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Panasonic Lumix FP7, FP5 touch-screen ultracompacts announced

If you're itching for a new touch-screen camera, Panasonic has two you may want to consider.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
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Joshua Goldman
Panasonic

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic updated its FP-series ultracompacts today, announcing the Lumix DMC-FP7 and DMC-FP5. Both feature an internal 4x zoom lens in a slim body with touch screens.

The main differences between the two models are resolution--the FP7 is 16 megapixels and the FP5 is 14 megapixels--and the FP7 has a larger display.

The FP7 also has three new modes for retouching faces, clearing skin textures and whitening teeth, and adding makeup.

Panasonic also trickled down a few of its newer "intelligent" features such as Intelligent Resolution that improves sharpness and clarity and added Intelligent Exposure (for improved detail in highlights and shadows) and Tracking AF to its Intelligent Auto (iA) automatic shooting mode.

Lumix DMC-FP7

  • 16 megapixels
  • 4x zoom
  • Optical image stabilization
  • 3.5-inch touch-screen LCD (16:9)
  • 720p HD movie capture
  • Available in black, blue, and red with a mirror finish
  • $229.99

Lumix DMC-FP5

  • 14 megapixels
  • 4x zoom
  • Optical image stabilization
  • 3-inch touch-screen LCD (3:2)
  • 720p HD movie capture
  • Available in black, pink, blue, and silver with a matte finish
  • $199.99

Editors' take: These sound like good touch-screen cameras, especially if you can find them at lower prices. I'm curious to see how well the retouching features work. They could easily go horribly wrong because what might look good on a 3.5-inch LCD could be bad when viewed any larger. I wish Panasonic hadn't used a 16-megapixel sensor as an upsell, too, but it looks like that's something consumers are stuck with now.