Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX77 review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX77 : The stylish compact camera that can do it all

One look at the Lumix FX77 and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s its predecessor, the FX700. The FX77 may be housed in a similar body, but it’s hiding some impressive features.

Upon closer inspection there are a number of markings on the front of the camera that shout about its abilities. The FX77 features AVCHD movie recording, meaning that movies can be captured in 1920 x 1080 full HD. The dedicated video button lets users instantly start recording, ensuring precious moments are not missed. The FX77 also features a 24mm wide-angle f2.5 Leica DC Vario-Summarit Lens, which provides a 5x optical zoom, giving a 35mm equivalent of 24-120mm. Images are sharp throughout the range, with a slight softness around the edges at the wider end.

As well as an impressive lens, there is a large 3.5-inch touch screen that fills the back of the camera. This means there are no external buttons for changing the settings or navigating the menu system. This large screen does supply an excellent place to play back images and videos; however, we did find it to be cumbersome when dealing with the menus at first.

The FX77 has a number of Intelligent Auto modes. These select the settings that the camera believes are best suited to the conditions. Coupled with the 25 scene modes, users are able to take the best photos in any situation without having to deal with manual settings. However, for those looking for a bit more control, there are a number of settings that can be played with. The FX77 enables you to change the ISO, shutter speed, and white balance among other settings. Although changing these can be time-consuming, it can be beneficial as the auto ISO has a tendency to overcompensate.  

A headline feature of the FX77 is the 3D Photo Mode. By simply selecting the 3D shooting mode, holding down the shutter and sweeping across the scene, a 3D image is created. The camera takes a number of exposures and they are all instantly stitched together within the camera. Users will need a 3D TV in order to view these images, which, due to their current cost, could put a damper on this great little feature. However, we did get to see some 3D images, and they were very impressive, bringing new depth to dull photos.

Panasonic has included a number of editing functions that can be applied to images in the playback menu. The Beauty Retouch feature allows users to edit portrait photos, while the art retouch allows users to correct for exposure and saturation. These features make this camera an excellent all-round device that’s ideal for someone who wants to produce good photos without having to deal with extensive image editing on a computer post-shoot. To complement this, the camera’s image uploader allows photos to be immediately uploaded to the internet once the camera is plugged in to the computer; it makes this camera suitable for the busy photographer who wants to share their shots online.

Overall, we were happy with the FX77. The menu systems got easier to use after a while, and the photo quality was good, with a little softness at 24mm. The intelligent shooting modes mean it’s a simple and easy camera to get on with, and the countless features make the FX77 very impressive indeed.