Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50

usability, portability, lens, performance, image quality

stabilizer

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

performance, usability, image quality, portability, zoom

91% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Excellent feature set. Zoom and focus ring. Includes a hot shoe. Has optical image stabilization. Supports RAW format.

Big. Pricey. Smallish LCD. Needs better burst mode. No TIFF format support.

An excellent camera for those who want D-SLR-like quality and performance. It can also shoot video in both standard and 16:9 format at 30 fps.

Excellent resolution and corner-to-corner detail at lower ISO settings Vivid but realistic color Superb 12x optical zoom Effective image stabilization Excellent handling and SLR-like control Comprehensive range of controls and features New Function...

Extra 2 million pixels offer little visible advantage Noise reduction produces visible artefacts and loss of low contrast detail even at low ISO (and noise if you don't use NR) if viewed at 100% (actual pixels) ISO 400 and above very soft and smeary...

The FZ50 answers several of the minor quibbles we had with the FZ30 (better access to ISO and WB, proper raw conversion software in the box, more flexible screen positioning) and adds some useful new features (TTL hot shoe, custom modes, function...

The Panasonic Lumix FZ50 camera is already Panasonic's fourth FZ10-series Megazoom camera, the FZ40 never existed. It has to be said the step from FZ20 to the FZ30 was quite a leap indeed. The step to the Lumix FZ50 isn't quite as large, yet every bit...

Generous, 12x optical zoom lens, Very quiet, easy-to-adjust manual zoom ring, Effective fly-by-wire manual focus ring, Excellent MEGA O.I.S. feature steadies long-range and low-light shots, Serious, hefty design suggests professional digital SLR,...

Heavy chroma noise when shooting above ISO 400, Shots at ISO 400 look okay, but distinctly soft printed at 8x10 ; shots at ISO 800 are only good for 4x6 prints at best, Early shutter penalty jams up camera if you snap pictures too quickly, Shot-to-shot...

Panasonic's all-in-one superzoom cameras have garnered very positive reviews from critics and consumers alike over the years, and with good reason. The winning combination of the Lumix line's Leica-branded optical zoom lenses of up to 12x, and...

Wonderfully designed, SLR-style body ; 12X zoom Leica lens ; Optical image stabilization ; Robust performance in most areas ; Flip-down, rotating 2-inch LCD display; screen is visible in both dim and bright light (same with the EVF) ; Full manual...

Mushy details at ISO 200 above due to over-zealous noise reduction system ; Expensive ; Some redeye ; Focus distance not shown on LCD/EVF in manual focus mode ; Borderline useless high sensitivity mode ; No USB 2.0 High Speed support ; Tiny memory card...

Do I like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50? Yes, quite a lot. Am I disappointed that Panasonic stuffed a tiny 10 Megapixel sensor into it and then turned the noise reduction to eleven? Very much so. The FZ50 is definitely the best designed ultra zoom out...

SLR-like feel with optimal amount of external controls ; Nice 12x zoom lens with optical image stabilization ; Good battery life ; Rotating LCD with good visibility ; Powerful flash; there's a hotshoe too ; Full manual controls with an array of...

Expensive (versus entry-level digital SLRs) ; Faster shutter speeds available only at smaller apertures ; Performance reduced thanks to higher resolution; no improvements using lower settings ; Smeary details at ISO 400 and above; ISO 3200 unusable ;...

The Panasonic FZ50 is a high-end camera with a large stabilized zoom lens. It handles and feels like a digital SLR. To complement that experience, there's a powerful flash with a hotshoe, full manual controls and shooting modes, accessories, good...