Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Pro Reviews

Panasonic has a long-standing legacy for producing quality long-zoom bridge cameras, including the FZ150 superzoom which we reviewed and heartily recommended a little more than a year ago. However, the company pumped some new excitement into the line when it was announced the Panasonic FZ200 would house a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit-branded lens that boasted a f/2.8 max aperture across the entire 24x optical zoom range. After all, such a bright lens is a rarity among long zooms these days and -- teamed with the camera's excellent AF system -- it proved to perform well in low-light and high shutter speed situations. We found a lot to like about the upgraded FZ200, ranging from its solid build and comforting heft to its responsive and relatively speedy shooting. Being able to fire off 12 frames per second in continuous shooting mode -- and capture all 12 images (in one burst) in full-res -- truly makes it a versatile tool for capturing action, as does the ability to record movies in Full HD 1080p at up to 60 fps. The FZ200 also features a host of advanced photographic controls and capabilities, including PASM shooting modes and manual focusing, RAW and RAW+JPEG image capturing, and a wide range of creative modes and filters.

The headline feature of the FZ200 is its 'world's first' constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the focal range, so there's no doubt that the optical capability of the camera is going to be the main focus for many photographers. The good news is that the camera performs particularly well in this area, producing some excellent images with very few flaws. Not only that, but being able to shoot at f/2.8 and a focal range of 600mm is a real luxury when you consider the size of the camera. The FZ200 offers solid performance across the board and is just as capable shooting at its wider focal length as it is zoomed in. The vari-angle LCD screen is also a welcome feature, although it could do with being of a slightly higher specification. The same can be said of the EVF, however it's not surprising that certain elements we're kept from being premium as the lens alone has made the FZ200 one of the more expensive bridge cameras on the market. All told, as a complete package you'll struggle to find a better camera in its class than the Panasonic FZ200.

The only real downside of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 is a fairly substantial price increase compared to its predecessor - £50 in the UK and $100 in the US - making it one of the most expensive super-zooms on the market. Even so, that F/2.8 lens is a technical triumph that will make a real difference to your photography - hand-holding a camera at 600mm and getting sharp results and blurred backgrounds has never been so easy...

The Lumix FZ200 is Panasonic's Flagship Superzoom and is worthy of the title. If extreme telephoto power is what you're looking for there are plenty of other models out there that passed the 24x marker a good while back and are now well beyond what the FZ200 has to offer. But if you were the kind of person who judged a super-zoom purely on the basis of its zoom range, you probably wouldn't be reading this. Zoom range is only one aspect of what the FZ200 has to offer, a 600mm telephoto will be more than enough reach for most people and the FZ200 has much more to recommend it besides. A long lens is only any good if there's enough light for you to use it and the FZ200's constant f2.8 aperture makes that more likely to be the case more often. In stadiums, at twilight, or just on plain dull days, you'll be taking better quality 200 ISO long shots with the FZ200 instead of 800 ISO ones with, say, the Canon SX50 HS; or if both are using the same ISO, the Panasonic will enjoy faster shutter speeds to freeze the action. The high resolution EVF makes it easier and more comfortable to frame shots and a button makes it easy to flip between the viewfinder and screen, though a proximity sensor to make it happen automatically would be better. Add in a great range of video options with the ability to attach an external microphone, a wide range of exposure modes and effects filters, excellent customisation options and physical controls and extremely good battery life and it's hard to think of any reason the Lumix FZ200 wouldn't come Highly Recommended.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 is the closest you're going to get to a digital-SLR experience with a megazoom camera. Its small 1/2.3-inch-type sensor is the same size you'll find in other point-and-shoot cameras, and while its picture quality is excellent for what it is, cameras with larger sensors, such as dSLRs or interchangeable-lens compacts, will do better. That said, you're not going to find the FZ200's lens anywhere else and it makes a huge difference for this class of camera. Trying to duplicate its focal length range with its constant f2.8 aperture for an SLR would cost thousands of dollars and the resulting camera would not fit in a small bag.

Panasonic has done almost everything right with the FZ200, producing a super zoom with a no-compromises lens. It performs very well, takes photos that are comparable (or better) than other super zooms, and has a top-notch movie mode. With a few refinements in the design and image quality department, it would be darn close to perfect.

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

The 24x Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 doesn't have the most ambitious zoom ratio, but a sharp f/2.8 aperture lens and speedy performance make up for it.

The Panasonic FZ200 offers a great number of features and direct control over the image-making process. But with its full price of £568.99/AU$799/US$599.99 and considerable size for a bridge camera, you might instead be tempted to consider upgrading to an entry-level DSLR. The Nikon D3100, for example, can be found new for as low as £350/AU$550/US$500. That said, its versatility, efficient AF system, fast f/2.8 aperture, manual mode, 3-inch fully articulated LCD screen, option to shoot raw and wide range of creative filters make the Panasonic FZ200 a wonderful all-rounder. It's a suitable back-up camera for your DSLR, or could even be your primary camera if you just want to shoot holidays and other pictures to share online or make small prints for your photo albums.

We recently highly recommended the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62. The FZ200 is very similar with a few extras for the extra money. On the FZ200 you'll find that the screen rotates, has 12 fps continuous shooting (10 fps on the FZ62), a constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 through the lens range and better, if only slightly, image quality. If none of these extra features are appealing to you, the FZ62 won't disappoint, but this higher spec version is great if you want to try your hand at shooting sports or other fast moving objects, whether they are close-up or in the distance. As per the FZ62, the FZ200 looks and feels very much like a DSLR - it has a mode dial with full manual controls, plenty of buttons for easy access to many settings and an electronic viewfinder and the battery life is excellent. Overall we are happy to highly recommend the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200.

The FZ200 has its f/2.8 aperture trump card to play, which will beat any other superzoom competitor out there, even the larger-sensor versions. Now that’s quite a statement, but this is quite a camera. It’s a shame there’s no touchscreen, the viewfinder suffers lag and continuous focus is short of the mark, but otherwise the FZ200’s performance is well on the money in this camera class. Image quality is easily on par with its competitors, though it isn’t going to outperform a large-sensor camera. Given that there are larger-sensor interchangeable cameras out there for less or a similar amount of money that may be something for the highly image conscious to consider, but then they won't have a lens to match - and that's where teh FZ200 comes into its own. Despite the expense the FZ200 gives what other kit doesn't: a 600mm equivalent lens at f/2.8 throughout paired with optical image stabilisation. Now that’s what makes this Lumix a real winner.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is a welcome return to fixed aperture zoom lenses and it's good to see that companies are regularly looking to find new (or old) ways to improve image quality. The same can be said by the choice to use a 12 megapixel sensor, rather than a higher resolution model, which gives both high speed shooting (12fps) as well as lower noise at higher ISO settings. For someone looking for a premium ultra zoom bridge camera, with a focus on image quality and SLR-like styling then this could be just the ticket. We look forward to conducting a full review when it is available.