Panasonic’s point and shoot Lumix compacts typically provide a safe haven for the uninitiated. This is chiefly thanks to the now standard iA (intelligent auto) mode automatically switching settings for the user dependant on the subject the camera is presented with (for example choosing ‘macro’ when presented with a flower), plus optical image stabilization (Mega O.I.S) on board to avoid blurred images when shooting handheld in dim lighting without flash – or at the telephoto end of the zoom.
You could thus give a Lumix to your mother (or maiden aunt) and reasonably expect them to come back with evenly exposed and accurately focused images – if there’s enough light to be had of course.
Rather than just being another bog standard addition to the genre, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 features a couple of neat tricks missing from its competitors. For example, with ease of use in mind you get an ‘E.Zoom’ function that with a single press immediately propels the zoom through its range, stopping at maximum telephoto.
