Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 review

The FZ100 is Panasonic’s most ambitious ultra-zoom camera to date. Not content with the slew of awards its previous FZ-series models have earned at Expert Reviews and elsewhere, this one takes on all challengers in virtually every department. It records video at 1080p resolution, takes photos at 11fps and has a 24x zoom lens, an articulated screen and a hotshoe for an external flash or microphone.

The price has rocketed, too. Its predecessor, the Lumix FZ38, cost around £260 at launch but the new model weighs in at around £350.

Performance is where the biggest improvements lie. The FZ38 was no slouch in normal use, capturing a shot every 1.3 seconds, but the 2fps continuous mode was limited to just three frames at the top quality setting and was unavailable in RAW mode. The FZ100’s performance is in a different league, and even outpaces most consumer SLRs. Shot-to-shot time was just 0.8 seconds, while continuous mode ran at 10.8fps and lasted for 15 shots for JPEGs and 11 for RAW.

Various other continuous modes are available, such as 5fps with autofocus and 60fps for 60 frames at 2.7 megapixels – a feat made possible by the use of CMOS rather than CCD sensor technology. With ultra-zoom cameras specialising in sports and nature photography, this kind of performance is extremely welcome.

Full HD 1080p video is increasingly common among stills cameras, but this is one of the best examples we’ve seen. The AVCHD format ensures wide compatibility with editing software, with files coming in at around 120MB per minute. The autofocus was quick to respond, details were crisp and automatic exposures were accurate, adjusting smoothly to changing light. There was a fair amount of video noise in the shadows when shooting in low light, but less than we’d expect from a similarly priced dedicated video camera.

The zoom control remained active while recording, but zoomed slowly to keep motor noise from the soundtrack. Sound quality was excellent, with a high-quality stereo microphone and an external microphone socket – just the thing in noisy environments for getting the mic close to the subject. The 2.5mm minijack size is non-standard but a cheap adapter will convert it into a 3.5mm socket. Manual exposure is available for videos, and it’s even possible to adjust the aperture or shutter speed while recording. The only downside is that videos are limited to 30 minutes – a result of daft EU duty rules.

The controls strike a sensible balance between dedicated buttons and menu-based control. There’s a button for selecting burst modes and another for recording video, while ISO speed, exposure compensation, self-timer and a customisable option adorn the navigation pad.

A Q MENU button reveals all the other usual suspects plus a few less common ones, such as aspect ratio and SLR-style customisable picture presets. Manual focus and exposure are well implemented, with accurate on-screen feedback to aid adjustment.

A clickable wheel replaces the mini joystick on previous FZ cameras, and is quicker for adjusting exposure settings. It’s the articulated screen that makes the biggest difference to ergonomics, though, particularly for video capture when it’s often impractical to hold the camera up to eye level.

The increased zoom range is welcome, but only if the lens is able to stay sharp throughout the range. There’s nothing to worry about here, though. Image sharpness was superb throughout our tests, and although it fell very slightly at 500-600mm focal lengths, this camera captured more detail in distant subjects than the FZ38 could. We did spot a small amount of chromatic aberration in the corners of wide-angle shots, though, whereas the FZ38 had none.

Image detail is as much about the sensor as the lens. In this respect the new model is worse than its predecessor. The move from 12 to 14 megapixels makes about as much sense as buying bigger shoes to make you run faster. We saw no evidence of finer details than the FZ38 captured for a given focal length, and the higher resolution introduced significantly more noise in both JPEG and RAW images.

Considering that the FZ38 itself struggled with noise, this isn’t good news. At ISO 400, there was very little fine detail and midtones exhibited unsightly yellow spots. By ISO 800, image quality was good enough for Facebook-size snaps, but nothing else. Shooting in RAW mode and processing in Lightroom or the bundled SilkyPix software gave much better results, but it’s a pain having to process every image out of necessity rather than just to improve the best ones. Take a look at our sample shots in our Lumix FZ38 gallery.

The only possible argument for the 14-megapixel sensor is that it allows sharper photos in bright light, where noise isn’t such a problem. However, even when shooting at ISO 100, details were softer than from the FZ38. Blue skies appeared slightly speckled and blotchy, while sharp edges had a feathery appearance and subtle details were glossed over by noise reduction. Admittedly, we had to zoom right into photos on the PC to see these problems, but it makes a mockery of the 14-megapixel specification.

Laying this frustrating regression to one side and taking the FZ100 as a whole, it’s hard not to be impressed. Ultrazoom cameras aren’t necessarily intended for low-light shooting, and are better suited to sports and wildlife photography and general holiday snaps. In these roles, the FZ100’s generally high image quality, lightning fast performance, great controls, articulated screen and fantastic video mode add up to a tempting package. It’s certainly a big upgrade over the FZ38, and most of the changes are extremely positive.

These aren’t the only two decent ultra-zoom cameras, though. Panasonic has also launched the FZ45, with features and a price somewhere between the FZ100 and FZ38 – look out for our review soon. Another strong contender is the Fujifilm FinePix HS10. It’s bulkier than the FZ-series cameras but has a 30x lens, superior controls including lens rings for zoom and focus, 13fps continuous shooting and slow-motion video recording. It can shoot 1080p video too, but the FZ100 has the clear advantage here, with a cleaner soundtrack and superior autofocus. However, the HS10 takes smoother, sharper photos, particularly at high ISO speeds. It cost £375 when we reviewed it back in June 2010, but as of November it’s available for £263. The FZ100 is only worth paying £90 more for if video capture is just as important as taking photos.