DeBilbao
Active member
My brand new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 is at home. My first impressions are very, very good and I would like to share them with you, they could be useful to someone in the same crossroad as I’ve already been.
Maybe you’ve read about me going for a D80 + 18/200 VR, a very attractive set with a high price tag – more than 1700 € here – and a great availability problem that at least has let me rethink the situation and going for the evolution of my beloved FZ20.
I know many of the comments about the FZ50 apply to the FZ30 too because it’s an update of it, but since I’ve been using a FZ20 for almost two years this should be more a comparison between the FZ20 and the FZ50.
I’ve bought it on-line for about 500 € (200 € less than the MSRP here in Spain) and I’ve paired it with 2 SD cards. I’ve chosen the 2GB Transcend 150x that for about 50 € each, are reasonably priced. Definitely, RAW shooting and 10 Mpx are space demanding specs, so my old 1 GB cards are capable, but not convenient. Consider this if you upgrade.
A camera could seem very attractive to your eyes, but you don’t really judge it until you hold it and you feel it. It’s inevitable; you’re going to have a first opinion in this moment. The FZ50 is more camera than the FZ20, a bit larger, it really weighs more even though the final weight is acceptable, and you can hold it nicely due to the new grip material for the thumb in the back and the generous and deep grip for your fingers. If you have large hands – like me – you’re going to miss a bit more space in the bottom, because your little finger doesn’t have a place, the grip is not as large as your hand.
I need to make a special mention to the great zoom and focus ring in the lens barrel. This is what really makes the FZ50 completely different shooting experience compared to the FZ20, with a much more reflex-like handling. The manual focus is now usable and the feeling is just precise. If you join this with the two dials in the front and the back of the camera for changing values, and a very useful function button that will let you make ultra fast change of ISO, WB and resolution settings, you get a camera that you can use without keeping your eye off the viewfinder.
The viewfinder is really a huge improvement from the FZ20 and one of the main points in my wish list. The greater resolution makes it very detailed and although we’re not at an optical viewfinder, it’s really usable. It’s also located in a better place and the rubber surrounding it is bigger and thus it’s more comfortable. The only drawback is that being electronic the colors you get in the mini-TFT-screen are not the actual ones, it seems brighter, more contrasted and also more saturated.
But the fact that you can use it anytime with the grid lines activated, so you compose better not forgetting the thirds rule, and at the same time having a live histogram so you don’t burn the highlights make it priceless and a joy to use.
Now the camera turns on quickly and I don’t feel I’m going to miss a shot because of this. Also, because of the zoom ring being in the lens barrel and not having a motor it’s much faster in total time, from when you see the shot, you start up the camera, you zoom in or out, you get it focused and you shoot. I’m more concerned about the fact that the camera strap is now shorter – though wider and more comfortable – and I need some practice to get my arm out of the trap, because I usually wear it crossing my chest.
Talking about focus, now it focuses much faster. There’s a new position for Macro AF that reduces the minimum focal length and I’ve read that you can keep it always on, because there’s only a slight delay compared to normal AF. I need to test it.
I’m not going to talk about the lens. It’s really “the heart” of this camera. Having a stabilized Leica lens with an incredible 35-420 mm focal range, with a luminous f:2.8-f:3.7 aperture that also doesn’t extends when you zoom in is the main reason of remaining in the FZ series. This lens is also really sharp and very detailed. The only drawback is that I find difficult to get nicely blurred backgrounds and not being wider, but I think I can live with this.
The LCD screen is great. Normally I leave it closed, but yesterday I’ve had a situation of shooting some flowers that were located very high. I raised my arms and flipped the screen in a 90 degrees angle, so I had a periscope. Very useful.
The mode dial now seems more pro due to the absence of the pre-programmed scenes. Normally I use the A and S modes, depending on the situation and now with the two dials it’s very easy to change the exposure values, though I would have been better if they were situated in a higher position. I need to force a bit my thumb and index fingers to reach them but I’m sure it’s a matter of time that I get used to it.
Near the mode dial are placed the on-off button – better here than in the back – the continuous shooting set button –I barely use this due to my kind of photos – and the OIS set button, that I would never change though I use Mode 2 always.
Maybe you’ve read about me going for a D80 + 18/200 VR, a very attractive set with a high price tag – more than 1700 € here – and a great availability problem that at least has let me rethink the situation and going for the evolution of my beloved FZ20.
I know many of the comments about the FZ50 apply to the FZ30 too because it’s an update of it, but since I’ve been using a FZ20 for almost two years this should be more a comparison between the FZ20 and the FZ50.
I’ve bought it on-line for about 500 € (200 € less than the MSRP here in Spain) and I’ve paired it with 2 SD cards. I’ve chosen the 2GB Transcend 150x that for about 50 € each, are reasonably priced. Definitely, RAW shooting and 10 Mpx are space demanding specs, so my old 1 GB cards are capable, but not convenient. Consider this if you upgrade.
A camera could seem very attractive to your eyes, but you don’t really judge it until you hold it and you feel it. It’s inevitable; you’re going to have a first opinion in this moment. The FZ50 is more camera than the FZ20, a bit larger, it really weighs more even though the final weight is acceptable, and you can hold it nicely due to the new grip material for the thumb in the back and the generous and deep grip for your fingers. If you have large hands – like me – you’re going to miss a bit more space in the bottom, because your little finger doesn’t have a place, the grip is not as large as your hand.
I need to make a special mention to the great zoom and focus ring in the lens barrel. This is what really makes the FZ50 completely different shooting experience compared to the FZ20, with a much more reflex-like handling. The manual focus is now usable and the feeling is just precise. If you join this with the two dials in the front and the back of the camera for changing values, and a very useful function button that will let you make ultra fast change of ISO, WB and resolution settings, you get a camera that you can use without keeping your eye off the viewfinder.
The viewfinder is really a huge improvement from the FZ20 and one of the main points in my wish list. The greater resolution makes it very detailed and although we’re not at an optical viewfinder, it’s really usable. It’s also located in a better place and the rubber surrounding it is bigger and thus it’s more comfortable. The only drawback is that being electronic the colors you get in the mini-TFT-screen are not the actual ones, it seems brighter, more contrasted and also more saturated.
But the fact that you can use it anytime with the grid lines activated, so you compose better not forgetting the thirds rule, and at the same time having a live histogram so you don’t burn the highlights make it priceless and a joy to use.
Now the camera turns on quickly and I don’t feel I’m going to miss a shot because of this. Also, because of the zoom ring being in the lens barrel and not having a motor it’s much faster in total time, from when you see the shot, you start up the camera, you zoom in or out, you get it focused and you shoot. I’m more concerned about the fact that the camera strap is now shorter – though wider and more comfortable – and I need some practice to get my arm out of the trap, because I usually wear it crossing my chest.
Talking about focus, now it focuses much faster. There’s a new position for Macro AF that reduces the minimum focal length and I’ve read that you can keep it always on, because there’s only a slight delay compared to normal AF. I need to test it.
I’m not going to talk about the lens. It’s really “the heart” of this camera. Having a stabilized Leica lens with an incredible 35-420 mm focal range, with a luminous f:2.8-f:3.7 aperture that also doesn’t extends when you zoom in is the main reason of remaining in the FZ series. This lens is also really sharp and very detailed. The only drawback is that I find difficult to get nicely blurred backgrounds and not being wider, but I think I can live with this.
The LCD screen is great. Normally I leave it closed, but yesterday I’ve had a situation of shooting some flowers that were located very high. I raised my arms and flipped the screen in a 90 degrees angle, so I had a periscope. Very useful.
The mode dial now seems more pro due to the absence of the pre-programmed scenes. Normally I use the A and S modes, depending on the situation and now with the two dials it’s very easy to change the exposure values, though I would have been better if they were situated in a higher position. I need to force a bit my thumb and index fingers to reach them but I’m sure it’s a matter of time that I get used to it.
Near the mode dial are placed the on-off button – better here than in the back – the continuous shooting set button –I barely use this due to my kind of photos – and the OIS set button, that I would never change though I use Mode 2 always.
I like mine better than my D70. Very nice review with even better pictures! 
