Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9 ... DMC-FX9 features a 2.5" diagonal high-resolution LCD monitor - surprisingly large for such a compact camera. This high-quality, 207, 000-pixel display makes it easy to see your subject. For easier viewing when shooting outdoors on a sunny day, press the Power LCD button to boost the backlighting by about 40%.

In addition to displaying the settings in large, easy-to-understand text, the large, 2.5" diagonal screen with 230, 000-pixel resolution lets you show up to 25 thumbnail images at once. This makes it easier to search for, and organize, the photos you take.

Jitter from shaky hands is one of the main reasons why cameras produce blurry images. Panasonic doesn't expect everyone to have hands of stone when taking pictures - that's why Lumix cameras help solve the problem of unsteady hands with advanced MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer technology. The DMC-FX9 has a built-in gyrosensor that detects any hand movement and relays a signal to a tiny microcomputer inside the camera, which instantly calculates the compensation needed. A linear motor then shifts the Optical Image Stabilizer lens as necessary to guide incoming light from the image straight to the CCD. You won't even notice it working - all you'll see are the outstanding results!

Select the AF setting from Spot, 1-point (normal or high-speed), 3-point high-speed, and 5-point. The 1-point normal setting solves the "image-freezing" that used to happen while focusing on fast-moving subjects, and makes them easier to track. Furthermore, the new 1-point high-speed mode slashes conventional AF time to about 1/3. High-speed auto focusing has finally come to the compact digital camera. Plus, the AF Assist Lamp helps when focusing in low lighting.

Thanks to the Venus Engine Plus's release time lag of only 0.008 second, the FX9 is super-fast. You can snap consecutive shots at 3 frames per second with full resolution. And with Unlimited Consecutive Shooting, you can keep shooting until the memory card is full.

This slim camera features a 3x optical zoom lens with 7 elements in 6 groups, including 3 aspherical lenses. The Extended Optical Zoom, which minimizes the image degradation that normally occurs with digital zooming, gives you up to 4x zooming power. Plus, you can use the 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom together to produce a maximum of 12x zooming power.