Introduction

Ease of Use

If we were to judge a book by its cover then the Panasonic Lumix FX80 should be a thrilling read. The super smart exterior is simple and clean. A slight bulge at the front signifies the 5x optical zoom barrel of the Leica f/2.5 DC lens. A small, slim flash and AF emitter accompanies the lens on the front.

Move to the top of the camera and there's not much else to look at. The body sweeps over in an arc with the small power button and oval shutter release button sitting flush with the metal plate that lines the top of the camera. A small rocking switch for operating the zoom is all that sticks out. The back only has two buttons for direct video recording and playback. The large 3 inch screen does all the heavy work at this point being a touch-screen.

Switching the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 on is nothing too fast. The camera seems to do it at a pace that suits it. When the screen bursts into life it's awash with icons, letters and numbers. In fact at first it looks a little cluttered. Newcomers to photography could be put off by the amount of information facing them for the first time. Still, it only takes a few moments to get used to the information available to you. Being a touch-screen, the body of the camera is bereft of buttons and instead they're located on the main screen which is the main reason for all the information.

In the top left corner of the screen is a small icon which represents the photo mode that you're in such as intelligent auto, auto, creative control, scene modes, 3D photo and cosmetic mode. If you've been living under a rock for the past few years, intelligent auto is a feature pioneered by Panasonic and has since been plagiarised by every other manufacturer. It works by analysing the screen and deciding the best mode to put the camera in from there. For example, if it sees a face it switches on face detection, readies the flash and puts the camera in portrait mode. For close up subjects, it puts the camera into macro mode and so on.

Front	Rear

Creative Control is Panasonic's name for the digital effects. The name is dubious because although the picture looks different, you're not doing anything creative. The camera is putting all the effects on it for you. On the other hand, you could argue that you have to use creativity in choosing the effect in the first place. The effects are pretty cool though. There's Expressive, Retro, High key, Low key, Sepia, Mono (black & white), high dynamic range, toy camera, miniature and soft focus. The good news about the Creative Control menu is that it splits the scene modes down a bit. At one point the Scene menu was teeming with options but now there's a more modest 15 to choose from.

If you're 3D enabled, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 has a 3D mode for shooting and viewing pictures in this fascinating new media. It works by taking a photograph, moving the camera slightly to the right and taking another picture. The camera then merges the two slightly misaligned in order to make a 3D image.

Finally, the photo mode menu holds the Cosmetic Mode. In recent times, portraits and self-portraits have become increasingly popular due to social networking. Profiles are awash with self portraits but they're not always flattering. Panasonic have decided to help out a little and add the Cosmetic Mode to the shooting options. You can choose the skin tone and the camera does the rest. We didn't see much of a difference in our tests self-portraits – which we put down to our flawless skin. However, for more of a boost, flicking into the playback mode will open up the options for you.

When viewing pictures you've already taken, there's a tab on the right with a person and a brush. Tapping this will open up loads of options for retouching the pictures. For portraits, use the Beauty Retouch, for everyday shots such as flowers or days out, the Artistic Retouch will be more beneficial because it holds three more options: Defocus effect, Creative retouch and Colour/brightness. The first option allows to to select an area to remain sharp while the rest of the image is blurred out. Similar to a sweet spot created by a Lensbaby. Creative retouch offers the digital filters found in the mode menu. Finally, Colour/brightness is pretty self-explanatory.

Front	Top

Auto retouch is good for if you're unsure or simply can't be bothered going through the options. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 will work out the best retouching options to use and apply them. It then shows you the picture with a handy on/off option to see a before and after. If you like it, press ok and it saves an extra copy without destroying the original. This type of saving is called non-destructive because the original is intact. There's also a stamp effect for if you like placing silly cartoon icons on your pictures. This would be good for younger users who like to decorate their profile pictures on social network sites.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80's main menu offers three tabs for recording, motion picture and set up. The recording menu offers many similar features to what is normally found in the Panasonic Q.Menu with the exception that the FX80 lacks such a menu. So if you want to change the resolution, picture size, minimum shutter speed or continuous shooting mode, it's done in here. Motion picture (video menu) allows you to change the recording mode, quality, AF mode and wind cut. The first two only opening up when there's a card inserted. Because of this rearrangement, current Panasonic users not used to the touch-screen type camera won't be used to it and could find it difficulty at first. As with anything, eventually, you'll get used to it.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 focuses on the position of the white target square on the touch-screen. It's default setting is the centre of the screen but if you enable touch focus, you can place it anywhere in the screen. This makes it useful for off-centre subjects.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 is built to a good standard. The metal body feels solid and a little weighty. The lens has the world renowned Leica badge emblazoned across the top although it's manufactured by Panasonic to Leica specification. The f/2.5 wide aperture will increase the amount of light hitting the sensor making it better in low light without needing flash. There's little play in the lens (we only worry if it moves substantially). The battery door on the bottom is made of plastic and although it has a metal strip on it for reinforcing, it's still bendy. The HDMI and USB ports have a good quality door fitted. Although that's what we first thought. It's actually some simple plastic on a plastic hinge. The most obvious sign of the camera's status is the tripod bush. It's plastic which makes the camera a lower end camera in terms of the Panasonic range.

Memory Card Slot	Battery Compartment

Our sample images on the shutter lag timer gave a response of 0.08sec which is pretty normal by all accounts. However, we also got a ghost image of the arm at 0.05sec which is certainly faster than a typical digital compact camera. Although we decided that the camera is simply using a slower shutter speed, it displays that while the majority of the exposure was done at 0.08, the camera starts recording at 0.05.

There are three continuous modes; On, High speed burst and flash burst. The first option is quite simple. The pictures are taken continuously while the shutter is depressed. That is while there's space in the buffer of course. Once that's full, it has to stop to download onto the memory card. High speed burst takes a small succession of high speed pictures which will allow you to then pick out the best. Good for portraits of someone smiling or motorsports. Flash burst is similar to the High speed burst but uses a strobe flash to add extra light in a dark situation. Don't start to think that because the mode is called high speed that you're going to get pictures rattling off at ridiculous velocities. It plods along taking pictures at a regular interval.

From a standing start to taking a picture, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 is nice and fast. In fact, we managed to get a picture taken in half a second. We even tried that more than once to check it wasn't a fluke. From starting the camera to focusing and taking a picture takes around 2 seconds which is pretty standard.

In the box, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 comes with the cables to connect the camera to your computer, a wrist strap, rechargeable lithium ion battery and CD software with the full manual on it as well.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 4.5Mb.

Noise

Throughout the test we were impressed with how good the pictures looked on the screen of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80. We couldn't wait to get back to the computer to check them on a bigger screen. Low ISO pictures look good until they're drilled down into and spots of green colour can be seen in the darker areas of our test images. Edge definition is good though while mid range levels and highlights are smooth enough.

As the ISO ratings get higher, noise reduction software kicks in because the noise isn't as bad at even ISO 200. Images start to soften a little at ISO 400 and blue colour joins the green to assault the darker areas and it can even be seen creeping into the mid-range areas. Saturation starts to sap out slightly at ISO 800 and the images smooth out as noise reduction ups the ante to keep it under control. The final ISO 1600 setting has invasive colour all over and edge definition is waning. However, we've seen much worse at this setting from other, more expensive cameras so comparably it's a good performance.

ISO 100 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Below are samples of the images straight from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 and with sharpening added in Adobe Photoshop. We think the camera benefits from a basic boost definitely but it's a close line and if you start messing with the Unsharp Mask it could go too far.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

File Quality

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

12M Fine (4.62Mb) (100% Crop)	12M Normal (3.15Mb) (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

We found traces of chromatic aberration in various pictures we took, less so on the high contrast edges.

Chromatic 1 (100% Crop)	Chromatic 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 gets sufficiently close to the subject for reasonable close up pictures. Pictures are detailed enough but the lens does suffer from distortion towards the edges.

Macro	Macro (100% Crop)

Flash

The flash centres in the middle of the frame with light falling off to the edges. This leaves a slight vignette at the corners. At full zoom the same issue is prevalent but without the vignetting. Without flash, the vignetting disappears.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (24mm)	Flash On - Wide Angle (24mm)
Flash Off - Telephoto (120mm)	Flash On - Telephoto (120mm)

And here are a couple of portrait shots. Both the Forced On setting or the Auto/Red-eye Reduction option caused a tiny amount of red-eye.

Forced On	Forced On (100% Crop)
Auto/Red-eye Reduction	Auto/Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

Taking long exposures can be done either in auto mode using ISO 100 or by putting the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 into night mode in the scenes menu. The advantage of the former is that you can control the white-balance. One issue with long exposures is that they create a particular type of noise from the pixels heating up and affecting neighbouring pixels. In our tests, the FX80 suffers from it.

Night	Night (100% Crop)
Night Auto	Night Auto (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.

Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.

Product Images

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera / Turned On

Isometric View

Isometric View

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

Rear of the Camera / Quick Menu

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

Rear of the Camera / Special Effects Menu

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

Rear of the Camera / Rec Menu

Rear of the Camera / Motion Picture Menu

Rear of the Camera / Setup Menu

Top of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Front of the Camera

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 is a fun little camera that will appeal to the tech savvy and anyone looking for a camera to replicate the vintage effect that's so popular at the moment. It's a neat little package that bursts with nice features such as the touch-screen and Leica lens. The build quality is borderline good – the metal body and locking battery door, for example. But the humble tripod bush (believe it or not) is the benchmark for build quality. The plastic version seen on the FX80 shows that the camera is set at a lower range than the previous features would suggest. The touch-screen is a welcome addition but we'd prefer something more responsive. We were forever stabbing at the screen to get the camera to respond to our commands.

Everyday picture quality is good with lots of detail and a decent dynamic range. Saying that, we did get some burn-out on hard highlights such as bright sunshine. Focusing is fast and we're impressed with the shooting time from standby. In normal shooting circumstances, colours are recorded accurately with a little push in saturation from the processor. Contrast is dealt with nicely and the metering seems to cope well in complex light.

We think the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 will suit someone who wants to play around with the pictures they're taking, maybe a fan of social networking or picture upload sites. The filters will give enough variety for most situations and they work well. However, they take a while to process which is annoying. The charger being built-in will interest young travellers because it means less to carry. The easy upload markers will make getting the pictures online easier from an internet cafe, wherever you are in the world, and the SDXC compatibility will ensure larger capacities.

If you're off on your travels and looking for a small sharp shooter with fast reflexes, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 is definitely a good option to look at.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	4
Value for money	4

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Reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX80 from around the web.

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