Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT2 Reviews: Digital Compact Camera

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Score 8.8/10 Read 107
customer reviews

This digital camera is a good all rounder.

£210 at 1 retailer out of 398 retailers checked

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT2: See full product description

Ease of use	8.8
Image quality	8.7
Features	8.8
Build Quality	9.2
Value for money	8.4
Overall rating	8.8

Some customer reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT2

Most helpful reviews

Richard, Swansea Keen amateur

Score 9.0/10

Good points:: Nearly everything.
Bad points:: When using iA mode, the resolution options are very limited in 3:2 aspect ratio - 12.5M only, whereas in 4:3 you have more choice. I can't see an obvious reason for this!

Ease of use	10.0
Image quality	10.0
Features	9.0
Build Quality	10.0
Value for money	8.0
Overall rating	9.0

Was this review helpful? 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Confirmed purchase: 30 Dec 2010

Jimbo,

Score 7.0/10

Good points:: Brilliant Photos, ease of use
Bad points:: Humidity builds up inside lens on what should be a sealed unit.
LCD appears cloudy at times

Ease of use	10.0
Image quality	10.0
Features	9.0
Build Quality	4.0
Value for money	8.0
Overall rating	7.0

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Confirmed purchase: 20 Jul 2010

Kirk, Chesterfield Keen amateur

Score 10.0/10

Good points:: Rugged, good looking, slim(ish), and easy to use (although my judgement may be coloured by the fact that I have had a panasonic before). Like the one-touch movie button. Very impressed - this is just what I wanted for my beach holiday coming up soon - no more worrying about splashes and getting a camera out of a supposedly waterproof bag. Also like the silicon case as that metallic body (mine in orange) looks prone to easy scratching. Overall very very pleased.
Bad points:: Must find a way of turning off the msg about chekcing the seals prior to use near water as it is driving me mad! Also, and understandably the literature talks about replacing the seals once every couple of years to maintain the waterproofness - I wonder how many people do this and no mention as to the cost. Kinda worth it though I guess.

Ease of use	9.0
Image quality	8.0
Features	9.0
Build Quality	10.0
Value for money	10.0
Overall rating	10.0

Was this review helpful? 2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Confirmed purchase: 14 Feb 2011

Sarah, Bristol Experienced amateur

Score 6.0/10

Good points:: Great for underwater shots.
Very slim. Will fit in your pocket.
Bad points:: If you own a Mac, you will not get any software that works with it. Very Poor.
You can use iPhoto to get the photos of the camera, but you will then need to use iMovie to get the video clips.
So avoid if you are a Mac owner.
Plus the camera will not allow the use of any other manufacturers batteries, only Panasonic's, very expensive ones work. And you need to take the battery out to charge it.

Ease of use	5.0
Image quality	6.0
Features	7.0
Build Quality	7.0
Value for money	6.0
Overall rating	6.0

Was this review helpful? 1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Confirmed purchase: 12 Nov 2010

Confirmed purchaser Point & shoot

Score 10.0/10

Good points:: we used it when we were in Hawwaii and at wikiki beach
Bad points:: none as yet

Ease of use	10.0
Image quality	10.0
Features	10.0
Build Quality	10.0
Value for money	10.0
Overall rating	10.0

Was this review helpful? 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Confirmed purchase: 11 Dec 2010

Jarmo, Varkaus, Finland Keen amateur

Score 9.0/10

Good points:: Pic´s quality
Strong construction
Bad points:: Reviewer left no comment

Ease of use	8.0
Image quality	9.0
Features	7.0
Build Quality	9.0
Value for money	9.0
Overall rating	9.0

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Confirmed purchase: 07 Mar 2011

Confirmed purchaser Keen amateur

Score 9.0/10

Good points:: Excellent picture quality, both underwater and normal use. Robust and easy to use
Bad points:: None

Ease of use	8.0
Image quality	9.0
Features	9.0
Build Quality	9.0
Value for money	8.0
Overall rating	9.0

Was this review helpful? 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Confirmed purchase: 04 Feb 2011

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Product Features

Camera Type	Compact
There are 2 main types of camera: The SLR and the Compact. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. SLR cameras use a prism to reflect the exact image as seen through the lens and so offers a more accurate viewfinder. SLR cameras have detachable lenses offering greater flexibility if you wish to take a variety of different photographs. Compact cameras have a built in lens and an ‘above lens’ viewfinder which is less accurate but they are often cheaper, more sleekly designed and easier to carry anywhere with you to capture that moment perfectly without having to fiddle with complex settings or a bag full of lenses.
Resolution (Megapixels)	14.1

Optical zoom ratio	5
The amount by which the camera optics (lens) can bring the subject closer.
Screen size (Inches)	2.7
Screen size is measured diagonally from corner to corner.
Digital zoom ratio	4
Not to be confused with optical zoom, digital zoom enlarges a portion of the image thus simulating optical zoom. In doing so, some image quality is lost.
Type of image stabiliser	Optical Image Stabiliser
If a photo is taken at a slow shutter speed, or at a long focal length, the effects of ‘hand shake’ will be amplified. Some cameras come with built-in image stabilisation which is designed to act against this to produce sharper images. It’s great for low light shots without a tripod, like at a gig.
Colour	Blue
The main colour of the product.
Colour	Yellow
The main colour of the product.
Colour	Orange
The main colour of the product.
Media format	SDHC Card
This is the type of storage that your digital camera or camcorder uses to save images to. The main types of card media format: Compact Flash Micro SD MMC (Multi Media Card) SD Card (Secure Digital) SDHC (Secure Disk High Capacity)
Media format	SDXC Card
This is the type of storage that your digital camera or camcorder uses to save images to. The main types of card media format: Compact Flash Micro SD MMC (Multi Media Card) SD Card (Secure Digital) SDHC (Secure Disk High Capacity)
Media format	SD Card
This is the type of storage that your digital camera or camcorder uses to save images to. The main types of card media format: Compact Flash Micro SD MMC (Multi Media Card) SD Card (Secure Digital) SDHC (Secure Disk High Capacity)
PictBridge	Yes
An industry standard allowing images to be printed from camera to printer, without needing a computer. CIPA PictBridge Standard Website
Macro Mode	Yes
This mode allows close-up photograpy of small objects such as insects and flowers.
Video recorder	Yes
Video recording functionality allows the capture of videos in mpeg or avi format which is great if you want to capture a whole scene, not just one moment.
Manual Focus	No
Almost all modern cameras have autofocus. Manual focus allows you to override the autofocus and set the distance yourself. This is especially useful if your camera is struggling to focus in a low-light or confusing scene.
Timer	Yes

Weight (g)	167
The weight of the product in grams.
Flash	Yes
Whether or not your camera has an in-built flash. Flashes are essential for fully capturing a low light image.
WiFi	No
Wifi allows you to connect your device to wireless routers or modems which allows you to connect to broadband internet.
Longest shutter speed (Fractions of a second)	1/60
This is the longest exposure your camera will take. The longer you take a photo for, the more light is let in and the more motion is captured. Long shutter speeds can give fantastic, artistic results. Try photographing the night sky at 30s or longer to see how the rotation of the Earth causes the stars to curve through the scene.
Waterproof	Yes
If your camera is waterproof you will be able to film under water which is perfect for diving and snorkeling.
Viewfinder	LCD Monitor
USB port	Yes
Socket for connecting devices such as a computers and other components.
Dimensions (mm)	99.3x63.1x24.3
The size of the device in millimetres, in width x height x depth.
RAW Format	No
Resolution (Pixels)	4320x3240
A camera sensor, that captures the photograph, is measured in pixels. The number given here is the horizontal amount of pixels followed by the vertical quantity of pixels. The more pixels a camera sensor has, the bigger and higher quality the image will be.
Max. Aperture Lens 1	f3.3-5.9
Measured in f-stops the aperture of a lens dictates the maximum amount of light captured. If you want to do low light photography look for something with a wide aperture like f2.8. The widest aperture is given as a range as it changes when your lens is zoomed in.
In-built memory (Megabytes)	40

Release date	2010/03/02
The date the product was originally made available for purchase.
Height in mm	63.1

Width in mm	99.3

Depth in mm	24.3

Serial Shot Mode	Yes
Bluetooth	No
Bluetooth is a technology for the wireless transfer of data such as contacts, photos and music between mobile phones, computers and a host of other Bluetooth enabled devices. Read more about Bluetooth on Wikipedia
Autofocus	Yes
Changeable Lens	No
Highest focal length (Millimetres)	128

Lowest focal length (Millimetres)	28

Also known as: "Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT2EB-A, "Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT2EB-D, "Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT2EB-Y

Digital Cameras Buyers' Guide

Manufacturer's Description

Compact Digital Camera FT2 – Tough Model with Water/Freeze/Shock/Dust-proof Design featureing both Still Image and HD Movie in AVCHD Lite. The DMC-FT2 is designed for active use, that is waterproof to a depth of 10 meters, freeze-proof of up to -10?, shockproof for falls from up to 2.0 meters, and dust-proof. In addition, included silicon jacket gives you more secure handling. For convenience of outdoor shooting, 3 most commonly used Scene Modes including Beach & Surf Mode are on the mode dial. In movie recording, the LED light turns on for beautiful movies in dusky underwater environments or at a nighttime camp.

The Intelligent Resolution (I.R) Technology gives a high resolution look to digital zoom images as well as ordinary images. The image is divided into contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas. And optimum image processing is applied to each type of area. This enables 6x Intelligent Zoom that achieves about 1.3 times the usual zoom magnification with almost no loss of image quality. The Intelligent Resolution Technology also achieves sharp images in modes that use fewer pixels to enable high sensitivity and high speed.

The DMC-FT2 can record HD movie of 720P in AVCHD Lite with high sound quality of Digital Creator. Motion JPEG format is also available (1,280 × 720 pixels). Just press the Motion Picture Button, and shooting begins. The iA Mode can also be activated in motion picture recording. When the DMC-FT2 is connected to a Panasonic VIERA via an optional mini HDMI cable, the TV’s remote control unit can be used to enjoy playing back with greater convenience.

The POWER O.I.S. nearly doubles the hand-shake correction power of conventional MEGA O.I.S. So you can take beautiful night shots without blurring. Activating POWER O.I.S., Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection AF/AE with Face Recognition, Intelligent Scene Selector with Sunset Mode and Snorkeling Mode, Intelligent Exposure and AF Tracking, the camera does all the work in the iA Mode. And Happy Mode is newly added to the DMC-FT2 and optimizes color saturation and brightness for vividly memorable scenes.

The 14.1-megapixel DMC-FT2 features a 28mm wide-angle 4.6x optical zoom f/3.3-5.9 LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens (35mm film camera equivalent: 28-128mm). The 28mm wide-angle lens can be used to capture magnificent architectural structures and landscapes like underwater. The 4.6x zoom can also be used in motion picture recording. In 3-megapixel resolution mode, the Extra Optical Zoom function provides additional magnification, extending the zoom power to 9.8x by using the center part of the CCD.