Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200

Advanced point-and-shoot cameras

A 12-megapixel camera from Panasonic with a 2.9-inch LCD, 24x optical zoom, an image stabilizer and manual controls.

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CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model is derived from our expert lab test results.

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Current Range of Tested Advanced point-and-shoot cameras

What goes into the Overall Score?

Image quality

/ 5

Ease of use

/ 5

Video quality

/ 5

LCD quality

/ 5

Viewfinder

/ 5

Flash photos

/ 5

Image stabilization

/ 5

Color

/ 5

Sensor types

/ 5

Battery life (shots)

/ 5

4K video

/ 5

WiFi

/ 5

Megapixels

/ 5

Test lens

/ 5

Weight (oz.)

/ 5

Detailed Test Results

PHOTO QUALITY. This 12-megapixel advanced point-and-shoot model captured images with good quality. Pictures were sharp, which means you can see most details and subtle patterns in the image. In low-light situations without a flash, pictures were not quite as sharp as those of most recommended models. We judged this model very good for outdoor performance, such as shooting landscapes in the daytime; good for indoor performance, such as photographing a well-lit basketball game in a gym; very good for performance under natural light without a flash, such as shooting under an overcast sky; and good for low-light performance without a flash, such as capturing a birthday party. Photos taken in our low-light performance tests displayed some image noise - subjects retained some of their correct detail and color

FLASH. The Lumix DMC-FZ200 captured flash shots that were good. In our distance test, we found the camera's flash could illuminate subjects very well, both near and far. The flash also has very good, even coverage

LENS. It has a very long 24x zoom lens that can be great for travel and sports shooting when you need to zoom in far to capture your subjects. The lens also has very wide-angle (25mm) capability that's very useful for landscapes and group portraits, although you may notice a bit of distortion when you’re shooting faces up close, for instance

IMAGE STABILIZER. This is an important feature with a long zoom lens; taking hand-held shots at the telephoto end of the zoom range can generally blur or soften images due to the slight movement of your hands. Shooting telephoto in well-lit scenes, this model did a very good job of minimizing the effects of camera shake. In low-light settings, it rarely produced blurry photos

SPEED. In terms of performance, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 powers up very quickly. It has a short interval between shots, which can be important when shooting fast-moving or unpredictable subjects

VIDEO. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 takes good video, at a quality like nearly all advanced point-and-shoot models. It captures full HD video at 1920 x 1080 60p. As for sound, it captures good audio in stereo / mono

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. It has HDR (high-dynamic range) settings. Like most advanced point-and-shoot models, this camera does include an electronic viewfinder, which means you have flexibility when composing your photo or video; this viewfinder has good quality. The display also swivels; this can be helpful when shooting self-portraits or hard-to-reach shots. Like all cameras of this kind, it can capture RAW files, which gives you the most flexibility when manipulating image files with software, and has a hot shoe for attaching an external flash (generally sold separately). This advanced point-and-shoot model is much bigger, thicker and heavier than most in its class.

About

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 is a 12-megapixel camera with 24x optical zoom and has a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 25mm-600mm. It has a 2.9-inch LCD (461,000 pixels). It also includes an electronic viewfinder, which is helpful when composing in bright light.

Because it does not accept interchangeable lenses, we consider this model an advanced point-and-shoot.

The camera has a maximum aperture of f/2.8. The camera's shutter speed range is 60 seconds to 1/4000 of a second.

The Lumix DMC-FZ200 stores photos and video on SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards and has 70MB of on-board storage. It captures images as JPG or RAW files at a top resolution of 4000 x 3000 and full HD-resolution video as MTS, MP4 files at a top resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Like most digital cameras, this model comes with a proprietary rechargeable battery.

This advanced point-and-shoot has 23 autofocus points. It also includes 3 flash modes (for the on-board flash), 15 exposure modes, and an exposure compensation control that can be set at +/-3 EV. The image stabilization system for this camera is lens-based.

The Lumix DMC-FZ200 measures 5.1 inches wide by 3.5 inches high by 4.7 inches deep, and weighs 22 ounces (1.4 pounds) (with battery, memory card, and strap).

Features & Specs

Features

Full frame

Swivelling screen

Exposure modes

Color space

Adobe RGB/sRGB

Hot shoe

Optical zoom

Touch screen

Live view

Yes

Wireless remote

PC flash sync jack

Specs

Image stabilizer

LCD size (in.)

2.9

LCD pixel count

461k

35mm equivalent multiplier

5.6

Shutter speed range

60 - 1/4000

Max. buffer size JPEG/RAW

1000

Max. ISO

6400

Memory card

Total weight (oz.)

Height (in.)

3.5

Width (in.)

5.1

Depth (in.)

4.7

Memory card slots/type

SD/SDHC/SDXC

Still image formats

JPG, RAW

Price & Shop

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

Detailed Test Results

About

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