If you think big is beautiful then you will love the new Panasonic Lumix FZ-50; it’s physically large, and huge on features. The swivelling screen and colossal zoom range are just two characteristics that will whet your appetite for this 10.1 million-pixel, 12x optical zoom camera.
In 35mm terms the crisp Leica Vario-Elmarit lens extends from 35mm through to a dazzling 420mm. Made by Panasonic under strict controls from Leica, this lens also adopts Panasonic’s own Mega Optical Image Stabiliser lens for sharp images under the toughest lighting.
Panasonic has taken the extra step of also including ISO sensitivity up to 1600 and having a ˜Hi-Sens’ mode in the scene setting for those who don’t understand the pros and cons of upping the ISO. As well as Auto ISO there is Intelligent ISO that raises the sensitivity depending on lighting conditions.
Fast and furious
Speed and accuracy are two attributes of this lens, quickly focusing under any lighting situation and precisely targeting your subject for sharp images almost every time. Should you need to, you can quickly switch to manual focus and use the focus ring.
When shooting at the drift nationals in Taupo, I only had to shift the ISO up to 400 to get sharp images of the racecars in this mad sport. Using the ˜Sport’ setting (one of 12 scene settings) and the continuous Hi shooting mode produced an excellent series of action shots.
The continuous setting lets you rattle off two frames per second, which is all right for playground shots of the kids but it could hardly keep pace with the action
at the drift racing.
The 2-inch screen, with its 230,000 pixels, is great to use thanks to the swivel-turning motion that lets you reverse it when not in use to help protect it, or spin it into an unusual angle so you can get either a low or high angled shot.
This big bad boy also lets you shoot in either JPEG or RAW formats and comes with included SilkyPix software for editing RAW files on both PC and Mac. Adobe has just released its RAW file converter 3 that lets you edit files from this camera in Photoshop CS2 and Elements 4 and 5. The RAW files are simply fantastic, letting you adjust exposure, white balance and more after a shot has been taken.
Flash bonus
If the built-in flash isn’t doing the job then you can slip a bigger flash on the hot-shoe for more range and power. Panasonic’s DMW-FL28E flash should give you the extra punch you need, with the added benefit of being able to bounce the flash off a ceiling. The built-in flash has a reasonable range that can be extended by juggling the ISO.
Picture quality is great, as long as you don’t have to alter the ISO higher than 400. Image quality quickly deteriorates with increased noise and a loss of edge detail once you do. Colour is rendered perfectly throughout the lens range and focusing is faultless.
Conclusion
This camera is more than just a big zoom with a fantastic image stabiliser, it can make movies and under most conditions it produces wonderful pictures and is only let down when the ISO is pushed up. The Leica lens shines and is the icing on the cake. If you enjoy being able to take control of the exposure but don’t want to carry a multitude of lenses then this chunky monkey could be the camera for you.
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