Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FX30 — slim 2007 compact with 7.2MP CCD and stabilised Leica 28-100mm equivalent zoom
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30 was announced in January 2007 in the style-led FX line of slim compacts, promoted at launch as the world's slimmest camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens. Its 22mm-thick metal body came in silver, black and pink finishes and sat above the simpler FX10/FX12 in the range.
It carries a 7.2-megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD and a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 3.6x zoom covering 28-100mm equivalent at f/2.8-5.6, optically stabilised with Mega O.I.S. The Venus Engine III processor allows full-resolution shooting to ISO 1250, shutter speeds run from 60s to 1/2000, video records at 640x480 30fps, and framing is on a 2.5-inch LCD. It weighs about 132g and stores to SD cards.
The FX30 was pitched at style-conscious shooters who wanted a genuinely wide lens in a pocket camera, and the combination of 28mm and stabilisation still makes it handy for travel, street and interiors. Its CCD colour rendering appeals to digicam enthusiasts, though high-ISO output is noisy by modern standards.
Check the proprietary battery and charger situation first, as originals are long discontinued and spares are aftermarket. Cycle the zoom for errors and haze, inspect the Leica-branded front element for scratches beneath the retracting cover, verify the LCD is clean, and test-shoot a bright plain scene to reveal CCD bloom or dead pixels.