occasion. Intelligent Exposure didn't really prove to do much other than a typical Backlight Compensation effect in certain environments. Most of the time we couldn't tell the difference between our exposure settings and Intelligent Exposure. The Lumix DMC-FX48 also featured HD video recording, but like the Lumix DMC-FX580 it suffered the slings and arrows of noise, fringing and color bleeding. We'll leave it to Canon's 720p HD video recording found on a handful of their latest PowerShot compacts. Overall, the Lumix DMC-FX48 offered a fairly stocked feature arsenal for the beginner, but advanced photographers will be left wanting much, much more.
Hardware - Good
Just like the DMC-FX580, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 is equipped with a 12-megapixel 1/2.33-inch CCD and new processing. There were no major revelations as far as image quality was concerned, but the camera kicked butt in other areas. Take the 25mm wide-angle lens that allowed us to get up close and personal with our subject matter. How about the generous 5x optical zoom lens and two types of Image Stabilization? The Lumix DMC-FX48 also featured a set of Image Stabilization meters that measured hand and body movement. We had no idea how to interpret the meters and they seemed like more of a gimmick, but the technology was definitely promising. We'd love to see the next incarnation on Panasonic's future lineups.
The time from powering on to first shot was an astounding five seconds, which is one of the slowest recorded times we've ever seen on a compact. So much for capturing that fleeting action. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 records JPEG images and Motion JPEG videos to SD/SDHC cards and battery life is provided by a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack.
Image Quality - Good
Since the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 shares the same innards as its touch-screen sibling, we encountered a parallel image performance across the board. Remember that pesky noise issue in which the Lumix DMC-FX580 exhibited varying degrees of image rash in nearly every shooting environment? Well, the Lumix DMC-FX48 was plagued with the same ailment. The noise was only an issue at full resolution, so this wasn't a huge blow to the camera's integrity as a decent advanced point-and-shoot as most users will be using this camera for Facebook and flickr publishing. We did experience exceptional Macro detail and colors were not too shabby at all. However, at times we had to employ the Vivid filter since the Lumix DMC-FX48 lacked the out-of-the-box vibrancy delivered by the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS and PowerShot SD780 IS. Night shooting was not an issue, thanks to Starry Sky mode and the one-minute shutter speed max. The Fujifilm Finepix F200 EXR was still our best performer in this price range though, and well worth the additional 50 bucks if image quality is at the top of your list.
Scene Test Flatiron District
Edge Test Flatiron Building
Color Test Books
Color Test Books in Vivid
Right out of the starting gates we begin to see the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48's inherent noise pollution at full resolution in the first image. It's as if the entire image has a slight mist over all subject matter, and this shot was taken at the lowest ISO setting of 80. Matters improve in the second image, and the Lumix DMC-FX48 displays its ability to resist heavy fringing when presented with starkly contrasted edges and lines. Detail within the Flatiron building is impressive as well, and this was one of the better outdoor images we were able to attain. We did have to monitor our colors, however, as exhibited in the final two images. The Vivid filter made a significant difference, paddled the scene back to life with lively hues and increased saturation. However, the Vivid filter led to blown highlights and unfortunately the Lumix DMC-FX48 did not provide us with the option to fine-tune particular parameters like Saturation, Sharpness and Contrast, which would have helped in this situation.
Contrast Test - Church
Detail Test Book Text
Macro Test Union Square Flowers
Sharpness Test Urban Wallpaper
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 exhibited a fairly impressive dynamic range for a compact, and we experienced the same performance with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580. We tried using Intelligent Contrast, but it forfeited our manual control of ISO and did not seem to make any difference. So, with an automatic metering we were able to capture the first image, which may seem a trifle underexposed. However, the a majority of the sky resists blowing out, despite the fact that its playing tug-of-war at the 240-255 levels. The first image also resists fringing along the edges of the church, which is a rarity amongst consumer compacts. Close-range objects looked like the cat's meow, as we can see in the second and third images. The camera's Macro detail is stunning and sharpness up close within the book titles is spot on. We do suffer a minor noise relapse in the last image, but detail is top notch, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 handles the contrasted text with ease.
Indoor Light Test Hookah Bar
Low Light Close-up Test The Giant Drink
Flash Test These Boots Were Made for Drinkin
Starry Sky Test - Animurals
Exposure was never a problem at night, and some of our best test images were captured after the sun went down. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 handled indoor lighting quite well as we can see in the first image. Detail is great within the multi-colored bar shelves and colors look punchy. We experienced that same heightened color performance in the second image as we see the salmon-colored light morph into a cobalt and then golden yellow, all with a nearly flawless gradation. The flash was typical for a point-and-shoot compact, but the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 allowed us to experiment with slower shutter speeds in Starry Sky mode. We opted for a 15-second shutter speed in the last image, and the results were great. Although the image could use a good white balance, exposure and detail is top notch. The Canon PowerShot lineup also performed exceptionally well in ultra low light, so they are worth investigating as well.
Price and availability
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 will be available for $350 in June 2009.
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