Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Red)

First, it's important to know that although described as 'red', this FP2 is more of a metallic magenta (i.e. somewhat of a lipstick color!@$#). It's a pleasant and cheerful color, but more for girls than guys. The lens cover slides down to turn the camera on and back up to turn it off again. You can also turn the camera on/off in playback mode to view your photos and videos without opening the lens cover. The FP2 is made in China and seems to have come out in 2010.

pros:

+ lightweight

+ mostly metal body with solid build quality & feel

+ in natural light it takes bright and contrasty photos with good color rendition

+ folded light path design(internal zoom mechanism) no lenses protrude when turned on

+ very smooth motion of the lens cover smoother than a $300 Sony I was looking at

+ fast startup & focus (about 1 second to turn on + 1 second to focus and snap)

+ exceptionally long 60-second maximum exposure time (most/all Panasonic Lumix cameras have this)

+ 720p video recording

cons:

width and height dimensions are not as tiny as I was expecting, and although it is very thin, this makes it tippy when sitting up

I find the flat body shape uncomfortable to hold...not much 'shape' to grip onto (but not as bad as overly-rounded 'used soap bar' shaped compact cameras)

side location of lens often a finger will accidentally get in your shot

images taken in dim light without the flash are grainy

batteries are very thin and light but only provide at most 1 hour usage before needing recharging

mediocre macro ability closest focus is 10cm (most other compacts can focus to 5cm or less)

tiny buttons

2 buttons are flush to the surface and difficult to press (on/off and capture/playback select)

no zooming while recording video, but you can set the zoom before recording

somewhat slow to zoom in/out

panning left/right up/down through photos is extremely slow

plastic tripod socket (I've read conflicting accounts regarding the durability of modern plastic sockets)

The FP1 is almost identical to the FP2, except 12.1 megapixels rather than 14.1 (doubtful it would make any noticeable reduction in image quality). The FP3 is the touch screen version and I wouldn't recommend paying more to get it...just my dislike of touch screens. If you can get either the PF1 or FP2 for around $100, it's a good buy.

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