The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 has managed
to snag a top position in the prosumer category.
This category attempts to close the gap between
the DSLRs and the "bridge" prosumer
digital cameras, and the Panasonic FZ50 comes
closer in doing so than many of its competitors.
(While reviewing the FZ50, I also had the Nikon
D200 to compare it against.)
The design of the camera is straightforward and
it is easy to learn all its DSLR-like functions
rather quickly. I believe it looks much better
in all black than in silver. The camera has a
deep handgrip and it is possible to hold and shoot
with it with only one hand. A wonderful feature
of the LEICA lens on the FZ50 is that all the
movements are internal so there is no lens extension.
It features 10.2MP resolution, an amazing 35-420mm
(35mm equivalent) 12x optical image stabilized
zoom, a large 2.0-in flip-out LCD and fast performance.
It is most comfortably carried slung over a shoulder
or around the neck. It uses the Secure Digital
(SD) memory card, which has become the de facto
standard for compact digital cameras (even some
DSLRs use it now).
Startup time is about 2 sec., shot to shot times
about 1.25 sec., and there is no practical shutter
lag. Autofocus is fast and precise.
STYLE
-
Colours: silver or black
-
Looks: the black body looks much more
professional
FEEL
-
Good handgrip; shutter release button
is nicely angled forward
-
Controls are well positioned and spaced,
and intuitive to use
DIMENSIONS &
WEIGHT
-
Carry using shoulder/neck strap
-
Dimensions: 140.75 x 85.5 x 142 mm
(5.54 x 3.37 x 5.59 in.) (Not including
protruding parts)
-
Weight: 668 g. (1.47 lb) (Body),
734 g (1.62 lb) (with Battery and SD
Memory Card)
Startup with no lens extension and
LCD turning on in about 1 sec.
-
Shot to shot time approx. 1.25 sec.
-
No practical shutter lag
Included in the box is a rechargeable Li-ion
battery that can take about 320 shots with LCD
on (CIPA standard) on a fresh charge and a Battery
Charger DE-993B that will recharge a new battery
in approx. 120 min. The Battery Charger is of
the type that plugs directly into a wall electrical
socket.
Controls
The top of the camera has, from front to back,
the Shutter Release Button, the Optical Image
Stabilizer button, the Burst Mode button, Power
ON/OFF switch, and the Mode Dial with usual PASM
modes, plus Custom mode, Movie, SCN (Scene Mode),
AUTO, and Playback.
Press and hold the Image Stabilizer button down
to bring up the 3 possible options: set it to
OFF when putting the camera on a tripod; MODE1,
if you want to see the effect of image stabilization
at all times; MODE2, for the most effective stabilization,
which takes place just before the image is taken.
Burst Mode allows you to take up to 3 or 5 images
(depending on Quality selected) at 2fps in High
Speed mode and 1fps in Low Speed, an and unlimited
number of images (depending on the space available
on your memory card) at approx. 1fps in Unlimited
mode.
The Mode Dial rotates easily using your thumb
and index finger. It clicks positively in place
and I've not had any problem where the setting
on the Mode Dial is inadvertently changed. It
is also possible to rotate the Mode Dial with
your thumb only but the dial is positioned just
a little too far from the back edge to do so comfortably.
Not too apparent on the picture above are also
two additional controls: two (2) jog dials just
like on many DSLRs. Panasonic (unoriginally) calls
them the Front Dial and the Rear Dial and you
can guess from their names where they are located
(The Front Dial at the front of the camera under
the Shutter Release Button and the Rear Dial where
your thumb naturally rests on the back of the
camera).
Just like on a DSLR, the Front Dial is rotated
using your index finger and allows you to change
the aperture in Aperture-Priority and Manual modes.
The Rear Dial is rotated using your thumb and
allows you to change the shutter speed in Shutter-Priority
and Manual modes. In Program AE mode, the Rear
Dial also allows Program Shift, shifting the shutter
speed/aperture combination without changing the
exposure.
Now, if you set Direct Exposure Compensation
ON in the Menu [Menu - DIREC.EX.COMP. - Front
or Rear Dial], the functionality of the Front
and Rear Dials are changed depending on which
dial you choose to set exposure compensation.
It can get confusing. If you like the idea of
changing exposure compensation directly without
having to first press the Exp. Comp. button [UP
ARROW], then set DIREC.EX.COMP. to ON and select
either the Front or Rear Dial. From then on, you
only have to remember that dial sets exposure
compensation and, therefore, the other dial sets
aperture/shutter speed/program shift.
You zoom manually using the smooth Zoom Ring
around the lens. The lens barrel has [35mm equivalent]
focal length markings from 35mm to 420mm. The
ring behind the Zoom Ring is the [fly-by-wire]
Manual Focus Ring.
The pop-up flash is manually opened and will
not automatically pop up when needed. Advanced
photographers will welcome this implementation;
beginners must remember to lift up the flash if
they want to use it.
When in Manual Focus, there are two Manual Focus
Assist modes (SETUP - MF ASSIST): MF 1 will enlarge
the central portion of the screen and MF 2 will
enlarge the whole screen. The enlarged portion
provides a very clear view of what you are focusing
on. You can press the MF FOCUS Button on the lens
barrel to do a quick focus using AF, then rotate
the Manual Focus Ring around the lens barrel for
precise focusing.
You can record movies with sound (until the memory
card is full -- when using a super high-speed
SD memory card) at either 848 x 480 or 640 x 480
or 320x240 pixels at 30fps or 10fps. You can manually
zoom during movie mode recording. Sound is always
recorded. You cannot use MultiMediaCard (MMC).
Video Storage Capacity
2GB
16:9
848x480
30fps
19m 32s
10fps
58m 10s
4:3 VGA
640x480
30fps
22m 47s
10fps
1h 07m 43s
4:3 QVGA
320x240
30fps
1h 07m 42s
10fps
3h 16m 45s
As you can see, even on a 2GB SD card, you can
record only about 22m 47s at 4:3 VGA 30fps. We
recommend using a 2GB or 4GB high-speed (at least
10MB/s) SD memory card.
FUNCTIONS ACCESSIBLE
BY CONTROL BUTTONS (anticlockwise starting
from the Focus/AE Lock button)
-
The FOCUS /AE LOCK button can be customized
in Menu to either lock Focus only, lock
AE only or lock both Focus and AE when
it is pressed.
-
EVF/LCD button toggles between the
EVF and LCD monitor.
-
DISPLAY button. Press repeatedly to
cycle thru Normal, Histogram, Out-of-Frame
display, Recording Guide Line (Framing
Guide), No info display. Press and hold
for more than 1 sec. for Power LCD,
which brightens the display for better
viewing in bright outdoors condition.
-
FUNCTION button provides a shortcut
for setting the following 6 items:
AF mode, Metering mode, WB, ISO, Picture
Size, and Quality (incl. RAW).
-
DELETE button. I've always loved
the way the Delete function is implemented
on Panasonic digital cameras. Press
once to delete image displayed; press
twice to invoke Multi Delete/All Delete.
No need to access the Menu.
-
CURSOR buttons. UP ARROW (Exposure
Compensation, Auto Bracket, Flash
Output Adjustment/Backlight Compensation),
RIGHT ARROW (Flash), DOWN ARROW (REView),
LEFT ARROW(Self-timer 10s, 2s).
Though Playback is on the Mode Dial,
the REView button [DOWN Arrow] is
more convenient to use. It allows
you to review all your captured images
and even allows Multi Delete/All Delete.
When in REView, a touch of the Shutter
Button takes you quickly back to shooting
mode.
Note: To play back your movies, you
must rotate the Mode Dial to
Playback.
MENU SET button in the middle calls
up the Menu; use CURSOR buttons to
navigate the Menu screens; press MENU
SET again to accepts a screen choice.
-
Viewfinder Diopter Adjustment Dial
on the left side of the EVF. The EVF
itself juts out so it's easier to view
without squashing your nose against
the LCD. The Diopter Adjustment Dial
works quite well.
EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
-
Exposure compensation is accessed
with the UP ARROW (or can be set to
be directly accessible on either the
Front or Rear Dial)
-
Once set, the Exposure Compensation
Indicator conveniently stays displayed
on screen until it is reset to "0"
-
Range: -2 EV to +2 EV (13 steps in
1/3 EV increments)
-
The screen brightness will increase
or decrease to reflect the value you
use
-
Note: the exposure compensation value
selected is retained even when the camera
is turned off. The problem is that when
you turn it back on, exposure compensation
is still set but does not display until
you touch the Shutter Button to take
a picture. It's easy not to notice it's
on, so remember to reset to "0"
after using it or the next time you
turn the camera on, your shots may be
over- or under-exposed.
-
Press UP ARROW repeatedly to cycle
thru the other available options: Auto
Bracket, Flash Output Adjustment
SHUTTER SPEED RANGES
-
P: 1 - 1/2,000 sec.
A, S: 8 - 1/2,000 sec.
M: 60 - 1/2000 sec.
Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30, 60 sec.
LCD & Menus
There is an electronic viewfinder (EVF: 235,000
pixels) as well as a large 2.0 in. flip-out LCD
monitor with a high 207,000 pixels resolution.
The LCD has a fast enough refresh rate for a smooth
display. The LCD monitor's brightness can be adjusted
in MENU/SETUP. Press the DISP button for more
than 1 sec. and the Power LCD function kicks in
and sets the LCD a notch brighter. The LCD gains
up only slightly in low-light. Flip it out and
rotate it for comfortable viewing above your head
or at low angles.
There is a very effective AF-assist Illuminator
and I've found auto focusing to be quite fast
and precise even in low-light situations. Where
the light level is way too low and/or the subject
not contrasty enough, the MF has worked wonderfully.
The menu structure is very easy to understand
and use, and one of the best I've seen. Where
necessary, the menu becomes transparent to allow
you to see the effect of your choices (e.g. for
WB and Color Effect). There are 5 RECord and 5
SETUP pages worth of menu settings.
REC 1 of 5
- White Balance
- WB Adjust
- ISO Sensitivity
- Aspect Ratio
- Picture Size
REC 2 of 5
- Image Quality
- Audio Recording
- Metering Mode
- AF Mode
- Continuous AF
REC 3 of 5
- AF Assist Lamp
- Focus/AE Lock
- Direcect Exp. Compensation
- Digital Zoom
- Color Effect
Top to Bottom, Left to Right:
- P=Program AE, Flash OFF, WB 2, 10M Image
Size, Fine Image Quality, Battery Level
Indicator
- Image Stabilizer MODE 1, Macro ON, High
Speed Burst, Space left for 399 images
- Histogram
- Multiple Pattern metering mode
- +2/3 EV exposure compensation dialed in,
Program Shift activated, F3.6 Aperture,
1/2 sec. Shutter Speed
APERTURE-PRIORITY
Top to Bottom, Left to Right:
- A=Aperture-Priority, Flash OFF, WB 2,
ISO 100, 10M Image Size, Fine Image Quality,
Battery Level Indicator
- Image Stabilizer MODE 1, Macro ON, High
Speed Burst, Space left for 399 images
- Histogram
- Multiple Pattern metering mode
- +2/3 EV exposure compensation dialed in,
F5.0 Aperture
SHUTTER-PRIORITY
Top to Bottom, Left to Right:
- S=Shutter-Priority, Flash OFF, WB 2, ISO
100, 10M Image Size, Fine Image Quality,
Battery Level Indicator
- Image Stabilizer MODE 1, Macro ON, High
Speed Burst, Space left for 399 images
- Histogram
- Multiple Pattern metering mode
- +2/3 EV exposure compensation dialed in,
1/1.6 sec. Shutter Speed
MANUAL
Top to Bottom, Left to Right:
- M=Manual, Flash OFF, WB 2, ISO 100, 10M
Image Size, Fine Image Quality, Battery
Level Indicator
- Image Stabilizer MODE 1, Macro ON, High
Speed Burst, Space left for 399 images
- Histogram
- Multiple Pattern metering mode, Manual
Exposure Assistance
- F5.0 Aperture, , 1/1.6 sec. Shutter Speed
Note: Some of the screens may
have been "blackened" to permit a clearer
view of the settings.
A couple of other nice features: the hinged plastic
Terminal door opens up wide to allow unimpeded
access (don't you hate fighting with a rubber
flap?) to the AV OUT/DIGITAL (USB) socket and
DC IN socket. There is a very nice Battery/Card
door and the battery has a latch to keep it from
accidentally falling. You are able to change battery
when the camera is on a tripod. Last, but not
least, the tripod socket is metal and inline with
the lens.
There's not much to fault in how the Panasonic
Lumix DMC-FZ50 handles and feels. It has fast
operations, a well-designed menu, excellent handling
and the SLR-like controls make the camera intuitive
to use. It is a well-crafted digital camera and
enjoyable to use.
