In my view, Panasonic's earlier FZ150 was one of the most compelling
overall super-zoom cameras. Interestingly as its rivals deployed
ever-longer zooms, Panasonic stuck with a 24x (25-600mm equivalent)
range for its flagship FZ series and instead chose to refine image
quality, features and handling. The result was an extremely confident
and capable camera and like many I wondered what direction Panasonic
would take for its successor.
Now we know. Panasonic has once again resisted the chance to deploy a
longer zoom range or a higher resolution sensor and instead focused on
two aspects to really differentiate it from rival models. The decision
to employ a constant f2.8 aperture across the entire zoom range is a
very welcome surprise and makes the FZ200 much more usable at the
long-end than its predecessor or rivals. Previously as you'd zoom-in for
a close view of the action, the lens focal ratio would gradually become
darker, forcing the camera to increase its sensitivity and shutter
speed to avoid shake. Now the FZ200 gathers around four times more much
light than its predecessor and rivals when zoomed-into the maximum focal
length, allowing it to keep the sensitivity at sensible levels for the
best quality even with fast shutter speeds. This makes it so much more
practical for shooting action or wildlife and I was keen to test the
pre-production sample in these conditions.
During the Panasonic press event I took the opportunity to photograph
skateboarders and cyclists at dusk with the FZ200 fully zoomed-in. In
both cases the camera managed to deliver sharp results without resorting
to very high sensitivities.
A constant focal ratio also allowed the FZ200 to zoom during movies
without any visible aperture stepping. I tried this indoors and out at
f2.8 and f4 respectively and was pleased to see the image not suffering
from aperture steps as I zoomed in and out. You can see examples of this
at the very end of my video interview above.
In these respects the FZ200 really delivers the goods, but it's
important to note the depth of field isn't particularly shallow even at
600mm f2.8 due to the shorter actual focal length and the relatively
small sensor behind it. Like all small sensor cameras you can enjoy a
nice blurred background on the FZ200 if you position yourself very close
to your subject - and indeed the FZ200 can focus with the subject
pretty much touching the front element - but at typical portrait or
action distances you won't be achieving anywhere near the shallow depth
of field effects possible with a larger sensor camera. Here are two
shots taken during my dusk shoot with the FZ200 at 600mm f2.8, which
also test the continuous shooting with AF tracking. As you can see, the
FZ200 nailed the focus, but the depth of field is still quite large. One
upside is that the focusing becomes less critical which means more
keepers, but again you won't be enjoying a really blurred background
unless you get up close to your subject.
In terms of the viewfinder I was very excited to find Panasonic
significantly boosting the resolution over its predecessor and rivals
and actually roughly matching the detail on the Lumix G viewfinders. But
it's important to note the EVF chip in the FZ200 is pretty tiny and
subsequently delivers a view that's about one quarter the size of a
Lumix G viewfinder. Switch between the cameras and the FZ200's
viewfinder image appears tiny, but if you use the FZ200 exclusively for
more than a few hours you'll find it fine. It's also worth noting that
the actual viewfinder image size is roughly the same as its predecessor,
so while it's smaller than those in Digital Single Lens Mirrorless
cameras, it remains a very classy not to mention unexpected upgrade over
rival super-zooms. Note there's still no eye-sensor so you'll be
switching between the screen and viewfinder using a button.
The flip-out screen specification remains the same as before though
and Panasonic has resisted the chance to boost the resolution or deploy a
touch-panel. As such you get a fully-articulated 3in screen with 460k
dots and anti-reflective coatings.
The movie and continuous shooting specifications are also
essentially the same as its predecessor. You can shoot at up to 12fps at
the full resolution without AF, or at 5.5fps or 2fps with autofocus; at
12fps you can capture up to 12 frames, while the slower speeds are
limited only by memory. The movie mode can film 1080p at 50p or 60p
depending on region and as before you can enjoy full manual control over
exposures along with having an external microphone input. I believe the
mic input remains 2.5mm, but I found its predecessor worked fine with
third party mics using a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter.
In terms of the sensor, Panasonic claims to have made
improvements over the FZ150, although thankfully this doesn't include
boosting the resolution - so the FZ200 remains a 12 Megapixel camera
with the ability to shoot in RAW.
Overall Panasonic has done a great job with the FZ200: its predecessor
was already very good indeed, so rather than get involved with pointless
Megapixel and zoom races, it's instead focused on really
differentiating its flagship super-zoom from its rivals. The constant
f2.8 aperture across the zoom range is an inspired move, and the
detailed electronic viewfinder a very classy touch. They take the FZ200
beyond its current rivals and deliver arguably the classiest super-zoom
around. I was very impressed with the pre-production sample I tested and
look forward to testing a final model for my upcoming full review!
The Panasonic FZ200 should be available at the end of August 2012 for
an RRP of $599 USD / £499 GBP / €TBC EUR.
