Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 review

Panasonic's new slimline 12.1MP Lumix goes on test

It was only around six months ago that we covered Panasonic's technically striking Lumix FX40. At the time, reviewer Rosie Tanner found it an impressive offering, though thought its build quality and technical specification were sadly not quite matched by the end results, making it a good choice for a novice shooter that perhaps wasn't overly concerned with the finer details.

The Lumix FX chassis has gone through a long process of refinement over the last six years leading to the FX60 we're looking at today. Aesthetically the camera has changed very little in that time. Besides getting steadily slimmer and the number of mega pixels effectively quadrupling, the body and the core goal of the camera remain remarkably similar, pointing to a clear success for Panasonic, at least where the chassis' design is concerned. 

In fact, placing the FX40 reviewed in July next to today's FX60 it takes a very keen eye to tell them apart at all - they're almost indistinguishable from each other. Even the core specification remains much the same. Both offer 12.1 megapixels, both boast focal lengths of 25-125mm and the same Leica lens designed for impressively wide-frame vistas and effective portraits at each end of the scale. They both also boast 720p video capture and an Intelligent Auto mode meant to make point-and-shoot all the more easy by judging your composition and automatically selecting the right scene mode for you.

So exactly what does the FX60 do beyond its recent predecessor? Ultimately it comes down to two things – autofocus speed and image stabilisation. The FX40 wasn't exactly the quickest off the blocks in terms of focus and Panasonic have worked hard to effectively double the responsiveness on this front. While still not overly quick in lower light conditions where the autofocus assist lamp is required, it certainly snaps to focus considerably quicker than its predecessor. While it helps ensure you end up with more ‘keepers’ on your memory card at the end of a day’s shooting, it's really the implementation of Power O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabiliser) that's making the real difference here – especially at full zoom. It's no secret that Panasonic's improved image stabiliser is among the best in the business and we found ourselves shooting full zoom with relative confidence even at arms length.

These two new features certainly helps improve the sometimes questionable results of the FX40, and give you more tack sharp shots for your money. That said, despite the ability to boost the brightness of the viewing screen quite considerably, we found it quite hard to judge the quality of our results quickly with a glance down after the shot was taken. In fact, we'd question the decision to increase the screen size at all, if it wasn't an obvious a case of keeping up with the competition. Although only a small upgrade to 2.7 inches from the previous 2.5, when there isn't much camera real estate to start with it's difficult to justify, especially when there are minor camera handling issues to contend with.

While it's not a problem purely confined to Panasonic's Lumix range, getting purchase on the FX60 for steady shooting is troublesome. We wouldn't dream of using it without the supplied wrist strap through fear of it slipping through our fingers – not an ideal situation by any means. The only space Panasonic have dedicated to handling is a small textured thumb-pad just below the setting dial. Had they rubberised the top-left of the top bezel or even included a second textured thumb area on the bottom of the chassis, to the left of the battery compartment, we would have felt infinitely more confident.

While not necessarily worth an upgrade should you already own the previous model, the FX60 is remarkably versatile and its additions to the spec sheet are very welcome. With 27 scene modes and an Intelligent Auto mode that manages to pick the right settings around eight times out of ten, it's essentially a jack-of-all-trades with sharper and more usable results come much more frequently than its predecessor. Those looking for a small, solidly built camera with a decent array of shooting options and 720p HD video capture, the FX60 represents undeniable value for money.