The camera also had a tendency to clip highlights a bit more readily than I would have liked. This is very good flash range performance.Auto flash produced bright results in our indoor portrait scene, almost too bright despite the 1/60s shutter speed at ISO 160. It is a subjective evaluation made by the viewer or photographer. There’s also a rather impressive array of Creative Control modes -- what you and I might call filters. ISO 400 yields a reasonable 8 x 10, but loses all contrast in our red swatch and begins to introduce some grain in the shadows. Viewfinders. Sure, your smartphone can do a lot of things today. T he Panasonic FZ200 is styled like a DSLR and has therefore excellent handling. The fact that you are reading up on this, shows that you have an interest in photography. After all, such a bright lens is a rarity among long zooms these days and -- teamed with the camera's excellent AF system -- it proved to perform well in low-light and high shutter speed situations. Battery Life: The Panasonic FZ200's battery life has a CIPA rating of 540 shots per charge, which is quite good. There’s simply no way to get away from what the killer feature of the Panasonic FZ200 really is -- the lens. Fast f/2.8 25-600mm eq. While it might not be the most kindly of tests for this camera, I took it out to shoot the moon on a clear winter’s night, while the moon was full. Image quality. It’s 460,000 dots, which is on the low end, and shares the same problem that most LCDs do -- it struggles in direct sunlight. Minimum coverage area is smaller than average at 1.58 x 1.19 inches (40 x 30mm), which is quite good. You can do this by focusing automatically on the subject first, and once you are sure it is in focus, switch to manual focus. Posted 07/18/2012, Field Test by Tim Barribeau There are nine white balance modes on offer in the Panasonic FZ200: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Flash, Incandescent, two Manual modes, and a direct color temperature setting. On a full frame 35mm or digital camera, the optical focal length and effective focal length are the same in most cases, so the field of view is relative to the effective focal length. Macro photography allows us to see the world from a different perspective. It’s something that you’ll see in many EVF models, but not on the FZ200 -- and I don’t know why Panasonic might have left it out. It focuses quickly, and at full speed, can shoot 12 frames per second (fps) in burst shooting mode. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Review - Design and Performance Review ... automatic mode and fire away. In general, I thought the FZ200’s control scheme and menu layout were frustrating to use, especially the massive over-reliance on the rear dial. The closer the front lens element is to the subject, the more it blocks the light reaching the subject (because you are very, close). The FZ200 has a rear thumb dial, which also functions as a button when pressed. So even when tracking a bird across the sky, you can get that wonderful maximum aperture of f/2.8, which is great if you’re shooting in less than ideal conditions. Once you are all set up with your equipment, the obvious question comes to mind; “what settings do I use…?!”. Panasonic FZ200. 12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS Sensor. While recent models have been relatively minor upgrades, the FZ200 returns to its roots by featuring a lens … I also had a slight problem with images coming out over-exposed, especially at full telephoto. This is something that all long zooms face, and the FZ200 is in no way particularly bad, but if you’re trying to snap onto focus for something across a large field -- especially in difficult conditions -- you’ll be in for a bit of see-sawing back and forth. Therefore the effective focal length of the 45mm is 2X or 90mm. – Nicole Lisa Photography. The Panasonic FZ200 is based around a brand-new 1/2.3-inch, 12.1-megapixel High Sensitivity MOS image sensor. You wont be too impressed when you finally get to see your images on the big screen, and find out that the antler is the only thing you managed to get in focus of your rare fire ant. Focussing sharply on a subject in macro photography is perhaps the hardest element to perfect in macrophotography. Blurring is strongest in the lower left corner. CHECK PRICE. I’m not usually a huge fan of these effects, but I did gather some enjoyment out of using the various monochrome mode as you can see below. The FZ200 has an official CIPA battery life of 540 shots -- plenty to last you well through most shooting days (or longer). The 50mm is heavier, larger and requires an adapter to be used on mTF cameras. Shutter Lag: Full autofocus shutter lag is very good at 0.23 second at wide angle and 0.24 second at telephoto. So there are some top end legacy macro lenses that are technically sharper then the 45mm F2.8 and some that are faster. The 12.1-megapixel MOS sensor lets the DMC-FZ200 … So if you’re in Aperture Priority, adjusting the wheel defaults to changing the aperture, and then to toggle to exposure compensation, you have to press it in. Already have a tripod you say? Beneath the viewfinder window is a 3-inch, tilt-swivel LCD panel with 460,000 dot resolution. Camera in hand. The iAuto exposure mode detected the face and yielded a good exposure in the mannequin's face, but clipped a lot of highlights in the process. While it still can’t measure up to an optical viewfinder, I think it's better than most in its class. Please note that this article is written for a specific DSLR camera, but people with point and shoot cameras can also benefit from information provided on macro photography techniques. Anywho, this is a perfect camera to start with – your way to learn how to macro photography with Panasonic FZ200. You may recall with the FZ200 … Extreme close-up photos can be mesmerizing, and will add a different dimension to your photography toolbox – which consequently means that your reputation as a photographer will improve drastically. If you are using a high-quality DSLR, then your memory card needs to be up to speed to match the camera’s performance. Explanation: The picture on the right has a low depth of field, therefore a wide aperture, and low f-stop. The FZ200 isn't the first long-zoom camera to feature a lens like this. The Panasonic FZ-200 spanks the SX-50 in video performance, focus speed, overall shooting speed and boot-up time, and has a panorama mode that the SX-50 (and Canon in general) refuses to implement. Low light: The Panasonic FZ200 was able to capture a bright image at the lowest light level we test at (1/16 foot-candle) using its lowest ISO setting. Whether it is wireless or or cord. (DMC-FZ200) •Always use a genuine Panasonic remote shutter (DMW-RSL1: optional). It also seems that with the FZ200, Panasonic has gone down a list of advanced controls that experienced users want, ticking them off as they go. Those cameras were also all based around relatively less powerful 12x zooms, where the FZ200 sports a 24x zoom range. The photographs producing are extremely detailed, showing detail beyond that which is visible to the naked human eye. ISO 3200 prints are not sharp enough to be called good at 4 x 6, but may be usable in certain situations. If you’ve ever dragged a camera with you while traveling to far-flung corners of the world (or just accidentally left your battery charger behind while on vacation), you know that a decent battery life can be a lifesaver. And then turns the LCD back on when you unfold it. Stopping down to f/4 improves corner sharpness at both wide angle and 20x telephoto, and stopping down a bit further may improve corners even more. The Panasonic FZ200 shows the same limitations in print quality as we find in most bridge or superzoom cameras with smaller sensors and at this resolution. Made for PANASONIC Lumix (GH2, G2, GH3, G3, G1, GH1, GF1, GX1, G10, FZ50, FZ30, FZ20, FZ150, FZ100, LC1, L10, L1), LEICA Digilux (2, 3), and V-Lux (1, 2). Overall, pretty good color performance. Invest in this and you’ll take your photography to another level. You can also opt for 30p capture at either resolution, as well as at VGA (640 x 480), in MPEG-4 mode. Kodak Touch vs Panasonic FZ200 Comparison … Audio is recorded with a stereo microphone located in front of the hot shoe, using Dolby Digital Stereo Creator technology. Panasonic Lumix FZ200 (with 8GB SD Card and Carrying Case, Black) ... portrait mode, scenery, soft skin, sports mode, sunset ... Macro Focus Range But that's exactly what the Panasonic FZ200 delivers and more. How to macro photography with Panasonic FZ200. Bokeh: The term bokeh is the blur or the quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of an image, or “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light or highlights. 4x digital zoom performance is pretty good, though with the loss in quality and increased visibility of noise you'd expect with such high magnification. It keeps you up to date with Facebook, it searches the web at your verbal command, it even grabs pretty good snapshots. Overall, the FZ200's lens may not offer the range of the latest superzooms from competitors like Canon and Sony, but its brightness is exceptional and performance very good. Shooting with the FZ200, one thing that impressed me was an overall feeling of speed. line patterns down to about 2,000 lines per picture height horizontally and about 2,000 lines vertically. HANDLING & FEEL. Switching to Manual white balance yielded the most accurate color performance, though with a slightly green tint. lens with Power OIS optical image stabilization, Full HD 1080p60 Movies, 12fps full-res burst mode, RAW capture, iAuto, iAuto Plus, iResolution, iD-Range, iHDR, flash hot shoe. If you’re used to shooting large sensor cameras, the 1/2.3-inch sensor has all the usual flaws, but for the type of camera it is, it’s pretty fantastic. ISO 6400 does not produce a usable 4 x 6 inch print and is best avoided. This is a rather difficult subject to capture, especially for a fixed lens camera, but the shot is problematic. Flash Recycle: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200's flash recycles in about 4.3 seconds after a full-power discharge, which is good. The extreme pro series allows for professional speed, consequently capturing more shots in continuous burst mode or faster processing when dealing with high-quality files which takes up more data storage. Easy, breezy manual focusing. Overall 59 Imaging 41 Features 71 Value 73 Size 76. For all the movie fans in the house, the FZ200 features a rather expansive array of video capabilities. The camera's AF system was also able to focus down to below the 1/16 foot-candle light level without AF assist enabled, and in complete darkness with the AF assist lamp enabled. What Panasonic has put together is a responsive -- and excellent feeling -- superzoom that tackles many of the problems that hurt this camera type, though it still faces its fair share of challenges. Depending on the object, and how likely it is to run away if you get too close, a tripod can provide the stability, and close proximity needed to capture that unique shot of a rare insect or object. Click image to view/download 53MB MTS file. You could try to make a cheaper version, buy a cheaper lens or even use a magnifying lens, all of which will impart a degree of the magnification possible – but also create a degree of blur. There's PASM on the Mode dial, three dedicated custom function buttons, two custom shooting modes, a standard hot shoe and an external microphone jack. Performance is quite good at a medium focal length of about 52mm equivalent, with very good sharpness and contrast across the frame. Startup time is also reasonably swift for a long zoom camera, at 0.95 seconds, according to Panasonic. Smudging and blurring increase fairly rapidly as sensitivity increases, so that by ISO 1,600 fine detail is only a suggestion. Material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted or otherwise used without the prior written consent of The Imaging Resource. (And one in which a lot of photographers dissatisfied with their smartphones find themselves shopping.) This can be a cool effect if you utilize it correctly. Face detection and tracking functions are included, and there's an AF assist lamp to help out in low light. SuperStoked Surfing & Photography Magazine, Panasonic Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm/F2.8 ASPH Lens. The FZ200's uses Intelligent Multiple metering by default, and you can also opt for Center-weighted or Spot modes. (It's primarily meant to show zoom range.) This means that regardless of focus distance the front element of the lens never extends or changes position.