Panasonic DMC-FZ2500
POINT-AND-SHOOT WITH PRO RESULTS.
THERE’S PLENTY TO love about the latest superzoom camera in Panasonic’s Lumix series — 20x zoom with excellent macro, 4K video, superfast autofocus, built-in neutral density filters — in a DSLR-like body that weighs less than a kilo. There’s a 1-inch CMOS sensor (for context, that’s three times larger than the sensor in the iPhone 7), oodles of control not unlike a DSLR and, unlike most other cameras in its class, the FZ2500 features a hot shoe slot for an external flash.
The camera’s 20x fixed lens — with a variable maximum aperture of f/2.8-4.5 — gives you the equivalent of a massive 24–480mm lens, but remains compact and easy to handle thanks to a nifty collapsible design that’s achieved by moving the lenses internally. So once the camera has been powered on, the lens extends, then remains in position even when adjusted. This keeps the camera’s centre of gravity steady and reduces blur and image shifting while zooming in and out. Panasonic has also changed the zoom drive motor, making it smoother and slower, which gives videos a subtle and natural sense of motion.
For pros, neutral density filters are pretty much essential bits of equipment for shooting in bright sunlight or taking long exposure shots — they reduce the amount of light entering the lense and keep images from becoming overexposed. With the FZ2500, you just need to flick a switch and you get two ND filters.
You can also shoot 4K video in both the UHD (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) or DCI (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) 4K formats at a max of 30 and 24fps, respectively. Plus there’s no limit to how much video you can capture, as long as there’s space on the microSD card or battery life.
In use, this snapper’s autofocus is practically instantaneous in good light and not too much slower in low-light conditions. Panasonic has definitely worked hard on this feature and the result is perfect pinpoint focus alongside handy software features like face recognition, which works even when the subject is on the move.
We’ve got no complaints regarding the camera’s metering system and the auto whitebalance setting reproducing colours accurately, although we found some amount of manual intervention might be needed in overcast conditions. There was minimal noise in our test images, even at higher ISO settings under a variety of light conditions.
In terms of build and handling, the camera sits comfortably in the hand. Round the back, the FZ2500 sports a side-mounted, three-inch LCD screen that pivots through a range of positions. The monitor is very sharp, and touch functionality is seamless, with easy autofocus selection, access to onscreen shortcuts and intuitive swipe and pinch-zoom gestures to review images. The built-in electronic viewfinder is also top notch. It’s comfortably large and crisp, with a really good refresh rate. There’s also an eye sensor to automatically switch from LCD to viewfinder without needing to press a button.
For the novice, there are presets that make shooting much easier by automatically setting parameters and filters for various situations — ‘romantic sunsets’, for example. Capturing fast action — like an animal in action — is near perfect, with sharp images and great contrast. It is important to remember, however, that the FZ2500 isn’t weatherproof.
All in all, the FZ2500 is a very impressive enthusiast camera. It can replace your camcorder and, for beginner photographers, it’s an excellent bit of kit for learning the basics before, perhaps, moving on to a fully-fledged DSLR.