From today's perspective ...

From today's perspective ...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 Digital Camera (10 Megapixel, 12x opt. Zoom, 2 "display, image stabilizer) (Electronics)

Customer Review

Bridge cameras try the balancing act between easy to use, compact bag snapping and the professional handling and the photo quality of the camera. In addition a superzoom that leaves both worlds far behind, and a price, with which everyone can live. This has got to go wrong. Suppose excesses like the 50x zoom or more than 20 megapixels. The huge zoom range, with their large sensors requires gigantic lens lengths in SLR is housed in bridge cameras in amazingly compact lenses. This only works over drastically reduced sensors, sensor diagonals are usually less than 10 mm. By comparison, a digital SLR has about 28 mm sensor diagonal. On the tiny surface of a sensor then accommodate more than 20 megapixels, produces extremely noisy images, because far too little light falls on the sensor. The faint giant zoom lenses worsen still. To mitigate this shows visible noise, the manufacturer obstruct cheap, but aggressive noise filter. However, the filter not only the noise but also fine image details such as hair, grasses, etc. away. And just whose sharp reproduction will reach the customer with the millions pixels only just! No wonder that with each new generation of ultra-super-zoom cameras, the problems will only increase!

But you have to buy the latest generation and then annoy really getting?

I tried it on the other way and deliberately bought an older, but proved good bridge camera. Not as a substitute for anything, but as a stopgap between a thoroughly professional SLR equipment and a bag clippers in mobile format. My use: well below one hundred euro. Here are my experiences with it:

For a month I use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50, which is identical as the way Leica V-Lux 1 gave. To date, this is my Queen of affordable Bridge cameras -from a recent FZ1000 ranging priced to expensive SLR models, we do not talk times.

The FZ50 is actually a hybrid of Panasonic electronics part and very light strong Leica lens f2.8-3.7 35-420 mm. The lens is provided as in the SLR with manual focus and zoom ring and carries outside a switch AF AF Macro MF. This one turns quickly from one end to the other and push fokussierst just as quickly. Incidentally, during manual focusing, the area is enlarged, which is very helpful. However, the auto focus, which is supported by a good AF assist lamp is very fail. From the noise of the autofocus motor does my Sony 16-50 undercuts with ultrasonic motor! Since the lens when zooming and focusing is not longer, it shades the flash also from little.

Panasonic's Mega OIS stabilizes excellent even at long focal lengths -optional only when triggered (recommended) or already during focusing. The folding flash with GN11 is okay for short range, for larger plans but you can external flashes (also with TTL!) Use. Here, the camera flash can even use as a master in wireless flash! I am using a Dorr DAF-42 (see the review).

The camera can take pictures manually with Full Auto, Program AE shiftbarer, Shutter Speed ​​or Aperture and. Apart from several scene modes, there are two custom programs that you can assign frequently used settings (such as white balance for specific photos in the same old gym).

An electronic viewfinder with diopter control and unfortunately quite small 2 "monitor, after all, collapsible, rotating, round off the whole thing.

Batteries last several hundred shots long (CIPA value: 360 shots), the double pack can be found at Amazon already for 12 Euro. The tripod mount is the way far enough from the battery removed, so that even with a tripod mode Battery replacement is easily possible.

Which brings us to the cost. The camera was introduced in 2006 and at that time cost more than 400 EUR -as Leica she was naughty 300 euros more expensive, without offering it to a Adobe Lightroom license benefits. Some dreamers who offer FZ50 today at prices to 300 EUR, except, you get them depending on the condition and accessories, retailers and negotiation skills for less than a hundred euros. At this price there is really new exception electronic waste from the merchants. If you put then another fifty for the flash on it, you have the price of a standard compact camera set one, with the photos even in halls lose their terror.

The FZ50 by the operator forth is so simple that even beginners will not be overwhelmed, conveys SLR Feeling, but is much smaller. Not least because I have it on the go, for example, also on the bike, like this, where the dimensions and the weight of my SLR (1500 grams to 730 grams of the FZ50!) Simply would be too much and I would have worried about the expensive equipment. The workmanship is very good and shows that in 2006, Bridge cameras were still in the luxury category. Who held once a Fujifilm camera like the S3200 / 3300 in hand, knows that only a few years later was produced as cheaply as possible. And followed even in Panasonic it for a long time only cameras with wide schlichterer processing.

Of course it would be absurd to expect to get here the same picture quality as a semi-professional SLR. However, the images of "long outmoded" FZ50 are so good that they can reach quite an entry-level SLR with kit lens the water. But has with its mostly enclosed 18-55mm lens (which converted 28-80 mm of said Panasonic "small picture focal length" corresponds to) a much more limited scope than the FZ50, which zooms to 420 mm and thanks to Leica optics thereby unrivaled luminous intensity is , Even Sportfotos outdoors from a greater distance to succeed with it. The light intensity contributes to the sharp images as great a share as the good image stabilizer. In telephoto range up to 100 mm aperture are possible to 3.2, which helps to accomplish portraits with freigestelltem background. The "only" 10 megapixels are perfectly adequate and result in conjunction with the 1: ". -Zensor Only at a moderate noise The noise reduction of the camera may confidently on" 1.8 -or remain low "you shoot in RAW and prefer to use the same image processing programs if the noise bothers.

Conclusion: for very little money, a camera that both the image quality and the operation suggests -da one wonders however why you did not come up with this idea sooner their expensive successor. Whether FZ100, 200 or whatever they're called: gentler lenses without zoom ring are a clear reason to buy instead the older FZ50. Have fun with it!

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