BHnTN
New member
Bought the 550EXR to replace a damaged DMC-ZS3. First outing was a trip to London. Lots of opportunities for type of photo. Took over 1000 pictures and videos in all types of conditions. Some images were excellent, some were dull. Videos of fixed scenes can be excellent but any use of the zoom or panning results in complete loss of focus.
The zoom range is excellent. The 24mm wide angle is extremely useful when traveling. At full telephoto the image stabilization worked well also.
Photos in bright light were sometimes excellent. Colors were a little over saturated and contrasty.
In typical London overcast, the sky was too bright and everything else was 1/3 to 2/3 stop under exposed.
Low light performance was quite good. For still scenes the multiple frame mode which averages four shots to eliminate noise worked well. Images using this were better than images shot at longer exposures or higher ISO.
The HD video mode of the camera was very disappointing. When zooming the camera always loses focus, sometimes for several seconds after the zoom is completed. Similar loos of focus occurs when panning or when there is motion in the scene. When in anything except bright light the image goes so dark as to be unuseable. I did several comparison tests between the ZS3 and the 550. In all cases the ZS3 generated excellent 720P video with minimal focus issues. The 550 had serious issues.
Problems:
Consistent under exposure except in good lighting.
Video very poor. Not really useable in most cases.
Poopup flash very annoying since it poops up everytime the camera is turned on. Closing and then reopening seemed flimsy.
The zoom range is excellent. The 24mm wide angle is extremely useful when traveling. At full telephoto the image stabilization worked well also.
Photos in bright light were sometimes excellent. Colors were a little over saturated and contrasty.
In typical London overcast, the sky was too bright and everything else was 1/3 to 2/3 stop under exposed.
Low light performance was quite good. For still scenes the multiple frame mode which averages four shots to eliminate noise worked well. Images using this were better than images shot at longer exposures or higher ISO.
The HD video mode of the camera was very disappointing. When zooming the camera always loses focus, sometimes for several seconds after the zoom is completed. Similar loos of focus occurs when panning or when there is motion in the scene. When in anything except bright light the image goes so dark as to be unuseable. I did several comparison tests between the ZS3 and the 550. In all cases the ZS3 generated excellent 720P video with minimal focus issues. The 550 had serious issues.
Problems:
Consistent under exposure except in good lighting.
Video very poor. Not really useable in most cases.
Poopup flash very annoying since it poops up everytime the camera is turned on. Closing and then reopening seemed flimsy.