Excellent noise performance
Strong video performance
Great controls and overall “design”:
Some typical ultrazoom resolution issues
Introduction
Panasonic has a strong reputation in the long-zoom category, both for their pocket-sized ZS series and the full-sized FZ series, like the FZ150 on review here. It replaces last year’s FZ100, which boasted an incredibly fast burst-shooting mode, full HD video, and a great design, as well as a knack for taking some really ugly photos in even slightly challenging settings.
The FZ100 was a bit of a misstep, sure, but with this new flagship superzoom, Panny wisely kept baby and ditched the bathwater. The FZ150 looks at a lot like its predecessor, and parts of the spec sheet are nearly identical, including the 25-600mm equivalent 24x zoom lens, articulating 3-inch LCD, and the aforementioned burst shooting and HD video modes. But crucially, it swaps out the old junker of a sensor with an updated 12.1 megapixel MOS chip.
Everyone loves a great redemption story, and the FZ150 proved itself to be the best superzoom we’ve tested. That title seems to change hands every week, but read on to see why we think the FZ150 will be at the top for a while.
| This review is organized into 16 pages | ||
|---|---|---|
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Page 1
Product Tour
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Page 2
Color
Colors are pretty realistic by default, and they can be customized, too. Read More... |
Page 3
Noise
Clean, clear, detailed shots without smudgy, ugly over-processing. Beautiful. Read More... |
|
Page 4
Resolution
Resolution is about average for the class, with a great distortion score but less impressive sharpness and aberration results. Read More... |
Page 5
Video
1080/60p resolution and robust manual control make this one of the richest video systems available on any fixed-lens camera. Read More... |
Page 6
Sample Photos
A gallery of photos taken with the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 Read More... |
|
Page 7
Playback
A solid interface and physical jog dial make playback navigation a cinch, though in-camera editing is very limited. Read More... |
Page 8
Hardware
Another well designed superzoom with the new standard setup: Big lens, viewfinder, and an articulating LCD. Read More... |
Page 9
Controls
Well implemented manual controls complement an effective auto mode and myriad scene presets and effects—and oh yeah, it’s wicked fast, too. Read More... |
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Page 10
Design & Handling
Big enough to fit in your hand and light enough to hold for prolonged sessions. And that articulated screen is just great. Read More... |
Page 11
Panasonic FZ47 Comparison
 We compare the FZ150 to the Lumix DMC-FZ47. Read More... |
Page 12
Nikon P500 Comparison
 We compare the FZ150 to the P500. Read More... |
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Page 13
Canon SX40 HS Comparison
 We compare the FZ150 to the SX40 HS. Read More... |
Page 14
Conclusion
Read our final conclusion of the Panasonic Lumix FZ150. Read More... |
Page 15
Photo Gallery
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Part 16
Comments
Read what people are saying about the Panasonic Lumix FZ150. Add your comments... |
||
Shop for the Panasonic FZ150
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Panasonic FZ150 Manual
Top Rated Point & Shoots
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$499.001Panasonic Lumix FZ150
Excellent image quality, speedy performance, and a great design add up to the best superzoom that has ever graced our labs. That distinction seems to change hands every week, but trust us when we say that the FZ150 is a truly great camera. Read full 16-part review
$499.00TypesAny Zoom3,5.13.1x to 5x Zoom5.1,105.1x to 9.9x Zoom10,10x & Larger ZoomAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,> 10 Megapixels -
$449.992Sony Cyber-shot HX100V
This professionally-geared ultrazoom offers some of the best color accuracy we've ever seen. It's a shame the other scores weren't quite so strong. Read full 16-part review
$449.99TypesUltra-ZoomAny Zoom3,5.13.1x to 5x Zoom5.1,105.1x to 9.9x Zoom10,10x & Larger ZoomAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,> 10 Megapixels16.8 MP -
$799.993Canon PowerShot G1 X
Canon's new G1 X features a giant 1.5-inch CMOS sensor and the same manual control that we loved on the G12. Read full 7-part review
$799.99TypesAny Zoom3,5.13.1x to 5x Zoom5.1,105.1x to 9.9x Zoom10,10x & Larger ZoomAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,> 10 Megapixels -
$429.994
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
Canon's SX30 got a CMOS makeover that resulted in the SX40 HS, an impressive ultrazoom that captures beautiful shots in almost any scenario. Read full 16-part review
$429.99TypesAny Zoom3,5.13.1x to 5x Zoom5.1,105.1x to 9.9x Zoom10,10x & Larger ZoomAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,> 10 Megapixels -
$399.995
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47
Panasonic resists the urge to cram more megapixels and more focal length into their latest ultrazoom. The FZ47 instead focuses on image quality and features, resulting in an incredibly strong camera that we loved shooting with. Read full 16-part review
$399.99TypesAny Zoom3,5.13.1x to 5x Zoom5.1,105.1x to 9.9x Zoom10,10x & Larger ZoomAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,> 10 Megapixels
(add your own)