Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 Review

(Note: All screens and menus can be displayed on either the EVF or LCD.)

Shown here is the Program AE mode screen. Flash is turned off, ISO is set to 100, image size is 10M, Fine quality, our battery is fully charged, the MEGA O.I.S. (image stabilizer) is enabled in Mode 1, focus metering is set to Multiple and there's enough room on our SD card for 199 pictures. The time and date are displayed for a few seconds when you first turn on the camera or you change modes.

When the shutter is half-pressed and the autofocus is achieved, the AF target brackets in the center turn green (red if AF fails) and a focus confirmation "green dot" is displayed. The aperture and shutter speed values are also displayed. Using the Program Shift option, you can actively change aperture to the desired value and the camera will automatically choose an appropriate shutter speed.

The Display button allows you to cycle through the information screens. Beginning with some basic information on the image, then adding the histogram, an Out-of-frame display and finally a Recording guideline.

Pressing the Stabilizer button located on the top of the camera will briefly display this menu where you can select to use mode 1 (image stabilizer operates continuously), mode 2 (jitter is compensated for only when shutter is pressed - provides a greater stabilizing effect) or turn the image stabilizing off.

Turning the Mode dial to "A" (Aperture priority) allows you to select a specific aperture value to control depth of field (range of focus).

Turning the Mode dial to "S" (Shutter priority) allows you to select your desired shutter speed and the camera selects an appropriate aperture. For example, a fast shutter speed allows you to "freeze" rapidly moving subjects.

In Manual Exposure mode (M) you can manually set both the shutter speed and the aperture values. An on-screen meter will display the exposure value as you change the settings.

Rotating the Mode Dial to the SCN (Scene mode) position gives access to 5 screens containing 15 preset scene-specific settings that are optimized for variety of shooting environments and subjects. You can choose from Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Panning, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Baby, Snow and High Sensitivity. While scrolling through the Scene menu, pressing "Left" on the 4-way controller will give a brief description of the Scene modes intended use.

Press the 4-way controller "Up" to enable AE Bracketing and set the EV step value or to apply Exposure Compensation or Flash Exposure Compensation.

Pressing the Menu button on the 4-way controller when the Mode Dial is in P, A, S or M brings up 5 Record Menu screens with 19 options:

W. BALANCE - Sets the White Balance to Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, Flash, White set 1, White set 2 or White set
WB ADJUST. - Allows you to finely tune the White Balance setting
SENSITIVITY - Auto, ISO (Intelligent ISO sensitivity - set according to the movement of the subject and brightness), 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
ASPECT RATIO - 4:3 (standard default), 3:2, 16:9
PICT. SIZE - 10M, 8M, 5M, 3M, 2M (in megapixels)
QUALITY - Fine, Standard or RAW
AUDIO REC. - Allows audio recording with video
METERING MODE - Multiple, Center-weighted or Spot
AF MODE - Select the desired AF-area sensor combination from 9-area, 3-area Hi, 1-area Hi, 1-area or Spot
CONT. AF - Continuous auto focus, On or Off
AF ASSIST LAMP - On or Off
FOCUS/AE LOCK - On or Off
DIREC. EX. COMP. - On or Off
D. ZOOM - Digital zoom option, On or Off
COL. EFFECT - Off, Cool, Warm, B/W, Sepia
PICT. ADJ.- Allows you to adjust picture quality selections: Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation and Noise Reduction
FLIP ANIM. - Allows you to connect images to create a motion picture file
CONVERSION - Provides settings for optional conversion lenses that attach in front of the fixed lens
EXT. FLASH - Settings if using an optional external flash
EXT. FLASH BURST - Settings if using an optional external flash in Burst mode
CLOCK SET - For setting the date, time display

Press the 4-way controller "Down" to enable the Quick Review function to view or delete the last image taken.

Movie mode (represented by a film icon) captures QuickTime video at VGA (640x480), QVGA (320 x 240) or 16:9 (848 x 480) resolution with audio. You use a frame rate of 10 or 30 frames per second. The length of capture is limited only by the amount of available memory. Because the FZ50 features a manual zoom control, the optical zoom may be used during movie recording.

Pressing the Menu button in Movie mode brings up 3 Movie menu screens with 14 options:

W. BALANCE - Sets the White Balance to Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, Flash, White set 1, White set 2 or White set
WB ADJUST. - Allows you to finely tune the White Balance setting
ASPECT RATIO - 4:3 (standard default) or 16:9
PICT. MODE - 30 fps VGA, 10 fps VGA, 30 fps QVGA or 10 fps QVGA
METERING MODE - Multiple, Center-weighted or Spot
AF MODE - Select the desired AF-area sensor combination from 9-area, 3-area Hi, 1-area Hi, 1-area or Spot
CONT. AF - Continuous auto focus, On or Off
AF ASSIST LAMP - On or Off
FOCUS/AE LOCK - On or Off
DIREC. EX. COMP. - On or Off
D. ZOOM - Digital zoom option, On or Off
COL. EFFECT - Off, Cool, Warm, B/W, Sepia
CONVERSION - Provides settings for optional conversion lenses that attach in front of the fixed lens
CLOCK SET - For setting the date, time display