Digital Photography Review features the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 tested. This digital camera is the successor to the DMC-FZ30 and, like its predecessor, is a super zoom with image stabilization. The camera is equipped with a 10 megapixel CCD sensor, 2 megapixels more than the DMC-FZ30. The Venus image processing chip has also been upgraded and is now in its third generation. This gives the camera a number of additional new functions, including a new widescreen movie mode (848 x 480 pixels), three extra sensitivities (ISO800/1600/3200), more noise reduction and an improved white balance. The LCD screen, on the other hand, has fewer pixels and the speed is only 2 photos per second compared to 3 photos per second for the DMC-FZ30.
The review shows that the DMC-FZ50 is a mature super zoom when it comes to operation and possibilities. All buttons are in the right place and the device responds quickly, making the camera a good alternative to a digital SLR camera. The colors of the photos taken are good, although the contrast is sometimes a bit on the high side. However, the photographic qualities are slightly less, mainly due to the strong presence of noise in the photos taken with a sensitivity of ISO400 or higher. Panasonic tries to solve this with the built-in noise reduction, but only partially succeeds, as this ensures that a lot of detail is lost. As a result, the DMC-FZ50 performs more as a 5 to 6 megapixel camera than as a 10 megapixel device. Despite this, DPReview’s camera still gets the label ‘Highly Recommended’, which the device mainly owes to the good operation and the possibilities.