Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX36

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Performance

The FX36 features the Intelligent Exposure mode, which Panasonic claims will help prevent "blown highlights and blocked shadows". We put this mode to the test by letting it determine the settings for the image below. We were glad to see that the image retained a decent amount of information for the white shirts, while the foreground was properly exposed, too.

Note that there are still information retained at the white shirts and foreground was properly exposed.
(click for larger image)

The iA mode, which was supposed to recognize different scenes and shooting modes (like landscape or macro), didn't do quite as well. Although Panasonic claims the iA mode will automatically focus and select the most appropriate shooting mode, the FX36 didn't kick into macro mode when placed near a flower. We had to do the standard half-press to the shutter button before it focused on the petals and went into action. But when human subjects were in the frame, the portrait mode picked these up almost immediately. (Read more about the iA mode in our review of the FS3.)

The Quick AF system was a little inconsistent in its focusing in dim lighting. The focusing in a Starbucks outlet was a little bit slow to respond, but when brought outdoors the autofocus worked fine.

The face detection feature required some coaxing from us occasionally (like asking the subject to move his head a bit) before it recognized the face. But we liked it that once the camera detected a face, it would continue to track this even if the face moved.

The specifications state that a full charge on the Lithium-ion battery will give about 290 shots. We took 270 pictures and the battery still had some juice left. Compared with the FX33, whose specifications state that a full charge will let you take 280 pictures, the battery life seems to be longer for the FX36. This is probably due to the new Venus IV processor which Panasonic claims can help reduce power consumption.

The FX36 is also capable of capturing high-definition-quality video clips up to a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels at 30fps (frames per second). However, a 7-second clip at its highest resolution chalked up 24.5MB of space. So it is advisable to invest in a bigger-capacity memory card if you intend to shoot a lot of high-resolution videos with this camera.

The startup time of the FX36 has been improved from the FX33 (which took 2.3 seconds), clocking in at 1.73 seconds. At 2.9 seconds, the time to first shot remained the same as its predecessor. In Hi-Speed Burst scene mode, the shutter rattled off an impressive 6fps, although it was restricted to taking 2-megapixel pictures only.

Shot-to-shot (with flash off) was decent. With the flash turned on, the time between each shot increased slightly. This is dependent on the flash output, and the test we ran showed an acceptable shot-to-shot time even with the flash on.

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