Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500

The Panasonic DMC-FX500 is the second digital camera I have owned. I went for the FX500 for 3 major reasons. The 5x zoom, HD 30 frames per second video and the wide angle lens.

I'm really impressed. The video, which is important when filming my friends snowboarding, is excellent quality. The zoom and wide angle lens are definitely a big step up from my old Sony camera, although still far from a match for an SLR. The FX500 feels high quality, looks good and has a huge, touchscreen display.

There are a few niggles. The image quality for photos isn't quite as good as I expected it to be. I have to do a little more tinkering on iPhoto than I'd like. The shutter speed is a little slow - I had a tough time photographing killer whales in the ocean recently as by the time I could take the photo they'd disappeared under the surface again. My final gripe is the lack of a button to quickly switch between video and still image capture. I constantly try to take a picture and then find I'm on the video setting - or I don't realise until it's too late and the moment has gone.

Overall, despite a few niggles I'd definitely recommend the Panasonic DMC-FX500 to anyone who wants great quality video and a good compact snapper. I may invest in an SLR for my holidays though.