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Panasonic’s launches the Lumix DMC-FX01
The world’s smallest camera with 28mm wide angle lens.

The world renowned Panasonic Lumix range offers sophistication in technology and style, evidence of which lies in the new 6.0 megapixel DMC-FX01. The latest addition to the award winning FX series boasts a whole host of features including a 28mm wide angle LEICA DC lens with 3.6x optical zoom, all encompassed within a beautifully slim and compact design - thanks to the incorporation of an Extra High Refractive Index Lens.

The bigger picture with the LEICA DC wide angle lens

This new lens allows photographers to easily capture a large group of people, or expansive architectural structures and landscapes with dynamic width and rich perspective. The lens part of the DMC-FX01 comprises of seven elements in six groups, incorporating four aspherical lenses to generate high optical performance. The zoom ratio can be extended up to 5x in 3megapixel resolution mode with minimal deterioration thanks to the Extra Optical Zoom. By using the central part of the CCD, this powerful zooming function allows you to easily capture and magnify distant subjects.

Shaken, not blurred

Panasonic is the first manufacturer to have successfully incorporated Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) into its compact cameras – a feature strongly appreciated worldwide and now considered to be a standard requirement of photography. O.I.S minimizes the jitter from shaky hands that causes many photos to look blurred by shifting the O.I.S lens unit to keep the optical axis aligned straight against the CCD, to ensure images are captured with supreme clarity and sharpness.

Not one to rest on its laurels, Panasonic has enabled the DMC-FX01 to shoot at a maximum sensitivity setting of ISO 1600, with its new High Sensitivity Mode. This ingenious mode reduces image blur caused by subject movement - particularly indoors - by shooting at fast shutter speeds. Made possible by the mixed-pixel read out method of the CCD, users can now enjoy good quality 4”x6” prints of moments that would otherwise be lost. Whilst the resolution will not be as high in this mode, High Sensitivity is the difference between getting a shot or not at all.

Panasonic Lumix offers solutions for both major causes of blurred images – O.I.S when you are moving, and High Sensitivity when the subject is moving. Thanks to Panasonic, you can now take clear and beautiful images in various situations.

The Venus Engine Plus LSI: High performance at low energy consumption

The DMC-FX01 incorporates the Venus Engine Plus LSI which allows you to take 320 pictures on one charge, providing high performance image processing while consuming only 70% of the energy compared with the Venus Engine II. Spontaneous moments can easily be captured thanks to a 1.6 second start up time (20% less than the predecessor DMC-FX9) and a 0.005 second shutter release time lag (the time taken between pressing the button on the camera and the photo being taken.)

Additionally, the consecutive shooting performance boasts the capability of sequential shots at a rate of 3 frames per second at full resolution . The unlimited consecutive shooting function allows you to take photos in succession up to the capacity of the memory card or built in memory. The speed in which photos are taken is dependent on the memory card.

Auto focus… fast

The DMC-FX01 really will work hard to ensure you capture every moment important to you. The various AF methods can be selected according to the shooting environment and the position of the subject: 5 point, 3 point high-speed, 1-point high speed, 1-point normal-speed and spot. The remarkably quick AF response time, especially in the 1-point high speed AF mode, achieves outstanding focusing with both speed and precision. Panasonic has also included an AF assist lamp, providing further assistance in low light situations where focusing can be difficult.

Motion pictures at your fingertips

In addition to standard VGA(640x480) motion image recording, as featured on the DMC-FX9, the DMC-FX01 also records stunning full-size movies in wide-aspect VGA (840x480) at 30fps, enabling you to view your recordings on a widescreen television.

Create a scene with two new scene modes

The DMC-FX01 boasts two new scene modes to ensure your photos look the way you intended, in addition to the fourteen available on the predecessor DMC-FX9 . The first is the previously mentioned High Sensitivity Mode, great for taking photos of moving subjects, for example young children and pets who may not quite grasp the concept of sitting still! The DMC-FX01 is also perfect for underwater photography, for use with the Marine case (available separately), thanks to the new ‘underwater’ mode. Panasonic’s existing fourteen modes are portrait, soft skin, scenery, sport, night portrait, night scenery, food, party, candle, fireworks, starry sky, snow and baby mode. Panasonic’s unique ‘baby’ mode has now doubled its appeal with the ability to set two birthdays for two children. When shooting in Baby mode 1 or 2, the relevant child’s age at the time of image capture is automatically recorded onto the image, allowing you to hold on even closer to the precious moments in your children’s lives.

Stand out from the crowd with the large LCD’s new High Angle Mode

The Lumix DMC-FX01 boasts a 207K pixel high resolution, 2.5” large LCD. The pixel-mixed readout method performed by the CCD automatically increases the brightness level of the live image on the LCD, which greatly facilitates shooting in low light situations.

Panasonic is the first manufacturer to offer the new High Angle LCD function to a digital still camera LCD. This new mode makes the FX01’s LCD display extremely easy to view from low angles, for example, when holding the camera up high to take pictures over a crowd. The difficulties faced when shooting in bright outdoors situations are also overcome by the Power LCD function, which boosts the backlighting of the LCD by 40%.

The high resolution LCD also allows both a full display of your images in up to 25 thumbnails on a multi-split screen and the ability to date search an image with the new Calender Display Mode.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01, the world’s smallest camera with 28mm wide angle lens is superior in technology and superior in style. Available in March. For further information, please visit www.panasonic.co.uk

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