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

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.