Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50EB-K

...One thing is for sure, Panasonic hasn’t skimped on the spec for the FZ-50. It packs in a 10.1Mp CCD sensor, moving up from the 8Mp sported by the FZ-30, there is a 12x optical zoom with a 35-420mm range in 35mm terms, and at the wide end lens has a maximum aperture of F/2.8. What’s impressive is that the maximum aperture is fast F/3.7 at the full extension of 420mm.
With a 420mm lens you risk camera shake, however hard you try to combat it ...
...the FZ-50 features Panasonics mega 0.I.S. (optical image stabilisation) to try to reduce this problem. It works by moving the lens to counteract movement and features two modes: mode one is continually active, while mode 2 only works when the shutter is half pressed, thus saving battery life.
The 2 inch screen is easy to view and can be angled outwards for waist level shooting, although a 2.5 inch screen would have been even better.
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All in one, D-SLR-style compacts bridge the gap between budget D-SLRs and system cameras, and their main appeal is the large built in zoom housed in the body.
The FZ-50 fits nicely into the hand with a distinct handgrip. Both the zoom ring and focusing ring are manual and operate smoothly, and they are weighted well for precise control. The majority of the camera is made from plastic, but it does have a reasonably solid feel and is well made.
One thing is for sure, Panasonic hasn’t skimped on the spec for the FZ-50. It packs in a 10.1Mp CCD sensor, moving up from the 8Mp sported by the FZ-30, there is a 12x optical zoom with a 35-420mm range in 35mm terms, and at the wide end lens has a maximum aperture of F/2.8. What’s impressive is that the maximum aperture is fast F/3.7 at the full extension of 420mm.
With a 420mm lens you risk camera shake, however hard you try to combat it with a steady hand and a fast shutter speed, but the FZ-50 features Panasonics mega 0.I.S. (optical image stabilisation) to try to reduce this problem. It works by moving the lens to counteract movement and features two modes: mode one is continually active, while mode 2 only works when the shutter is half pressed, thus saving battery life.
The 2 inch screen is easy to view and can be angled outwards for waist level shooting, although a 2.5 inch screen would have been even better.
The maximum ISO has been increased from 400 on the FZ-30 to 1600 on the FZ—50 and there is a 9 point selectable AF system, too.
The layout is very logical and similar to a D-SLR. It’s easy to get up to speed and for a bridge compact, the 9 point AF is pretty quick, too. Write times were on the pedestrian side though, taking 2 seconds for a JPEG and up to 5 seconds for RAW (now supported by adobe camera raw 3.5) when it comes to continuous shooting mode, it can manage 3 fine JPEGs before the shot. Things improve when it comes to the mega O.I.S though – you can hand hold at slow 1/15 sec and it dramatically cuts down on camera shake.
The FZ-50 is packed with features and the MEGA 0.I.S. works a treat. The 10mp sensor delivers crisp, vivid images, and the RAW mode is a bonus for those with creative intentions. It’s a shame it’s let down by sluggish performance, though it shouldn’t be singled out, as most bridge compacts suffer on write times, too. Its one of the best all in ones around but at a pricey £400 it faces some stiff competition with that sort of budget. 

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