Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Christopher Buck photo
1 Level
723 Review
46 Karma

Review on πŸ“· Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 14.1 Megapixel Digital Camera with 8x Optical Image Stabilization Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD Display (Silver) by Christopher Buck

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Decent camera for this price

I've had a few Panasonic cameras over the years. They were all point and shoot, like this one. I bought it in September 2010 and took over 3,000 photos in a wide range of conditions. On the plus side, battery life is good. Panasonic has historically used AA batteries, which is a good thing as you can buy spares to use as a last resort if your rechargeable batteries run out. But I've found that AA batteries don't last as long, can't be recharged as often, and are certainly heavier than the included lithium-ion batteries. The wide angle zoom is great. This feature should be present on every camera. If you set the aspect ratio to 16:9, you get a lot more in your photo. We don't print a lot of photos - most of these are viewed on HDTV so 16:9 is ideal. Image stabilization is good. Almost every camera has it now, but in the early days Panasonic was one of the first. And remains one of the best in the business. The time from switching on to taking pictures is very short. The time between photos (no flash) is also very good. The scene menu is nice. If you want quick settings without messing around with the camera too much, these come in handy. Cons: I wish this camera could have taken better photos in low light. This is the bane of most compact cameras. The industry bombarded everyone with megapixel counts and zoom, but failed to explain sensor sizes/ratio. But if you don't have a DSLR, you probably won't get good low-light photos. HD video is not very good. Others have discussed this here, so I won't go into detail. It's not going to replace your camcorder, but if you're taking everything to a party or accidentally stumbling across an impromptu parade in Italy, it's a great way to capture the moment. I'd rather have adequate video with great photos than great video with (barely) adequate photos (like most camcorders do). Considering how many people think their cell phone cameras take good pictures, don't get too bothered about nagging about it. Picture quality. It's going to be a good camera for 95% of people, plus it's going to be obsolete in a few years, right?

Pros
  • I'm holding my fists
Cons
  • Anything I can add