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

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.

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.

This camera seems to be quite misunderstood. I have read review after review, and most complaints deal with the "noise" of the camera. There is in fact an issue with noise if you plan on shooting above ISO 400. But thinking about this, anything above ISO 400 would prduce some noise in most cameras. Even my digital SLR has noise when I go above ISO 400. If you plan on shooting outdoors, this camera has done well. Indoor shots using the flash are great. No red eye. ISO ratings came about from film cameras. They set the speed of the film. Even in a film camera, as you increase the ISO, you increase the grain of the film. I do not see a big problem with noise at 100 and 200. And for me, I do most shots outside, so it is fine. I think sometimes people are looking for a "Perfect" digital camera, and as far as I know - there is not one. But for the money, I would take on my Canon EOS 30D any day with this camera, and I would be pleased. This camera has wonderful features, a very crisp lens, and an excellent zoom range. When you set the camera to use 3Megs, the zoom range is incredible ! - I get better distant shots with this camera, than I do with my Canon 30D and a 300m lens. If you are looking for a compact digital camera that will offer you great shots, this is well worth the money. I have owned 3 Digital SLR's that cost in the $[...], and I still choose this camera. I have some test shots up on my web site if you wish to take a look. You will be amazed. (You can also post your test shots there as well). I would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for a reliable camera that will give great photos - both for the experienced user and the novice. Very well built, solid feel, and many features. Just an added note. I have owned this camera for two months now, taken over 2000 shots with it, and it has NEVER let me down. I would buy it again if I needed two cameras!!! [...] Enjoy

I have had my FZ50 for about 6 months now and I really like the camera, but I feel they could do more. I've taken the camera on two trips to Africa and a few other trips and have gotten some good shots. On one of the trips I was with someone who had a Canon digital SLR and comparing shots about half of his were better than the ones I could get with the FZ50 and the other half you could not tell the difference. This was in the same light, situation, and we were both using auto white balance, exposure, etc. I know the FZ50 is not an SLR and probably if I had not had the other shots to compare, I probably would not have known any better. I learned to just take a few more pictures and delete the ones I didn't like later. The FZ50 replaced a Konica Minolta Z3 and there are some things I like better about both. The Panasonic has some neat features like a higher megapixel count, being able to get higher equivalent zoom rates by going down in megapixels (its using a smaller portion of the sensor and in effect cropping), the rotating and tilt screen, and the manual twist zoom. The biggest feature I missed from the Minolta was the progressive and high speed capture modes which were really useful trying to take wildlife or action shots. I really like the feel and usability of the FZ50. I particularly love the manual, twist zoom. It allows you some very fine control over the zoom versus a motorized zoom. The controls are very intuitive and easy to use. The rotating dials in the front and back of the camera are a great idea and very easy to use. They can be used to control different things depending on mode and selections you make in the menu. Another great feature is the program shift, where you can "shift" the aperture up or down from its automatic setting to be able have some control over depth of field. A few times the auto focus seemed to have some problems focusing on the right thing and it was easy to use manual focus. I found times when I was having trouble, the person with the SLR was having to manually focus too. The quality of the pictures from a lens standpoint were great with no noticeable distortion in the entire zoom range. the batteries have pretty good life, but if you are planning to do a lot of shooting I would recommend a second battery. The Lenmar one Amazon sells is as good as the Panasonic one that comes with the camera. As some of the others mentioned I would also get a fast memory card. As for the things I wish were better with the camera there aren't too many. I wish there was some way to turn the noise reduction off. In the pictures that I didn't feel were as good as the SLR, it was usually because some of the details were lost. I did a little research and found that it may be due to the noise reduction. It took a while and I found the noise reduction selection buried in the menu (its in the Pict Adjust section) and switched it from standard to low. This seemed to help a little, but didn't totally solve the problem. I wish I could turn the noise reduction totally off and see how the pictures looked then. I really wish the burst mode was faster too or the camera had a high frame rate capture like my Konica Minolta had. I think this is a good camera for what it is and in spite of its limitations I like being able to only take one piece of equipment rather than having to lug lenses, separate flash, etc.

Being able to spend many hours on the internet, I did an extensive research to find this camera. Three month of comparing made me buying this camera. It fulfilled its promises and could not be any better. My objective was to have a product which is capable to provide 100% sharpness and top quality pictures under all circumstances - I got it! I purchased the camera about one month ago, and used for high sensitive application in a clinic, but also privat for the family. No complaints. Great pictures. I was hesitating to purchase the FZ50 because of some evaluations regarding "noise" and "white" problems. I was not able to confirm these reports. These matters are really so minor that you have a hard time to find even these problems. The camera worked for me in a superior manner regardles of siruations and light conditions. I tried several other products of equal rank and the FZ50 outperformed every other camera even in higher price range. The handling and simplicity is amazing. I started in the automatic range and then studied my way through the about 140 page instruction manual, implementing the offered technology step by step. I now developed trust in this camera and learned to use all features. Perfect construction - solid and very handy. I guess the bit larger size is just one advantage for speedy and easy handling. Already after a very short time the handling becomes automatically without searching for the bottons because everything is set up great and the handling becomes natural. The only thing I was able to improve is the picture quality when using the flash. I added an additional flash which gives me a bit of a warmer tone compared to the build in flash. Great camera which comes to unbelievable great price, outperforming fashionable brands like Canon and others... The lens going practically to a zoom is the best and enables to go away from costly additional lenses. I am happy and certainly would buy the FZ50 anytime again.

I was contemplating a DSLR but didn't really want to lay out $1500+ and carry around an extra lens for telefoto. I've been shooting with an SLR for 35 years, even used to have my own dark room so I expect quality in my photos. I need the camera for travel (landscapes and animals) and for shooting my art work for jury entries and publication. The latter need to be high quality. My first digital was an Olympus UZ 730, great camera with 38-380 mm, very lightweight, nice photos except that it was only 3MP. It is very hard to find anything above 8MP with a long zoom. I read the reviews about this Panasonic and I know I made the right choice. I've only had it since November but I already have taken it on a camping/hiking excursion and re-shot some of my artwork. The best was on Jan 2 when the first full moon of 2007 rose over the very reddish Sandia mountains here in Albuquerque. I ran out in the snow and zoomed my lens out to its furthest. The shot is gorgeous! I wasn't so sure about the ability to keep steady but the IS gave me a crystal clear shot. That really convinced me. The menus and dials are very easy to navigate. I like that the zoom is manual and not motorized as was my Olympus. You get more control over it. The battery isn't being used either. I still prefer to use the view finder but the LCD is very nice and large and the ability to swivel is great. I have a friend who spent close to $5000 on one of the NIkons and its so cumbersome she doesn't want to carry it around. I admit, the Panasonic is heavier than I would ideally like but there's no way to get that much zoom and MP in a smaller body. I generally like to manually adjust my settings but I tried the "snow" setting last week after we had the record breaking 2 feet of snow and the color and light were just right and it was still early in the morning. I highly recommend this camera to anyone who wants more than point and shoot but why spend thousands on a DSLR when this one does it just as well. With my Olympus 3MP camera, I was able to enlarge the high res shots to 11 X 14 so with this Panasonic, I'll feel very comfortable enlarging even more and submitting for publishing. Also, I almost got conned into buying from a "cheap" web site but it's classic bait & switch. The low price they quote doesn't include a battery and charger and they want $150 for those. So glad I bought from Amazon. Got a good price on a second battery too.

I sold one digital camera and returned another before finally buying this one -it was definatly worth the extra money. So far I've been able to find very few things I would change about it... one thing is that the warm/cool color options on the P/SP/AP setting aren't great (warm is too orange and sunset-y, cool is a little too blue) and the second thing is that to me, the lens cap sits just a little too close to the lens, which can mean scratches on the lens if the cap is put on too quickly or a little carelessly. (I guess if you're careful this shouldn't be a problem.) However, the color in the Scene settings is great and natural, and I wouldn't hesitate to highly recommend this camera. The pictures are SHARP and high quality, even when printed letter size. I feel like they would be great much bigger, poster size....but who can afford it?!? The automatic ISO setting works well. I hate using a flash because it can destroy the shadows, but the ISO allows me to get an accurate shot even in dim lighting, and without a noticeable loss in picture quality. The Scene settings are great and take away a lot of the guess work of trying to figure out details ("If I set a faster shutter speed how do I need to compensate for light?") I love the Scenery setting that keeps even distant photos sharp out to the very edges. And the 9-point focus that allows you to focus on several subjects instead of one center figure (think, a group portrait.) And the jitter-cutter-downer (sorry, I know that there IS a technical way of saying that) really cuts down on hand shake. The camera has a very fast start up time which makes things like taking pictures from a moving car much easier(don't worry, I'm not the driver). I see something I want to take, turn it on, and by the time I raise it to my eye it's ready to go. Another thing-don't let the batteries turn you off to this camera. They last a long time, charge relatively quickly-and they're not as expensive as you think. If you Google the exact name of the battery you need, you can find generic brands that work just as well, are designed specifically for this camera, and are really, really cheap. One more thing before I go-not only does this camera take great photos, it also cleans up in the looks/feel department. It's not a toy-sized point and shoot that fits great into a purse or pocket, so if that's a consideration for you you may want to look at something else, but it fits well in my hand, has a sturdy grip, and the right weight, unlike a smaller camera. It feels more "professional" too-I mean, how cool are zoom/focus rings on the barrel as opposed to a little ring around the shutter button? (By the way, the zoom is great. I don't shoot higher than 12x most of the time, but it can go up to 48x which, if nothing else, sounds impressive. Another feature I like that's not actually necessary but a perk anyway is the "Flip Animation" mode. This allows you to move an object-take a picture-move the object-take a picture...and then string them together so it looks like its moving independently. That can get old pretty quickly :) but if you have kids you trust to use this camera, I expect they're going to have a good time with it.... If you buy this camera, order it through Amazon. You can get it a little cheaper elsewhere, but the hassle isn't worth it. I tried to order through another site, and ended up talking to a sales rep four or five times and fending off sales pitches...and then the camera went out of stock! I ended up buying it from Amazon, and I can tell you from experience that they have the best service all around. Also, if you have other photo-editing software, KEEP IT until you check out the packaged stuff. It's ok, but not great, and I was much more impressed with the program that came with my Canon S2. Finally, things you need for this camera: -At least one spare battery (I have two) -A memory card with at least 1GB of space (my 1GB card holds about 120 pictures taken at 10MPs, but more with less pixels.)The packaged card holds around 2. Total. -A lens cleaner set (these run around [...]) -A camera bag. NOT, repeat NOT one that all but says "Camera Bag Steal Me" on the side. (So not the specific Lumix bag, which is tiny anyway). The Lowepro bags look pretty good to me, and big enough to accomodate supplies. And it's not too flashy, which is a big plus.

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 🥇

Il prodotto e perfettamente funzionante e soddisfa tutte le aspettative, una piccola pecca che ho ricevuto una batteria che non soddisfa la durata. Ho subito contattato il venditore e subito si sono messi a disposizione. Li ringrazio moltissimo! Il mio voto e super positivo 🙂

Super, alles wie vom Verkäufer beschrieben. Vielen Dank 😊

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 .

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.