Panasonic DMC-FZ50 10.1MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

In the past, I've owned or used several Panasonic Lumix models. All were good digital cameras. The FZ-50, however, is something very special. The Leica approved lens design is, as always, superbly sharp. From a butte with a 50+ mile view, landscapes of wheat fields were crisp and highly detailed and the 10 megapixel images withstood enlargement well. Color fidelity is also excellent though a bit on the muted side: easy enough to quickly correct in any image editing program. The new optical image stabilization (OIS) algorithm which compensates for both hand shaking and subject movement is absolutely brilliant and works incredibly well. The ability to shoot at ISO values up to 1,600 goes hand in hand with the new OIS abilities. No one could resist testing a handheld digital camera in a dim environment at ISO 1600. Needless to say, the images are noisy. But at ISO 1600, what would you expect? Handheld photos shot at 1/20th of a second at ISO 1600 in a dim restaurant were filled with both detail and noise. Remarkably the color balance was very well-handled: the incadescent restaurant lights were recorded faithfully along with the neon and halogen lamplight streaming in through the blinds from outside. Very, very impressive. Much of the noise could be ameliorated in Photoshop or similar programs with appropriate plug-ins. The high-speed capability is well worth the trade for noisy images. Purists may want noiseless images at ISO 1600, but it's unlikely they will ever get it. Practical photographers, on the other hand, will definitely appreciate the capability and undoubtedly will exploit it. Ergonomically, the FZ-50 is practically a work of art. All of the frequently used controls are accessible with the right hand. The enlarged hand grip is just perfect for my large hands and the shutter release is perfectly positioned, something I am not able to say about most of the digital cameras I've used. The electronic viewfinder is sharp and is boosted for low-light focusing. (There is also an AF-assist lamp.) The flip-out LCD may be positioned for high and low angle shooting or reversed for self-portraits. At about 1-1/2 pounds, the FZ-50 is a joy to carry for long periods. The menu system is very accessible and quick and easy to adjust. The few scene modes I tried worked well. Shooting pictures from a car moving at 60 miles per hour worked surprisingly well in the sports action mode. Shutter lag is remarkably slight: the Panasonic Venus III engine lives up to its billing. Response is not up to the level of a Nikon or Canon DSLR, but it is certainly faster than any other midlevel digital camera I've used. Burst rate of about one frame per second are routinely attainable. The FZ-50 will do RAW, but it is on the slow side. Either use an extremely fast SD card or avoid RAW where you need to be prepared for one exposure after another. JPEG files at full resolution (3,648 x 2,736 pixels) are quite good and will withstand, in my opinion, enlargement of about 4 - 5x. I think SD card compatibility may be an issue with 4GB cards. I tried one and the camera refused to boot. A variety of 2GB cards worked without a problem. The battery is rated for 360 shots between images. The test used by manufacturers uses one shot every 30 seconds, I believe. My experience with the battery didn't allow for more than 300 shots before the warning indicator started flashing. I don't know how many more shots I could have gotten, but I would definitely advise having a second battery for this camera. I did not try the movie mode, so I can't comment on that. Overall, the FZ-50 is more than satisfactory in every way. It is not a replacement for a Canon or Nikon DSLR, but is in many ways more satisfying to use. It is lighter than either a Canon or a Nikon; its 12x Leica approved designed lens covers 35 - to 425mm. Image quality is superb and the OIS is fantastic. I would highly recommend the FZ-50 as a travel camera or just for everyday use. Jerry

Hi, Recently i bought this camera since my Sony H2 lost it in South West Airline(Baggage guys opened and took, be careful while travelling, all peoples are same whether they are in rich or poor country) Actually i took many snaps but the clarity is not that much good compare to Sony H2, even when you enlarge FZ50 images are not clear after certain percentage, but my old images are too good. When i open Amazon Box, the Panasonic FZ50 BOX was opened, i am not sure some one did something.

Bought this FZ50 camera from Amazon last week at a good bargin price--477.00. And added some 1GB memory cards and an extra battery. All arrived intact. I've had a Panasonic FZ10 for a few years and it still works perfectly. The FZ series has moved on to the FZ20 and the FZ30--and by the time I got around to thinking of buying a new model, the FZ50 came alone. Recent price made me jump, partly for concern that the model could be discontinued for the next new thing. Having now seen some 90 (so far) digital image from a FZ50 for myself, the noise issue simply isn't there for images shot during daylight at lower ASA sensitivities (100, maybe 200). The little CCD sensor can't be expected to do well at higher ASA settings, but I was surprised at how nice all the test shots turned out. Detail in images shot at 100 ASA is simply grand. The higher telephoto shots show sharp, unimagined detail, without apparent chromatic problems (red, blue, etc. fringing around objects near edges of an image). This improvement over the FZ10, I think, is a result of the Venus III processor, rather than the lens, but all the same the images are very clean and sharp from edge to edge at wide and moderate aperature settings used so far (F3.5 to F5.6). The camera is rich with features, but the best in my opinion is the Focus/Exposure lock botton. The Focus/Exposure lock has three settings in the menu: 1) Focus lock 2) Exposure lock 3) Both focus and exposure lock together Since the auto focus and the manual focus work so well, I selected exposure lock. Because the view finder is a digital image that reflects the exposure one is about to make (with shutter half-compressed), the ability to detect whether the image might be over or under-exposed makes the exposure lock very useful. One only has to find a slightly dimmer or brighter image on which to lock exposure and return to the desired image with a modified exposure setting very quickly. The locked exposure is released when you press the button again. Wonderful feature. This is not the camera to get if you want to reproduce large, smooth prints, though smaller prints up to 11x14 inches ought to look pretty nice. Instead, this camera is a unique, all-in-one-piece, wide to telephoto tool able to capture subjects near and far in wonderful detail. Being an illustrator, this camera is perfect for capturing the nut and bolt resources for future work--be it rabbits, birds, people, landscapes, etc. The Image Stabilization (set in menu to work only when pressing shutter) works very well and greatly helps the very good lens get the best shot--my opinion, anyway, after seeing the first test results. I could clearly read our town's name on a water tower some 3 miles away and was able to take some surprisingly sharp hand-held photos of the moon at full telephoto. Bought this FZ50 for my wife--another one of those Homer bowling ball gift purchases.

Ich habe die Kamera seit längerem im Einsatz und sie funktioniert einwandfrei . Da ich nicht tausende Bilder mache sondern nur bei meinen Besichtigungen, bin ich genau damit zufrieden auch brauche ich viele Extras nicht . Die Kamera bietet mehr als ich brauche und hat eine gute Auflösung der Blitz funktioniert einwandfrei. War ein guter Kauf der meine Bedürfnisse voll abdeckt zu einem guten Preis 🥇

What a great camera. It has been superseded now , but when I left my previous one out in the rain and ruined it, I immediately replaced it with the same model. The results, definition etc is fantastic. Only complaint is that it is so well made that it is a bit heavy. But still lighter than carrying a load of lenses around .

Super, alles wie vom Verkäufer beschrieben. Vielen Dank 😊

Gesucht habe ich - wie viele, denen die Möglichkeiten kompakter Digitalkameras zu gering werden - ursprünglich nach einer Spiegelreflex. "Bridgekameras" kannte ich gar nicht. Nach längerem Durchforsten von Foren, Tests und natürlich den Amazon-Rezensionen;-) habe ich mich für eine Bridge und für die FZ50 entschieden, weil... ... ich unheimlich viele Möglichkeiten der Bildgestaltung mit nur 1 Gerät habe, ... ich glaube, dass die diskutierten "Probleme" mit der Bildqualität den allermeisten Nutzern (Einsteiger oder engagierte Hobbyfotografen) gar nicht auffallen, ... ich wählen kann, ob ich schnell per Automatik knipsen oder eigene Einstellungen ausprobieren will, ... ich bei letzterem noch an richtigen Drehringen einstellen kann und nicht an Zoomwippen fummeln muss, ... Zoom, schwenkbares Display und Sucher völlig ausreichend sind. Kurz gesagt: Das Teil ist klasse verarbeitet, gut ausgestattet und leicht zu bedienen (Griffe, Schalter, aber auch logisch strukturiertes Menü). Ich empfehle es guten Gewissens weiter - gerade auch weil ich all die negativen Eindrücke, die ich hier in den Rezensionen las, nicht bestätigen kann. Ich habe aber auch keine Profiansprüche:-) Gruß, Uli PS: Auch Freunde mit Spiegelreflex sind angetan von der FZ50 (sind aber auch keine "nur ne DSLR ist ne richtige Kamera"-Typen). PPS: Wie immer super Service von Amazon.

The camera I had ordered arrived today. It appears to be everything I expected. The service was speedy and excellent.