Panasonic 14.1 Megapixels DMC-FZ100 24x SuperZoom Review by StevesDigicam

On July 21 2010, Panasonic announced the Lumix DMC-FZ100 which is a new 24x super-zoom digital camera with 25-600mm focal range, 14.1-megapixel MOS sensor, and 1920 x 1080 full HD movies. Successor to the popular DMC-FZ38 model, the Panasonic DMC-FZ100 features the industry's fastest level of burst shooting in 14.1 Megapixels full resolution at 11 fps with a mechanical shutter (it can even do 60 fps in 3.5 Megapixels recording mode), plus a 460,000-dot high resolution 3 inch LCD screen. The camera can record high speed movie at 220 fps in QVGA size, to capture the motion of a subject the naked eye cannot see.

The new image processing LSI the Venus Engine FHD assures high picture quality in both photo and movie recording. It also compiles the Intelligent Resolution technology to perform the optimum signal processing depending on the part of a picture to give a whole image outstandingly natural clearness with fine details. The powerful 24x optical zoom can be increased its power to 32x equivalent with the Intelligent Zoom function taking advantage of the Intelligent Resolution technology maintaining the picture quality even using digital zoom. The Sonic Speed AF in the FZ100 features its speed at the industry's fastest level. Combined with a high-speed start-up, this gives the FZ100 an industry's fastest level of response that helps to catch even the most fleeting photo opportunities. 

In addition to Motion JPEG images, the DMC-FZ100 can record high-resolution full-HD 1920 x 1080 60i (NTSC) / 50i (PAL) movies in AVCHD (MPEG-4/H.264) format. The AVCHD format features almost twice the recording time in HD quality than the conventional Motion JPEG and excels in the compatibility with AV equipment like HDTVs or Blu-ray players. The powerful 24x optical zoom is available in movie recording with the mechanism designed to minimize the noise of auto focusing or zooming. The popular iA (Intelligent Auto) is also available in movie recording. The POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), Face Detection, and Intelligent Scene Selector also support shooting beautiful movie with ease. The Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery, and Low Light modes according to the situation to optimize visual quality. The Intelligent Exposure that also optimizes the exposure to prevent over/under exposure part from occurring. 

The Lumix DMC-FZ100 in black as the only color is currently selling at around $375 (drop from $396 about a month ago). Here is the summary of review by Steve's Digicam:

"With a newly designed Venus Engine powering the FZ100, it has some pretty outstanding performance features. It uses advanced signal processing to reduce image noise and controls the camera's intelligent features. A button on top of the camera allows you to quickly choose the burst rate that is right for your shooting situation. They range from full 14-Megapixel images at speeds of up to 11fps to 3.5-Megapixel images at 60fps. This engine also allows for the capture of full 1080i HD videos at 60fps. If you are into slow motion movies, you can also capture QVGA (320x240) sized videos at an astounding 220fps. Capturing our outdoor image samples using the iAuto shooting mode provided us with very high image quality. The images are well exposed, vibrant and sharp, showing us extensive amounts of fine details within the photos. Noise and chromatic aberrations are controlled very well, but there are slight instances throughout our outdoor samples. You will also see some very distinct barrel distortion when shooting at the 25mm wide end. We also noticed that when shooting at the wide end of the zoom with the included lens hood, you will see the hood on the outside edges of your images, which you might not notice when you are shooting. 

Our indoor sample images were taken using both iAuto and Aperture priority modes. Both modes produced excellent quality, capturing very sharp images whether at f/3.3 or f/8. Noise is also controlled very well, allowing you to make prints when shooting at any of the ISO settings. ISO 100 - 400 will allow you to make large clear images. While ISO 800 and 1600 are not as clear, they can still be used to make smaller prints. Assisting with your indoor and low-light shooting is a pop-up flash unit. This flash has a range of up to 31 feet (9.5m) at wide angle using ISO auto, but the range becomes very limited if you want to keep the ISO down for higher quality images. This can be seen in our portrait sample, as the ISO quickly went to 400 with the subject only being about 6ft. away. On the bright side, the flash did provide us with natural looking skin tones and no redness in the eyes. Helping with your portrait shots, Panasonic has included Face Detection and Face Recognition software. This allows you to store your favorite faces in the camera, allowing it to give them priority over the rest of the image when they are detected. The Face Detection works very quickly, finding and then easily following any faces within the frame. It is also one of the best that we have used at finding and following faces while using the full telephoto zoom.

Shooting video with the FZ100 is very easy and almost instantaneous thanks to the dedicated video recording button located right behind the shutter release. This allows you to capture 1080i or 720p HD videos with stereo sound, depending on what the camera is set for. This button allows you to capture these videos no matter what shooting mode the camera is in. The FZ100's video quality is very good for a compact camera, with movies that are bright with vivid colors and play back smoothly. On the computer the videos look very sharp, and when viewing on an HDTV through the HDMI port, we did see a little bit of noise, increasing quickly with faster motion, but overall it provides a good viewing experience. Bottom Line - Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ100 is a powerful compact super-zoom camera that is packed with impressive features and controls. With excellent image quality, performance and high-speed burst and video shooting, there is nothing that this camera struggles with. With a street price of $499.95 US or less, this is an excellent choice if you are in the market for a powerful digital camera."

Great camera, susan j. - Jun 14 2013
Great camera ..all I expected it to be ...instructions not in English ...that was a bother ..managed to download them...

Wonderful Camera, Natural Health Doc - Apr 14 2013
The Leica lens on this camera is what lured me, and I didn't go wrong. It's a 24 X zoom too. Very light weight, full of auto and manual features suited to every level of expertise. I love the way it feels in my hands. Great design....

Works great, Ross Millikan - Mar 06 2013
I bought this to replace my Canon Powershot S5IS. I shoot mainly birds, so a long lens is important. The added reach of 600mm is nice compared to 420mm. Both have excellent image stabilization, an essential in cameras like this. The focus is also quick and seems to better pick out what I want in this camera. The best improvement is that the Canon showed noticeable c...

Excellent camera, Lyndon J Just - Jan 29 2013
For a point and shoot, this camera takes some very nice pictures. I get compliments on them all the time. I have some posted on my Yahoo Flickr page under /lyndon_pics if you can find it and check them out. I've had this for quite a while now and have seen no issues with it yet. This is after taking well over 7000 pictures. Zooms nicely and the HD video is like being the...