The Panasonic FZ100 is the company’s latest superzoom, offering a 24x optical zoom lens (25-600mm equivalent). But at over £400 is the FZ100 worth the cash? The What Digital Camera Panasonic FZ100 review...

Product Overview

Overall rating:

87%

Panasonic Lumix FZ100

Overall score:87%
Features:95%
Value:75%
Performance:90%
Design:90%
Image Quality:85%

Pros:

  • 25-600mm lens capacity, good optical image stabilisation

Cons:

  • Expensive, no eye-level sensor for EVF/LCD switching, image quality fairly grainy, lack of sharpness at longest telephoto

Product:

Panasonic Lumix FZ100 Review

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:

£420.00
The Panasonic FZ100 is the company’s latest superzoom, outdoing the existing FZ38‘s 18x optical zoom with a new 24x (25-600mm equivalent) Leica lens. But for £420 is the Lumix FZ100 worth the cash?

Panasonic Lumix FZ100 review – Features

Panasonic Lumix FZ100 review sample imagePacking in a 25mm wideangle 24x optical zoom Leica lens means that the Panasonic Lumix FZ100 is capable of reaching the heady heights of a 600mm telephoto equivalent. Although it outdoes its younger Panasonic FZ38 sibling, its zoom range isn’t quite as wide-ranging as the Fujifilm HS10 – the latter with a 30x optical zoom lens capable of a 24-720mm equivalent. The Lumix FZ100 does also add optical image stabilisation (Power O.I.S.) to the stable which, thanks to its lens-based design can help to keep shots steady when framing, plus final captured results can counter for handshake too.

Whether capturing still images or HD video, the Panasonic FZ100 has you covered. As well as an 11 frames per second burst mode for stills capture, there’s also a Full HD 1080 50i movie mode that uses Panasonic’s AVCHD for optimum compression.

 

 

Alongside intelligent Auto (iA) mode’s point-and-shoot simplicity, the FZ100 also has a full remit of PSAM manual controls and an easy-to-use layout akin to a DSLR. A variety of scene modes for easy shooting, My Colour Mode for creative black and white, Vibrant, Nostalgic and many more, plus Motion Deblur (which raises the ISO and shutter speed depending on whether the subject shows signs of movement) also feature.

The rear 3in LCD screen is a high-resolution 460,000 dots and is mounted on a tilt-angle mechanism that allows the screen to turn through all conceivable angles – from front-facing, to vertically or horizontally adjacent to the camera which is ideal for use in unusual shooting scenarios. When shooting in bright light, for extra support or just personal preference, there’s also an electronic viewfinder (EVF) available.

  1. 1. Panasonic Lumix FZ100 review - Features
  2. 2. Design
  3. 3. Performance
  4. 4. Image Quality
  5. 5. Value & Verdict
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