Review on 📷 Silver Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5S 5MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom and Image Stabilization for Enhanced Results by Sam Bell

My first impression of the FZ5 was that it was smaller and certainly a lot lighter than I expected. It's certainly not a pocket camera, but it's compact enough and so light that you could theoretically slip it into a large trouser or coat pocket. That's why I choose the FZ5 over the FZ20, but at this point I'm not sure if I appreciate the FZ5's top-notch portability or want a camera to hold on to. I'm getting used to it, but I need a thicker, longer grip so I can wrap my fingers better and have room for my pinky. The camera can certainly feel like a toy until you snap a few shots. . Once you've done that, you'll quickly appreciate this camera's fast focusing and fast shutter speed. The level of flexibility and control offered by the camera's buttons and menu system was intuitive and easy to learn. I'm no pro, but I knew right away that this camera would make me a better photographer. I love how quick and easy it is to set auto bracketing, adjust EV exposure and flash output. White balance and ISO settings are easily accessible as the first two options in the menu system. I'd also like the autofocus options and metering modes on the first menu screen, but switching between screens isn't that difficult. A large number of autofocus modes, including high-speed selection, are very useful. The burst mode is cool and very fast and can easily be selected with a separate button. Too bad the burst modes and auto-bracketing feature don't work when the flash is on. I think they think the flash is taking too long to recover, but I wouldn't mind waiting for the flash to be ready for the next shot. I quickly came across the FZ5's lack of a manual focus option due to focusing limitations in low light. There's an autofocus assist light, but it only works at 8ft. The LCD or electronic viewfinder shows next to nothing in low light. The built-in flash performs very decently if you let the auto ISO go up to 400. Noise is noticeable on a computer screen with images taken at 400 ISO, but 4x6 prints come out fine. If you set the ISO to 80 or 100, the range of the built-in flash is quite limited. Here you come across another major weakness of the FZ5. No hot shoe or even a sync link. I've been shooting indoors and outdoors with and without flash for the past few days. I took advantage of the camera's excellent macro capabilities and gave it image stabilization at 12x zoom. I switched from a 3MP camera that's almost 4 years old, so I might be weak for the FZ5's 5MP images. They are very sharp, with good contrast and natural rich colors. Images look good on a computer screen and print even better. The video mode of the camera works perfectly. The resulting movies are relatively low resolution compared to some other superzooms on the market. This is not a big problem for me as I also have a Panasonic 3CCD digital camcorder. Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) coupled with the 36-432mm lens is, roughly speaking, the true hallmark of the FZ5 and half a dozen other cameras. who has it on the market. As someone who knows what it's like to get a stable shot with a 35mm camera with a 300mm F5.6 lens. I really appreciate the performance of the 432mm F3.3 lens on this camera. With a steady hand I was able to take pictures that I would never have been able to take with my old 35. Can't wait to try this trail camera! OIS technology greatly expands the possibilities of a conventional lens with such gigantic focal lengths, but ultimately also pushes the limits of available light. I suspect that's why several reviewers here at Revain have complained about the blurry image. They're probably used for pointing and shooting cameras, and suggest that you can handheld the same shots at 12x as you can at 3x. Another problem is that these superzoom cameras can't focus on really close subjects at full zoom. I believe that even in macro mode the limit is around 5ft. This does not mean that this camera cannot be used by a beginner. The Program AE mode is easy to use and although I haven't used it, there is also an 'Easy' mode. All automatic settings work very well. Exposure, white balance, ISO and flash intensity are well matched over 95% of the time. I would say I'm happy with my decision to buy the FZ5. I looked at comparable models: Canon S2, Sony H1, Kodak P850, Minolta Z6 and Panasonic FZ20 and FZ30. I bought the FZ5 because it's the smallest and lightest camera in its class and about $50-$150 cheaper than any other superzoom (except Minolta). I couldn't justify the price of the FZ30 so my second choice was the FZ20. It offers an F2.8 fixed aperture lens, hot shoe and manual focus. I was a little confused by the FZ20's size and weight, but from what I understand it may not be that bad in terms of traction. The FZ20 should also be a bit slower when it comes to autofocus. My third choice would be the Canon S2. Based on my research, Canon's image quality lags a bit behind Panasonic's, but the S2's full feature set, including VGA film mode, made it a good choice. The sharp drop in price of digital SLR cameras prompted me to take a look. . While they have much better low-light capabilities, they still cost twice as much as the FZ5 and you don't get 12x OIS zoom. Bottom line, any Super Zoom camera on the market with a 12x Zoom OIS lens is a tremendous value. They're so close in overall performance that it really comes down to your party's preferences and maybe a compromise between a few features. I'd recommend the FZ5, but there really aren't any bad options.