Panasonic has introduced
the newest addition to the FZ bridge camera series
that features a long zoom and stabilization: the DMC-FZ50,which is clearly based on the FZ30 but offers a 10.1-megapixel
resolution, a 2 megapixel increase over its predecessor.
As were previous versions, the
FZ50 is equipped with 2 LCD screens, one of these being its
electronic viewfinder (EVF), which is composed of 230,000
pixels. The other, the monitor, is composed of 207,000
pixels, measures 2 inches diagonally, and is hinged at the
bottom. This allows lowering it so that it can be rotated
180° to the left, or 90° to the right, and pushed
up flat onto the back of the camera.
The upper part of the FZ50's
grip supports all the top mounted controls of the camera.
The chromed shutter release is angled towards the front of
the camera, making it easier to reach with the index finger.
Directly below the shutter release, the Front Dial
allows setting the aperture when the camera is set to the
Aperture Priority mode, while in the Playback mode it serves
to zoom into an image up to 16X, or zoom out and then display
an index of the captured images, placing first 9 thumbnails
per screen, then 25, or presenting them in a calendar view.
Two small round buttons are
positioned directly between the shutter release and the Power
Switch, which has a green LED to indicate that the camera
is on. The small button nearest the shutter release controls
the Mega O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer):
Mode
1 activates the stabilizer continuously, stabilizing
the image while framing the shot, and during its capture.
Mode
2 stabilizes the image only at the moment of capture
and is the most effective stabilization mode, along with
being the most economical for power.
Off allows turning off the stabilizer when it
isn't necessary, such as when the camera is mounted on a
tripod.
The button between the Stabilizer control and the Power Switch
controls the Burst mode. It offers 3 choices
when the camera is set to capture JPEG images:
Burst H captures up to 3 frames at 2 frames per second
at the highest image quality, and up to 5 frames at
the highest compression.
Burst L captures up to 3 images at 1 frame per second
at the highest image quality and up to 5 frames at the strongest
compression.
Unlimited: captures images at 2 frames per second
for as long as there is memory space.
The Mode Dial is placed to the left of the Power Switch
and has 9 positions, starting with the Auto mode, which
has a red icon:
The Auto mode turns the FZ50
into a point and shoot. The camera handles all settings
and the only control the user has is over the image size
and quality.
The Playback is next,
making it possible to review the images and video clips
stored in memory.
P
Program mode lets the
FZ50 select the shutter speed and aperture, but allows
the user to select another aperture/shutter speed combination
that would result in a correct exposure, but which would
allow changing the depth of field, or favouring the shutter
speed.
A
Aperture Priority mode
gives the user control over the aperture and in turn over
the depth of field using an aperture range in 13 increments
that starts at f2.8 at the wide angle end and F3.7
at the telephoto end, while the camera selects the shutter
speed.
S
Shutter Priority mode
allows setting the shutter speed from a range that covers
from 1/2000 second to 8 seconds, while the
camera matches the selection to an aperture.
M
Manual provides control
over both the aperture and the shutter speed, but extends
the range of the latter to a maximum of 60 seconds.
CUSTOM
Custom
allows the user to register up to three sets of preferred
settings C1, C2 or C3, any one
of which can then be recalled by setting the Mode Dial
to the Custom position and then selecting one of the
three sets.
Motion Picture allows
capturing video clips with sound in either one of two
aspect ratios:
4:3
16:9
640 x 480 at 30
or 10 fps
848 x 480 at 30
or 10 fps
320
x 240 at 30 or 10 fps
The length of the recording is only limited by the
capacity of the memory card. The optical zoom being
manual, it remains useable during movie recording, but
focus, white balance, and the aperture are locked at
the first frame for the duration of the recording, while
optical stabilization can only operate in Mode 1.
SCN
Serves as the access point
to the 16 Scene modes, which preset the camera
according to the subject to be photographed:
Portrait
Soft Skin
Scenery
Sports
Night Portrait
Night Scenery
Panning
Food
Party
Candle Light
Fireworks
Starry Sky
Baby 1
Baby 2
Snow
High Sensitivity
At the top is the release for the pop-flash, which is described
as having a range of 30 cm to 7.4 m (1 ft to 24 ft) when the
lens is at the wide angle end and the sensitivity is set to
Auto. In addition, the FZ30 is equipped with a flash hotshoe
that is compatible with the optional FL500 or FL360 flash
units.
Below is the Focus Switch, which has three clearly
labelled positions:
AF: allows the camera to use 9 or 3 focus points,
or even a single focus point that can be positioned over
any part of the frame (see the Characteristics
section of the review for an explanation of the AF modes
available).
AF Macro: allows capturing photos with the camera
as close as 5 cm (1.95 inch) from the subject when the lens
is at the wide angle end, or 2 m (6.5 ft) at the telephoto
end.
Manual Focus: allows using the manual focus ring
to focus the lens. During Manual focusing the centre portion
of the image is magnified in the viewfinder or on the monitor
to help focus accurately.
All the other external controls
of the FZ50 are on the back of the camera, on the right side
of the monitor.
The FOCUS/AE LOCK is positioned immediately to the
right of the viewfinder's exit pupil. The button can be used
to activate the Auto focus without having to press the shutter
release halfway. In addition, it can be used to maintain the
auto exposure along with the focus, or either of these according
to a choice made in the capture menu. (See the Characteristics
section of the review for more information.)
The Rear Dial is positioned at the top right side
of the camera's back, where the thumb rests naturally. When
the FZ50 is set to either the Shutter Priority mode, or the
Manual mode, the dial serves to set the shutter speed, and
to choose an alternate combination of shutter speed and aperture
when the camera is in Program mode, just like the Front Dial.
While in the Playback mode, the dial serves to move from
one image to another.
Four buttons are aligned vertically
to the right of the monitor, starting with the EVF/LCD
button that toggles back and forth between the EVF and the monitor.
Below is the DISPLAY button, which controls the information
superimposed on the EVF or monitor during either capture or
playback.
In a capture mode the information superimposed on
the display by default includes the capture mode, the stabilizer
mode, the flash mode, the ISO setting, the size and image
quality setting, the battery state, the remaining number of
shots that can be stored on the memory card, the AF brackets
and the metering mode. When the shutter release is pressed
halfway, the aperture and shutter speed are indicated on the
lower part of the screen.
Each press of the DISPLAY button changes the display,
cycling from the default to a display that adds a real time
histogram; then a display that places the image from the lens
in the upper left and the current settings superimposed on
black bands on the right side and at the bottom of the monitor;
then to a display the adds one of two composition grids while
removing all other superimposed settings, and finally one
that simply leaves the AF brackets and nothing else.
With the FZ50 in playback mode, the default display shows
an image with, superimposed, the playback mode icon in the
upper left corner, the image size and quality, the battery
state, the image's file number, and position within the images
contained in the current folder at the top right side. The
date and time of capture are indicated across the bottom.
Pressing the DISPLAY button
once adds a histogram along with the shooting mode used, the
aperture and shutter speed, the ISO setting, the white balance,
and the flash mode. Finally, pressing the button another time
removes all superimposed information leaving only the image.
This same button has yet one more function — in the capture
modes, when pressed for more that 1 second it serves to increase
the brightness of the monitor — a function that
is not available when the EVF is used.
The next button down on the side of the monitor is the FUNCTION
button. It displays a quick menu at the top of the screen
that contains the most commonly used camera settings. The
Cursor buttons can then be used to modify settings for:
AF mode,
metering,
white balance,
ISO sensitivity,
image size,
and image quality.
(see the Characteristics section of the review
for more details.)
The fourth button aligned to the
right of the monitor is simply labelled with a
icon, and serves to delete unwanted images, either immediately
after capture when they are displayed on the monitor/EVF,
or when the camera is in playback mode.
A group of five buttons complete the external controls of
the FZ50. Four buttons in a circle — referred to as
the Cursor buttons — serve to navigate menus,
or even review images in the playback mode. In addition, each
button has an extra function when the FZ50 is in a capture
mode:
The left arrow
controls the Self-timer, which can have a delay
of either 2 or 10 seconds.
The up arrow controls up to four functions, depending
on other settings of the camera:
Exposure Compensation: over ±2 EV
in 1/3 EV increments.
Auto Bracketing: over 3 frames and a range
of ±1 EV in 1/3 EV increments.
White Balance Compensation: allows
adjusting the white balance, as long as it is set
to any other setting but Auto, over ± 10
increments.
Flash Compensation: which offers a compensation
range of ± 2 EV in 1/3 EV increments.
The right arrow serves
to select the Flash mode, once the flash has been
opened manually: Auto, Auto with Red-eye Reduction,
Forced On, and Slow Synch with Red-eye Reduction.
REV
The down arrow starts
the instant Review, which displays the last
captured image for approximately 10 seconds. If desired,
the camera can be set to indicate potentially overexposed
areas of the frame. Moreover, in this mode, images can
be zoomed into by either 4X or 8X, and deleted if need
be. Worth noting, the Review mode does not offer access
to the Playback menu.
In the middle of the Cursor buttons, the MENU/SET
serves to display the menu that corresponds to the current
camera mode, and also serves to confirm settings made therein.
While the external appearance
of the DMC-FZ50 is close to the FZ30 it replaces, some important
changes have been made internally with this new model, and
these translate into changes to some of the function associated
with some of the external controls. Ergonomically, however,
the camera is very similar and has an excellent in-hand feel,
with all the controls well-positioned so that they fall quite
naturally under the finger tips. And, while the hinge system
of the FZ50's monitor is not as flexible as others, it still
offers an advantage over fixed monitors when the camera is
on a tripod, or positioned in such a way that viewing either
the EVF or the monitor would be difficult.
Compare Prices for Panasonic DMC-FZ50/K 10MP Digital Camera
Ergonomics
Mode
1 activates the stabilizer continuously, stabilizing
the image while framing the shot, and during its capture.
Mode
2 stabilizes the image only at the moment of capture
and is the most effective stabilization mode, along with
being the most economical for power.
Off allows turning off the stabilizer when it
isn't necessary, such as when the camera is mounted on a
tripod.
Burst H captures up to 3 frames at 2 frames per second
at the highest image quality, and up to 5 frames at
the highest compression.
Burst L captures up to 3 images at 1 frame per second
at the highest image quality and up to 5 frames at the strongest
compression.
Unlimited: captures images at 2 frames per second
for as long as there is memory space.
icon, and serves to delete unwanted images, either immediately
after capture when they are displayed on the monitor/EVF,
or when the camera is in playback mode.
