Being such an old camera now, what can be said about the Lumix FZ50 that hasn't already been talked about. An excellent camera with a really good lens and a respectable zoom length. I do find it quite large in size though. And these days I prefer to carry something smaller for convenience. With that said, the controls for manual focus and zoom being on the barrel of the lens make the FZ50 something a little different to the rest of the Bridge cameras, and it feels much more like a DSLR to use because of this.
Panasonic Lumix FZ50 Lens. And below, some images taken with my FZ50. Made smaller, but not enhanced at all, they are straight from the camera.
There are other models similar to this, such as the Panasonic FZ20 and FZ30, those two are very good also. But the 5 mega pixel FZ20, while still a good all-rounder for taking pictures, it is the oldest of the three models and does have the least best image quality out of the three Still very good though, even today. It also does not have the manual zoom ring on the barrel like the other two, only a manual focus control ring.
Rhododendron Ponticum
Squirrel wants more nuts
This tree was totally dead, but still standing
Prices fluctuate for all models mentioned here. When I was looking to buy a used FZ50 on eBay some sellers wanted ridiculous money. I was patient and it paid off. I ended up snapping one up for around £30 in really good condition. A great deal. I tried to buy an FZ20 too. I sent an offer for £12.
Peacock butterfly basking in the sun
Bees love Rhododendrons
Phone Mast. Too many of these are popping up everywhere. They are dangerous.
Sunlight shining through the leaves of a white Daffodil
Good zoom. A sun dial at the top of St. John The Baptist Church In Berkswell, UK.
A low offer I know. But I thought I'd try my luck as the auction was close to ending and the seller had no bids and a starting price of £9.99. He refused my offer so I placed one bid but was in a rush and couldn't wait for the auction to end. Someone ended up buying it for £10 and some change. But now the FZ20 seems to have had a small rise in popularity, so the price has risen. Now the minimum on eBay is around £30.
One thing just so you're aware. This camera was produced at a time when video footage in cameras was in its infancy. As a result the FZ50's video recording capabilities are so bad and pixelated its laughable. Specification claims to be 848 x 480 resolution, but It must be around 140p - 240p. By today's standards It really is bad. So please, don't buy this camera if you want to be able to switch between filming video and taking photo's. This camera is strictly for taking pictures.
In finishing this post, the Panasonic Lumix FZ50 is a classic camera that is really nice to use. What I like most about it is, as mentioned, the barrel zoom and manual focus controls, and also how well it retains image quality when applying far zoom ranges. If you see one for sale at a decent price snap it up. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. And if you are, they hold their resale price quite well, so you should at least get what you paid for it if you decide its not for you. And its a sought after model. That means it will sell pretty quick.
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