Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 Digital Camera Review

by Patrick Singleton
Published on October 21, 2005

Navigation
Intro	Testing / Performance
Physical Tour	Components
Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters
Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Specs / Ratings

Value (6.0)
The Panasonic DMC-FZ30 is a well-built, broadly capable camera with an extremely versatile lens. A 12x zoom range covers all the telephoto capability many people would ever want, and gets into the wide angle range, though many users would prefer to have coverage down to a 28mm equivalent. With an 8 megapixel sensor, the FZ30 can deliver big files for cropping and enlarging prints. The value argument for compact super-zoom cameras often boils down to this: how much would you have to spend to get that file size, that zoom range, and that image stabilization from a DSLR? The answer is in the thousands of dollars. But every DSLR would yield better image quality. They all have lower noise, and most of them have much better color. And of course all of them serve as entries into much more capable and flexible systems. The bottom line is: the FZ30 can only be a good competitive value compared with DSLRs for users who are sure they won't want to build a system of interchangeable components – lenses, flashes, and bodies. And with its noise ratings, it's really only for users who shoot in bright daylight or who want to make small prints.

Comparisons
Fujifilm FinePix S9000 – Perhaps the closest direct competitor, the Fujifilm FinePix S9000 lists for the same $700 as the FZ30, and in the most general terms, they're comparable cameras – they're high megapixel non-SLRs with very long fixed zoom lenses. The lenses are very different, though. The Fuji's is wider, with a 28mm-equivalent wide angle vs. the FZ30's 35mm equivalent, while the Panasonic goes longer with 420 mm as opposed to 300 mm. The FZ30's Optical Image Stabilization is a big advantage over the Fuji S9000's non-optical, digital sharpening method. The S9000 has much lower noise ratings than the FZ30, even though it's a 9 megapixel camera, while the FZ30 is an 8.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS - The Canon PowerShot S2 IS offers a 36mm to 420mm-equivalent lens on a 5 megapixel camera, at a list price of $499 – about $200 less than the FZ30. Like the FZ30, the S2 offers very effective image stabilization, and also like the FZ30, the S2's noise scores are lousy. One typical reason to go for lower resolution is to get better noise scores. In this pairing, that's true only in principle – the 5 megapixel S2 has the better noise rating, but it's no paragon of low-noise performance. Still, the price difference should have shoppers thinking twice about the FZ30.


Canon Rebel XT - Some people just hate it that we compare compact cameras and DSLRs. They grumble about apples and oranges, and so on. We continue to compare them because many people with $700 to $1000 to spend on a camera are considering both technologies, and they should. The Rebel XT runs about $100 more than the FZ30, with a much less capable lens. The Rebel XT's kit lens is pitifully slow at the telephoto end, and not nearly as long a telephoto as the FZ30's built-in optics. The Rebel XT is bigger and heavier than the FZ30, too. The Rebel XT has three fundamental advantages over the FZ30: image quality, speed, and flexibility. The Rebel XT's ISO 400 images don't look as though they were taken in a sandstorm, while the FZ30's images are so noisy that they do. The Rebel XT lacks image stabilization, but its superior noise performance means that the user could shoot at higher ISOs – and therefore, motion-stopping shutter speeds – than the FZ30 would allow. The Rebel XT has much less shutter lag than the FZ30, making it far more useful for action photography. The Rebel XT accepts the same lenses as Canon's other DSLRs, and it could become a backup camera if a user decided to upgrade to a 20D or 5D.

Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200 - The DiMAGE A200 is another 8 megapixel camera with a long zoom. Like the Fuji S9000, the A200's lens goes as wide as a 28mm on a 35mm camera, but the A200 comes up (relatively) short on the telephoto end – it reaches to only a 200mm equivalent. For bird watching and baseball, that's a significant difference, but many photographers would be able to live with that difference. The A200's ISO settings go up to 800, while the FZ30's top out at 400. On the other hand, the FZ30 offers a 16:9 format, which the A200 lacks. The A200 sells for about $100 more than the FZ30 – the wider lens may attract some A200 buyers who pass up the FZ30.

 
Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters - The FZ30 is easy enough for a point-and-shooter to use, and it offers every feature they demand. It adds a long zoom, which could be a big draw for a segment of this market.

Budget Consumers - For those who must have a long telephoto, the FZ30 is an economical alternative to a DSLR. People who could get by with a shorter zoom could buy more economically.

Gadget Freaks - Gadget freaks may well enjoy the 12x zoom, if zoom appeals to them. The image stabilization technology in the FZ30 is not unique, but it's a good implementation. However, the correlative extended zoom relationship with image resolution might put a glimmer in the gadget junky’s hungry eye.

 
Manual Control Freaks - The FZ30 offers complete manual controls, down to fine-tuning white balance. Still, most photographers who sweat over their settings want better image quality than the FZ30 provides.

 
Pros / Serious Hobbyists - Though many people have no doubt taken fine pictures with the FZ30, and will do so again and again, it's not a pro camera. It casts too many obstacles in the photographer's way. Image quality is the first vital point, but the quality of the viewfinder is also a concern.