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Top Panasonic Lumix FZ50 Camera Reviews
DP Review wrote a review of the
Panasonic Lumix FZ50
and said: "I completely understand why Panasonic chose to jump
from 5 to 8 to 10 megapixels in three generations of its
flagship FZ camera - it's a lot easier to sell a camera on
pixels than picture quality, and the average consumer (and it
must be said the average camera store buyer) uses megapixels
above all else when sorting cameras into categories. Panasonic's
marketeers knew full well that with 10MP 'consumer' SLRs on the
horizon (and 10MP the new high end for compacts too) the FZ50
needed a headline 'resolution' that kept it near the top. I do,
however, think it was a mistake to think that the FZ50 buyer is
the 'average' consumer, unable to base decisions on anything but
megapixels."
Panasonic Lumix FZ50 News Release Summary:
Panasonic Introduces New LUMIX DMC-FZ50 Featuring Intelligent
Image Stabilizer by MEGA O.I.S. and World's First* Intelligent
ISO Control
*For a digital still camera, as of July 19, 2006.
Panasonic today introduced the 10.1-megapixel LUMIX DMC-FZ50
with MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) featuring powerful
12x optical zoom (equivalent to 35 mm to 420 mm on a 35 mm film
camera) f/2.8 LEICA DC lens, as a successor to the DMC-FZ30,
which has received high acclaim worldwide.
The DMC-FZ50 boasts a 10.1-megapixel high resolution CCD for its
image sensor and Venus Engine III for the image processing LSI,
making it possible to record a image at max. ISO 1600 high
sensitivity setting at full resolution. Furthermore, by
dramatically reducing the noise levels that challenged its
predecessor, the DMC-FZ50 is able to capture 10.1-megapixel full
resolution images even in high sensitivity recording.
To fight against the major cause of blurred images, Panasonic
invented the MEGA O.I.S. system taking advantage of its superior
lens technology to compensate for handshake - a feature which
has long been incorporated into the LUMIX range of cameras. In
addition, to also compensate for the other major cause of
blurred images ? movement of the subject - the FZ50 is also
equipped with the world?s first* Intelligent ISO Control
(hereafter I.I.C. ) within the advanced image processing LSI
Venus Engine III. When set to the I.I.C, the Venus Engine III
detects the subject?s movement and adjusts the ISO setting and
shutter speed to best suit the subject movement and the light
condition automatically. Panasonic's excellent image stabilizing
system allows users to take clear, crisp images in any situation
automatically, leaving everything to the camera.
From a point of view of further improving the usability of its
predecessor, the DMC-FZ50 is equipped with a new Function Button
which serves as a shortcut to quickly set frequently-used
settings such as recording image size, light metering, AF area,
white balance, and ISO sensitivity. Also, thanks to the newly
incorporated custom setting function, your frequent setting
patterns can be memorized and it can be instantly applied by
simply selecting this function with the mode dial. The 2-inch
LCD flips out to 180 degrees, making it easier to view even when
shooting from high or low angles. As for optional accessories,
the DMC-FZ50 is now compatible with TTL external flashes.
Finally, the battery life is greatly extended by approx. 29%
compared with its predecessor allowing the FZ50 to shoot approx.
360 images on one charge (CIPA).
The LUMIX DMC-FZ50 faithfully inherits the well received basic
specifications from its predecessor FZ30 such as the manual
focus ring and manual zoom ring, yet enhances the image sensor
up to 10.1-megapixel. Noise is drastically reduced with this new
FZ50 achieving a rendition of even higher quality images. The
DMC-FZ50 is bound to spark the imagination of high-end users and
join the Panasonic LUMIX high-end model lineup.
* Based on the CIPA standard.
1. 10.1-megapixel CCD and f/2.8 12x optical zoom LEICA DC
lens
The DMC-FZ50 includes a 10.1-megapixel high resolution CCD and
the f/2.8 LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT 12x optical zoom (equivalent to
35 mm to 420 mm with a 35 mm film camera) lens. The lens unit is
comprised of fourteen elements in ten groups including three
aspherical lenses and an ED lens, All these are incorporated to
generate low distortion and high optical performance while
preserving the compactness of the unit. The Extra Optical Zoom,
made possible by using the center part of the 10.1-megapixel
high resolution CCD, further extends the powerful 12x optical
zoom to up to 21.4x for 3-megapixel image recording (17.1x for
5-megapixel and13.4x for 8-megapixel recording). High resolution
images with richer gradation are always assured with these LEICA
DC 12x optical zoom lens and the 10.1-Megapixel CCD. .
2. More than just a MEGA O.I.S., LUMIX's image stabilizing
system further evolves
Taking advantage of its superior lens technology, Panasonic
invented the MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer( system to
fight against the major cause of blurred images. It compensates
for handshake and is now featured on the entire LUMIX range, and
has been highly evaluated and appreciated by the users across
the world. Every slight hand-shake movement is detected
accurately with the sampling frequency at 4,000 times per second
and will be compensated to render clear, sharp images. In
addition, movement of the subject, the other major cause of
blurred images, is suppressed by the advanced image processing
LSI Venus Engine III with the Intelligent ISO Control (hereafter
I.I.C. ) and max.ISO1600 high sensitivity recording
capabilities. The world's first incorporation of this I.I.C.
allows the automatic adjustment of the suitable ISO setting and
shutter speed that best suits the situation by analyzing the
speed of subject movement. If the subject is moving, the ISO
setting would automatically rise to allow high shutter speed. On
the other hand, if the subject is still and no movement is
detected, you can take beautiful natural images with a low ISO
setting.
Accordingly the new LUMIX automatically takes the best
countermeasures against any causes of blurred images with MEGA
O.I.S. compensating for hand-shake and the I.I.C. compensating
for movement of the subject. Image stabilizing system is further
evolving with LUMIX.
3. Dramatically reduced noise with Venus Engine III
The DMC-FZ50 adopts the Venus Engine III to realize high
sensitivity recording at max. ISO 1600 at full resolution. The
noise reduction system is greatly improved by removing noise at
the processing stages in series. First, critical noise is
roughly undraped and the chromatic noise and the luminance noise
are separated to respectively go through the supplemental noise
reduction process so that the remaining noise is appropriately
minimised. In addition, chromatic aberration is also reduced so
beautiful images are assured even in telephoto shooting.
Despite the significantly increased performance of the camera,
the Venus Engine III consumes only 80% of the power utilized by
the Venus Engine II and is able to achieve a longer battery life
of approx. 360 pictures (CIPA) on a single charge. With its
multi-task image processing capability, the Venus Engine III
also boasts outstanding response time with an industry-leading
level of shutter release time lag of as short as 0.009 sec*.
minimum and the shutter interval of 0.8 sec*. Together with the
fast startup time of approx. 0.7 sec., the quick response of
DMC-FZ50 enables easy capture of those spur-of-the-moment shots.
The DMC-FZ50 also allows unlimited consecutive shooting up to
the capacity of the SD/SDHC memory card* * * * Not including the
time for AF. * *The number of recordable pictures depends on the
memory card size, battery life, picture size and image
compression.
4. Intensifying functionality in pursuit of full manual
controllability
The DMC-FZ50 succeeds the high operational ease and the good
design that have been highly acclaimed with its predecessor
DMC-FZ30. Two exclusive rings on the lens barrel provide manual
control of zooming and focusing, allowing quick and fine control
that cannot be achieved with button or lever operation. This
feature will be highly valued by high-end users not only for its
precise controllability but also for the feeling of manual
operation. With the two dials located under the index finger and
the thumb, you can compensate the exposure directly in addition
to the shutter speed and the aperture smoothly and naturally.
The newly added Function Button serves as a shortcut exclusively
for the commonly used settings such as recording image size,
light metering, AF area, white balance, and ISO sensitivity,
allowing them to be set easily.
For further improvement, your frequent setting patterns can be
memorized and can be instantly applied by just selecting the
newly incorporated custom setting function. White balance now
can be finely adjusted with a reference to the horizontal axis
for amber to blue and vertical axis for green to magenta.
Furthermore two composition guideline patterns can be overlaid
on the normal shooting screen.
5. Free-angle LCD and high resolution EVF to extend shooting
potential
The 2.0-inch flip-out 207k high resolution LCD is adjustable to
180 degrees both vertically and horizontally. This assists
smooth shooting even in high- and low-angle shooting positions.
The pixel mixed readout method performed at the CCD achieves
high sensitivity to offer sufficient brightness for easy
shooting even in low-lit situations. The Power LCD function
boosts the brightness level by 40% to secure clear view even in
sunny outdoors. The DMC-FZ50 is also equipped with the 235 k
pixels high resolution EVF to encourage active shooting. Not OVF
but EVF can provide the benefit of being able to check white
balance, real-time histogram and the DOF (depth of field) before
shooting.
6. Faster AF
The AF mode can be selected according to the shooting situation:
9-point, 3-point high speed, 1-point high speed, 1-point normal
speed and Spot. In the 1-point and 1-point high speed AF mode,
the AF area is selectable from the nine focusing areas with the
joystick to best fit the composition of the subjects. Also, the
AF assist lamp facilitates quick, accurate focusing in
situations where focusing is difficult due to the lack of light.
7. Clear, bright, wide VGA motion image recording for viewing
on wide screen TV
In addition to standard VGA (640x480) at 30 fps motion image
recording, the DMC-FZ50 also records stunning full-size movies
in wide-aspect VGA (848x480) at 30 fps. Shooting is one thing
but viewing is another, and you will be suitably impressed by
the 16:9 moving image when it is displayed on a wide screen TV.
The brightness level of these motion images is also enhanced as
a result of the pixel mixed readout method performed by the CCD.
Zooming in while recording motion images is also possible with
the manual zoom ring, while image clarity is secured by the
Optical Image Stabilizer.
8. Included software and optional accessories
To edit and develop RAW files, the "SILKYPIX Developer Studio
2.0SE" software application is bundled with the DMC-FZ50. Using
this software, you can freely adjust various setting such as
exposure, white balance, and so on afterward with the RAW files
to take maximum advantage of digital camera photography
enjoyment.,
The DMC-FZ50 is compatible with all the same accessories as the
FZ30. In addition to those, the DMC-FZ50 is also compatible with
the TTL external flash (GN50 or GN36). This expandability
enhances the potential of shooting to make DMC-FZ50 a true high
end camera.
The DMC-FZ50 will be available from September 2006.
Panasonic
Lumix FZ50 Best Price:
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