Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 24x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black)
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 24x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black)

Average Rating:
Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5
List Price:
$499.00
Our Price:
Too low to display

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Product Info

  • Brand: Panasonic
  • EAN: 0885170013353
  • Manufacturer: Panasonic

Features

  • 14.1-megapixel resolution; 24x optical zoom with 25mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens
  • 1080i HD movies in AVCHD format; 3.0-inch free-angle LCD
  • Intelligent Auto (iA) mode; new My Color mode
  • Continuous Auto Focus up to five frames per second at full resolution for great action shots; capture up to 60 frames per second at 3.5 MP resolution
  • Capture images to SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards (not included)

Editorial Reviews:

  • Ultimate Hybrid Digital Compact Camera DMC-FZ100 with Full HD Movie Offering Active, Creative Photo and Movie with Powerful 24x Optical Zoom and Hi-Speed Response *35mm camera equivalent: 25-600mm The DMC-FZ100, packs a powerful optical zoom and creative options including full HD movie recording capability. The newly developed LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens in the DMC-FZ100 extends its optical zoom range from 25mm at wide end and 24x to 600mm*. Also the newly developed 14.1-megapixel MOS sensor lets the FZ100 record high quality 1920x1080 full HD movie smooth at 60i. Together with a host of options, unlimited expression is now easily available with FZ100. The high speed MOS sensor realizes the industrys fastest level of burst shooting in 14.1-megapixel full resolution at 11 fps with mechanical shutter and even 60 fps in 3.5-megapixel recording mode**. It also enables the camera to record high speed movie at 220 fps in QVGA size, to capture the motion of a subject the naked eye cannot see. *Equivalent to 35mm camera: 25-600mm. **In the high speed burst shooting at 60 fps, the picture size is 3.5-megapixel(16:9), 3-megapixel(3:2), 2.5-megapixel(4:3) or 2-megapixel(1:1)

Spotlight customer reviews:

  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
  • Summary: Camera totally meets my needs
  • Comment: I bought this camera to take on vacations when I don't want to take my Nikon D90 and all my lenses. I have a trip to Belize coming up where I will be kayaking and river rafting and definitely did not want to take my clunky DSLR but I wanted a camera that could take decent pictures with a powerful zoom so I could photograph wildlife and also have good video capability so I wouldn't have to bring a separate video camera. I have the FZ18 and was very happy with it. I read everything I could on the web about the FZ100 before I pre-ordered it from Amazon and it had all the features I needed. I was kind of apprehensive about getting the camera when I read the negative reviews about image quality, however, there were some positve reviews to counter the negative. Some especially helpful threads were on Steve's Digicams (there are some nice pictures from the FZ100 posted there) and Dpreview.

    I chose the FZ100 because of its 11 fps burst mode (beats my D90 5 FPS burst mode), articulating LCD, electronic viewfinder, HD AVCHD video and 24X zoom. I did not choose the Canon Powershot SX20 IS because I felt it was too heavy and it only has 20X zoom plus the LCD is smaller than the FZ100's LCD. I ruled out the Olympus SP 800-UZ because it did not have an electronic viewfinder, and the Fuji Finepix HS10 was even heavier than the Canon. I tried out the camera when my parents came for a visit and got to compare the FZ100 with my Dad's Canon SX20 IS. I used it in all sorts of conditions to take pictures at our local dahlia festival and got some really great indoor and outdoor shots of the dahlias and great close up shots of bumblebees (macro mode is outstanding). The next day was overcast and despite the conditions, the camera took nice scenery shots. I couldn't see much difference between my dad's pictures and mine (we viewed them on my laptop). I took my pictures using the P mode and automatic mode.

    The video was excellent. I really liked being able to use the zoom function while taking video (I think I won't be needing my video camera anymore!). I got some fantastic action shots of my dog catching a frisbee using both the 11 FPS burst mode and 5 FPS autofocus burst mode (a fabulous feature!). The camera is small and light enough to take almost anywhere and though the picture quality is not as good as a DSLR (especially in low light conditions), I am quite pleased with my decision to purchase the FZ100 and plan on keeping it.
  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
  • Summary: It`s PERFECT
  • Comment: Excelent camera. Actually, it's not a camera, it's a MACHINE. Great pictures outdoor and indoor. Usually I take pictures from animals, can't ask them to stand still, so I set the camera on automatic ISO and "sports", didn't miss a good shot. Be happy to share some pictures. Took better pics than the photografers at Seaworld and San Diego Zoo, and they were using SLRs. And it's not difficult to use. The best! I was already pleased with my 2 previous Lumix cameras, the FZ20 and TZ4, but now, they look like toys, comparing to this one.
  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
  • Summary: Decent still camera, good video camera
  • Comment: I'm upgrading from a Kodak EasyShare P712 and chose to buy the Panasonic FZ100 mainly because it had a 24x zoom and a 5 frame-per-second autofocus burst mode. The initial reviews weren't promising when it came to image quality, but, hey, hope springs eternal. I've been experimenting with the FZ100 for a week now, and last night was a great night for a sunset/low light test.

    The results? It's better than the Kodak. First, it successfully took shots within the Kodak's range that the Kodak couldn't properly focus on (clouds, stars). Second, its burst mode rocks! Ten pics in 2 seconds--one of 'em is bound to look good. Third, its image quality (IQ) was better--and I've been generally happy with the Kodak's IQ.

    That doesn't mean the FZ100's IQ is great. As a recovering perfectionist, I don't dare "pixel peep," but I still can tell that the image quality of the FZ100 is only decent. None of the superzooms have great quality, but I had hoped for good. This is my biggest disappointment, and the reason I almost sent the camera back. ISO 100 is the way to go on this camera, and even it has some noise. Unless the setting absolutely requires it, I won't set the ISO above 400, and that's pushing it.

    The other thing I'll do is set the "Quality" to RAW+fine jpg. That way, if a jpg looks good enough to print in something larger than 4"x6", I can work with the RAW file. RAW produces better photos with a little post processing. The only down side is that you can't take nearly as many pictures on the same SD card, but I can live with that. There are some other tweaks that help, like turning down the noise reduction, but I'm still playing with that.

    As a video camera, the FZ100 is very good. The zoom is slower for videos than for stills, but wow, it works well! For those family and pet shots that I never intend to print, I may even turn on the video instead and then pull out the best frame.

    Biggest pros:
    * 24x superzoom
    * 11 fps burst mode or 5 fps burst mode with autofocus
    * 1080i HD video (with smooth zoom)
    * Easy to manually tweak shots

    Biggest con:
    * noise above ISO 200

    If you want better image quality and don't care about a camera's video capabilities, then you may want to look at the older Panasonic FZ35, or wait for more reviews on the new FZ40. And if you don't mind changing lenses, then go DSLR. They far outshine superzoom cameras in image quality. But if you're looking for a good all-around camera and camcorder, the FZ100 may be just the ticket.
  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5
  • Summary: The jury is out on fz100
  • Comment: Update: I give up. This camera just isn't going to be satisfactory. I got the color problems fixed (sort of: if G & B were good, then R was washed-out looking). But the resolution issues are just too much. I did a comparison vs. an 8mp Canon PowerShot with 10x zoom, at a series of focal lengths. The Canon kept up and at longer lengths--after the Canon has passed its 10x optical limit and was using digital interpolation--the quality of images with the fz100 optical zoom was worse than the Canon digital zoom. This camera may have 14mp, but they aren't being put to good use. I'm going to return it.
    ...........
    Like others, I was pretty excited about the pre-release reviews of the fz100. (I know, many of the professional "reviews" are just company PR puff under the guise of objective analysis.) Looked at sample photos, compared with results from other cameras, etc. I got the camera 3 days ago.
    Good news: easy to operate (I'm coming from Canon world: PowerShot SX100 IS; EOS T2i; D10 waterproof; no real major learning curve for the fz100). Easy to "shoot from the hip"; with the burst feature set up (5 frames) was able to point and shoot a seagull flying overhead--without pre-focus or even looking through EVF (LCD screen was closed) and froze it in flight in all frames. Also caught a full burst of a car burning beside the freeway as my wife drove at about 70 on a fairly bumpy stretch with moderate traffic--again, just held the camera up and shot. Telephoto is amazing: from atop Mt. Soledad in La Jolla I could photograph people far below and a couple of miles away surfing. But these are curiosity pix; you sure couldn't call them museum quality.
    And this is the problem. Lots of noise, and washed-out colors. I took a telephoto shot of a church tower against the ocean, again from up on the hill. Took a couple of hours with PhotoShop to get the colors beyond drab, and there were lots of little blown-out pixelated areas that had to be repaired. It simply shouldn't be necessary to do this much post-production work to get a decent photo.
    Having said all this: I may be comparing apples and oranges. My EOS has a 300mm telephoto; I was shooting with a 500mm to 600mm equivalent, so obviously the images aren't going to be the same quality. And I know that Canon's default colors are noted for being pretty intense. I've spent a couple of hours this evening setting up the fz100 in terms of color, sharpness, etc. (the PDF manual that came with the camera might have been written by a defective computer; it's hard to imagine a human coming up with something so obscure and Delphic). Tomorrow we shall see if the color is any better. I'll also do some apples-to-apples testing for distance and noise. But if I don't get better results than I did today, this puppy is going back to Amazon.
  • Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
  • Summary: A Camera That Meets My Needs!
  • Comment: I usually order from Amazon. I had originally pre-ordered this camera from Amazon, but canceled and ordered from J&R - an Amazon seller where it was in stock.

    I have had my FZ100 for about 4 days now. I really haven't had a long enough period to become a real smooth operator yet. In the time that I have spent exploring a few of the many features, I have been quite impressed. I started out with using just the iA mode. Venturing out from there mostly in the "P" mode, I have explored:
    1. The optical zoom vs. extend optical zoom - amazing range/clarity
    2. Using with my neck mounted mini tripod - adds steadying effect for long zooms
    3. The macro mode - outstanding sharpness
    4. The multi-angle LCD and the viewfinder - adds flexibility
    5. Using face recognition - unique feature that works
    6. Stabilizer vs. no stabilizer - definitely works well
    7. Timer use to reduce shake in zoom shots - a 2 second lag allows firming of the camera before shot
    8. Using the burst mode - fast, fast, fast - having the choice of shots is very handy
    9. The travel destination option - unique, allows you to plan ahead (destination, days and local time)
    10. Using the auto bracket mode - gives you a range of exposures in the burst mode
    11. Using the HD AVCHD modes - both modes make outstanding videos (better than my ZS3)
    12. Setting the maximum ISO settings - helps controls noise in low light
    13. Using the flash vs. no flash - flash is pretty powerful (stronger than my ZS3)
    14. Manual focus mode - it works, with practice it will be quite handy
    15. The 3 custom settings - allow setting up 3 comprehensive camera modes for personal preference -- nice

    I have tried to get away from comparing the camera pixel to pixel image quality. I realize that this camera does not have the absolute best image, but it does take very good pictures! In low light the MOS sensor is not quite as good as the CCD sensor, but limiting the ISO and the use of the viewfinder or tripod does help to handle the noise.

    I have tried out four other cameras before buying the FZ100. The closest to my preferences was the Canon SX20, but to me it lacked many of the FZ100's useful features, it was slower and menu access was more difficult. The Lumix FZ-35 was also a fine camera, but was much slower and lacked features that I wanted. Both the Nikon P100 and the Fuji HS10 seem to be fine cameras, but lacked refinement as compared to either the Panasonic or the Canon models.

    After working with a number of the available features in the FZ100, I have become very impressed with the seamless nature of this camera. To incorporate so many advanced features with convenient controls into the camera and still maintain its ease of use seems truly amazing to me. For my needs this camera was a great choice.

    Remember though, impressions tend to be subjective.

    My cams: Lumix ZS3, Lumix FZ100, Lumix LZ10S(wife), Canon Optura 300

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