To say that I am an amateur photographer is an under statement. A point and shoot guy for over 40 years, half of which I never knew which side of the camera to look through.
As I am being dragged into the 21st century I decided it was time to invest in a decent camera. Plus I was at the point where if I researched one more camera my brains were going to pour out of my ears.
I've had my eye on the FZ200 since it's pre-release. Yet I kept putting the purchase off and instead bought the under-rated Fujifilm X-S1 which is an excellent camera however the feature set, Image Stabilization and dazzling low light performance of the FZ200 beats the Fuji hands down - as it does with any other Bridge camera in this price range.
I had also considered the following:
1) An entry level DSLR the Nikon D3100 or the Canon T3i 2
2) Out of the Bridge cameras I had narrowed it down to a few but the Panasonic FZ200 was always my first choice. Not only is it insanely popular it won Cnet's coveted Editors Choice award. The review by senior editor Josh Goldman is well worth watching if you're considering this camera or even if you already own it, the review has value.
I have great admiration for Panasonic products, aside from our televisions I have a Panny Professional AG - HMC40 Video camera. I mention this because the Tech support from Panasonic has been so stellar. For me, this is a key issue, if there's a problem these folks will take all the time needed to help you out - a rarity these days.
During a trouble shooting session with the video cam (which is a different department) I made it a point to talk with the Panny Tech about the FZ200 luck was in my favor as the Tech in the Pro department not only had a soft spot for the FZ200 he was happy to answer any questions I had. At one point during our conversation he told me - "Look, you won't learn this camera in a few days or even weeks - period. that's just not going to happen. Use the manual as a reference and most of all, start shooting in IA mode and see how you do"
It was great advice.
I have spent hours taking pictures of our Bulldogs romping outside- over 200 photographs. The photos with exception of a just a few are spectacular. Crystal clear, wonderfully rich and sparkling with vibrant true to life colors - I was dazzled.
Normally I would be in Corels Paintshop Pro or Adobe Lightroom for hours just trying to reduce the noise and blur but these images were pristine. Harley our oldest bulldog was born to play soccer. That said, because the recovery time between shots and focusing is so lightening fast the "action" shots of him playing, running, moving his gargantuan orange ball around were perfect, so perfect even caught in mid air. The images are blur free - it was hard to believe I had taken them.
This camera is blazing fast.
Low light conditions is where the FZ200 really shines. Pictures in dim lighting come out rich and clear. I've never had a camera perform so well in near dark conditions and that's without using the flash. The Feature set is sensational. The camera has so many intriguing built in filters and modes such as Miniaturize, old movie. Sepia and other creative modes it's a bit overwhelming. On most other cameras I tend to think most of these are gimmicky as there's nothing you can't do in Photoshop if you're so inclined. However, the feature set is so rich and really does provide options you'll want to actually use. The camera is free of what is the equivalent of novelty bloatware.
As I was really comfortabe with the Manual Zoom on my Fuji X-S1 I wasn't sure how I would like the auto Zoom but it's terrific. Smooth as silk, accurtae and completely silent. The view finder is excellent as well and surprisingly I found myself preferring this over the LCD screen. As for the LCD The articulation is great. Plus there's very little wash out in direct sunlight so it's always easy to read - it's nice and bright.
Some First Impressions:
* Built like a Tank. Although it's plastic whereas the before mentioned Fuji is an all metal body with a rubberized coating - it's still a solid machine. Nice weight and fits in the hand beautifully.
* The lens is one beautiful piece of glass. The auto zoom is surprisingly accurate.
* Lot's of ports. Including one for an external Mic, and an HDMI cable.
* Full HD video at 1080 dpi plus built in stereo mic/speakers.
* Intuitive menu for easy set up - but still LOT'S to learn, especially for a novice as myself.
* Pop up flash which according to Panasonic is more than adequate up to a range of 6-10 feet indoors and out. If you're further away say, sitting up in bleachers, you'll need an external flash.
* Speaking of external flashes the camera has a Hot Shoe
The entire package arrives beautifully presented. The glossy black box includes the camera of course, The battery (which takes a first 4 hour charge) a charger and power cord, a quality neck and shoulder strap, Spring loaded lens cap which fits good and tight, USB transfer cable, Manual which is surprisingly easy to understand and follow, a CD ROM with a PDF version of the both an extended manual and Silky-Pics editing software (my copy wouldn't install on any computer) registration card and some additional paper work mostly safety and care related.
As for the Image Stabilization it's nothing short of a technological marvel.
At the heart of Panny's patented system is a "floating" lens which responds immediately to any movement of the camera or hand shake. It's response time is lightening fast and does a flawless job eliminatating blur. Even at full zoom without a tripod the images are wonderful. The FZ200 is as impressive looking as the photo's it's taking are beautiful.
In hind sight a DSLR would have driven me crazy lugging around all those lenses that cost more than the camera itself the FZ200 is just a superb alternative.
** Back to low light performance for one moment.
A blinking message on the LCD will warn you if you need to use the flash. I was totally un-aware of this feature. We had some friends over the other evening and everyone was out in the sun room which was only lit by a cluster of candles.
I played around with the setting modes and while leaving the camera on IA I chose "steady hand held nigh shot" and used the flash with red eye reduction. The images knocked me out. I did brighten some a little in Paint Shop but this was a matter of personal taste. The flash provides superb fill light and you don't get that stark, harsh light I've experienced with other past and present cameras.
**** IMPORTANT TIP*******
If you're considering this camera or already own it. I urge you to log onto youtube and search out many of the excellent reviews and tutorials. I highly reccomend a gentleman out of the U.K named Graham Houghton. Graham has an entire series of videos dedicated to the FZ200. It's a superb soup nuts insight into each feature with lessons ranging from the basics to using and learning full manual settings.
He doesn't work for Panasonic - he just adores this camera! It's in every way a labor of love and a huge beneft for FZ200 owners. It's virtually a free in depth course in photography put in laymen's terms and frankly was yet one more compelling reason I purchased the camera. He has educational videos on virtually everything this camera can do and puts it in easy to understand steps.
This camera continues to blow me away, the build quality, the intuitive menus and most of all the incredibly vivid photographs. Folks far more advanced than I have written reviews that explain the aspects of both photography and the FZ200 far better than I am able to do. However I can offer this to you. The FZ200 is making me a better photographer and I've just begun to scratch the surface - if it can do this for me, without question it can do the same for you.
Highest Recommendation!
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This Item  Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 12.1 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 24x Optical Zoom - Black |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $249.99 | -11% $222.91 List: $249.99 | $159.99 | $609.95 | $798.00 | -20% $797.99 List: $999.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8 | Get it as soon as Tomorrow, May 3 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8 |
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| Sold By | good_stuff_ | Amazon.com | NIKICAM DIRECT | 6ave | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| display type | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | OLED |
| display size | 3 inches | 3 inches | 4 inches | — | 3 inches | — |
| lens type | Zoom | Telephoto | Fixed | Zoom | zoom | Telephoto |
| zoom type | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom | Digital Zoom | Optical Zoom | — | Digital Zoom |
| shooting modes | Panorama, High dynamic rang | Automatic, Movie, Panorama, Portrait, Macro | Manual | Movie | Auto, scene, and P, S, A, and M | Automatic |
| connectivity tech | HDMI, USB | Wi-Fi, USB | USB, Wi-Fi | USB | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB | wired, wireless |
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Customer Review: Terrible is all I want to say...
Kevin F.
Reviews with images
Lumix FZ200 review: A good camera with a few drawbacks.
My thoughts:++Positive++>Battery life is good. I can casually shoot (vacation, out and about, etc) during the day and never had run out of battery. I can often get two days worth.>The constant 2.8 aperture is wonderful for getting bright photos even at the tele end.>Sound from video is appreciable.>Slow motion video when you have enough light is great, in my opinion.>Auto-focus is fairly spot on (does not wander too much), from what I have experienced.>600mm max focal length is wonderful! I couldn't ask for more.--Negative-->Images are pretty soft/blurred at 100% crops of a photo.Not nearly as much detail as I would like.>You cannot zoom, refocus, or record sound during slow motion filming (720p120 or XVGA@240fps; just fine at 1080p60 though).>I thought the lens hood was very difficult to remove/install.>Minimum aperture and shutter speed are not small/quick enough for very bright scenes. Images are sometimes overexposed.>You must take battery out to charge it.My background; I am an amateur to photography and film. This was my first digital camera purchased other than a GoPro.Despite the cons, I still highly recommend this camera as a first purchase or casual shooting.If you are looking for a camera that has a bright aperture even when shooting at the tele end, that has slow motion filming capabilities, a fairly long max focal length, or versatile, this will be a good camera for you (these are the reasons I selected it, and am happy!)
Top reviews from other countries
Honestly
This camera quality amazes me and panasonic means it is broadcast quality
Reviewed in India on June 29, 2015
