To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £440
inc VAT

Builds on the superb FZ150 with a groundbreaking lens design – expensive but worth it

Specifications

1/2.3in 12.0-megapixel sensor, 24.0x zoom (25-600mm equivalent), 588g

http://www.jessops.com
[/vc_column_text]

The FZ150’s photo quality was impressive but couldn’t quite match the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. This time around, the updated models’ sensor specifications remain the same, but whereas Canon has super-sized the zoom range, Panasonic has gone for the constant f/2.8 aperture.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 sample shot
The Panasonic has a brighter lens and the Canon has a superior sensor – in practice there’s not much to separate their low-light image quality – click to enlarge

Testing the two side by side, we expected to see wildly different results from these two very different lenses, but the reality was that their various strengths and weaknesses mostly cancelled each other out. While the Canon exhibited lower noise for a given ISO speed, the Panasonic’s brighter lens meant it could use lower ISO speeds to compensate. Both cameras shot at ISO 100 in bright light, though, whereupon the Canon’s JPEGs looked cleaner. Shooting in raw mode improved the Panasonic’s output.

The Panasonic had the edge for focus and resolved sharper details in dense textures, although focus suffered a little when the aperture was wide open. It sensibly picked an f/4 aperture on automatic settings when there was sufficient light for it. The Canon’s colossal 1200mm maximum focal length nudged it into the lead for telephoto details. These shots were far from pixel-sharp, though, and there weren’t many occasions that the Panasonic’s 600mm focal length was insufficient. We also found that the Panasonic’s Auto mode gave more reliable exposures and white balance.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 sample shot
Focus is impressively sharp into the corners but details in JPEGs look a little scrappy – raw gives better results – click to enlarge

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 sample shot
The 24x zoom is smaller than other ultra-zoom cameras but it’s still pretty enormous – click to enlarge

It’s hard to pick a clear winner for image quality, but in most other respects the FZ200 has the upper hand over the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. It was faster throughout our tests, and often significantly so. Battery life is longer, and its viewfinder is much sharper. Both cameras capture attractive videos but the Panasonic’s video mode is much better specified. They’re both superb cameras, but the Panasonic comes out on top.

Pages: 1 2

Basic Specifications

Rating*****
CCD effective megapixels12.0 megapixels
CCD size1/2.3in
Viewfinderelectronic (1,312,000 pixels)
Viewfinder magnification, coverageN/A
LCD screen size3.0in
LCD screen resolution460,000 pixels
Articulated screenYes
Live viewYes
Optical zoom24.0x
Zoom 35mm equivalent25-600mm
Image stabilisationoptical, lens based
Maximum image resolution4,000×3,000
File formatsJPEG, RAW; AVCHD, MPEG-4

Physical

Memory slotSDXC
Mermory supplied70MB internal
Battery typeLi-ion
Battery Life (tested)540 shots
ConnectivityUSB, AV, mini HDMI, 2.5mm mic input, wired remote
Body materialplastic
Lens mountN/A
Focal length multiplierN/A
Kit lens model nameN/A
AccessoriesUSB cable, neck strap
Weight588g
Size87x123x117mm

Buying Information

Warrantyone year RTB
Price£440
Supplierhttp://www.jessops.com
Detailswww.panasonic.co.uk

Camera Controls

Exposure modesprogram, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual
Shutter speed60 to 1/4,000 seconds
Aperture rangef/2.8-8 throughout zoom range
ISO range (at full resolution)100 to 6400
Exposure compensation+/-3 EV
White balanceauto, 5 presets with fine tuning, manual, Kelvin
Additional image controlscontrast, saturation, sharpness, noise reduction
Manual focusYes
Closest macro focus1cm
Auto-focus modesmulti, flexible spot, face detect, tracking
Metering modesmulti, centre-weighted, centre, face detect
Flashauto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, rear curtain, red-eye reduction
Drive modessingle, continuous, self-timer, AE bracket, HDR, panorama

Read more

Reviews