Strengths: Feature packed pocketable camera

Weaknesses: Slow flash recharging is it's achilles heel from being perfect

Summary: The FX35 is a sleeper camera, easily overlooked by the ubiquitous Canons and Sonys. In fact the FX35 could be downright hard to find in a retail store as all the shelf space seems to be reserved for the former brands. This is not to knock either Canon or Sony. Both make supurb cameras, at least the ones I've owned. But the FX35, while overshadowed, is just as competent as any of the current Canon or Sony models, and in some categories even better. Picture quality is excellent as long as you are not trying to make 11x14 blowups, and if you are why are you using a pocket cam anyway? Color accuracy and sharpness is also very good. Sharpness does decline a bit at either end of the zoom range, which, frankly, is to be expected given the nature of physics. Build quality is also amazing. The body is solid, all metal and plastic trim is kept to a minimum. Even still it's very light and svelte. The only negative I can give this camera is the time it takes for the flash to recharge between cycles is too slow, maybe 2-3 seconds, which can be a long time if you are shooting a fast moving scene or have a bunch of antsy kids. But what impressed me about the FX35 enough to actually buy one was two features that, right now, are absent on other brand's models: a wide angle zoom and HD video (720p). What is so frustrating about most pocket cameras is that they are unable to take a good wide shot without having to back up a mile from your subject. The extra few degrees the FX35 offers helps with this and allow you to take more picture without have to stand in a fountain to be at the perfect distance. The other feature, HD video (OK, is faux video, really motion JPEG) is perfect for those moments when you want video, but didn't think or want to bring a video camera. Most pocket cams shoot in SD video, true, but it looks pretty ugly by the time you get it onto your TV. The HD video shot by the FX35 looks great (considering the source). The only downside is that you can't zoom while capturing footage and horizontal pans can look jerky. If you get a fast (class 6) SDHC card that will help in mediating some of the jerkiness. Overall if you are in the market for a pocket came the FX35 clearly is not going to be the most popular because Panasonic doesn't do a great job getting their camera into stores to create buzz. But don't let that stop you from considering this fantastic "jack-of-all-trades" pocket cam. For the money:features:performance ratio it's a good deal.

Strengths: Small and light. Good Pictures. Video to 720P. Wide angle to 25mm equivalent. Takes SDHC memory. Leica lens.

Weaknesses: On video, zoom and exposure set at first frame and can't be changed until you stop and start again. 2GB limit on video size then it stops (short if your at 720P). No manual settings.

Summary: I wanted a small camera to carry when I didn't want to lug my bigger cameras and video camera. For that purpose it serves me well. But make sure you have a 2nd battery and your charger on a trip. I chose this camera for the shorter zoom. Most people think the more zoom you have the better. But more zoom cost money, is bigger and you give up quality as you zoom more. The zoom is on the wide side (25mm to 100mm equivalent). So pick something else if you want to shoot sports (even little league close to the field is not long enough). But for group shots where you can't back up, this is good. The movie mode is saved as a .MOV file (I prefer .AVI). See the weakness above. Although it doesn't focus once you start the video, the small sensor gives you a very large depth of field so unless the distance changes drastically, if it is bright it should stay fairly sharp. This is not the perfect camera for me but it will have to do until something much better comes along. Overall I am happy with the picture quality and video quality. The video exposure and zoom set at the first frame and the lack of manual mode are my main downside. Being able to shoot raw would be nice for me also.