Introduction

The most obvious way to upgrade a superzoom is to extended the zoom range, but Panasonic is tossing us a curveball with the FZ200. The lens is still the headline feature, but it isn't because of a longer zoom—it's the constant f/2.8 aperture throughout its 24x zoom range. In an oversimplified nutshell, it'll be easier to take zoomed-in photos indoors with the FZ200 than other superzooms.

Most of the vital specs are held over from last year's excellent FZ150 superzoom—still the top-scoring fixed-lens camera on DigitalCameraInfo.com—including a 24x zoom range, an articulating 3-inch LCD, manual exposure control, RAW capture, and 12fps burst shooting.

We got some hands-on time with the FZ200 at a press briefing last month. Read on for our first impressions. Pricing and launch date haven't officially been announced, but Panasonic tells us that the FZ200 will debut at $599—up $100 from the FZ150's original launch price—and will be available in black.