pk01's Full Review: Panasonic Lumix® DMC-FZ7 Digital Camera
Here's the bottom line up front: I like this camera very much.
In this review, you will find numerous references to the Panasonic FZ20. My last digicam was the Pana FZ20, probably overall the best and most useful camera I ever owned. I sold the FZ20 a few months back, assuming that the next camera generation would bring improvements, and also considered moving to an entry level DSLR.
The FZ20 was a fine camera, but had deficiencies: A tendency to over-expose, so that I was continually second guessing it with EV compensation; A washed-out tonal look whenever there was even a slight amount of overexposure; A strange red-and-bright-green fringe effect in out-of-focus picture areas at extreme zoom ("bad bokeh" -- probably a result of image processing to counteract chromatic lens issues); Slow start-up time; The need for custom third party adapter solutions if you wanted to use filters and accessories in front of the lens, and finally, clunky, frustrating controls for setting the shutter speed and exposure is AE modes.
After looking at all the options, and passing on the FZ30 because of it's increased physical size (the FZ20's size was perfect) and lack of picture quality improvement in the test photos I observed, I decided to try the FZ7. I travel a lot and like to have a camera always available -- the FZ7's small size is appealing.
Feature and performance wise, according to its spec sheet, it trumps the venerable FZ20 in every category, from 2.5 second start-up time, to improved manual shutter/ f-stop joystick control, to the use of standard size 52mm lens accessories via a sturdy threaded adaptor holder which is included. I ordered the FZ7 and have used it for a little over a week now, shooting about 500 frames under a variety of conditions. Here are the pros and cons:
Pro:
-- Carrying on the FZ tradition: a high performance Leica-designed lens and effective image stabilization. Without the quality of this great lens, the cool technology in rest of the camera would be meaningless.
-- Comprehensive range of controls and options. For a super-compact (under 1 lb.) camera selling for under $400, this has to be the best bang-for-the-buck currently on the market. Every control imagineable, with the only desirable features missing being RAW mode and user memory settings. In terms of all the most desired photographic features, it has them.
-- Fast operation -- 2.5 second startup sequence, .05 sec post-focus shutter lag, and high speed focus modes that really work as advertised. The camera never feels sluggish, even in low light.
-- A great (but nearly undocumented) feature is "quick menu" selection via the joystick. It is similar to Canon's FUNC button, and is extremely useful. In any record mode (except simple mode), you press in on the joystick and hold for a second. A symbol menu appears, allowing you to set WB, ISO, picture size, and picture quality, navigable with the joystick. This feature is almost as good as having a dedicated ISO and WB button on the camera. It is explained on pg. 75 of the manual, but little attention is called to it, and if you didn't know where to look, you'd never know the feature was on the camera. I found it mentioned in a web discussion forum...
-- control layout and menu functionality seriously improved over previous Panasonic FZ models, superior to every model except FZ30. Also, the above mentioned "joystick menu function" is currently unique to FZ7 in Pana ultrazoom camera lineup.
-- Good picture quality and tonal range. The handling of highlights is better than FZ20 and equal to FZ30. With proper use (good photographic skills) this camera can make excellent photos. The now legendary Lumix / Leica lens is a performer even in its small-size version -- great corner-to-corner sharpness and consistent performance through the entire range of focal lengths.
-- A novel advanced zoom function: Panasonic has created a seamless "Extra Zoom" (EZ) mode which allows the lens to magnify the image even beyond its 12x zoom limit by progressively cropping the image boundaries. Once you choose an output image size less than the native 6mp size, the effective zoom level increases, up to a maximum of 16.5x, without using the quality-zapping digital zoom. To those who point out that this amounts to simply cropping the picture to a smaller size, yes that is true, but why keep all the extra picture data in storage media if you are just going to throw it away later? Additionally, it allows you to compose the picture in-camera to make it look like what you desire, while you are taking the picture, not later in post processing. EZ Extended Zoom is a great feature, and congratulations to Panasonic for making it seamless and easy to use.
-- Tons of extra added features, like scene modes, a long-exposure mode (up to 60 sec) for dim light situations, and a novel "high sensitivity" mode (more below on this mode).
-- Big 2.5" LCD view screen that can be seen adequately in daylight. It also has a extra brightness mode, and a new "angle" mode that lets you hold the camera above your head and still see what's on the screen (the screen itself does not swivel however).
-- The redesigned controls and menus are excellent, better than any previous FZ camera except FZ30. Every button is placed exactly right, and feels exactly as it should when operated.
-- High Sensitivity mode adding ISO 800 and 1600 capabilities. I've tested this mode extensively, and I am puzzled at the criticisms of it from various users on the web. My guess is that those who are critical haven't actually bought the camera and used this feature. The good: you can shoot at true ISO 800 and 1600 speeds, with almost no picture noise. The bad: resolution in this mode is significantly reduced. Many of the photos on the web using this mode are reproduced at full 6 mp size, which over-dramatizes the poor resolution quality. Some reviewers have asserted that this mode always creates a 6mp picture size. That is not the case -- you can choose any output size you like, down to 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixel image). If you choose, for instance, a 1 mp image size (1280 x 960), there is sufficient resolution for these high sensitivity photos, with no waste of data space. There is actually only about 800 x 600 pixels of resolution (at best) in this mode. If you view and print these photos at a standard 4x6", they look good -- even though all fine detail is missing-in-action. When you consider that the high sensitivity mode allows the camera to take pictures which would otherwise be impossible, and they print so well right out ot the camera, you'll appreciate the ability to do it. Applause to Panasonic for coming up with this ingenious feature and including it for no extra cost.
-- Simple Mode. A new feature on the FZ series. This is an idiot proof full-auto mode, great for handing the camera over to someone with no experience and allowing them to take decent photos.
Con:
-- Closest focusing distance: at 1X zoom (36mm equiv focal length) it is a respectable 5 cm (about 2"), but at any zoom factor of 4X and above, the closest focus point increases to over 6 feet from the front of the lens. Sometimes the camera balks at focusing even on objects over 7 ft away. This characteristic (common to the entire FZ series of cameras) limits the use of telephoto for working close to the subject in order to throw the distant background out of focus, or simply for using a 4x zoom indoors, for instance. Of all the complaints people have made on the Panasonic superzooms, this one is truly a limiting factor. You could do so much more with a closest standard focus of say, 3 ft.
-- Close focusing in Macro mode is also limited, especially in comparison with the FZ20. I was always impressed with the way the FZ20 exeeded its stated Macro capabilities. The specification for closest focusing was 5 cm (about 2 in.) but the FZ20 would focus on object down to about 1 cm. Also, in Macro mode, you could increase the zoom to about 2x, and continue focusing at close range. These two factors together more than doubled the macro "magnifying power", so that you could do things like transfer 35mm slides without the need for extra optical devices. The FZ7 meets its close focusing spec of 5 cm, but cannot focus any closer than that, and cannot be used in normal macro mode at any magnification past 1x. (Panasonic has included a new "tele-macro" mode on the the FZ7, but it is of limited usefulness).
-- Purple fringing. The FZ20 sometimes showed a red-fringing around highlighted edges at 12x zoom, but was totally free of the characteristic "purple fringe" seen in digicams on extreme highlights. This camera does have some occasional purple fringing, around specular highlight areas. So far, I've seen no evidence of the annoying FZ20-type red fringing in long zoom photos (it would always show up, and there was nothing you could do about it). While purple fringing in this camera is apparent, it is not severe.
-- The phenomenon of bright red and green fringes occuring in out-of-focus backgrounds first noticed in the FZ20 still occurs in the FZ7, though perhaps less intensely than in the earlier model. This aberration only appears in out-of-focus contrast edges, and only at maximum or near maximum zoom. I've never seen it on any other camera than the Panasonics, and assume it must be a by-product of Venus engine image processing.
-- Sometimes the viewfinder acts strangely during the half-press of the shutter. The picture gets a violet-tinged color cast, with smeary lines and lowered contrast. It looks like lens flare, but isn't. Then when you take the picture it comes out fine. It happens only occasionally, and I never saw this problem with other FZ cameras, so it's a mystery, and could be a one-off flaw in this individual unit.
-- The EVF itself is fairly low-res at 114,000 pixels (same as the FZ20 but less than FZ30). It is adequate for picture composition but useless for assessing picture sharpness. You have to trust that the camera will deliver sharp pictures (it does), but precise selective focus is out of the question.
-- Low light viewfinder performance: In earlier FZ models, there were complaints of bad low light performance of the EVF and LCD. They would become almost too dark to see when photographing in dim light. Panasonic has addressed this problem, and now the viewfinders are adequately bright even in dim conditions. However, they accomplished it by lowering the refresh rate of the viewfinder, and it low light, the movement in the scene has a noticeable time delay. This can be a real problem for shooting action (i.e. performers on a stage, etc), because what you see in the viewfinder "already happened" a tenth of a second earlier -- under these conditions what you shoot is not what you get, action-wise.
Comments and Observations:
-- Metering accuracy seems better than the FZ20, and generally gives proper exposures without EV +/- correction, although there are times when +/- 0.3 is needed. The spot metering function works well, and is a feature curiously missing even on considerably more expensive SLR models.
-- Picture tone can be too contrasty. With the contrast level set to LOW, there is better dynamic range. At the NORMAL setting, it is easy to lose shadow detail in contrasty lighting situations.
-- Placement of evf viewfinder: on the older FZ's, the placement of the evf window at the rear left corner looked awkward but worked well. The new design places it centrally, in line with the lens as on SLR's. It looks more logical, but you are definitely going to leave nose-prints on the LCD. This was never a problem with the old design.
-- There has been widespread mention about picture noise levels in this and all the other FZ series cameras. Yes, there is an amount of luminance and color noise in this camera (and most other small sensor digicams too) at ISO 200 and 400. Having shot and scrutinized thousands of frames from the FZ's, I can tell you that the noise level is not a crucial limiting factor in these cameras. The FZ7 is no better or worse in this regard than the FZ20 or 30. Realistically, if you print pictures straight from the camera at nominal sizes (4x6 up to 8x10), no one will notice picture noise, except in photos taken under extremely poor lighting conditions. Even those kinds of photos are workable with simple noise reducing software. A realistic wish we might ask ISO-wise in future models is to have a lowest ISO setting of 50 instead of 80. It would make more sense photographically, and provide a better low-noise / high quality option when working in adequate light.
-- A desirable missing feature on this camera is RAW mode (FZ7 will do TIFF files, but they are of little practical advantage). It would be nice to have this very useful capability on this camera (the FZ30 and LX1 have it), adding little or no expense, since it is simply an internal software function.
Overall:
The Lumix FZ7 is a capable high-performance camera in a small, well engineered package. For the money (I paid way under $400), you could hardly be disappointed. The minor negative picture quality issues do not ruin the pleasure of using the camera. You can make wonderful photos with this camera, and have a lot of fun in the process. If you are not the type of person to get involved with software image processing on a computer, you'll love the image editing features built right into the camera. Keep up the good work, Panasonic.
Recommended? yes
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 330 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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