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Panasonic FZ200 topic, 24x zoom with constant F2.8 aperture
  • 350 Replies sorted by
  • kavadnikavadni

    @trevmar, can you tell me if the HDMI is live and free of screen overlays?

    Also is the zoom parfocal?

  • trevmartrevmar

    The zoom is remarkably parfocal. I switched to manual focus, zoomed x24 and focused on an object. As I zoomed all the way back to wide the image on the camera screen remained in focus. There may have been a tiny shift, nothing I could see on the LCD. And the same parfocal behaviour occurred if in Auto-Focus.

    However, the HDMI is only active during playback. Unlike earlier Panasonic cameras, the HDMI output is dead until Playback is selected. Standard A/V is alive during record, but disappears when the shutter button is pressed to begin a movie. HDMI Screen overlays toggle with the appropriate button. The new EVF is extremely good, thank goodness, as no live HDMI monitor seems possible.

  • zcreamzcream

    So my LX7 is going to be sold off. The 120p is unusable indoors due to a lack of shutter control. @trevmar Like the LX7, would you mind checking the HS 120p mode to see if you are allowed any way to control shutter in that mode ?

  • mozesmozes

    some photos from the FZ200
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/43312810@N04/sets/72157631221469268/

    Panasonic Lumix FZ200 New Features reviewed part 2: high speed video and panorama images



    LUMIX GH2 vs LUMIX FZ200 : TokyoDisneyland ElectricalParade

  • PatrickGFPatrickGF

    Okay, I do event shooting and don't have one for a couple of weeks. Want to try out my new GH2 and FZ200 and open to ideas.

    I've got a GH2, GF2 and FZ200 Two 14mm Panasonic lens Panasonic 14-42 Kit Canon J18x9B4 IRS Zoom H4n Rode VideoMic Pro Audio-Technica ATR-6550

    With the Canon lens I can get close to the same range (18x vs 24x) and fixed f2.8 on the GH2 you get with the FZ200.

    For now, I'm mostly interested in testing audio quality direct in camera from the VMP. Very disappointed the FZ200 doesn't seem to have any audio meter but still testing.

    Anyone have any tests they want me to try?

    2012-09-28_22-18-14_673.jpg
    800 x 363 - 68K
  • kavadnikavadni

    @PatrickGF, I would be interested to see comparisons between your GH2/B4 and the FZ200 .. more so IQ rather than just FL

  • haribabisharibabis

    @PatrickGF I am also going to buy FZ200 so i want to ask you about the video quality between GH2 (i personally use SANITY5) and the stock FZ200. Of course i dont expect to be the same, but how close is it ? Also, the 120fps, how good is it comparing , for example to Sony FS100 , in your opinion ?

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @PatrickGF

    Also good idea is to provide raw MTS files from FZ200 for research. Not long, few seconds each. best is to shoot highly detailed scenes, scenes that can lead to moire, dark scenes, high DR scenes. In other word - anything that can be difficult.

  • Felix_Felix_

    I wonder if it is possible to add the "ETC-mode" for movies known from the GH2/GH3 to the FZ200 by a "hack"?

    Just take a moment to think about what that would mean for the zoom range of the FZ200 movie modes.

    We enjoy 672mm in normal video mode already at the far end, additionally we would gain the following specs, applying the factor analogy for the GH2 with 2.6x@FHD, 3.9x@HD+WVGA, 4.8x@VGA.

    28-672 --> 73mm-1747mm for the FHD mode

    28-672 --> 109 mm-2621mm for the HD and WVGA modes

    28-672 --> 134mm-3226mm for the VGA mode

    And all @f2.8!

    It would be interesting to know, whether such an improvement is technically feasible or what the constraints (sensor size simply not suited, etc ...) would be.

    Thank you.

  • Alfi666Alfi666

    The high speed mode looks actually quite usable - if we could get rid of the compression artifacts by increasing bitrate. Now that the GH3 failed to deliver, this camera looks even more interesting.

  • PatrickGFPatrickGF

    Four MTS files based on @Stonebats codec stressing PNGs files from "gf2-stable-settings". Available from Dropbox here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tfr83z5xbe671sa/EsWJWtULJ1

  • PatrickGFPatrickGF

    Added footage comparing the GH2&B4 lens in normal and ETC mode vs. FZ200 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tfr83z5xbe671sa/EsWJWtULJ1

  • focusmsgfocusmsg

    Did a video to try out the slow-mo effect on the FZ200. (100fps)

  • vicxvicx

    FZ200 is a contender.

  • kavadnikavadni

    @focusmsg .. ok now I definetely want one .. inspite of no live HDMI.

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev .. have you got one yet .. have you opened it up .. when, when, when will we know .. when, when, when ? :o)

  • kavadnikavadni

    @those_that_have_one, is the FZ200 a world cam (both PAL and NTSC)?

  • konjowkonjow

    @those_that_have_one is the autofocus of FZ200 smooth enough in video? I imagine manual focusing is a pain in this one.

  • mozesmozes

    this is the first video from the FZ200 that i like.


  • PatrickGFPatrickGF

    @konjow - In MF mode you can easily focus during video recoding by switching the side "zoom" rocker to focus and the the focus button is right there are well. I played a little last night with going from far out of focus and pressing the focus botton right as I got close to sharp. It seemed to work well. I've added a raw MTS of me using the side lever and focus botton hand-held at 600mm at night here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tfr83z5xbe671sa/EsWJWtULJ1 (Skip to the last 10 secs, to see a successful go at it)

    Really liking this as a replacement for event video (e.g. Canon G10, etc). Big issues, I've found so far. -No audio monitoring or control of any kind -No control in high speed video and low quality -Camera control limited to zoom and focus DURING video recording -FCP7 Log and Transfer not compatible with 60p files -No 24p mode

  • konjowkonjow

    @PatrickGF thank you

  • actact

    What about camera's high ISO accepted noise values? I remember that Sony HX9v highest usable ISO is 320 because small sensor. At 320 noise was like about 1250-1600 at canon 7D.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Samples

    http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz200-review/gallery

    Reviews

    http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/reviews/compacts/129351/1/panasonic-lumix-dmc-fz200-review

    http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_fz200_review/

  • mozesmozes

    That are very nice pictures, for now, i like those more then what i have seen from the gh3...

  • trevmartrevmar

    @act

    What about camera's high ISO accepted noise values

    I have been pretty happy with the FZ200 PSH video at iso800. there is a little (fine) noise, but it easily filters to clean (with, eg, the DNR filter in Vegas and Vdub). I would use ISO1600 if I was in real trouble, it retains detail in movie mode and the noise can be reduced in post, but I have my ISOlimit set at 800 until I get a better handle on post with a few more real-world events.

    ps: I should add that I am shooting everything indoors with 1/30 shutter at the moment. The f2.8 lens is certainly more limiting at low light than the f1.4 of my LX7...

  • zigizigizigizigi

    I once tried FZ150 as a B-cam for GH2 while shooting a stage performance. It didn't have multi-point auto-focus, only single point and face detection. Both failed each time there were few moving people in the shot, AF couldn't cope with the situation and went back and forth like crazy. Well, it could be solved by manually fixing focus with dedicated button but what I needed was an unattended cam with automatics I could trust. Is FZ200 any different in this respect?

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