Lumix Dmc-fz200 Software
Dec 06, 2012 Watch video CNET earns fees when you click these offers. The Good The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 has an excellent f2.8 25-600mm zoom lens; fast shooting performance.
The Lumix DMC-FZ200 ($599) is Panasonic's flagship super-zoom digital camera. While recent models have been relatively minor upgrades, the FZ200 returns to its roots by featuring a lens with an F2.8 maximum aperture across its entire zoom range. The early models in the FZ series (FZ1 - ) had lenses with constant maximum apertures, but that stopped with the, launched back in 2005. Last year's DMC- had an F2.8 - F5.2 lens, so the lens on the FZ200 is a huge improvement, and the extra brightness should make a real difference at long focal lengths and/or in poor light, allowing you to shoot at lower, less noisy ISO settings. In combination with the newly-developed 12MP MOS sensor, this makes the FZ200, at least on paper, by far the best choice in the superzoom segment for low light shooting. That large aperture allows it to offer faster shutter speeds at the same ISO settings as its peers, or use lower sensitivities at the same shutter speeds as the competition. While the Leica-badged lens is definitely the number one head-turner on the FZ200's spec-sheet, the remainder reads very well too.
As usual you can frame and review your images on either on the rear LCD or the electronic viewfinder. The latter is a new 0.2-inch variant with 1,312,000-dot equivalent resolution. The 'equivalent' part of this statement stems from its 'field-sequential' design - instead of having triplets of dots showing red, green and blue at all positions, it displays one color, then the next, at each position. The downside of this approach can be that if you move your eye quickly, or blink, you become aware of delays between the three colors being drawn - with colorful, rainbow-like edges appearing. Thankfully this display runs at 60hz, so this effect isn't too noticeable. Panasonic Lumix FZ200 key specifications.
24x 25-600mm equivalent lens with F2.8 across the zoom range. 12.1-megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor.
12 fps continuous shooting. High Speed Video at 120 fps (HD) or 240 fps (VGA).
1080 60p video recording in AVCHD or MP4 formats. 0.2-inch EVF (Electronic View Finder) with 1,312,000 dot equivalent resolution. 3.0-inch, free-angle 460,000-dot LCD screen. Panorama Shot mode. RAW and RAW+JPEG data recording option Compared to the Lumix FZ150: The differences between the last-generation FZ150 and FZ200 are mostly cosmetic. The grips are slightly different, and the flash doesn't pop-up as far on the FZ200 (hello, redeye). The microphone has been moved closer to the hot shoe on the FZ200, and the power switch as been integrated with the mode dial.
This allowed Panasonic to add a new customizable Fn3 button next to the burst mode button. Other improvements compared to the FZ150 include an HDR feature (plus more special effects), in-camera panorama stitching, and high speed movie recording. From this front view the FZ200 is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor FZ150.
The shape of the grip has slightly changed and the rubberized material covers more of the body 'area' and the barrel of the new lens has a marginally larger diameter but you have to look closely to spot the differences. The same is true is for the camera back.
The cameras are very similar in terms of both body shape and button layout. The FZ200's specification highlights such as the 25-600mm F2.8 lens and the high-resolution EVF are hidden under the hood and only become obvious once you turn on the camera and start shooting. In this view you can see, that the new model is slightly deeper than the FZ150, which is mainly caused by a slightly larger lens barrel. The controls on the top plate gain a customizable Fn-button and the on/off switch has now been intergrated into the mode dial. I am a very serious amateur photographer. From my perspective the FZ 200 is an incredible camera for what it is. When I want the best pictures I use a DSLR, but there are many occasions when I don't want to carry a heavy camera with a lens attached.
The FZ 200 takes very good pictures and has an incredible range of options. The number of options is a positive for me. But can be confusing for those less familiar with photography. However, remember you can always reset the camera to the factory defaults if something gets set wrong and you don't know what it is. Also using the intelligent auto (IA) setting on the mode dial should help those less familiar with photography.
Finally, those who don't know much about photography should use JPEGs instead of RAW, it's easier and can still produce amazing results. For those who feel this camera isn't good enough the FZ 1000 is out.
It has a 1 inch sensor but only zooms to 400 mm & stops down from 2.8-4 during zooming & is more expensive. I have a love/hate relationship with this camera. Love it because it is light, has a decent Leica badged lens and zooms out to 600mm for those wildlife shots. Takes decent videos too. The bad features are many: cumbersome and slow menu driven settings, often slow focusing, needing to refocus on some other object with more contrast, poor online manual with some features mentioned (e.g., Forced Flash) but menu icons for this is not present in the Qmenu. Noise levels are objectionable above ISO 160 at full resolution when seen on a screen. It's OK for snapshots and for those who do not want to carry large DSLRs with multiple lenses, especially while on travel.
After two weeks and watching the FZ200 utube videos by Graham Houghton I have come to the following conclusion. I really like this camera find the image quality great.the camera feels solid with good build quality. The images that after two weeks have surprised me in their clarity. I sold a SX50 to buy this and on my part feel very good about my decision. There was nothing wroung per say with the images from the SX50 but it felt like a plastic toy that wasn't going to last. I would buy this camera again.
As mentioned in the comments watch the videos on utube. They are well done and answer questions that makes your images totally sharp. This is a confusing collection of remarks! Most users seem to either love it or despise it, really polar opposites. It's almost as if the discussion is about two different cameras.
Oh well, prices on the used market are pretty reasonable now, less than $300 for a very good example, so I bit. This is actually for my 10-year-old to take on an upcoming trip overseas. Not much time to teach her the nuances of photography, but hopefully this will capture sufficient IQ in Auto to make her efforts worthwhile. Thanks for everyone's comments and suggestions! I hope someone can help. I got the dmc fz200 several weeks ago and I find the setting and menus terribly confusing. Primarily I want to just shoot in raw always.
When I go to the Quality setting - I only get two options for JPEGs. Is there a way to globally choose raw?
FYI - I have been a professional photographer for over 25 years shooting with canon, nikon, olympus but I am totally in the dark with this new camera. For the other manufacturers, I have been able to buy Field Guides which provided step-by-step instructions.
So now I am very frustrated. Well, I've been using this camera for more than 2 years now and I've to say it still blows my mind. And its a necessity that the user must be familiar with the setting and on how to use the camera properly to get the most out of it. The sharpness is incredible for a P&S, same goes for the dependable AF system. The F2.8 lens is staggering at the long focal lengths and it certainly can create superb BOKEH. I've a YouTube channel, and I've many videos regarding this camera. If anyone is doubtful about this camera and its abilities, please check this link out.its my short selection of photos taken from this camera.
All the pics are edited in Lightroom for better presentation. I have used this camera for a number of years and it is still awesome. Great camera for Manual/Aperture/Shutter speed. Good lens, great colours, and the in-built creative filters can give you lots of fun playing around with the photos you have already taken. If you are into taking pictures in auto all the time you may be disappointed as it sometimes ups the ISO in lowlight. Its sensor is only 12mp and it gives decent shots, but if you do heavy cropping you will be disappointed. Not fantastic for low light hand held.
Battery light is not so great. But still awesome pictures and awesome colours for those who can handle it. Awesome camera!
Owned it from around 6 months, shot thousands of pics and each day I learn something new with it, is lovely. Have read some comments saying that has not the quality of DSLR. 1) Is not a dslr 2) the camera lens are very versatile, allowing even to get decent shots in semi low light occasions, telephoto or close ups. I think it might fit the needs of a regular user around 80% - 90% of the times. Just don't spill lens cleaning liquid over it's lenses coz you might end up having issues. In my opinion, the bridge segment has been a damn one until the introduction of CMOS sensors.And there were good reasons for that.Many people have felt deceived by the fake appearance of this cameras, DSLR at the exterior but P&S at the heart. Not too much has changed; after all, is a 1/2.3” sensor inside.
Aside optics, a bridge is more or less the same camera as a compact superzoom.Very often, they share the same sensor, the same processor and the same controls. This cameras define itself only by their optics. If focal range is not crucial, there´s no reason to spend that amount of money when you can achieve the same IQ with almost half the $, or achieve a way better IQ with a big sensor compact for a similar price. As feature-filled as this camera is, I have been having a terrible time with it. I have found it's ISO settings changed to 3200 without my knowledge on a number of occasions resulting in terrible results. It seems that, because of the way the controls are located on the back of the camera, when I grip the camera with my right hand I mash the ISO and white balance settings resulting in disastrous results.
Is there a way to lock those controls? I have returned to shooting with my ancient 14mp Kodak/Nikon which has never failed me but weighs a ton and is getting difficult for me to carry around as I age.
I have made my living doing photography for many decades and I have never had such embarrassing results with any of the closet full of cameras I have previously used. I have had this camera for 2 months now & am extremely disappointed with the quality of shots. Lots of noise even at ISO 100, especially with cropping, & rather confusing to use, even with watching the Graham Houghton youtube videos. I did a great deal of research prior to purchase & this seemed an awesome buy & one of the best bridge cameras around for the price. I have a Canon 600D & am used to that quality that produces. I wanted a lighter, easy to use super zoom that I didn't have to change lenses. It does have a great burst feature, but as a person who likes a crisp, sharp photo, sadly the FZ200 isn't the camera for me.:(.
Bridge cameras offer a compromise to larger SLR cameras. The smaller sensor lacks the low light/ISO performance of the larger SLR but enables a much smaller lens of equivalent focal length to be used. There is a direct mathematical relationship between the format/sensor size and the actual focal length of the lens.
There is a similar relationship between the focal length and the maximum aperture. Therefore if you fit a bigger sensor you will need a correspondingly larger camera and lens to support it. Sports and wildlife photographers don,t carry those heavy pieces of kit around to impress, they have to be that size to go with the larger sensor. Further to my recent post, I have to say that the more I use this camera, the less I like it. Having taken some stills and video over the weekend, I find that the autofocus is pathetic, especially when you start to zoom out, even at 3x it starts to hunt all over the place for a focal point.
This camera is so bad that I am beginning to think I have bought a faulty model. I just photoshopped some of my grand-daughter's images from her $100 Nikon Coolpix and the resolution is far better that this Panasonic thing i.e. The Coolpix images come up at 300 DPI while the Lumix images are only 180 DPI and I find this sub-standard. I am using a Sandisk SDHC class 10 card, so it is nothing to do with card quality. Any other digital camera can be taken from the box and immediately start producing beautiful images, not so with this one as I have yet to make an image or video that I call sharp. I bought this model camera recently on the strength of the rave reviews I have read on this and other sites & the f2.8 lens, but I am not impressed with it.
I bought it as a replacement for my old worn out Canon Powershot S51S, but the Lumix does not come close to the image quality of the Canon. I find the Lumix has much less colour depth and much less highlight detail. Further, the video function shows no recording time on the display like the Canon does, and also I find the controls cumbersome and fiddly to handle, AND it is not good on battery life as the reviews suggest.I do know a bit about cameras as I am a retired press photographer, not a megapixel and zoom spruiker as most self appointed specialists emphasise. I will use this camera mainly for video, but for serious stills I'll stick to my old Nikon D80 thanks! I have had my camera for 6 months and have mixed feelings, mostly good. I have probaby taken over 5,000 shots.
The design and workmanship are excellent. On occasions I have accidently hit a button I did not want to hit. In my opinion the camera has too many features. My biggest complaints are the owners manual and the software. The manual and software are on an enclosed CD disk.
The manual is poorly done with some features missing entirely or so vague as to be useless. Hard copies are available for as little as $10 on the internet. The software is SilkyPix.
If you plan on shooting RAW, you should give this program a trial run first. Some may like it, I can't stand it. My solution is a program called Helicon Filter. While the current version will convert RAW for this camera, an older version, Helicon Filter 4.93 is much faster and much easier to use. To get this older version you will need to make a special request for an unlisted download.
I have this camera as well, and while it certainly is a phenomenal point-and-shoot and very high quality, I tend to agree with you that it probably has too many features in a point-and-shoot. Is that possible? Well, kinda, yes. The camera is so sophisticated that it almost becomes tricky to use real well. I suppose any complex thing is like this, and I am definitely not a super-expert when it comes to photography.
I have had a couple of other digital cameras over the years, and this one is by FAR the best, but I'm not sure if I will ever be perfectly comfortable with all of its features and intricacies. I also agree that the manual can be quite a puzzle to figure out. It isn't the best on documentation, unfortunately. Is this an awesome camera? The power zoom is incredible, the optics are super quality, the articulated LCD is SO nice to have, and the price is quite reasonable too.
Do be prepared for a cornucopia of features! Well, as good as this guy may be, I don't think anyone with any digital photography experience should need to take an on-line course on how to use this camera. If I buy a new state of the art motor car, do I have to take an on-line course on how to drive it?
Another retired news photog friend of mine recently purchased a similarly priced and optioned Sony Cybershot (24 meg & 350 dpi) and its results make the Lumix look like a toy. My FZ200 has been ok for landscapes etc but the results are repeatedly poor when it comes to photographing people, kids etc. With stills and video alike, the colour saturation and skin tones are pathetic, redardless of lighting conditions. Some of the flat, lifeless images I have taken could not even be improved in Photoshop! You can talk all day about the bells and whistles, but the bottom line is a nice clean, balanced image and I'm not getting that. I think that Pansonic have exploited the Leica name by putting a good 2.8 lens on a lousy micro-processor.
Panasonic has revealed the Lumix DMC-FZ200 - a 24X superzoom with an impressive constant-F2.8 lens and high-resolution electronic viewfinder. That fast lens means that it should be easier to capture high-quality images at the full extent of the zoom, without having to use high ISO settings.
Lumix Dmc Fz200 Instruction Manual
It also has a 1.3m dot equivalent electronic viewfinder, as featured in the company's more expensive mirrorless cameras. It also has the ability to shoot at 12 frames per second and can capture 1080p video at 60fps or 720p at up to 120fps.
The camera's 25-600mmm equivalent lens features an improved version of the company's highest-grade Power OIS stabilization system and 'Nano Surface Coating' to minimize lens flare. We've prepared a hands-on preview of the FZ200, which looks at what these features mean in the real world.
By, DCRP Founder/Editor Originally Posted: October 25, 2012 Last Updated: November 15, 2012 The ($599) is Panasonic's flagship super zoom digital camera. While recent models have been relatively minor upgrades, the FZ200 returns to its roots by featuring a lens with an F2.8 maximum aperture across its entire zoom range. The early models in the FZ series (FZ1 - FZ20) had lenses like this, but that went bye-bye on the FZ30. Last year's DMC-FZ150 had an F2.8 - F5.2 lens, so the lens on the FZ200 is a huge improvement, especially for action and low light photography. Several other things have changed as well between the FZ150 and FZ200.
Lumix Dmc Fz200 Software
There's a new 12.1 Megapixel MOS sensor, a sharper electronic viewfinder, an HDR feature (plus more special effects), in-camera panorama stitching, and high speed movie recording. The FZ200 has the same 25 - 600 mm zoom range, rotating LCD, manual controls, 1080/60p movie mode, and expandability as its predecessor.