PANASONIC LUMIX ZS50 Camera, 30X LEICA DC Vario-ELMAR Lens, 12.1 Megapixels, High Sensitivity Sensor, Eye Viewfinder, DMC-ZS50S (USA SILVER)

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Product Specifications

LUMIX 30X Travel Zoom Camera with Eye Viewfinder
Enhanced low-light sensitivity for improved sharpness even without a flash
Built-in eye viewfinder eliminates outdoor glare on sunny days
Focal Length (28 - 840mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9 video recording / Level Shot function Off)
Focal Length (30 - 900mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9 video recording / Level Shot function On)

Product Description

LUMIX 30X Travel Zoom Camera with Eye Viewfinder

Product Reviews

Perfect for Travelers

I highly recommend this camera–I took it on a 2-month, round-the-world trip this past summer, through all sorts of punishing weather conditions, and not only did it hold up without a single problem, but it took some of the best photos I’ve taken in my life.Besides the very manageable size, my favorite part of the camera is the zoom–on safari in Africa, I was able to clearly capture animals that those with much more bulky and expensive cameras were not able to capture so well. My one gripe, and I was expecting this with a small-lensed camera, is that it struggles in night-time conditions, although it did well at dusk and dawn.Please see my photos for examples of what this camera can do.

Tremendous functionality for size

I’m pleased with my purchase. I have a four thirds camera and this purchase was to get something even smaller for hikes etc. cell phones are okay, but in reality I wanted something easy to carry and not requiring a bunch of different sized lenses. This works. Amazing zoom quality and the stability is very good. Mechanics seem good. I purposefully went with the 50 instead of 40 due to industry reviews. Wish there was a good case for the camera. The wifi connected easily. I returned the drop and spill warranty after review of the documentation that comes via email.

Four Stars

working well. many features. large instruction book.

Great little zoom!

Just returned from my first trip using this camera. It performed very well. I took lots of wildlife pictures and overall they look great! The only downside is the camera is easy to accidentally change settings when first using due to placement of the small buttons. Love the small sizt and zoom!

Expectations met.

I was planning a trip to Africa for a safari. I had a nice point and shoot camera, but upon doing some research, I discovered that I needed a camera with at least the equivalent of a 300 -400 mm zoom, which my point and shoot didn’t have. I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg on a camera and after some research, I came across the LUMIX ZS50. It sounded like it would fill the bill. Well, indeed it did. It was perfect for what I wanted and surpassed my expectations. I would highly recommend for the amateur photographer on a budget in need of a big zoom capability.

Nice camera

Just came home from vacation where I used this for the first time. Takes excellent pictures as long as you have some idea of what you’re doing. Panoramic picture capability is excellent. Has way more technical abilities than most people will ever learn, never mind understand, but will also work just fine for the average snapshot shooter. If you’re not into the tech stuff just put it on auto and take some great pictures.One thing – if you have large hands it’s easy to forget and when holding the camera, have your finger blocking the flash.

While the pics and photos are great, theres a lot NOT to like

I just returned from a two week trip to England with my family where I was able to put the camera through its paces shooting around 300 pictures and 5 hours of video. While most of the pics and video looked great with its big sensor, there is more to a camera than the quality of the pics/video….there is its functionality and build quality. These issues were great enough for me that I am returning the camera in the morning and waiting for the next version that I’m sure will fix many of these issues.Body Issues.I have the Lumix ZS7 that I really appreciate now that I have used the ZS50. why? Because of the following:- The ZS50 has its flash right above where you grip the camera so your fingers more often then not will be blocking the flash. Its fine if you always use two hands to grip this small camera so you can drop your right hand out of the way of the flash, but there are many situations where I hold it with one hand and those are the ones where your fingers will keep blocking the flash (see first 3 photos). And whenever I handed the camera to a stranger to take our picture, they always blocked the flash, even when I warned them about it. The ZS7 has the flash skewed toward the center of the body, away from where you are gripping the camera, where this is never an issue.- Bigger screen? Its not all used for some strange reason. Actually has a bigger screen but small image than the PS7 (see last photo)- The control knob that rotates between all the shooting functions is printed with a dull ink against a flat background providing very low contrast which makes it very difficult to read in low light situations. The ZS7 had black lettering against a shiny silver background making it easy to read in low light. (see 4th photo…looks ok here in bright light but cant read in dim light)- When the camera is first turned on, the lens extends out 3 times as far from the body as the ZS7 (see 4th & 5th photos for min and max extensions). And this is in the wide angle position!! (ie it extends out even farther when zooming in on a subject). This 4th image is as far in as it will contract when turned on for pics or video-The body has a textured plastic surface which I personally dont like as it feels cheap compared to the solid, smooth gloss surface of the PS7.Functionality:- One of the most annoying things was its inability to focus on subjects when shooting video in what equated to bright dusk lighting (ie ¹⁄₂ hour after sunset). I would repeatedly try to zoom in on a subject maybe 50 away but the camera kept searching for its focus point. It focused if I zoomed all the way out but when I zoomed in, it lost its focus again. Isnt this supposed to be great in low light?!? This happened about 5-6 times on various days/situations. Never had this issue with the ZS7. There is no excuse for this.- Another deal killer for me is that when shooting video, its nearly impossible to zoom in or out at a slow rate, no matter how light one feathered the control. It flies in out out with the slightest touch. When shooting video, in most situations you want to pan slowly, which is controlled by your body, but also to zoom in and out slowly, which was impossible. When played back on a big screen, the excessively fast zooming is very annoying.Summary deal killers for me were- fingers constantly in front of the flash.- difficulty in reading control knob in low light- problem focusing- inability to zoom and out slowlyAnnoying:- Smaller image on screen- Cheap feel of the body- Excessive extension of lens from bodyWhile these may not bother a novice photographer, I’m looking for a pocket size camera with better design and functionality to back up my professional SLRs…like my PS7 with a bigger sensor!

EXCELLENT

This is the best camera that I’ve had. Still compact enough to carry in a pocket, but the ultra-long zoom and the automatic switching EVF put it in a class by itself. It has many, many options, but with the two dials and the multiple switches, they are intuitive and easy to use. It has with two manuals– one simple, one advanced. I highly recommend reading both cover to cover (something I don’t always do myself!). It is also very fast to cycle making it much more likely to catch that transient event.

Five Stars

love it thanks great camera

Great travel camera

This is a great little travel camera. It is so light and compact. The 30X optical zoom really delivers in so many situations.

so far so good

I am glad to have a Panasonic Lumix again. Too bad the price was kind of high but it takes great photos, unlike my last damn Canon camera.

Way better camera than I am a photographer

Way better camera than I am a photographer. I am still exploring all the features and controls after a few months of use, but so far I am really happy with it.

Four Stars

Takes pretty nice pictures

Perfect Point-and-Shoot Camera

Love this camera. It is everything I wanted. It is an easy-to-use point-and-shoot camera with a view finder. Perfect for a non-photographer to get really sharp pictures.