Panasonic Lumix FZ2500 review

From snowflakes to mountains, Panasonic’s FZ2500 can handle any subject

With a 20x zoom, 4K video, post focus, and a sensor that’s 3 times larger than the one within the iPhone 7, the list of features on the Panasonic Lumix FZ2500 isn’t a brief one. Focus an attempt after you're taking it? Sure. In-camera focus stacking for sharp macro shots? Why not? Built-in neutral density filters for 4K video and long exposures? Just flip the switch.

Yes, the feature list is quite impressive, but the camera features a premium tag to match. In fact, the FZ2500 lists for what you’d buy a midrange, body-only DSLR: $1,200. But, when portability and flexibility is important , the FZ2500 packs in enough features and performance to warrant the high tag even for a hard and fast lens camera.

Design

The FZ2500 may be a fixed lens camera masquerading in an almost DSLR-like body. It’s within the family of consumer cameras referred to as bridge or megazoom, a kind of advanced point-and-shoot. The control scheme isn’t unlike a DSLR’s, with dual control wheels, a mess of shortcut buttons, both a mode dial and burst mode dial (the latter for selecting between single shots, bursts, and 4K photo effects), and even a zoom ring round the lens, despite also having that point-and-shoot style zoom toggle also .

Most of these controls sit at the highest of the camera. one among seven (yes, seven) function buttons which will be customized also sits at the highest , next to a fanatical record button for video. Unlike most fixed lens cameras, the FZ2500 also features a hot shoe slot for adding an external flash.

The camera’s backside is dominated by a flip-out, tilting screen that you simply can angle for up-high and down-low shots. The screen’s touch interface makes it easy to tap-to-focus and access variety of onscreen shortcuts. Alongside the screen, on the proper , may be a familiar array of camera buttons that might make any DSLR owner feel right reception .

The many controls may take a while getting wont to if you aren’t conversant in advanced cameras, but accessing the foremost used settings is both quick and straightforward . for instance , aperture and shutter speed are pre-programed into the 2 control wheels at the highest , and a fast press of the F3 button on the front switches one wheel to regulate ISO instead. you'll program a button to handle focus modes, and pick attention point on the touchscreen. For the controls that don’t have a physical option, like switching from JPEG to RAW, a fast (Q) menu offers quick access without drilling into the complete menu.

The ergonomics and build quality feels almost like holding an entry-level DSLR with a kit lens – a lens that's permanently attached. The camera isn’t weather-sealed, but feels durable and well-built. We took it out into some moderate snow with no issues.

All those DSLR similarities usher in one drawback: the FZ2500 weighs just over two pounds. While the 20x fixed telephoto lens goes to require up less land inside a camera bag than a DSLR with the same telephoto lens and macro lens, it’s not the lightest camera around. Wearing the FZ2500 round the neck seems like shooting with a DSLR, which might be a priority for casual photographers who are wont to using lighter cameras.

Speed and performance

With a build and control scheme very similar to a DSLR, we could almost close our eyes and pretend we were shooting with one. What gives it away are its compact-camera-like noises and short battery life. Even after turning off the pesky fake shutter sound, there’s a really audible click and rattle. you'll switch to the electronic shutter instead, which performs faster also . The zoom is additionally a touch loud, albeit you employ the zoom ring rather than the toggle. The battery life – about 350 shots – is additionally more typical of a compact camera than the DSLR the body is inspired by.

The FZ2500 maintains a good seven frames-per-second (fps) burst speed while using continuous autofocus, thereupon number bumping up to 12 fps if the main target is locked on the primary shot (the viewfinder and screen shuts off while shooting at that speed). The camera will record a minimum of 30 RAW files, and a minimum of 100 JPEGS, before needing an opportunity to process those files.

If file size isn’t a top priority, the FZ2500 also can shoot at 30 fps in 4K Photo burst mode. Unlike a standard burst mode, where a camera is taking speedy, sequential photos, when in 4K Photo mode the camera is really shooting a 4K video, despite “photo” within the name — hence a bigger file size. Unique to newer Panasonic cameras, 4K Photo then allows you to review the 4K video file frame-by-frame (in camera), and pull 8MP stills from it. this is often handy for slow-to-medium action scenes (check our experience with using 4K Photo at a Indy 500 race).

Autofocus performance is about average for an excellent zoom. Individual shots were a few second aside from shutter to focus to subsequent shot. In manual focus those shots were about half that. The autofocus system picked up the topic accurately during a majority of shots.

The 20x telephoto zoom may be a headlining feature for the FZ2500, but it’s also paired with a macro mode that’s actually ok to shoot the detail in snowflakes. The camera is capable of that specialize in objects as close as 1.2 inches (3 cm) from the lens at 0x zoom, or about 3.3 feet from the lens using the complete length of that zoom.

Perhaps this camera’s most interesting innovation is 4K Post Focus mode, a comparatively new Panasonic feature that, like 4K Photo, uses the camera’s 4K video capture capability. because the camera takes a brief 4K video, it adjuststhe autofocus the whole time, creating a 4K video that contains data from multiple focal points. you'll use the camera’s LCD screen to travel back and adjust the focus within the photo afterward if you don’t like what you initially see. the thought is extremely almost like a light-weight field camera, but the appliance is vastly different.

Post Focus works incredibly well, and is entertaining to play with. within the playback mode, you'll adjust the main target simply using the touchscreen to spot what should be focused , or adjust on a slider and pick the right focus that way.

Focus Stacking, a related feature, takes multiple images at different focal lengths and merges them together for a sharper image with a wider depth of field. Combined with the superb macro mode, it’s a blast to use for amateur and professional photographers alike.

But 4K Post Focus does have a couple of downsides. Unlike 4K Photo, 4K Post Focus takes a second or two to urge the shot, so it’s not for moving subjects – landscapes or portraits only. The resulting file sizes also are a touch smaller: Like 4K Photo, a picture shot with 4K Post Focus is technically one frame taken from a video, measuring about 3,504 x 2,336 pixels. a typical photo from the FZ2500 shot measures 5,472 x 3,648. to place things in perspective, a photograph from a 4K video is large enough to print at 8.5 x 11 inches at the recommended resolution (300 pixels per inch), while a full resolution shot is enough to print a ten x 15 inches.

So, 4K Post Focus and 4K Photo are great features that would are available handy, but it’s not something you'll use in every situation.

The FZ2500’s performance has no major deal breakers (unless you’re particularly offended by noisy cameras), but the 4K Photo modes up the camera’s performance with features like Post Focus and Focus Stacking, which are impossible to seek out outside of Panasonic.

Image quality

The one-inch sensor inside the FZ2500 puts it beyond the standard super zoom, offering more resolution and better low-light performance than the more common 1/2.3-inch sensor, though almost the imaging power of a DSLR or mirrorless camera. The larger-than-average sensor is additionally paired with a reasonably bright f/2.8-4.5 lens – again, for better performance in low light.

The camera’s shutter speed reaches a good 1/4,000th of a second, or fourfold that when using the electronic shutter only. And while the lens is brighter than average, the aperture stops at f/11, which isn't uncommon for a hard and fast lens camera but not as versatile as a DLSR lens. To catch up on the shorter aperture range, the FZ2500’s built-in neutral density filters makes it possible to require long exposures a couple of seconds long without expecting nightfall. Using the built-in NDs, we didn’t notice any drastic color changes like you’d get with cheap filters.

Many super zooms suffer from soft images at the farthest reach of their lens, but with the FZ2500, that’s not the case. Images shot at 0x zoom were even as sharp as images at 20x – an enormous plus for a camera with such a good range. Where the FZ2500 really shines is that the macro to telephoto capability, and both the close-ups and therefore the shots using the complete width of that zoom were nicely sharp.

That sharpness lends a solid level of detail, though quality starts to interrupt down once you move beyond ISO 400. Double that, and you’ll likely notice noise if you crop or concentrate . Slight color noise pops in at ISO 1600. Still, while quality drops off slightly and pixel peepers might notice , the whole range up to ISO 3200 is what we might still consider a “usable image.”

In low light, the brilliant lens and enormous sensor performs well in tandem. We shot a moonrise and an owl at dusk, both without a tripod, and therefore the optical image stabilization proved the camera was up to the task with rather sharp handheld results. Of course, with high ISOs you’ll notice a touch little bit of noise and a small loss of detail, but the FZ2500 may be a versatile camera which will handle almost anything you throw at it, including low-light shots.

Color appeared to hit good , with accurate hues without over-saturating. aberration (that purple or green fringing you sometimes see in high contrast photos) is minimal.

In 4K Photo mode, you lose a touch of resolution since you're working with 4K video stills. Sharpness, or rather what proportion of the image is sharp, increases at impressive levels using the built-in focus stacking techniques within 4K Post Focus. The 4K modes do seem to introduce more noise at lower ISOs, however.

Video

Panasonic compact cameras are getting even as much about video as they're about still photos. With 4K shooting at around 30 fps (3840×2160 at 29.97 fps), the standard and detail coming from the FZ2500 bests most other compacts right off the bat. The videos contain even as much detail and color because the 4K photo stills.

The FZ2500’s autofocus is fairly quick to regulate (as long as you retain it within the focusing range and don’t get too close), both with moving subjects and after adjusting the zoom. The zoom speed is fairly easy to regulate also .

The zoom, however, does make a small noise that’s detectable in video. We didn’t notice the noise shooting in crowds, but within the quiet, there’s a small , almost noise when using the zoom, both with the toggle and lens ring adjustment. Compared to other electronic lens controls, the FZ2500 was quieter than most that this reviewer has used, but still detectable.

The FZ2500 has decent sound pick-up, and there’s a microphone jack for audio high-end audio needs. A headphone jack and HDMI ports also expand the camera’s options for video.

Warranty information

Panasonic normally offers a one-year warranty, but if you choose up the FZ2500 before the top of March 2017, the corporate is extending that to 3 years within the U.S. The warranty covers manufacturer and workmanship defects, but doesn’t cover wear and tear.

Our Take

The Panasonic FZ2500 can get you only as on the brink of the snowflake landing in your glove because it can to the birds within the next tree over, then some. Panasonic is bringing something exciting to the bridge camera category, with features just like the ability to focus after the shot and in-camera focus stacking. From image quality to performance and style , the Panasonic FZ2500 leaves little to be desired, and a high price that’s justified.

Is there a far better alternative?

Panasonic may be a manufacturer that seems to be dedicated to creating the video quality even as top notch because the stills, with several of their cameras being the primary within the category to feature 4K recording. The FZ2500’s predecessor, the FZ1000, was the primary fixed-lens camera to use 4K. The 4K Photo mode is additionally exclusive to Panasonic. There’s a Canon DSLR, the EOS 5D Mark IV, that has the power to form slight focus adjustments in post, but to not the extremes of switching the foreground and background such as you can with the FZ2500.