Product ReviewsPanasonic LUMIX FZ100 14.1MP Digital Camera - Black

Fills a perfect niche for me.

Haven't had this camera long, but it fills the niche I was looking for to a tee.

Low light pictures could be better, but I knew that before I bought it (have another camera that is super at low light shots). I set the ISO limit at 400 and have had no failure shots since.

Macro results have been very good. Sharp detail and good depth of field. The manual exposure compensation (accessed by clicking the wheel and rotating - dead simple) is easy to access and makes adjuting exposures in all shots, not just macros, quick and effective.

Long zoom shots are also very good, with the image stabilization working extreemely well. Sometimes need to carry the focus into the shot when it wants to focus on a foreground object, but that's easy to do using "half shutter".

The zoom itself is smooth and controllable, striking a great balance between speed and control - unlike some cameras I've tried where the zoom is too fast to control for shot framing. The zoom also works well for movies.

Movie quality is very good, but I will continue to use my dedicated camcorder. Nice to have the option if I don't have that with me.

So if everything except low light "no flash" pictures is what you want - this is a beauty.Read full review...

This Lumix P&S Camera does everything well

Lumix by Panasonic is a brand I have been looking at for several years because of their feature set and extreme zoom capabilities compared to other P&S cameras. Previously I have owned Canon and Olympus cameras with few complaints. But this is my first Lumix. This camera has almost everything you might want in a point and shoot camera - and more. Its feature set surpasses many DSLRs I had been looking at (even the Panasonic G1 and 2). It has every convenience you might expect and others that surprise you.

For example, it features a superb 24x zoom lens by Leica. It has a button to flip open the flash. The rotating LCD monitor/screen is a definite plus. But in addition to being able to take superb snap shots the ultimate selling point for me is the fact that this P&S camera also takes splendid HD videos. So in effect it is two cameras in one that performs everything very well.

Almost every feature is customizable and seamless. You can adjust aperture or shutter to maximize depth of field or to freeze or blur motion. It also has a program and an iA mode for no-brainer shooting off the cuff. In fact it may be the best camera purchase I have made. If all you want is to take good snap shots and decent videos without having to change lenses or miss memorable visual moments this Lumix is for you. It is highly recommended...and I have not even mentioned the picture stabilization and macro features. But if I have to continue with my praises Panasonic will have to pay me. The camera is that good for the price.Read full review...

Perfect camera for any type shot or motion picture.

I bought the FZ100 Lumix to capture close up pics of my jewelry pieces. I have used this camera previously and was quite impressed with it's clarity and enhancement features on very small objects. My purchase did not disappoint! The vendor was true to his word and delivered the product in excellent condition accompanied by additional accessories. This camera is also perfect for action, stills, panoramic and rapid fire photos. The manual is excellent and guided, even I, to perfect picture execution. The price is the only drawback but if you want quality, this camera is worth it.Read full review...

Excellent piece of technology

First of all, ALL of today's digital cameras are amazing. I've used several different brands and they are all fantastic in terms of quality. The FZ100 is no different. Of course, for the money it had better be good, right? After using the FZ-100 for about a month now, I am totally impressed with how much quality and number of features are packed in this gem. I pretty much use the "auto" exposure feature for my shots, and haven't been disappointed in the least. Some low light shots did seem on the grainy side (have since learned that I can limit the ISO setting to 400 which would improve the quality). Also, another beef with Panasonic I have would be their lack of support for universal USB connections. Instead of a 3.5mm mic input which would support all standard 3.5mm mic jacks, they use a 2.5mm. So 3.5mm 2.5mm adapters is needed. They also use a proprietary connector for USB to PC connection, forcing you to use their USB cable instead of an inexpensive, standard size (available at Dollar Stores now). Still, not a major issue. The video features are truly unbelievable. I've played with the different formats and am quite pleased with the results. The camera is capable of 1080i HD which I've read is not quite as good as 1080p, so that may be something to be considered if you absolutely have to have the best video output. When I consider where photography has evolved from the days when I had my first Canon FTb SLR and developed my black and white pics in my basement darkroom, it's absolutely mind blowing what is available to us these days. Again, I would be happy with just about any midrange to high end camera today, so perhaps I'm not as discriminating as some of you photo-purists out there. That said, I'm extremely happy with this camera thus far.Read full review...

The best price vs perfomance camera.

I think this is the best point & shoot camera that exist now, it has a lot of features and the 24x optical zoom is more than enough to make excelent close caption photos, I'm still learning all the features, I have to say that this is my first semi-pro camera, but i've read a lot of reviews about similar cameras like Canon powershow sx30, but Panasonic beats them all, specially beacuse its full HD awesome video quality and the stabilization while you're recording.

Pros: Excelent image quality, awesome full HD video quality, fast shooting and power on, lot of features and menu options.

Con: Low isos, low internal memory 40mb.

Sorry about my english, I'm spanish native speaker. (Chile)Read full review...

Great value for the traveller.........awesome product

I bought this 14megapixel camera, feeling it would be better than My Nikon P-100. I do feel that although this camera has 24x vs. 26x of the Nikon it has superior zoom although using lower MP and can attain a whopping 289x @ 3mp!!! It additionally has a rotating LCD screen whereas the Nikon only had a restricted partially up & down screen. Additionally it has an external flashshoe whereas the Nikon does not. It can take 5 frames with multiple flash. HD movie is also an additional and it is possible to expose 40 still shots at the same time!! In 14mp it is possible to take 11 frames/second and at a lower mp you can take up to 60fps. It only also has a .008 shutter lag........ It isn't a DSLR but with this lens which covers 25-600mm you don't have to change lenses when there is an action which needs it. It's downside as with all cameras with a smaller CCD is noise at a low light level. To eliminate the noise and have the best resolution keep the ISO under 400 and 100 when available!!Read full review...

Great choice for those who don't want to lug around extra lenses

I'm very pleased with this camera. Picture quality, speed, video, zoom etc. are all outstanding. I made a mistake buying the Kodak Easy Share which has great features (though not as good as this camera), but is just plain SLOW! I love the burst mode: great for action situations and group shots so you can get that shot where everyone's eyes are open. People have griped that the camera interface is a bit cumbersome and I can't disagree with that, but the feature set makes it worth the learning curve.

I wanted a full featured camera with mega zoom without needing to lug extra lenses around. I highly recommend this and am sorry they discontinued this particular model (the FZ40 is still available and a very good choice). But the FZ100 is still available in many places even though it's discontinued. The price is great for what you're getting.

The only objection I have is the chip they put in their overpriced batteries that makes it so the camera cannot read the charge remaining in a reasonably priced third party battery. The third party batteries work fine: you just can't see how much charge is left on your battery. Since the battery life is excellent, it's not a big problem.Read full review...

Great travel camera.

This camera is light and there is no need to take extra lenses. It is loaded with features and is as easy to use as the point and shoot cameras in the auto mode, only better. The zoom is just awesome.Read full review...

New and improved only means cheaper, less quality and less user friendly

I loved the FZ 35 and the FZ 50...but there are a few features missing from this camera and I did not research them well enough...First there is no "O" ring for the manual focus..there is manual focus but with a very inconvenient toggle switch instead of a "O" ring. That I do not like at all.
second, Panasonic ought to be ashamed for not including a paper manual....it is inconvenient to have to go to a PDF file on line...not at all helpful in the field when you need to look up something; for example. the white balance is way off and I am not easily able to find the way to get the camera to reflect true color...

I purchased this because the previous two Panasonics were wonderful, but like all "new and improved" items, today it usually means that the corporation has found a way to make it cheaper.Read full review...

Good features for the money.

A quality camera, especially for videos, for the price. The focus controls on the left side serve no advantage to me; much better place for zoom controls. I'm happy with it. Keep in mind that several features and adjustments available are not directly proportionable with ease of use.Read full review...

Verified purchase: No