Panasonic Lumix FZ-50

• $1,049
• Get it from authorised dealers

On the spec sheet, the Panasonic Lumix FZ-50 looks truly impressive.

Some notable features include Leica's 12x optical zoom (35mm to 420mm), support for SDHC (High Capacity SD Card), Mega Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and full manual control. So how would the new FZ-50 prosumer camera fare with a great lens at its disposal?

It handles like an SLR and has well-spaced control buttons that are easy to press. The focusing mechanism can be easily changed via a switch at the side of the lens barrel, so going from normal to macro focusing is fairly fast.

If there's a need for manual focusing, the FZ-50 allows you to do so as well and to focus via a pop-up magnifier window on the screen. The Electronic View Finder (EVF) is very bright and, with its high resolution, is clear as well.

Photo taking is a breeze. Because the lenses need not be extended, powering up is very fast. The flash is powerful enough for most occasions and it even has a TTL hotshoe for third-party flash units to be fixed onto it.

As with any Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, the aperture and shutter settings or both can be changed via the front and back scroll wheels. To reduce vibration, Mega OIS can be induced using two modes. The first mode allows active vibration reduction during viewing and the second reduces the vibration only when the shutter is depressed, but it introduces shutter lag.

Where photo quality is concerned, I was able to take very good shots, some even at ISO 100 (low sensitivity) for night scenes to keep the sensor noise down without using a tripod.

Recording the photos at Jpeg mode was fast and the Raw mode took about two seconds, which is faster than most cameras of this class.

The Panasonic FZ-50, however, has some chinks in its armour, most notably its focusing, white balance and noise reduction mechanism.

I was able to focus in macro mode at 35mm, but as I tried to zoom into the subject, like filling the frame with a flower, I just could not focus anymore. Its focusing during normal usage is also slower than some of its competitors.

The camera's white balance is pretty accurate - most of the time. However, its performance is not consistent if the subject is under artificial lighting.

Another surprise for a camera of this class is the absence of fluorescent and incandescent white balance setting. In the end, I had to rely on custom white balance reading during the times when the place was lit with yellow bulbs, halogen lights or fluorescent lamps.

Although the FZ-50 produces fantastic photos, on closer inspection, there are instances of smudging even at ISO 100.

This could be because of its over-zealous noise reduction mechanism. For small prints under 5R size this is not a big problem, but if the camera is used to print 8R and above, this shortcoming may be telling.

- By Wilson Wong, freelance photographer, writer and gadget enthusiast

FINAL SAY

The Panasonic FZ-50 has all the right tools and features to capture beautiful images without the bulk of normal DSLRs. So, it is a good travel choice. But given its small sensor, noise is still an issue. For the discerning user, a DSLR may still be a better choice.