Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)

• 48x Intelligent zoom, less ghost with Nano Surface Coating Lens, Power O.I.S.
• 60p Full HD Video Recording with OIS Active mode
• Full range F2.8, 24x Optical Zoom Leica DC Lens
• 12MP new high sensitivity MOS sensor
• High resolution EVF (1.3M dot), High speed AF 0.1 sec, High speed burst shooting 12fps

Bottom line:

This is the best combination of features and image quality I have found. I gave the camera 5 stars because it is the best Super Zoom I have found so far and I don't mean to imply it is better than any other class of camera. It is not cheap but is well worth the $509 I paid for it. It is a real keeper. You can read a good professional review at [UPDATE 10/11/12 I guess they don't allow the link so simply Google ePhotoZine Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Digital Camera Review and you should get to it.]I have taken a couple hundred photos with the FZ 200 in the last couple of weeks and found this to be the camera I have been looking for. It will be more than a couple of years before I feel the need to upgrade again.

I compared the FZ200 with the following cameras I have used:

1) Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ28

2) Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ100

3) Canon SX40

4) Canon Rebel T3i Not really a fair comparison but used it as a high water mark for the FZ200 to aim for.

Now for what I like about the FZ 200:

1) The 25 to 600mm f2.8 Leica lens: I find that the 24x lens enough reach for my needs. I found no aberrations from the lens. Maybe you could find some with instruments but I couldn't find any. Just as important is the f2.8 across the entire focal length. It allows you to go out to 600mm and take sharp subject and blurred background. It also helps with low light shots and keeping the iso lower.

2) Photo quality: Color saturation was very good as was sharpness so photos seemed natural. It is as good or better than the other digital cameras I have used. One reviewer said he saw a blue tint on outdoor pictures and a red tint in flash pictures. I saw none of that but I did have my camera set to scenery when taking outdoor pictures so maybe there was a white balance shift with that function. You can see photo examples in the review mentioned above.

3) Burst Speed: It's 12 frames per second burst is very fast but I make more use of the 5.5 fps. At 5.5 fps the specs say it goes to 200 pictures at one time but I haven't gone that far yet.

4) Low light performance: It has really improved. The photos I took in a dimly lit room turned out surprisingly well. It seems like it sees about as well as I do in low light. Naturally, noise gets worse as the iso goes up but even at iso 1600 the pics are kind of OK if you don't view over 8 x 10. I now take indoor pictures without flash most of the time with very good results.

5) Design: It feels really good in my hands. It has room for all of my fingers and not at all unstable.

6) Video: If you like video you will love this camera. It is so much better than cameras like the Canon SX40. Lots of options up to full 1080P 60 fps. Focus is quick and accurate. Zoom is smooth, quiet and the stabilization makes hand held scenes very steady. Unless you are a serious cinematographer you will have no need for a dedicated video camera. In MP4 it is limited to 30 minute scenes but you can go to 4 hours AVCHD. It even has a 3D mode but I haven't used it.

7) Viewfinder: The viewfinder resolution is excellent giving a very clear view for composition. I wear reading glasses so a good viewfinder is important.

8) Tons of cool features I haven't had a chance to use yet.

What I don't like:

1) I wish it cost less.

If your interested in my camera experience:

I am an amateur but have been interested in photography for many years. I bought my first SLR in the 60's and my first digital camera (1MP) in 1997 and have been purchasing a new digital about every other year since then. My first Panasonic was the Lumix DMC FZ28 which I found to be the best for its time and still use it today. I then purchased the Pansonic Lumix DMC FZ100 because of the great experience with the FZ28 but picture quality was a disappointment. I decided I needed to get a better camera so I purchased the 12MP Canon SX40HS because of the longer lens but ended up returning it. It wasn't a bad camera but I found that the image stabilization broke down at maximum focal length unless I could keep the shutter speed very fast. The pictures were sharp but colors a little less saturated than I like and the body construction feeling less sturdy than the Panasonic. I checked out the Panasonic FZ 150 because of all the great reviews and decided to buy it but held off when I heard about a new Panasonic coming out in August. The FZ 200 cost a little more than FZ 150 but I think it is well worth it. My wife has a DSLR 18MP Canon Rebel T3i and we have taken the same shot and compared the photos. They are very similar with the T3i better in resolution as expected due to the much large sensor which also makes it much better in low light.

Why a Super Zoom:

If this is the first time you are considering a super zoom it may be useful to know why I bought one when we have a perfectly good DSLR. For quick snaps we have a pretty pocket camera or we use the 8 MP phone camera. They are OK but lack flexibility. DSLRs are high quality but to travel with them, even on a day trip we need to carry a significant camera bag to carry the camera and a couple of lenses. Forget a long telephoto, they are too expensive (Canon 600mm cost about $13K) and too heavy (unless you are a pro and then I don't think you are reading my review). There is a group of moderate zoom cameras that are a little too big to slip in a pocket but smaller and less zoom than the super zoom. My thinking is that if it doesn't fit in my pocket I want all the zoom I need. A super zoom like the FZ200 gives you the flexibility to take pictures of people grinning on couches to birds in a tree across a field. For travel, the zoom and choice from point and shoot to full manual in a compact package makes it the best travel camera possible.

I hope this review proves useful. I always read reviews before I buy and I wanted to give back.

Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black) Now

I've only had it about 24 hours, but my first impressions are very favorable. I pre-ordered my Panasonic FZ200 from Amazon last week. Later I heard it was going to begin shipping on Monday, August 27th. To my pleasant surprise, the camera showed up yesterday, on Monday, August 27th. (Gotta love Amazon.) I played with the various controls and read the manual last night and spent a couple of hours shooting with it today.

Some background: Both my wife and I are long time Canon DSLR photographers. I am in the printing business and have been using Photoshop since version 2.5 almost 20 years ago. We are serious amateurs, not professional photographers, but we know our way around digital cameras and the digital darkroom. We compete in various photo competitions all over the world. Either with electronic images or prints. Our maximum print size is 12" x 18". Except for action shots, we shoot RAW exclusively.

We are both in our mid 70's and lugging around our Canon 40Ds with 28-300mm lens seem to get heavier every day. The specs on the FX200 are so spectacular that I wondered if it could be a replacement for our heavy, and somewhat obsolete, Canon gear. I frankly didn't expect the FZ200 to be as good as our Canon gear. Instead, my question was "is it good enough" for us to continue to be competitive in photo competitions. To my pleasant surprise, my initial reaction is yes.

We live in Florida a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico. We went to the beach today and took along one of our Canon 40Ds and the FZ200. We shot the same thing under similar conditions. The Canon shot only RAW and the FZ shot BOTH taw and jpeg. I haven't figured out how to use the Panasonic RAW software yet, so we ended up comparing Canon raw with FZ high quality jpegs.

When viewed "right out of the camera" on my 27" color calibrated iMac, the images look virtually identical. Needless to say, I am very impressed.

The FZ has a lot of special features and functions I haven't looked at yet, and maybe never will since I am so conversant in Photoshop I really don't need the camera to add saturation, convert to B&W, etc. I am totally unfamiliar with digital video, so it will be a while (if ever), before I get around to checking it out on the FZ.

The camera isn't perfect. Here are several things I'm not too fond of.

* The menu system is quite complex and various buttons and wheels access different parts of it. Tip: Put the camera in Manual (M) before going to the menu system. This is the only setting that shows ALL the possible menu settings according to Panasonic tech support.

* The user manual on the CD seems to be for a different camera than the FZ200. Either that or, the final version of the camera doesn't match an earlier version of the documentation.

* Worse of all, it takes 45 arrow and/or button clicks to perform the "Format card" function in the camera. (I counted them.) I talked to two different Panasonic tech support people to see if there was an easier way. They both confirmed that there wasn't. You won't find it in your user manual, so here is how to format your SD card.

* Set the mode to manual. Then click the "Menu/Set" button in the center of the arrow keys. Then hit the left arrow key to select the camera icon.

* The click the down arrow key two times to get the the settings (looks like a wrench.)

* Then click the right arrow key to go "Clock Set." Notice that the top right corner shows that you are on page one of 8 setting page. Format is on page 7. Unfortunately, you cannot access the page numbers and right click to advance to the next page.

Instead you have to click the down arrow and scroll, completely through each page to advance to the next page. It takes 43 down arrow clicks to get to format. (I counted them.) BE CAREFUL. Be sure to hit the right arrow key when you reach format. I hit the "menu/Set" button and had to start all over again.

Formatting an SD card is a real pain, but that is really the only fault I can find so far with this camera. Hopefully, Panasonic will fix this is an firmware upgrade-especially as they tell you in their manual not to format the card in your computer but instead do it in the camera. This is good advise, but a nuisance to do.

To end on a positive note, I'm going to continue to play around with this camera, but I feel I have already proven to myself that this camera is fully able to replace our Canon 40Ds for our intended use. Try it. I think you will like it too. (I don't work for Panasonic or Amazon.)

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black) Here

I bought this camera with a little hesitation and skepticism. Could it really take decent pictures with that kind of zoom range and f-stop? Admittedly, I am a tough sell since I usually shoot Canon DSLRs with their L-series lenses, and was looking for a light backpacking/walk around camera for times when I didn't want to carry so much bulk and weight.

This weekend I shot hundreds of pics indoors and out, from bright sun to no-flash museum settings. All images were shot in camera RAW and in Program mode, but I let the camera makes its own choices about shutter speed and limited the ISO to a max of 400 (the ability to set a max ISO is a nice feature). I processed all of the images with the "Silkypix" software that comes with the camera (which is a surprisingly capable program).

The images were, in short, far better than just good. Some were truly remarkable. In the museum where no flash was allowed, I was able to shoot great macros in low light, then a full-room shot at wide angle, then immediately zoom to 600 mm and grab a shot of something sitting on a desk across the room, all handheld. Outdoors, in bright sun, I was blown away by the crispness of the images at full zoom. And having such a wide range of focal lengths gave me the equivalent of carrying a whole bag of "big" gear.

One question that has come up on this board is the camera's low light capability. I would give it a plus/minus here. Once you get past about ISO 400, noise does start being noticeable in the RAW files. By comparison to a more expensive DSLR (e.g. a Canon 7D) the noise becomes quite noticeable at ISO 800, but it is very smooth and could be dealt with via software, I have no doubt. This is an area where someone will have to judge for themselves what amount of noise is "too much" at a given ISO. For me, if I knew I was going to do a lot of shooting of moving subjects in low light, this camera might not be the best choice. (Note that if the low-light shooting is of still scenes, the camera performs beautifully.) Given the camera's other remarkable capabilities, I don't think it is much of an issue generally.

I haven't played with the video at all yet.

Yes, I have a few minor gripes, but they are minor indeed. There is only a little "basic function" printed manual -the full manual comes on a CD as a PDF file. Having the PDF is great if you need to quickly find a reference, but a printed manual should also come with the camera. For mine, the manual does match the camera, at least as far as I have found. I did not format the memory card, just threw one in from another Canon camera, and the Lumix was perfectly happy. It created its own directory and there have been no issues whatsoever doing it that way. You can quickly get to the format function if you cursor up to page 8 from page 1, rather than going through all the other pages. The menu system is a little complex in some areas and I sometimes find it hard to remember where different functions are buried, but most of those are things you set once and forget about, at least the way I shoot. Build quality is a little plasticky, something you notice if you have mostly owned metal-bodied cameras and lenses, but hopefully the camera will be tough enough to survive some backpacking and such. A nice lens hood is included with the camera, and it will accept 52mm filters.

All in all, I am really amazed at this little camera with the huge lens. For my shooting needs an easy five stars!

FOLLOWUP: Just returned from a week-long hiking trip into southern Utah canyonlands and wanted to report that this camera performed exactly as I had hoped. It was very light and far easier to deal with than my Canon DSLR with a couple of L-series lenses. Although I usually shoot RAW, I even shot some straight JPGs and the results were quite good. Still a two-thumbs up choice, from my perspective.

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My conclusion so far is that the FZ200 images are clearly sharper than those from the FZ150. It's also much better in low light conditions. I have a great picture of a magnolia blossom from about 8 feet away and you can see the individual hairs on the stem. The FZ200 does weigh more than the FZ150. By sharp I mean when a. Viewed in review mode on the camera LCD using zoom, b. Viewed on a 27inch Dell HD monitor at about 12inches, and c. When printed on a Canon iP100 which has a decent resolution.

Other things I like:

-The higher resolution EVF which I use when shooting makes composition easier (I only use the LCD for menu changing/reviewing pictures). It works quite well actually, because when the LCD is closed up face in, the EVF comes on.

-Same 52mm filter size.

-Same camera case fits although the FZ200 is a little larger than the FZ150.

-Same cables.

-Larger capacity battery.

-The new FZ200 body is slightly taller than that of the FZ150 so there is more thumb room on the right side of the LCD, especially useful when holding the FZ200 in one hand while standing in a pop top safari van.

-The FZ150 was great as a safari camera, and this one is even better.

-iZOOM now gives an additional 2X magnification. If you are concerned about the potential reduction in image quality (after all there is no free lunch), you can either stay out of the iZOOM area using the ZOOM bar at the bottom of the screen or if using P mode simply turn iZOOM off. I tried a few repeat tests (handheld) shots using iZOOM and they looked great at 48X. Useful on safari for rare shots (maybe 1 in 400) where 24X just isn't enough.

-I don't use flash and it's not allowed in many galleries and museums, so it's nice that it has to be mechanically switched on, and not on by default at power on. Not much new here versus the FZ150.

Things I didn't like:

-My unit makes a slight random buzzing noise when just sitting there, not sure what that is yet. Seems to be in present in record mode only. Since it might show up on the sound track and also shorten the battery life I am going to return it and get a replacement. Update: I found that the second unit behaved the same, and since I have to crank the volume up to the max to hear it on the audio track (where I can also hear my breathing) I decided it isn't a problem. The second unit is virtually the same as the first one as far as IQ, so that's encouraging.

-There is less room between the grip and the lens barrel, so I can no longer have the lenshood

stored backwards without scrunching my fingers. I found this useful for hiding the chrome and other flashy stuff around the lens. Plan to NOT carry a lens hood now as I seldom if ever use one.

I suggest the photo review au FZ200 review for assessing performance, and comparing with other cameras i.e. G1X, FZ150, RX100, etc. I set up 2 reviews in windows next to each other, for comparing each section.

(My FZ200 equipment list is much the same as before-no tripod, no lens hood, Nikon 52mm clear filter for lens protection, Crumpler The Noose wrist strap, Rip Off's Belt Pouch, and one spare battery in pants pocket).

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The title of this review says it all. If a 25-600mm zoom with a constant f2.8 aperture was to be released by Nikon, Canon or Fuji with an excellent electronic viewfinder, terrific handling and weighing in about 27 ounces -and it sold for $1600 -it would be crowned as the Camera Of The Year and would be on allocation everywhere. Instead "reviewers" who have probably never used it for even a hundred shots are coming up with all those answers for why it can't be as good as it seems.

Unlike most of the reviewers, I've used it for demanding work over the past two weeks; and it's yielded more than 1,000 photos without more than a dozen that represented a failure of the camera to do what I told it to do. For proof, go to my website, [] and to the gallery entitled: "12-8-31 CYC Race Start Steve Frankel's Shots". It contains 189 photos I took last week from the committee boat at the start of the Wednesday Night Races sponsored by the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, CA. Some shots are wide-angle but more were done at 200-600mm and most are razor-sharp. This is despite all being shot from a rolling deck of a 38' boat and all being handheld. To give you a reference for the quality, the gallery entitled "12-8-31 CYC Race Start Glenn Daley's Shots"were taken by a friend alongside me in the cockpit who was shooting with a Nikon D5100 with an 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 lens. Since the photos were taken at the same time and with the same light, you can see that the Lumix doesn't give anything away to the Nikon on the shots which were taken at about the same focal lengths. Of course, the really close telephoto shots that were taken by the Lumix could not be matched by the Nikon.

Interestingly the third galley of yacht racing photos (2012 Yacht Race Photos) were taken about 2 months ago on a really rough evening, and these were all taken by my Olympus OM-D with the splash proof 12-50mm lens. At twice the price of the Lumix, one would expect that the shots taken at similar focal lengths would have been sharper with the OM-D; but that was really not the case even when I blew up the best shots taken by each of the cameras up to 13"x19" enlargements.

The only thing the Lumix doesn't have going for it are its size and a really wide aperture of indoor shooting. I'm using my third camera, a Sony RX100, to fill this void. Come to think of it, a FZ200 and a RX100 make an almost ideal combination and yet it costs less than the OM-D with the 12-50 zoom. It's only when you equip the OM-D with 3 fixed focal length lenses ( I use the 14mm f2.5, the 25mm f1.4, and the 75mm f1.8 along with the 12-50mm zoom) ) that you can do even better than the FZ200/RX100 combo, but at that point you're comparing the $1250 combo to one which costs about $3000.

In short, if you have want to have a cameral that will be close to ideal about 80% of the time, you can't go wrong with the Lumix. Don't be taken in by the criticism of the small sensor size. I don't know how Panasonic did it, but the photos at my website don't lie: This camera has a terrific lens and body; if I were not afraid of accused of being sexist, I would say it's close to being a perfect "10"!