The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50-K

When you think of digital cameras, Panasonic is probably not the first brand that comes to mind. But Panasonic is a major contender, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50-K is a popular 7 megapixel digital camera. The camera's slick case and sharp images make it a favorite for point-and-shooters. A rectangular patch on the camera's front side doubles as a grip for better control. The Lumix also comes with the standard wrist strap to keep the camera from tumbling and breaking.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50-K has 3.6x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom. It contains a CCD image sensor, and produces images in JPEG format. The camera has a minimum shutter speed of 60 seconds, maximum 1/2000 of a second. The Lumix DMC-FX50-K has a number of focus modes, putting it right alongside its competitors. Its 18 exposure modes are more generous than average. The camera's ISO equivalencies range from 100 to 3200. Its large 3 inch LCD display is a favorite feature, and has a higher than average resolution of 230,000 pixels.

The Lumix DMC-FX50-K comes with a paltry 16 MB of internal memory that can be extended to 32MB through the use of SBHC. Still, users should plan to add a memory card fairly soon. For picture storage, the Lumix DMC-FX50-K uses SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, or SD memory cards. Some users insist on cameras with self-timers so that they can be in their own pictures. The Lumix comes with a self-timer that can be set for a 2 second or 10 second delay.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50-K offers a higher than average movie resolution of 848 x 480 pixels. Lower resolutions are also available. Videos are produced in the fairly standard QuickTime Motion JPEG format. The camera comes with the standard USB cables, and also with an NTSC / PAL video output system that lets users display photos on their television. The cables for this are also included in the bundle, along with Arcsoft Software. The software package includes drivers and utilities, LUMIX Simple Viewer, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft PhotoBase, and ArcSoft Panorama Maker. Artistic types will no doubt enjoy dabbling in these photo editors.

Despite its small amount of internal memory, this digital camera has received very few negative reviews. For its price, it gets average or above-average marks in every category. Users like the camera's streamlined style and user-friendly layout. Though they caution that you will probably not get professional-grade photos with this camera, users seem to be very happy with the quality they do get. Between the crisp photos and large LCD

The Panasonic Lumix has the following physical dimensions: 2.2 in x 3.9 in x 1 in (HxWxD). It weighs a mere 5.3 ounces, making it the perfect everyday camera to put in one's pocket. This camera sells for about $300 US, and can be found online or anywhere digital cameras and electronics are sold.