Review on 📷 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47K 12.1MP Digital Camera - Black (OLD MODEL) with 24x Optical Zoom by Erik Peterson

My first Panasonic was a DMC-FZ35K after owning two Canon PowerShot S-series cameras. not so great. I hadn't thought about buying the FZ47 either, but since it had such a big discount ($190), I decided to take the plunge. I was initially impressed with the body's continued compactness (it's still smaller and lighter than even the 2 SX20IS and larger SX40IS) and largely unchanged button layout, but I really miss the "4-way joystick" that has been replaced by a clickable scroll wheel. My first impulse was to see if Panasonic had improved functionality since the FZ35 (which I reviewed a few years ago). Unfortunately, the burst function is still imperfect, there's still no way to lock exposure/aperture settings in auto mode, and no way to freeze the current picture on the LCD while the shutter button is pressed. What has changed since the DMC-FZ35:++ Screen size and resolution improved to 3.0", 460k/480x320 (previously 2.7", 230k/320x240), although the OSD is not clearer++ Continuous burst shooting on max 7 enhanced 12.1MP shots at 3.7 fps (from max 3 shots at 2.7 fps)++ Video enhanced to 1920x1080/60i (from 1280x720/30p)++ Lens to 24x , 25mm to 600mm (from 18x, 27mm to 486mm) upgraded + Up to 5 photos (3.5 MP) can now be taken while recording HD video (video gets a little blurry during recording) + 3D mode -Added photo to Scene mode + Venus Engine FHD (compared to Venus Engine HD) + Added handheld night shot to Night mode Portrait mode + Reportedly more accurate autofocus (noticed a slight improvement, especially when shooting video). g)+ 6.5Wh battery (previously 5Wh)+ Playback mode now shows a preview of each photo when the left/right button is held down (previously you had to release the left/right button for a second to activate the photo). display image) + SDXC support for cards > 32 GB (from max. 32 GB for SDHC) + 70 MB internal memory (from 40 MB) = Pin Hole, Film Grain, High Dynamic moved to Creative Control = Video recording button moved up, AF /MF button moved from top to bottom, flash button changed to ISO, EVF/LCD button moved to the right side of the viewfinder = lens cap is smaller and no longer interferes with retracting the lens from the tube, unfortunately part of the inner lens tube is now lying free even when the camera is on is on off - the camera can no longer switch to playback mode from the off state (a special switch was previously selected between recording or playback mode without first turning it on Kame ra) - 2-way scroll wheel (replaces 4-way joystick) - Dedicated DC input has been removed (FZ35 has 8-way joystick). DC 4V connection, FZ47 requires optional DC coupler to be plugged into battery slot) - Internal speaker moved to right of viewfinder to left of flash (more likely to be obscured when camera is held) - No RAW support Image quality remains excellent, but competitive compact cameras are moving to CMOS technology for improved low light shooting and burst modes, the benefits of a large lens and flash in a CCD bridge camera are diminishing in many situations. The relatively high discounts offered shortly after release are probably due to this single point, otherwise the FZ47 is an amazing price for a quality camera. The video is one of the best I've seen and highlights an advantage of the CCD sensor (the CCD doesn't suffer from the rolling shutter effect of CMOS). At the suggested retail price, I can't recommend this camera, but with a 40-50% discount, it's worth the price. I'm rating this camera 4.5/5 stars for the lack of controls alone, which is inferior to the FZ35.