Panasonic LUMIX DMC FH20 Review | 108 Data compared

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 is an affordable, pocket-sized point-and-shoot camera housed in a solid metal body, offering great value for users looking for a reliable, automatic snapshot tool. It features a 14-megapixel sensor, an 8x optical zoom lens with wide-angle capabilities, optical image stabilization, and 720p HD video recording. The camera is heavily geared toward casual photographers, featuring a dedicated button for an Intelligent Auto (iA) mode that seamlessly handles scene selection, focus, and brightness corrections. Performance-wise, it stands out with a fast startup time of 1.4 seconds and a quick 0.4-second shutter lag in bright environments, yielding natural and pleasing color accuracy in optimal lighting conditions. However, the camera has notable limitations in its performance and feature set. While bright-light shooting is snappy, shutter lag slows down significantly to 0.9 seconds in dim lighting, and its overall shot-to-shot times are quite sluggish, taking up to 5.2 seconds when using the flash. Image quality also suffers at higher sensitivities (ISO 800 and 1600), introducing heavy grain, yellow blotches, and color shifting. Additionally, the feature set is bare-bones; there is no...

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS30 (known as the FH20 in North America) is an affordable 14-Megapixel point-and-shoot camera equipped with an 8x optical zoom lens (28-224mm equivalent) and a 2.7-inch LCD screen. It stands out for its effective "MEGA O.I.S." optical image stabilisation, which corrects camera shake by up to three stops at full telephoto, alongside a highly capable Intelligent Auto mode featuring automatic scene detection. Built for everyday use, the compact includes physical switches for power and mode selection, a dedicated Intelligent Auto button next to the shutter, and a functional Q Menu for quick setting adjustments. It records 720p HD video at 30fps using a Motion JPEG codec and delivers solid battery life, providing roughly 300 shots per charge. However, the camera has notable limitations, particularly its inability to use the optical or digital zoom while recording video. The physical body has an angular, somewhat dated design, and the primary menu system is poorly structured and unintuitive. Furthermore, indoor flash performance is weak at manual low ISOs, requiring the camera to raise ISO automatically which introduces visible image noise....

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 review highlights a point-and-shoot camera that offers a very good value for those seeking a highly pocketable device with versatile zoom capabilities. On the positive side, reviewers praise its exceptionally compact, lightweight metal body that easily slips into a pants pocket. Despite its small form factor, it boasts a flexible 8x optical zoom lens with a 28mm wide-angle equivalent, providing remarkable telephoto reach for everyday street and travel photography. Users also benefit from Panasonic's reliable Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, which effortlessly handles scene analysis to deliver pleasant, natural colors and sharp center image clarity when shooting outdoors in well-lit conditions. However, the camera exhibits significant drawbacks under demanding shooting conditions. A major constraint is its poor low-light and indoor performance, where the small image sensor struggles, resulting in heavy graininess, noticeable over-processing, and yellow color splotches at ISO 400 and above. The optics also suffer from soft corners, barrel distortion at wide angles, and overall image softness when the lens is fully extended. Furthermore, while it supports 720p HD video recording, the camera does not allow...