The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH27 is a compact digital camera that gets the job done for general-purpose photography, but we feel it could have been a lot better with some changes to controls. Its lens is a good quality Leica-branded 8x zoom which operates quickly and takes sharp pictures. The 16-megapixel sensor is only able to provide noise-free images when it's taking a photo in bright lighting, though.
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH27: Design
The LUMIX DMC-FH27 is very simply laid out — all physical controls are on the camera's top, with a zoom rocker and shutter button, power switch and 'E.Zoom' button all the controls on offer. Every other function is controlled by the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH27's 3in touchscreen, which has a good-but-not-great 230,000pixel resolution. The battery of the Panasonic LUMJIX DMC-FH37 is good for 2050 shots according to Panasonic, but we'd expect that real world use would drive this to around the 200-photo mark.
We found the touchscreen to be more trouble than it was worth, despite the advantage it offers in selecting where to focus easily. Physical, tactile controls are always more intuitive and easy to operate quickly than a touchscreen interface, and this was apparent in the slow speed with which we navigated the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH27's menu structure. Using a touchscreen also means multiple presses are required to change simple options like disabling the flash, where a physical directional pad only takes a couple of taps — and there were a few instances where we had to tap the LUMIX DMC-FH27's screen hard for an input to register.
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH27: Picture quality and performance
When you're looking at pictures taken with the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH27 on a computer at full resolution, you can see graininess and digital noise reduction smoothing out parts of the image. This is a trait common to all photos taken with compact digital cameras, though — only large-sensor digital cameras and digital SLRs escape excessive noise reduction.
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH27: Conclusion
The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FH27 is an acceptable camera if you don't need to delve into menus and are content to let the camera choose your shooting settings. Its high quality lens means images are sharp and clear and exhibit good colour, but in anything but the best light the 16-megapixel sensor falls short. Photography enthusiasts will find the camera's limitations quickly but casual shooters will be acceptably served.