Comparing the new FZ50 against the previous FZ30, you gain a few things; longer battery life, support for SD cards larger than 2gb, and lower noise at high iso. The noise levels in the Fz50 are much improved (Not that they were that bad in the Fz30 anyway). What you have here is a tremendous camera- great clarity, sharp pictures, and a large zoom lens. This is probably the best camera you can get before you step up to an actual DSLR.

My FZ30 was stolen in this past Spring and I decided to wait until the newer version, the FZ50, arrived before buying a new camera. This was a tough decision for me as I have five grandchildren and take a lot of pictures of them. Over the years, I have owned over dozen digital cameras. When a new model that strikes my fancy arrives, I am usually the first to buy it. The old one goes to my kids. My camera before the FZ30 was a Canon 20D. A great camera but with the lenses too heavy. The FZ50 is better in many respects to the great FZ30. I am not going to compare all the new features but when taking a picture at 12X of a local lighthouse from my porch about a mile and a half away I can clearly see the 3/4" whip antenna. It is the only camera that I have every had that could do that.

I just got my first set of prints. noise levels seem low, I was hoping this was the case. I put it on full auto including ISO under some pretty iffy conditions hoping for the best and got very nice 8x10's. I shot some big water birds under not so good light with the lens cranked all the way out and let her ripp! Sharpness was very good .exposure was too! I'm not new to digital cameras and I have been dissapointed a lot, but this looks very hopefull. I tried to put it under bad conditions to give it a work out, and so far it's passing the test for me. panasonic's claim of lower noise levels seems to be true. this one might keep my attention a while.

After using lots of other cameras and not being satisfied I decided to try the fz50. Boy I was shocked! I was in the woods walking a trail early in the morning. Came across several deer, the light was low and the camera was set on full auto just to see how it would work. The lens was out to 400mm and the camera set iso 400, Itook the shot not expecting it to be any good. A trip to the local Wal Mart got me a 8x12, I was afraid to look! to my suprise it was GREAT. Oh, I forgot to say the shutter speed was only a 1/15th of a second. How that is possible even with optical stabilizer is amazing. Panasonic got it right this time, no more worries about digital noise as far as I can tell. It would get 6 stars if I could.

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

Blows away any camera I've ever used. 5 minutes after my first use, I put my Canon S3 IS up for sale. At highest zoom, photos are incredibly sharp and detailed. The controls, buttons, everything seems well thought out and uncluttered, unlike the Canon where I was continually pushing something by mistake that was continually messing up my photos. This is my 3rd Lumix and I wouldn't get rid of any of them.

Perhaps you've heard: one of the most difficult targets for photography = birds-- super small **and** super frisky. Most texts urge you to buy a dSLR, with a VERY long AND fast zoom. Such lenses are heavy, big, 4-figure expensive AND require stabilization. To outfit yourself accordingly, you're looking at a minimum 2 grand outlay (camera body, walk-around lens, fast super-zoom lens, tripod, etc). On the other hand, this 10mp all-in-one camera STARTS with a built-in 12x zoom. This yields the 35mm equivalent of a 35mm to 420mm lens, WITH an aperture of f/2.8 to 3.7. In English: fast, and with serious reach. Yet, there's a delightful surprise: you can EASILY drop down to 5mp, getting in return a 17x OPTICAL zoom. Bird still too far away? Drop the camera's resolution down to 3mp--- now you've got a 21.4x OPTICAL zoom. This is NO software-based gimmick, folks, as the quality of the image remains incredible throughout. The camera simply hones in on the central image (i.e., the central 5mp or 3mp area), cropping out the excess sides, thereby effectively increasing the optical zoom with NO image deterioration. As I already have Panasonic's LT55 telephoto 1.7x converter lens (used with my now-old FZ7 camera), I can just screw that directly onto the FZ50 lens, for still more reach. And again, none of this is "digital", so we're still talking super optical quality throughout the reach. Keep in mind-- this is all **with** image stabilization! It's so very good / crisp/ detailed, that I now **keep** it at 3mp whenever I'm shooting birds, so I can enjoy that mind-blowing extra optical zoom. Now, if some of the technical jargon in the preceding paragraph spooks you, know this: I purchased my first digicam (FZ7) a few months ago. I knew nadda, photographically speaking. But I added "PCPhoto Digital Zoom Camera Handbook" to my cart, enjoyed the easy but super-informative read during a weekend, and was shooting up a storm in no time, actually KNOWING what the different options are all about. Later, when I started wondering about actual "technique," a quick trip to my local bookstore introduced me to a UK monthly magazine, "Digital Camera" --- truly useful info in every issue, not to mention the included teach-me CD with videos. If you prefer to just point and shoot, there's a "auto" mode for you. If you like scene modes, you'll find plenty here from which to choose, including night scene, fireworks scene, and party scene. There's a zoom ring, instead of a moving lens jutting in and out. If you prefer to sometimes indulge manual focus, you'll love the new focus ring on the lens. Nice touch: the system auto-magnifies the target as you rotate the focus ring, encouraging maximum sharpness. That's the thing about this ultra sweet package: nice touches abound, making for an marveloously smooth and easy user experience. There are two dial rings, which you manipulate with your third finger and thumb (as index finger sits in shutter release). Both dial rings are to the right of the camera, one in front and the other in the back. Ergonomically, this means that your eye need never leave the electronic viewfinder (or LCD) in order to tweak exposure. These can be customized, allowing one to no-think change aperture and exposure compensation on the fly, with a simple, quick twirl of a dial ring (the selections/result are visible on the EVF/LCD). A "function" button allows equal ease in tweaking white balance, flash, bracketing, ISO sensitivity and more. Read: no hunting thru the system menu! Want to add an external flash? No problem-- there's a hot shoe. Like to crop pics within the camera itself? Do it in "playback" mode-- it's your option as to whether to retain or trash the original. Want to save your tweaking settings as an "option"? Use one of the 3 personal customization slots available. Prefer an EVF? Got it. Want a move-it-around sharp LCD? Wish granted. Wanna zoom your pics during playback, to doublecheck for sharpness? Also dirt easy, via a max 8x zoom. Wear glasses? So what, there's a diopter adjustment dial next to the EVF. You can even get an optional shutter release cord. 55mm filters, as well as the LT55 teleconverter for the FZ7, work fine here without a special converter-- just screw the add-on to the FZ50 lens itself. But it's an either-or proposition, i.e., can't use a circular polarizer with the teleconverter lens. Small loss, given the series of optional built-in optical zooms you can get from this beauty. Third party batteries work just fine. Just look for a CGR-S006A equivalent. (I got cheapie DynaMax-- works great.) The charger is ultra-convenient. Not quite the size of a deck of cards, it just plugs into an outlet -- no cords. I always have one battery in it at home, so switching is a no sweat/delay deal (pop in and out). Very healthy battery life also (more than 300 pics, despite keeping the system at "10 minutes")! One negative: while there is a burst mode, it's rather slow. That irked me, but everything else is so profoundly sweet, that I've opted to live with it. Just too much incredible goodness here for me to elevate this one item to deal-breaker status. One special note: if you just start shooting when you get the camera, you might be disappointed. The pics may appear softer than you anticipate. Go into the menu, select "Picture Adjustment", and tweak saturation, contrast, sharpness and noise reduction until you get a personally satisfying result. Worth the extra effort! Still not sure about coughing up your hard-earned dough for the FZ50? Yes, it's a little cheaper elsewhere, but check out Amazon's return page (Help >> Return Policy >> Product Specific Policies >> Camera & Photo) -- it confirms a very generous 30-day return policy, from date of receipt. My bet is that, like me, you'll quickly adopt this baby as your own, tossing the Amazon box long before that 30 day period expires. And, you'll never look back. -------------In the Box camera (duh!) 32mb SD card battery battery charger USB connection cable AV cable CD-ROM Shoulder strap (nice!) lens cap lens hood

I purchased the Panasonic FZ50 primarily to take pictures of my daughter's soccer games (she's 10). The more I get to know the camera, the more I like it. It's the best camera for me, short of purchasing an SLR and several lenses.

Since one of the biggest strenghts is the Leica lens, I've learned that zooming in to frame the shot (versus taking a wide-angle picture and cropping on the computer later) provides the most crisp results. The pictures I get in full daylight are quite remarkable, especially when printed at 4x6.

Further, I really enjoy the easy access to ISO sensitivity. I start out at ISO 100, and if it gets cloudy or dark I can quickly adjust to ISO 200 or 400 (or higher) and still get the "stop action" pictures. At higher ISO and 4"x6" prints, the increased noise is not an issue. I think it's flattering that people are comparing the "noise" of the FZ50 to that of DLSR's (which, of course, have less noise at high ISO's).

I am now exploring the focus (and auto exposure) lock functionality, which really speed up taking a photo. When the action dictates, I can lock in and then fire shots so quickly that I think I am using an SLR.

Another usability feature I really like is the manual zoom. It is so much better to turn the ring to zoom in or out than the mechanical ones I have used in the past. I no longer miss a shot because my camera couldn't zoom in or out in time. I do not recall another camera in this class having a manual zoom ring.

This camera seems to be quite misunderstood. I have read review after review, and most complaints deal with the "noise" of the camera. There is in fact an issue with noise if you plan on shooting above ISO 400. But thinking about this, anything above ISO 400 would prduce some noise in most cameras. Even my digital SLR has noise when I go above ISO 400. If you plan on shooting outdoors, this camera has done well. Indoor shots using the flash are great. No red eye.

ISO ratings came about from film cameras. They set the speed of the film. Even in a film camera, as you increase the ISO, you increase the grain of the film. I do not see a big problem with noise at 100 and 200. And for me, I do most shots outside, so it is fine. I think sometimes people are looking for a "Perfect" digital camera, and as far as I know - there is not one. But for the money, I would take on my Canon EOS 30D any day with this camera, and I would be pleased.

This camera has wonderful features, a very crisp lens, and an excellent zoom range. I did find the 4X digital zoom sort of useless, just like the 120X Zoom on Pansonics Camcorders!

But if you are looking for a compact digital camera that will offer you great shots, this is well worth the money. I have owned 3 Digital SLR's that cost in the $1000's, and I still choose this camera.

I have some test shots up on my web site if you wish to take a look. You will be amazed. I would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for a reliable camera that will give great photos - both for the experienced user and the novice. Very well built, solid feel, and many features.

You can see some test shots at thewayoftheartist.com

Enjoy

This is my fourth digital camera and comes to replace my Dymage A1 that stopped working right after its warranty expired. I am a serious enthusiast photographer since 2001. The FZ50 is a handsome and light digital camera with wonderful features that work for me, such as the moving LCD screen. The screen turns all around allowing you to take yourself a picture. But the beauty of this is in some special pictures, such as putting the camera at ground level and shoot from there or lifting your camera over a crowd and still be able to frame your shot well. The full Manual Mode works so great that I might abandone the automatic all together. Pictures in the DMC-FZ50 were coming out overexposed in the automatic mode; I have solved this by shooting at S priority. One more thing: No review talks about it, not even the Panasonic official description of this camera, but the DMC-FZ50 has a very decent macro. I have been taking close up pictures my cats and of the flowers in my garden and they came out really good. For a simple person like me, 10 megapixels help me when I need to crop a third of a picture in my computer and still retain printing quality. Actually, the camera lens are excellent and I have not experienced any "noise." The viewfinder is very clear. Besides its great Zoom, this camera also takes EXCELLENT indoor pictures, better so if you use a tripod. The crude reality tough is that, although it is very easy to learn and operate, this camera is no instamatick. So you need to know some photography to really enjoy all its features and get back what you paid for. The bottom line that works for me is: I'm small, fragile and not really rich, I just cannot see myself carrying expensive SLR digital cameras with heavy and costly interchangeable lens. And, frankly, unless you want to make it into the photography business, you will not need more than this camera to take excellent pictures. In fact, this is the type of camera that might take you into the next step of your picture taking experience because it is very rewarding; so you will be taking good pictures like crazy.

This is my first Panasonic camera so I am coming to this completely objectively. People seem to be divided into two groups regarding the FZ50 (and by extension, most of Panasonic's recent digicams) - those who find it's image quality impressive despite it's limitations and enjoy it's superiority in most other areas and those who feel the FZ50 should have been a lot more than it is, lacking the output to back up it's DSLR stylings and not being a revolutionary upgrade over the FZ30. I stand somewhere in the middle but leaning more towards the first view.

The fact is, the FZ50 is a great bridge / mega zoom all-in-one digicam. The huge 12x focal range really is liberating and I just could not go back to a measly 3x zoom ever again. The superior quality of the Leica lens, which really is the main selling point is not to be underestimated - it's very sharp, producing next to no chromatic aberrations with truly effective stabilisation and I think is far superior to the lens of current competition. As everyone points out, to get this quality of (stabilised) lens over such a huge focal range for a DSLR would usually require more than one bulky lens and would probably cost well over a $1000, so you can't really find anything to grumble about here.

I absolutely love the manual zoom and focus, which means you can fine tune to a degree that you just couldn't with a mechanical zoom - it's also silent and saves valuable battery power. I've found colour representation in the photos to be realistic although I must say that on every digital camera I've used, photos have never appeared quite how my eyes saw the original scene colour wise. I've found auto white balance to do a good job in most situations so far and this can also be fine tuned when in manual mode. The flash output can also be set to varying degrees, which is useful when you want to retain a more natural look in dimly lit conditions. The ergonomics as everyone points out are also great, the FZ50 feels comfortable and your hand position will feel natural around it.

The flexibility of the twist out and swivel LCD screen is also not to be underestimated, allowing more versatile shooting angles than a fixed screen would give you. I really wish the screen could have been bigger though - I'm sure Panasonic could have extended it to 2.5" as there is a border around the screen which could have possibly been used up with extra pixels. However, the screen is great. At 207K pixels, everything is nice and sharp and there is no ghosting unless in very dim light. I am a little confused though as even though the EVF has a higher resolution than the LCD screen at 235K pixels, it is very noticeably less detailed in both colour and sharpness - can anybody enlighten me by leaving a comment?

And so we come to image quality - the real bone of contention between the two camps. I have to say that I agree with a lot of those who complain about Panasonic's decision to up the pixel count from the FZ30 to 10mp whilst still using the same sized sensor, which is a fraction of the size of a DSLR. The (now infamous) Venus 3 engine covers the noise well but as others will point out, at the cost of smudging out fine detail. Unfortunately, when Panasonic in their FZ50 press release said that high ISO noise levels were much improved over the FZ30, they didn't quite mean they had made a breakthrough with sensor technology, they simply meant they had developed a better way to hide the noise!

Having said that, my photos have really impressed me with great clarity and colour and the main digicam review sites have pointed out that the image quality is above average in this anyway superior class of consumer digicam, and you can see this from their test shots. Also, if you go onto some of the Panasonic forums such as at [...]you'll find some great examples of what can be achieved with the FZ50 and I'm sure you'll be really impressed. And at low ISO 100, some comparison tests show the FZ50 to give lower end DSLR's like the XT a good run for their money! But you do have to ask what is the point of putting in 10 megapixels if you have to print and view at sizes that a lower megapixel count would give you because when viewed at 100%, the effects of the heavy noise reduction can look pretty ugly. I would have much preferred a 6mp FZ50 if that would have resulted in less noise for the Venus 3 to work with. If I'm right in saying that a larger sensor would then result in a smaller focal range then Panasonic have probably tried to get the best from all angles and successfully so - however, Fuji have shown that great strides in sensor technology can be achieved.

To conclude, the FZ50 is a great advanced digicam and really impresses in all areas. It's a lot of fun to use because it's so comfortable and makes such a wide range of shots possible not to mention being extremely responsive and quick. The effects of the heavy noise reduction will only be an issue if you plan on viewing and printing large and using the high ISO's but otherwise image quality is great. For the advanced consumer who wants the best there is before the expense and bulk of a DSLR, then the FZ50 is the one to choose.

I've had this camera for a couple of weeks, now. I upgraded from a Sony Cybershot 2.1 megapixel model with so much shutter lag that my kids would be in the next room when it finally fired. This Lumix has a lot of positive reviews with good reason- this camera rocks. It both looks and feels (slightly lighter) than a digital SLR. It has very little shutter lag, burse mode takes 1-2 shots per second, 3 in sequence or unlimited. The sound it makes taking a picture is extremely satisflying. Autofocus is brilliantly quick and manual focus uses onscreen assist to help those with poor eyes (me). Unlike an SLR, you can use the LCD to frame and shoot your pictures. You can use the full-auto mode for teriffic pictures or you can dabble with all the settings if you're just learning photography. I splurged and bought a 2GB SD card which seems to go on forever with this camera. Battery life is good- included recharder is small and easy to use. The only complaint I have is some noise on high ISO pics, although I am fine with the low ISO. This is a brilliant camera. Go get one.

I'm not a professional photographer but have had more than a passing interest in photography I have owned other digital cameras and this is the best and easiest camera that I have ever used. The controls are very very easy and intuitive to use. In most situations the delay between pressing the shutter and the camera taking the picture does not exist. In low light you will experience a small delay so follow through or turn the lights on.... In low light outside the camera will enhance the image in the view finder so you can see the detail that would not normally be visible. The image stabilizer is worth at least 2 f stops. You can us the 2x digital without any noticeable loss of picture quality or sharpness.

At 10 megapixels, these pics blow up to 11x17 without problems or loss of resolution. And with the added capability of the Camera Raw format (gotta have the latest Adobe update to use in Photoshop), there is no effective limit to the retouching that can be applied before the pic even gets to PShop. Clear, sharp and artifact free even at the full 12x zoom (tripod needed for lower light conditions). The built-in flash works beautifully and the hot-shoe allows for more professional indirect flash lighting; same as any more traditional SLR. While the lens is not interchangeable, it does have superb range of focus and zoom.

Whether pro or amateur, this is the camera to consider for those who take their photos seriously, but cannot afford the full multi-thousands of dollars this-is-what-I-do-for-a-living photography studio. Don't be surprised to see this camera used by the pros to back up their studio cams and on-the-road systems.

I have been using the FZ-50 for a couple of months now and it takes fantastic pictures. The Leica 35-420mm (35mm equivalent) lens is amazing, the colors are vibrant and the camera is a hugh improvement over our older Panasonic FZ-10 camera. The pictures tend to be a little noisy at low light and high ISO but still very usable. I normally shoot Nikon D200, but my spouse, because of vision problems, prefers the EVF of the FZ-50. She lets me use it occasionally and I was able to take a tight crop on a 10MP image I shot, blow it up to 16"x 20" and earn a merit in a professional print competition. So overall we are very pleased with the FZ-50. I rated it four stars because of a few nits:

1. The battery door closure is a little too easy to open, and doesn't feel secure

2. The on-off switch is located so that when the camera is put in a camera bag it tends to rub and switch on.

3. The dedicated TTL flashes from Panasonic are too expensive. The Olympus FL36 and FL50 seem to be the same as the Panasonic FL360 and FL500 respectively and the Olympus flashes are much lower cost. We have the Olympus FL36 and it works very well with the FZ-50.

Considering the price of the camera, this is a lot of capability for the money. The lens is what "makes" this camera and if the lens, EVF, size and weight are right for you then this is a good choice.

We sell digital images and compete regularly in juried shows. The DMC-FZ50 image stabilization is extremey effective. Hand holds at full telephoto at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. Single click to access exposure corrections. Saturated blue skies almost as good as my Kodak Z730. Commercial quality prints at 12x16". Macro is weak compared to my tiny 5 meg Pentax Optio S4 which takes superb closeups. The macro function only works at full wide angle and often you have to be physically so close that a small subject is shadowed by the lens or lens barrel. In actual use dark noise is quite low in spite of the reviews and Noise Ninja can sample the image and smooth it nicely with its default values. This works great on slightly blotchy intense blue skies here on Cape Cod. Buy a 3rd party high capacity battery if you plan to do much flash shooting. Camera is largish due to fixed lens barrel. This also contributes to its very fast time to first shot and easy use with a polarizer. Only reason it is not 5* for us is the macro issues.We will probably buy a second one.

The FZ-50 is an amazing camera, the use is quite intuitive and the functions/programs really do well. The lens is superior. At high speeds the pictures get a lot less noisy than I have seen it in other cameras. Due to the stabilization I took picture in dark setting with lower isos and got very good results.

I totally recommend this camera. There is no flaw that I would know of after about 2.5 months of extensive use.

Well, I've had the FZ50 for about six week now and I always get that Christmas feeling every time I unzip my bag to use it.
The last camera I've owned was my Fuji Fine-Pix S602Z, its amazing what the same money can get you three years later. As old as my Fuji is, it still beats my Panny in burst mode by a factor of two (mainly due to file size) and it has a closer macro focusing range also, 1cm with Fuji vs 5cm with Panny. That being said the FZ50 blows the Fuji out the water in all other areas.

With the FZ50, you cannot zoom in macro mode, but that's a small price to pay to have SLR type zoom ability, the motorized zoom can do a number on the camera's battery, so I give a big thumbs up to Panasonic on this. I haven't had any noise problems (because I've been staying at the 400 and sub ISO range) The form factor is the best I've had, the controls are in the right place and sensibly spaced ... like a PlayStation controller . Picture quality is awesome ... the zoom is awesome, with a friendly menu system. Focusing is fast and the lag time is the best I've had with a non DSLR camera, but I'm not reaping its full potential since I have a slow SD in the camera. I need to get a SanDisk, Extreme III Secure Digital card (one of the fastest card out there). This camera has a quality feel to it which is important to me.

The camera way exceeds my expection in all areas. The only negative I have to say about it is the noise reduction ... it works too good. When an image is zoomed in at 100% you can see notice a little loss of detail due to the powerful noise reduction. Shooting in raw mode will nullify all the in camera processing, but your obviously going to have to be able afford files that's 5-6 times the size on your card. This camera is identical to the Leica V-LUX 1 digital camera in every way except for the image processing parameters.

I was torn between a DSLR and this, because we use a Canon DSLR at the job very often, but all things considered, I'll recommend this Digital cam as a great everyday camera my image comes out just as good or even better than our office Canon, besides, the extra few % of flexibility/improvement from a DSLR and lenses isn't worth the expense hassle or fatigue for me. (seeing that I'm not a career shooter)

I purchased the FZ50 to replace my old Nikon Coolpix 5700 that was able to take excellent pictures but lacked in easier controls.
Pictures taken with FZ50 are great in color, but due to high processing, would recommend getting raw pictures to get out the most of it.
Noise is an issue with this camera in low light conditions. Both my Coolpix 995 and 5700 were able to take better pictures in same light conditions, and this is the reason why I give it 5 starts.
Controls are very easy and focus/zoom rings are awesome. Even the small dial controls in front and back of the camera are pretty well located.
Most of the pictures I will be taking are outdoors, so Im not so concerned of the noise issue.
Overall you will not get all the features and control in other camera in this price, you will not get dissapointed

I went from A Nikon Coolpix 8800 which is a more expensive camera than the Fz50 but let me tell you, The Panasonic FZ50 takes better pictures in all types of light.....by far. I had absolutely no problem with Tungsten lighting as others have. You will LOVE this unit. It is extremely close to a DSLR because is doesn't have a button to "Zoom" you have to do it by hand like you do with a DSLR but it is actually alot nicer than a button powered zoom. This camera is SUPERB.

I'm going to keep it short and sweet and just say that I could not be happier with this camera. I am only a novice when it comes to photography, but this camera, while preserving simplicity for novices, will tempt you to take it to the next level with its amazing feature set. I wanted to buy myself a camera that would put me a year or two ahead of where I technically need to be, but I didn't want to spend a fortune on something that would be simply "too much camera." This is the perfect compromise.

I love Amazon, but you should be able to get this camera for under $500. And if you plan to shoot video or RAW images, I highly recommend you splurging for the SanDisk Extreme III 2gb SD card. Total investment with accessories may run you up to $700, but this is worth it. You will not be disappointed.

But don't just believe me, read one of the most comprehensive reviews on the Web regarding this camera, and then make an informed decision on whether it is right for you:

[...]

I think pretty much everyone agrees that the FZ50 represents excellent value, design, quality, and ergonomics. It's clearly the standout winner in the "super zoom class".

I've been into amateur photography for 25+ years, mostly 35mm film but slowly graduating to digital over the last 10 years or so. I can say this is one of the most pleasurable camera's I've ever used regardless of price.

In every respect but image quality this is the "best" camera I've ever owned and that includes major players like Canon, Contax, Leca, Sony, and Pentax. I can't say enough aout all the qualities I love in this camera (most are covered in many, many other reviews) so I'll concentrate on the most prevalent complaint about this camera - image quality.

First off, for those of you that just want to print or e-mail snapshots - there is no image quality issue - buy this camera and be done. For those that want enlargements up to 8x10, be cautious of ISO settings over 200 but images up to those limitations are in the "excellent amateur" category. For shots outside this range - just how bad is the image quality?

For you film buffs, think of the FZ50 as a budget 35mm film camera loaded with 100iso store brand film. All you would ever need for casual use, and with careful lighting and composition, capable of award winning photos. In a pitch you can push this 100iso film 1, 2, 3, 4, or even 5 stops (200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200). Push it one stop and you can barely see the difference. Push it 2 or 3 and you can start to see the increase in "grain" and decrease in dynamic range. Push it 4 or 5 and you have some great surveillance photo's but they look the part and are not going to win any awards.

Given the 1/1.8 size image sensor in the FZ50 is about 5% of the size of a full frame 35mm sensor you would never expect images as good as the FZ50 produces even at its base 100iso. The professionals have a lot to say about noise and image quality, but take a look at their sample photos (even print them up to 8x10) and most folks would be very happy with the results.

So take a look for yourself before some of the reviews scare you!

I am best described as a "gifted amateur with a good eye." I've had photos published in national publications and I am the official photographer for a national beauty pageant, and bought this camera in late October just before our national event.

This is my 3rd digital camera. But in the past I have used analog to photograph the pageant (Cannon Elan 7). I chose Lumix FZ 50 mainly because of the 12X Optical Zoom, the number of pixels were also very important to me. I was very pleased with both.

It's very easy to use. The day after I got the camera I it to Central Park for an hour and got some great shots after only a quick glance through the manual.

The zoom lens is great -- I love not having to carry extra lenses or be bothered changing lenses!

I didn't use 10 mp's -- mostly I kept it on 8, and I am very pleased with the color, clarity and detail of the photos. I ocassionally changed to 5 mp's for less important shots (things I know will only go into our newsletter). The color on the 5 mp shots wasn't as good, but adequate for it's purpose.

The camera is usually very fast in terms of lag between pushing the button and the shutter actually firing -- there were several ocassions when there was a significant lag. And sometimes it takes it's time focusing. I was impressed, however, that the camera can focus practically in the dark.

The Lumix is not as good as my Cannon Elan at capturing moving subjects -- even if they're not moving very fast.

I bought the Sunpak 383 Auto Flash (a recommended accessory) with the camera. It's not a bad flash, but not adequate for my needs. At times with the pageant I have to photograph quickly and repeatedly. The flash could not keep up with me. It takes a long time to recycle. Also this flash goes through batteries very quickly (including titanium batteries). The batteries get very hot -- you can feel it through the casing. I plan to upgrade before my next important event.

Overall: I love this camera and highly recommend it.

Everyone seems to be shocked when I say I bought a Panasonic camera. But believe me it is good, not only good but excellent. With 10 MP and 12X zoom what more do you want. YOu can attach lenses if you feel the need of it. I really like the camera a lot and i rate it A+

I chose to purchase the (silver) DMC-FZ50 over a well-known dslr for a number of reasons: First, because the lens on this camera covers my needs entirely. Plus, it's a Leica-engineered Elmarit lens, so there are no questions about the quality. I very rarely photograph sports or fast-moving subjects, so the cumulative lag times aren't much of a factor for me. Photographs aren't entirely made by the camera. Much of it, believe it or not, depends upon the photographer's skills. You can split technical hairs till the cows come home, but if your compositional skills suck, your photographs suck. No amount of camera will make up for it. That being said, this camera is more than adequate in the hands of talented photographers, amateur or pro.

Bought this FZ50 camera from Amazon last week at a good bargin price--477.00. And added some 1GB memory cards and an extra battery. All arrived intact. I've had a Panasonic FZ10 for a few years and it still works perfectly. The FZ series has moved on to the FZ20 and the FZ30--and by the time I got around to thinking of buying a new model, the FZ50 came alone. Recent price made me jump, partly for concern that the model could be discontinued for the next new thing.

Having now seen some 90 (so far) digital image from a FZ50 for myself, the noise issue simply isn't there for images shot during daylight at lower ASA sensitivities (100, maybe 200). The little CCD sensor can't be expected to do well at higher ASA settings, but I was surprised at how nice all the test shots turned out. Detail in images shot at 100 ASA is simply grand. The higher telephoto shots show sharp, unimagined detail, without apparent chromatic problems (red, blue, etc. fringing around objects near edges of an image). This improvement over the FZ10, I think, is a result of the Venus III processor, rather than the lens, but all the same the images are very clean and sharp from edge to edge at wide and moderate aperature settings used so far (F3.5 to F5.6).

The camera is rich with features, but the best in my opinion is the Focus/Exposure lock botton. The Focus/Exposure lock has three settings in the menu:

1) Focus lock
2) Exposure lock
3) Both focus and exposure lock together

Since the auto focus and the manual focus work so well, I selected exposure lock. Because the view finder is a digital image that reflects the exposure one is about to make (with shutter half-compressed), the ability to detect whether the image might be over or under-exposed makes the exposure lock very useful. One only has to find a slightly dimmer or brighter image on which to lock exposure and return to the desired image with a modified exposure setting very quickly. The locked exposure is released when you press the button again. Wonderful feature.

This is not the camera to get if you want to reproduce large, smooth prints, though smaller prints up to 11x14 inches ought to look pretty nice. Instead, this camera is a unique, all-in-one-piece, wide to telephoto tool able to capture subjects near and far in wonderful detail. Being an illustrator, this camera is perfect for capturing the nut and bolt resources for future work--be it rabbits, birds, people, landscapes, etc. The Image Stabilization (set in menu to work only when pressing shutter) works very well and greatly helps the very good lens get the best shot--my opinion, anyway, after seeing the first test results. I could clearly read our town's name on a water tower some 3 miles away and was able to take some surprisingly sharp hand-held photos of the moon at full telephoto.

Bought this FZ50 for my wife--another one of those Homer bowling ball gift purchases.

I chose to purchase the (silver) DMC-FZ50 over a well-known dslr for a number of reasons: First, because the lens on this camera covers my needs entirely. Plus, it's a Leica-engineered Elmarit lens, so there are no questions about the quality. I very rarely photograph sports or fast-moving subjects, so the cumulative lag times aren't much of a factor for me. Photographs aren't entirely made by the camera. Much of it, believe it or not, depends upon the photographer's skills. You can split technical hairs till the cows come home, but if your compositional skills aren't any good, your photographs won't be any good. No amount of camera will make up for it. That being said, this camera is more than adequate in the hands of talented photographers, amateur or pro.

There are some other nice things about this camera: the length of the lens stays the same, from 35mm to 420mm. The lens cap has a front release, so you can remove it while the lens hood is attached. In fact, either lens hood or lens cap can be removed without getting in the way of the other. The factory-supplied battery lasts me 523 shots at an outdoor temp of 68 degrees F, and it's small: 1.63 x 1.38 x .75 inches. The battery charger is the same size as a pack of cigarettes. You can un-clutter the view through the viewfinder by choosing not to display anything! And, instead changing pixel dimensions, you can actually see and select what megapixel you want, from its maximum 10MP, to 2MP!

By listening to what photographers want, and collaborating with Leica, Panasonic has turned itself into a major camera manufacturer. The result is a very usable and much-recommended camera.

I have never taken pictures this well. This is my third digital camera since 35mm. I have the first version DMC FZ20 w/ leica lense and 12x optical zoom. I dont know how they made it better the FZ50s? I have taken thousands of photo's and the re-charge battery and memory cards are still good. Optical quality is supurb and affordable. Buy Panasonic\Lumix FZ camera, you will be pleased.

If you read the various reviews of the DMC-FZ50 on the 'Net, you will see many remarks about the high noise level of the Panasonic sensor at high ISO settings. The same reviewers will post sample photographs for your perusal -- pay close attention to them. First, on many of them the noise is not objectionable at all. Second, they are JPEGs produced by the Venus III engine. Yet, this superlative camera can produce RAW images. With the SilkyPix software included with the camera kit, you can bypass the Venus III noise reduction (RAW images do not use the camera's noise reduction circuitry). The SilkyPix noise reduction software (or that available in Adobe RAW Capture) is superior to the Venus III, and will produce final images that equal those produced by the Canon Rebel XTi or the Nikon D80.

With the debate over noise levels now moot, I challenge anyone to find a comparable camera with similar features at ANY price that can best the DMC-FZ50.

I bought this a few weeks ago,after trying to decide between a digital SLR,or a super-zoom digital camera. I almost got both in this camera.The Leica lens is superb. The anti-shake function works beautifully. The zoom renders crystal clear photos. The close-up lens set,and the WA lens I bought with it are exactly suited to the camera.The LCD viewer is large,crisp,and bright.
Some have said the camera is "heavy." I say so what?? It has an excellent feel and heft to it,and I like that.It's substantial.
Plus,there are about 14,000 functions on the camera.All easily understood/explained.Lots of tweaking available for those of us who like hands-on photography.I have a very nice little 5.1 mp Nikon which I will use for my point-and-shoot photos,even though it also renders wonderful photos on its own merit.
When paired with a good photo program(I use Corel,Adobe and Microsoft),you can spend hours playing with the photos,and I guarantee you will be very pleased with what you create.Get a good printer!!!!!

I purchased this camera a few weeks ago to replace my hopelessly broken and outdated Kodak EasyShare. I bought it because I wanted a camera that I could grow into and not want to replace in 2 years. Megapixels will always go up as the years go by, but I wanted a camera with a strong feature set beyond that. This camera certainly has that to offer.

When I purchased this camera, I must admit I did have some concerns about having to use the ring on the lens to focus. My old EasyShare had a simple point-n-shoot button. Once I got the camera though, I found that I do not miss the button at all. I prefer this method of focusing, it allows you to point and shoot but you can also take the time to focus in much more precisely on a shot.

I love this camera!!! It is alot of bang for the buck, imo.

Excellent in all respects except buttonology is not intuitive. Lots of manual use to learn to use properly

is a bombastic camera that i had ever own.
lens, LCD monitor and user friendly GUi make me amazed on it.

I'm still learning -- this camera does A LOT -- but what I've done with it so far, I love! I've pretty much only used the "auto" setting but I've taken some great pictures! Even at night -- with and without the flash -- I've gotten some great pics. The zoom is awesome. We were in the mountains over the Christmas holidays -- I was taking pictures and was able to zoom in on houses that were barely noticeable with the naked eye. The picture quality is awesome. I'm very pleased with this camera.

The only problem that i see , its that the LCD screen dont have a good resolution when using the Zoom, but is Good. I think is normal , the high resolution add the high zoom .result in a bad resolution of the LCD screen . But I am happy with the camera. I love this camera...

This is a wonderful camera if you want a light weight, walk around camera that has a huge zoom range. However, for the same price of this camera you can also get a low end DSLR that will have better picture quality and the ability to switch lenses. There is a great deal of noise, especially at the higher ISOs with this Panasonic. With DSLR, depending on which you purchase, there is definitely less noise. Also this camera will take filters, which is huge because it allows you to be even more creative just like with DSLRs. It really comes down to if you want a point and click, or a camera that will allow you to continuesly grow with it in photography.

While camera brands such as Canon, and Nikon, get most of the media play, Panasonic also has an excellent line up of top grade cameras. The DMC FZ50 is the top of the line in a NON DSLR. Great quality pictures from 36MM wide angle to 425MM Telephoto. The body utilizes Panasonics world leading stabilization system as well.

I was contemplating a DSLR but didn't really want to lay out $1500+ and carry around an extra lens for telefoto. I've been shooting with an SLR for 35 years, even used to have my own dark room so I expect quality in my photos. I need the camera for travel (landscapes and animals) and for shooting my art work for jury entries and publication. The latter need to be high quality.

My first digital was an Olympus UZ 730, great camera with 38-380 mm, very lightweight, nice photos except that it was only 3MP. It is very hard to find anything above 8MP with a long zoom. I read the reviews about this Panasonic and I know I made the right choice.

I've only had it since November but I already have taken it on a camping/hiking excursion and re-shot some of my artwork.

The best was on Jan 2 when the first full moon of 2007 rose over the very reddish Sandia mountains here in Albuquerque. I ran out in the snow and zoomed my lens out to its furthest. The shot is gorgeous! I wasn't so sure about the ability to keep steady but the IS gave me a crystal clear shot. That really convinced me.

The menus and dials are very easy to navigate. I like that the zoom is manual and not motorized as was my Olympus. You get more control over it. The battery isn't being used either. I still prefer to use the view finder but the LCD is very nice and large and the ability to swivel is great.

I have a friend who spent close to $5000 on one of the NIkons and its so cumbersome she doesn't want to carry it around. I admit, the Panasonic is heavier than I would ideally like but there's no way to get that much zoom and MP in a smaller body.

I generally like to manually adjust my settings but I tried the "snow" setting last week after we had the record breaking 2 feet of snow and the color and light were just right and it was still early in the morning.

I highly recommend this camera to anyone who wants more than point and shoot but why spend thousands on a DSLR when this one does it just as well. With my Olympus 3MP camera, I was able to enlarge the high res shots to 11 X 14 so with this Panasonic, I'll feel very comfortable enlarging even more and submitting for publishing.

Also, I almost got conned into buying from a "cheap" web site but it's classic bait & switch. The low price they quote doesn't include a battery and charger and they want $150 for those. So glad I bought from Amazon. Got a good price on a second battery too.

Excellent Leica lens, great optical zoom and many choices for resolution, focusing, etc. I've owned a number of digital cameras and believe me, this one is very nice indeed! The image stabilization works very, very well. I did purchase the add-on Panasonic flash for extra range for night and wildlife photography - however the normal use the built-in flash works nicely.

You wont regret buying this camera.

Spent over six months researching digital cameras before making this purchase. Since I will be using on an African safari, the camera had to be capable of handling photos from extreme close-ups to long distances very quickly and with little effort. With zoom capability of 12x and numerous automatic program settings this camera fit the bill perfectly. The only negatives I found are viewing via the viewfinder is poor and it comes with a memory card that is nearly worthless. However, compared to other competing models in the extreme zoom category, the DMC-FZ50 takes the cake.

This camera is great, I have used a Cannon AE1 for over 25 years now. Have tried several digital cameras with out satisfaction. Always using the AE1 for quality pictures. This camera performs neck and neck with my AE1. The extended zoom is awesome, the high sensitivity mode is great for low lighting. Often indoors I do not use the flash. I recomend a second battery for taking a lot of pictures or for using camera all day. If you want a great camera and do not want a SLR I recomend this camera highly.

This is the best bang for your buck! The zoom is as much as anyone really needs and the resolution is phenomenal. Many prefer Nikon and other brands, but this camera has a glass lens -- not plastic or polycarb! The only thing you need to buy extra is a bag, hefty fast SD, and a UV lens cover -- no extra expensive lenses. Furthermore this unit is much less expensive than those other brands. Oh yeah, and Panasonic products are always focused on ease of use, so this thing has a low learning curve.

I purchase this camra to take macro pictures of roses and could not be happier. Takes all other types of pictures with the same quality. I have only taken point and shoot pictures with great results. During bloom season I will use a tripod and cable shutter release. I purchased a Sony A-100 a few months ago and this camera out performs the A-100.

I read a review on this camera in Businessweek and decided to buy it immediately. Good camera so far. The technology appeared overwhelming initially but after spending time reading the manual, I had no problem using it.
Great performance. One problem I have with it is how fast the battery runs down. Another, is the type of battery it uses. For somebody like me that intends to use it abroad (West Africa), my powershot that uses convectional battery is still better.

Great camera and just to let others know: The Olympus FL36 external flash performs perfectly with TTL metering with the FZ50. I had to do a lot of searching before I found a compatible flash without paying Panasonic's high price. (I think this flash is made by the same people that make Panasonic FL360!)I purchased the Flash from Amazon, cheaper elsewhere, but I like Amazon's service! (No, I don't work for Amazon!)

Excellent Leica lens, great optical zoom and many choices for resolution, focusing, etc. I've owned 4 digital cameras and believe me, this one is the best hands down! The image stabilization works very, very well. I added the 1.7x lens which is sold out for $229. What a buy! For the first time I have a camera stronger 714mm than my Bio. I was in good light in a swamp in Florida this week shoting straight up a tree. With the zoom at max 20.4x or 714mm the stabilizer was saying stop-stop. I hit the shot time after time. Ten shots but I got 3 perfect pics of a 2" bird forty feet over my head. Walked from 7am to 4pm in the swamp. And the only negative is I need to buy a wider strap for hours of walking. Some reviews warned me of the battery, so I bought a spare. There is no way to use up two batteries from sun rise to sun set. I used 2 of the 2gb level 3 cards. Thank you Panasonic. You need to get a new photo edit software. I copied the jepg pics over to my old software to edit ok. tom

The camera provides fluid access to, and through, its menus. Battery life is does well providing hours of picture taking even with the LCD screen on. Amateur photographers will enjoy the ability to choose from 2 compression settings as well as the capability to shoot in RAW format. The extended zoom comes in quite handy for making sure that you get the right picture while you're still out in the field. The extended zoom is not digital zoom, but allows you to drop the megapixels down and zoom in even further. At 3MP and full zoom your optical zoom reaches 21.4X. That, is amazing. I can still get an 8x10 with 3MP. Good luck finding a better camera for your dollar.

Just got this camera based on the reviews I've read here and all over the web. It's fantastic and it definitely merits the great reviews. The Leica lens is a beautiful thing.

However, I have been trying to run the digital video directly into my Mac (so I can view the live feed on my computer) and, to my dismay, the only AV cable provided ends in an RCA (analog) terminus. This means that I have to buy an analog-to-digital converter box in order to take the DIGITAL SIGNAL from the DIGITAL CAMERA and have it read by the computer.

Makes lots of sense, doesn't it. (Especially since TV signals by law have to be digital now, so your average TV is probably going to phase out the analog i/o altogether.)

I called Panasonic to see if they make an AV cable that ends in a DV terminus. They do not. I put in a request that they do so. The guy took down my request but explained that they would have to look at the economics of it. Grrrr.

But if they get enough requests, they might do it. So if you have any interest in viewing live feed on your computer or via the digital input on your telly, please call Panasonic and add your voices to mine, so they make this cable! After all, it's kind of weird that you can't just plug and play--a design flaw? Or a marketing ploy since they might want to force you to buy the camcorder?

That's the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5. Still have to experiment and get to know the features better, but it takes lovely pictures, feels great in your hand and gives you a lot of control. BTW: definitely buy a larger memory card. You can find them online for fairly cheap these days. The 4GB cards have to be SDHC in order to work with this camera (I read that somewhere in the manual).

Since all the great attributes of this camera have already been described in many of the reviews here, I won't bother repeating them again other than to add my voice to those who say that this is one great camera.

I originally thought about buying a digital SLR but decided to go with this one instead because of the convenience of the zoom that comes with this model as opposed to having to lug around multiple lenses which would have been the case with a DSLR. The Panasonic DMC-FZ50 takes great photos and should meet the needs of most photography enthusiasts.

My main intention for buying this camera is to take pictures of my kids. I need a camera that is capable of taking a picture very quickly and still be clear. I have owned 3 digital cameras in the last 2 years and always find something that I wish was better as soon as I turn it on. I am, in no way, a pro at photograghy but I love to take pictures. My co worker has this camera and let me take a few pictures with it. After the first couple of pictures I was in love. My only hesitation was the price. I am glad that I paid the extra because I can't find one thing I would change on this camera. It is so easy to use and there is so much I can do with it. It is great with up-close portraits of my children and nature shots at last minute. The menu is easy to use and I love the trimming feature.
I also have to say that the shipping price was cheap and the service was excellent. I ordered on Thursday and 11 pm and received my camera on Tuesday evening. I work for USPS but I have to give UPS credit.

Thanks
Crystal

The camera itself has good features but I'm wondering who would buy this camera at its' price point. A real serious phtographer would opt for a true SLR camera for a few hundred more. A casual amateur don't need to spend this kind of money. A Sony 7.2 Megapixel with 12x optical zoom (or other similar brands) for $360 would save substantial money and meet the needs of substantially all amateurs looking for a better high zoom camera. I don't see real value in this camera.

So far I have had no complaints with this camera. It gives me all the manual options I like to have. I love the way it recycles so quickly so I am ready to take another picture. Somtimes the camera is out of focus and I can't quite figure out the problem. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. I'm sure it's a setting that I'm not quite of. With all the options, I sometimes forget what setting I have it on.

I won't repeat the many pros and few cons that others list; I mostly agree with what they have already said.

BUT... before I bought this camera, I downloaded the Operating Instructions book and read it to make sure the camera has the features I am looking for, namely a nice tight, movable Spot AF (AutoFocus) function for much more accurate AF.

Page 90 clearly states that the SPOT AF may be moved to any of the same nine AF areas that one may choose in the larger non-Spot AF modes. This is simply not true. The Spot AF area is permanently placed dead center in the viewfinder and cannot be moved. A call to Tech Support merely got me a word-for-word repeat of what the book says, along with an admission that the book appears to be wrong, and emails to Panasonic go unanswered (I had been prewarned by a highly reputable local pro camera shop that the reason they won't carry Pansonic items is because of the horrible Customer Service. I guess they were right).

As far as the over-agressive Noise Reduction (resulting in softer images than neccessary) others have mentioned in reviews around the internet, this only affects jpeg images. You can avoid this by shooting in RAW mode instead of jpeg, and do your own Noise Reduction in Photoshop with a NeatImage or Noise Ninja plug-in. IMO, anybody serious enough about their photography to buy a $500 camera with a Leica lens shouldn't be shooting jpegs anyway.

RAW gives you ALL of the data that the sensor picks up, allowing you to make an extremely wide range of adjustments in post processing without degrading the image quality, but jpegs process in-camera, permanently throw away all of that valuable extra data, and apply heavy sharpening. Sharpening should basically be the last thing done to a photo before printing, as any adjustments, processing or resizing done after sharpening often looks like garbage.

Overall, I'm still thrilled with the FZ50; it has earned its place among my Canon DSLRs. If you don't need movable Spot AF, and you can take the time and effort to shoot in RAW, this is a superb camera and well worth the price!

The camera feels good to handle.Not as heavy as it looks.Very attractive looking too!Start up time is nice and quick.Auto focus is very quick also.And so is the time between taking pictures.The zoom ring is nice and smooth.I like that you can raise your optical zoom up to 21.5X from 12X just by setting the megapixels for each picture takin down to 3 mega pixels instead of 10.And you can't see a difference if your printing 4x6 pictures.The image stabilizer works great too ! The focus ring takes time to get the hang of.Indoor pictures you'll wanna use the flash for clearer pictures.If you walk in a totally dark room and take a picture with the flash on it'll light up the whole room.The pict-bridge works great too on a pict-bridge printer.The LCD is bright & beautiful.It gets brighter the the brighter it gets in the room or outside so you can see it better.All in all this camera is awesome.You can attach lenses to it.The wide angle lens gives you about two more feet on each side and the telephoto lens brings your object about 3 feet closer to you.The video is great too ! You can zoom while taking a video.The only bad thing about this camera is the software it comes with.Besides that though I love it !

This is my 3rd digital, after 20+ years of film.. this is the first one I can confidently say trumps any of my old 35mm SLRs. The lens is superb, the handling / controls is fast and intuitive, and makes grrrreat prints even into the larger sizes like 8x10, 11x14 and 16x20. Even at iso800 you can get great 11x14s. Advanced shooters will appreciate the hotshoe, ability to go full-manual, manual zoom and focus rings. A great all-rounder with a monster zoom for when you only wanna lug one camera. This puppy has earned its place in my bag. This camera really isn't for the Instamatic crowd -- this camera's more geared towards enthusiasts, and I think it's tough enough to even do some pro work. For the point n' shooters, put in dummy mode, and click away... for the seasoned vet, choose your poison.. program, aperture / speed priority, full manual, custom.. etc etc etc. I've had mine six months and it still makes me giddy ^.^ One last thought.. this thing should be absolutely perfect for those interested in learning photography. Did I mention the lens is absolutely stunning? It's a Leica design, and behaves like it.. sharp corner-to-corner, even when wide open.

Great camera, fantastic value. lots of daily usuable features, lightweight handles well, easy to use.Definitely recommend this camera to any serious photographer.

I made the mistake of ordering this camera to substitute buying a pro camera. The color and noise was terrible. If you want a great point and shoot camera get the Canon powershot s50 while they are still available. The camera has pro features, it was so good they stopped making it because it should have been in the pro camera line at a much higher price tag. If you want to see s50 pictures go to [...] and search my gallery Cathreen Styles. All most all of the pictures in the gallery were taken with the s50. I am going to buy another just to have when mine breaks. By the way, I did end up buy a pro camera, mainly because of the look. I got the Canon 30d and love it!

Seems Panasonic has finally dropped the hammer on the pseudo DSLR market, with 420mm at 12x or 749mm - 21.4x at 3mp is outstanding especially with OIS. excellent pictures out of the box, menu operations are plentiful, NR can be reduced and the jog dials front and back for Aperture or shutter is very professional.

Leica lens is crisp and sharp, I shoot in Aperture priority with NR at minimal and the pictures even in Jpeg look like they have been post processed, simply amazing.

After experiencing this camera I sold my Nikon D80, attachment lens and soft pictures Nikon was giving me is unacceptable, i went thru every menu option including using the much hyped RGB3 which by the way gives cartoon colors has no comparison to the Panasonic.

High speed USB is my only complaint for data transfers, Noise reduction for higher ISO noise is a bit over powering but acceptable but controllable at your liking, a 3" ,screen would be nice but maybe on the next model.

BTW, moon shots with the Raynox 2020 at 3mp give a zoom of 47.08x optical or 1647 mm optical, hand held shots with OIS (image stabilization) enabled gives jaw dropping pictures, you actually have a telescope with OIS at your reach, simply amazing.

100% satisfied.

I am only an amateur photographer, but still . . . this small camera with the long nose gives performance one might expect from an SLR film camer costing a lot more, and a lot more complicated to use. I caught the digital bug sevearl years ago. My latest before this beauty was a simple little Canon SureShot 3mp. A great camera, but this camera has the same simplicity, but takes pictures which are much more refined in terms of sharpeness for not much more than I paid for that camera four years ago!! This Panasonic Lumix has a Leica Lens, which can' t be matched by any other camera but it's twin Leica camera--a much more expensive piece of equipment. The long lens might put you off if you are an average family photog, but if you want an all around 35mm-12X camera without a huge heavy expensive bag of lenses, like me, this baby is for you. It only looks massive. It is quite lite and manageable. I use it for bird photographsy, but it could be great for any situation where you need to get really close up in just about any lighting situation with ultra-fine resolution. Don't want to spend mega bucks for a mega-camera? This is the answer. I love it, and I think your will, too. Easy to use, and easy on the wallet. If you're not quite there, try the next model down, with the same focal length but 6 mp, for a couple hundred less. Another terrific buy. No, I don't work for Panasanic. I'm a retired print editor.

Jim Isham

this camera takes great pictures for travel and outdoors. If you intend to take family photo's indoors you will need a large room for group shots as it's 35-420 zoom. Having said that I am very happy with this camera and it's long list of functions. The software is better than some I've seen. The camera is easy to use right out of the box. Make sure you buy a memory card. The battery ahs a very long life but I bought a spare so I wouldn't be caught without my camera. My only complaint is photo's load slowly to my computer compared to other cameras.

I'm a former 35mm photographer who's a little older and not as spry as I once was and I eventually got out of the habit of lugging a case of equipment everywhere I went. I got re-energized in photography with digital but a small compact point and shoot left me wanting more. Digital SLR's are pricey and as a friend pointed out I'd be back to lugging a case of equipment around me with her. She recommended this model and the more I looked at it the more I liked it.
It is a fixed lens model, but with a 12:1 optical zoom what other lenses would really need. It start up fast, zooms and focuses internally so there is no moving barrel to have to hold on to. It has just about every feature an advanced amateur could want. It does macro. And it has an optical stablization system that works as advertised.
So far I haven't come across anything that it can't do. This is a nice unit for an advanced amateur or even semi-pro who doesn't want to go full digital SLR yet.

I'm not entirely new to photography. I had two canon pocket cameras (35mm) and a Sony digital pocket camera, so I had some expectations about what could be done. I have to say that the FZ50 has blown me away. In the automatic mode, it's great for point and shoot. I doubt I'll ever use it for video clips, but I've been able to include pictures in my power point presentations that have been very helpful. I have been slowly acquainting myself with the various modes and capabilities, such as the macros for closeups. This process will take several months at least. Well worth the price.
Quality is outstanding and everything works as it should. I'm not sure that the extra memory (10.1 MP) is actually necessary, and if you could get a FZ30 for less, that would actually be a better deal for most folks.

I just received this camera as a gift.
I love the idiot-proof menu.
The instruction guide was actually readable.
It feels like a film SLR, and the size is perfect for smaller hands (my boyfriend finds the buttons and controls a bit too cramped).
Image quality is great, though I've not used it in a wide variety of settings (yet).

Another feature which I LOVE about this camera is the flip screen. This appears to be the most "advanced" digital camera with this feature. As an artist and model, I shoot myself alot. The flexible flip-screen allows me to get odd angles and self portraits.

My only complaint is that the auto-release is a maximum of 10 seconds (making complex self-portaits difficult). I got the remote shutter accessory, so hopefully this won't pose too much of a challenge in my self-portraiture!

What a steal this camera was! Just got it in the mail this week, and it's proven itself to be well worth buying. I love pretty much everything about it. Pictures, even in auto mode, are crisp and detailed. If you like the photography side, aperture, shutter, and focus settings are VERY comprehensive.

I have never had a "real" camera before other than a cheap 35mm one, and haven't taken any photography classes or learned anything about photography. I only read a little bit online about the basics, and within 2 days I was adjusting the settings for the scene's needs and WOW the pictures turned out great. If you are interested in photography, this is DEFINITELY the camera for you.

One thing to mention, however, is that the SD cards are really fast while in the camera, but once you connect the camera to a PC via USB, the pictures take a while to load in order to edit (with Photoshop). I highly recommend a fast SD card, like the SanDisk SD Extreme III.

Battery life is pretty good, even when doing video. Videos look and sound great, and you can take pictures while you record video. I had been looking at this camera for 2 months and finally bought it, and it's well worth it. If you're on the fence about this or a more expensive Canon or Nikon, I'd go with this unless you're super hardcore.

5/5 Stars for an excellent product at an incredible price.

I've had this camera for about 4 months now and I am very pleased with it. The pictures are clear, focus is quick and the options endless. This is my 7th digital camera and I have purchased 2 close up lenses and a T-con 1.7x for it which has really made it versital. The large manual zoom and anti-shake are the best part of the camera. It is a very clear lens and I like that when the focus is on manual it gives a zoomed in look at what you are shooting. The FZ-50 is as close to a DSLR as you can get without all the expensive lenses to drag along. The manual settings let you set-up the camera for you personnel needs. I'm really enjoying this camera.

I have been looking for a good DSLR like camera for a while. FZ50 is the best that I can find in the market today. Many reviewers point out noise problems which I also found annoying. But if you can not wait for another 6 months or so, this is the best you can get. Fujifilm's S9000 may have lower level of noise, but it doesn't come with image stablization, which is more of an issue for me.
In sum, if you need the camera now, FZ50 is the "best" available. If you can wait till July, then look for Panasonic's new release around that time.