Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 Digital Camera (Black)
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Quality compact camera with steep learning curve
Bought this as an alternate to my Canon T3i when hiking. It is a versatile little camera that takes good pictures, but it does have some issues. As others have mentioned, Panasonic could not have put the flash in a worse place. I have average size hands for a male, and try as I might I cannot hold the camera normally without covering up the flash. Also, there is also and occasional issue with accidentally hitting the play button on the back thus ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Impressive Camera
Hadn't upgraded my travel camera in several years. Last one was very good in many ways, but had no viewfinder. Never again. So, I tried this ZS50 with EVF. Very impressed with the software design and the info display in both the EVF and on the LCD screen. And the camera shoots RAW, which is my other must-have. Great zoom lens in a tiny package. One critique: the jpeg compression degrades the image quality too much for my taste. Seems like Panason... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
poor quality photos
Bought this to replace an old Canon point-and-shoot from 2006, and it turned out to be a downgrade. This took terrible photos in auto mode on a recent vacation, and experimenting with program auto mode, +/- EV, and scene mode did not help. For landscapes, and people posing in front of landscapes, the camera's algorithm caused ridiculous smoothing, to the point where it looked like a watercolor painting rather than a photo. When zooming in on wild... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good camera
I upgraded form Lumix DMC-ZS25 after much use and abuse. The DMC-ZS50 has some great features that I'm impressed with and takes good pics. I take a lot of pics of my kids, they are active and catching that action is easier on this camera even when zoomed across the field/court. I also do a lot of hiking and kayaking. The 30X zoom makes taking wildlife pics easier and they come out noticeably sharper than my old camera. For a pocketable point and ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Icons wear off mode selector knob after 2 weeks
Unfortunately, I had the same experience as others regarding the cheap selector knob. Most of the icons wore off within the first 2 weeks and the knob also started to have some loose play. Really poor manufacturing. I returned it to the local shop where I bought it for a cash refund. Otherwise, I really did like the camera. Wi-fi remote control function was very good as was the zoom. I just purchased the Sony hx90v from B&H and anticipate that I will have a much better experience.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
too much whiz and not enough bank
I HAVE BOTH CAMERAS, THE ZS40, AND THE ZS50 ON BOTH CAMERAS, THE LETTERS ON THE MODE DIAL, CAME OFF, AFTER TWO WEEKS. SENT BOTH TO PANASONIC FOR REPAIR. THIS IS AN UNHEARD THING TO HAPPEN.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Most powerful pocket camera I've ever had! Fantastic zoom!
I bought this camera for its zoom function. I like watching concerts and when times you don't get good seats a regular camera is useless. I had a nosebleed ticket and boy this camera looked like I'm really close. Works like my binoculars. My friends tell me I'm lucky to be seated near but little did they know that it was my camera who made it happen. I have the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 and I was very already happy with it but this camera is so much be... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fine, pocket-sized travelcam or backup rig.
I do a lot of biking and hiking and hunting and have hitherto been restricted to either using my iPhone (no offense, Apple) or carrying my big rig, if I want to ability to capture some aspect of my adventure in decent form for show and tell or printing. With the ZS50 i get a lot of bang for the buck - creative settings are good, particularly monochrome, and the viewfinder makes shooting in harsh light much easier. I have been very impressed by th... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
It wasn't what I needed
I had purchased this camera intending to us it while traveling overseas on days when I didn't want to carry my DSLR and a couple of lenses I was looking for a compact camera to use in a non-automatic setting most of the time (i.e., aperture priority, shutter priority, or good old fashioned manual with a hand-held exposure meter). Unfortunately, and as I determined quite quickly, although this camera could be so used, doing so on a regular basis w... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Lettering on mode dial wears off
I now have the camera for 2 months. I took it on vacation and shot 400 pictures. The camera worked well and the pictures are great. I have printed several shots and they are sharp. The largest I printed was 13 x 19. They look great. I noticed after three days of shooting, that the printing on the mode dial was coming off. I have the all black model. You can still see the mode in the screen, but at this price, the lettering should not wipe off. A major production errror.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Ideal choice--Meets all my needs
A few weeks ago, I attended a Sun City Center Photo club class on Buying a New Camera. Our instructor discussed: Size, features, usage, dollars to spend, and where to buy. Using this as a guide, I researched various brands and models. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 fulfilled my needs. I wanted a camera for travel The Panasonic ZS50 is the ideal size, complexity and quality for me. This week, I took another course on Camera Settings and learned that my Panasonic ZS50 had all the highlighted features. I have recommended this camera to my sister/travel companion.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Perfect pocket camera
I bought this camera because I was tired of carrying around my dSLR just in case a photo op presented itself. Naturally the image quality isn't up to professional standards but good enough for sharing and posting and making prints to 8x10 or so.VR is very good as I've handheld at 600 to 720mm and got acceptable results.Noise is a factor. I try not to shoot above 400 ISO. Shoots in RAW which is a plus for me.Video works great even handheld. For a $ camera I'm happy. Would rather have a shorter tele with better image quality, 24 to 400mm
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Nearly perfect travel superzoom
After trying the Sony QX30 for a while as my iPhone zoom companion, I felt the Sony was lacking mainly in the time to ready and video lag when zoomed in. I saw the ZS50 came on the market and decided to give it a try. I think my biggest positive impression with the Panasonic is how close I can get with macro. I can practically touch the subject to the lens! And the clarity is amazing. It does a pretty good job fully zoomed to 30x, and the low-lig... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Camera, Lousy Manual
We recently returned from a cruise where I used the camera in all types of settings and it produced a set great pictures. The panorama setting turned out some great landscapes. The telephoto lens is wonderful. My big complaint is that the manual, both paper and CD, are inadequate. As a result, I'm sure I'm missing out on many of the capabilities of the camera.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellant Camera!.....Poor Owners Manual
This camera rock. It does everything you want a camera to do, and more. Unfortunately, the supporting documentation on how to do everything is the worst. I'm having to Google everything I need to know about operating the different features. Would have been 5 stars with a decent owners manual.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Slow AF, poor image quality
I bought this camera to document birdwatching. I use high-quality 8x32 Leica and 8x42 Zeiss binoculars for that purpose, and binoculars with built-in cameras tend to be toys with horrendous image quality. I figured I would use a compact superzoom like the ZS50, and the feature set seemed right. Unfortunately, autofocus is slow, and the image is extremely grainy at ISO 400 or beyond, which makes it unsuitable for my purposes.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Just as expected
Due to the rainy weather since I had this camera, I did not get as much time with it as I hoped. I wanted it for the view finder and that has worked great and also for the zoom. With a tripod, I was blown away at the clarity of an object at full zoom.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I love this produdt.
I have a Lumix DMC-zs20 and zs40, and love the improvements made on this zs 50. Thanksfully, the zs 40 and zs 50 share the same kind of battery. Would be nice if the camera came with a separate charger instead of charging thru the camera. Had to buy a separate charger. This camera happens to be the only small protable camera with a viewfinder. And it is extremely useful.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great recommendation by B&H staff!
Exactly what I needed for a point and shoot zoom. Major advantage over any cell phone camera. I will always carry.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Awesome Camera
Fantastic little camera. This is my first jump into mid-range camera, and I couldn't be happier. The electronic viewfinder is fantastic, and makes it much easier to catch shots when you are zoomed in all the way. I was looking for something that would fit in my pocket and have enough features that I could gradually take it off of autopilot and start teaching myself how to manually make adjustments when taking pictures. It looks like this will fit the bill perfectly.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good Little Camera
Camera did take good pictures, but I prefer my camera, even though it is a LOT heavier. I bought the camera b/c it was small and compact. However, I would rather carry a heavier camera to get better pictures.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Image Quality not Quite There
I use this for travel photos mostly and the zoom if very important both for distance and sharp quality. I had a Sony HX20v and the lcd screen was scratched and dim. I am having more eyesight problems so I thought I would try the panasonic for the Electronic View Finder. I chose B&H Photo because of their return policy and they had Sony HX50v in stock which was my original choice. The photo image quality was not as good as my HX20v. I did side by ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
great camera!
I use this camera almost daily and while biking, hiking, skiing etc. It is a great camera, and the pictures are truly high quality. I love the 30x zoom. It is a great improvement over the ZS45 model. I recommend it quite unconditionally.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
ZS50 Rocks
I've only had the ZS-50 for a couple weeks and I'M generally pleased. This camera takes more precise pics than my other higher megapixel cameras. The processor actually blends multiple light sources and exposes the images with more distributed, blended hues. I wasn't even aware of this feature. Battery life is good, with okay flash ability. I'm still working on learning more advanced features. The robust Wi-Fi capabilities allows sending pics directly to smart TVs and phone.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
