Value & Verdict

Panasonic Lumix FZ100 review – Value

The Panasonic FZ100 certainly doesn’t come cheap. A variety of online retailers offer it for £420, though many others are asking as much as £480 – easily enough to purchase an entry-level DSLR, Micro System Camera or other such set up. Of course the FZ100 benefits from its significant zoom range, though competitor cameras can be found for around £60-100 less for a similar-spec. Time may allow for this price-point to dip and should this be the case then value will be better aligned.

Panasonic Lumix FZ100 review – Verdict:

The Panasonic Lumix FZ100 is a great superzoom camera only marginally let down by its fairly hefty price tag. Brushing that issue to one side for the moment, however, and what you’re left with is a highly capable superzoom with a wide-ranging zoom that allows for creative shots through from 25mm wideangle, to close-up macro, portraits, mid-telephoto and all the way up to super telephoto 600mm for candidly picking off subjects from afar.

Thanks to a combination of highly effective optical image stabilisation (Panasonic’s Power O.I.S.) and the additional steady framing offered by using the electronic viewfinder (EVF), shots can be captured sharply throughout the full zoom range.

Point-and-shoot first timers or creative photographers demanding manual controls are fully catered for and a variety of in-camera My Color Mode options provide an extra lick of creative fun.

Image quality is reasonable though a little grainy throughout the entire ISO range, but not significantly problematic for day-to-day shooting, while Full HD movie is of a good quality.

It’s the price that’s the sticking point as for less money the similar-spec (albeit lesser 18x optical zoom) Panasonic FZ38 is a viable alternative with much the same resulting image quality. However, if the price isn’t an issue, then you’d certainly be hard pressed to find a better 24x superzoom camera than the FZ100.