Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 Review

September 5, 2012 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 (also known as the DMC-FZ60) is a new super-zoom bridge camera featuring a wide-angle 24x zoom lens and 16 megapixel MOS image sensor. Successor to the year-old FZ48 model, the Panasonic FZ62 compact also offers a 3-inch 460K-pixel LCD screen, 1080i Full HD movie recording in AVCHD formats at 50fps, 10fps burst shooting, ISO range of 100-3200, 3D stills, a range of creative effects, built-in stereo microphone, Power O.I.S anti-shake system with Active mode, Intelligent Auto mode for beginners and full manual shooting modes. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 is available in black and retails for £349.99 / $399.99.

Ease of Use

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 shares a lot in common in terms of its external design with its predecessor, the FZ48, so a lot of comments that we made about that camera apply equally to this new model. The FZ62 looks to all intents and purposes just like a DSLR camera, albeit one with a fixed lens and a built-in electronic viewfinder. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62's design is dominated by the non-interchangeable 24x zoom lens that provides an incredibly versatile focal range of 25-600mm. While this isn't quite as big as the class-leading 36x zoom of the Olympus SP-810UZ, in real-world use it provides enough width and reach to satisfy most photographer's needs.

Panasonic's proven Power O.I.S (Optical Image Stabilization) is on-board to help combat any unwanted camera shake, although you'll still need to use either a fast shutter speed or a tripod at the telephoto end of that massive zoom. When shooting video, Active Mode is automatically added to the POWER O.I.S. system. This compensates for the extra blur that can occur when you're walking and shooting video at the same time. The lens' maximum apertures of F/2.8 at 25mm and F/5.2 at 600mm are pretty good for this class of camera. Note that the more expensive DMC-FX200 model has a constant aperture of F/2.8 throughout the range. A stubby barrel with chrome detailing encases and protects the optic when not in use. Note that the lens extends by 6cms when it's fully zoomed and the camera measures almost 15cms in depth, making it quite conspicuous. To help avoid unwanted flare and ghosting, the lens has a special Nano Surface coating and a detachable lens hood is supplied in the box. There's also a clip-on lens cap that you can attach via a thread to one of the available catches for a shoulder strap.

In being dominated by that big lens, the front of the FZ62 is very sparse looking, save for a lamp for the AF assist light/self timer to the left of the lens (if viewed head on). A good-sized hand-grip with tactile, leather-effect detailing houses the lithium-ion battery pack in its base. Above the lens is a pop-up flash with a dedicated activation button sitting just behind it at the rear, but there's no hot shoe as on the FZ200. The flash coverage is improved on the FZ48, now offering a maximum range of 13.5m at wide-angle. On top of the pop-up flash is a very useful built-in stereo microphone which is retained from the FZ48.

While this is not a camera for slipping into a pocket by any means, measuring 120.3 x 80.8 x 91.9 mm (virtually identical to the FZ48) and being more at home in a small shoulder bag, the all-plastic Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 certainly feels like it could withstand the odd knock. It feels solid and rugged in the palm, while at the same time portably lightweight at just under 500g. It's also pleasing to find a viewfinder – here electronic (EVF) – which is 0.20" in size, offers 100% field of view and 202K dots, although disappointing that it doesn't improve in any way on the FZ48's viewfinder. There's also a prominent eye relief that juts out clear of the LCD so that you don't automatically smear your nose all over the monitor when you put your eye close to it. A dioptre adjustment wheel is immediately adjacent, enabling the short sighted to use it without clashing spectacles.

Moving to the top of the FZ62, we find a comprehensively featured black mode wheel with 10 shooting options. This demonstrates a nice firm action as you twist it around to your chosen setting, and a definite click as you line up each. Ranged around the wheel are the usual suspects of program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual modes, creative movie mode, scene modes, plus C1 and C2 modes for attributing your own custom settings, the Creative Control mode (now with 14 different effects) and Panasonic's much talked about and copied Intelligent Auto mode.

Panasonic have tried to make things as easy as possible for the complete beginner by providing the Intelligent Auto mode, which allows you to point and shoot the camera without having to worry about choosing the right mode or settings. Intelligent Auto mode automatically determines a number of key criteria when taking a picture, including selecting the most appropriate scene mode (from 5 commonly used presets) and ISO speed, and turning face detection (up to 15 faces, even sideways on), image stabilization and quick auto-focus on. The Intelligent Auto mode includes Intelligent Exposure, which increases exposure only in the under-exposed areas of the image, Digital Red-eye, which automatically detects and removes red-eye, and AF Tracking, which continually tracks a moving subject and keeps it in focus, without you having to hold the shutter button halfway down as on most other cameras.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Front Rear

Face Recognition is a fun and genuinely useful new feature which "remembers" up to 6 registered faces and then always prioritizes the focus and exposure for that person in future pictures. Very useful for group shots where you want your loved ones to be the centre of attention. You can specify the age of the registered subject, stamp the age of the subject onto your photos, change the focus icon for a particular person, and playback only the photos that contain a certain face. The camera will even automatically switch to Baby mode if someone registered as less than 3 years old appears in the frame!

The Motion Deblur mode is an automatic combination of Intelligent ISO Control and Intelligent Exposure. The former automatically adjusts ISO setting and shutter speed according to the subject’s movement while the latter optimizes the exposure. The camera then sets the appropriate shutter speed to keep the subject sharp, raising the ISO speed if necessary. Four different Colour Effects are available in iA mode, including the rather curious Happy mode, which optimizes color, saturation and brightness to make both photos and movies more vivid.

Note that the camera's Intelligent Resolution technology is always activated in the iA mode. This makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, and it also digitally boosts the zoom magnification from 24x to 48x. New additions to the FZ62's Intelligent Auto mode are iHandheld Nite Shot and iHDR. As their names suggest, the former makes it easier to take sharper photos at night without the use of a tripod, while the latter expands the image's dynamic range. iA Plus mode is also newly added to the FZ62, providing control over defocus, exposure compensation and white balance adjustment via onscreen sliders, complete with a live preview of your changes on the LCD screen and EVF.

In practice the Intelligent Auto Mode system works very well, with the FZ62 seamlessly choosing the most appropriate combination of settings for the current situation. The 6 available scene modes are Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery and Sunset, so obviously not all situations are covered by Intelligent Auto Mode, but it does work for the majority of the time. It makes it possible for the less experienced photographer to easily take well-exposed, sharp pictures of people, scenery and close-ups by simply pointing and shooting the camera. In addition to Intelligent Auto, also catering for the beginner are a total of 18 scene modes.

The Intelligent Resolution main menu option performs two main functions - it either makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, or it digitally boosts the zoom magnification from 24x to 48x with minimal loss of quality and no reduction in resolution. In both cases, it's easy tell which image was taken with Intelligent Resolution turned on and which ones with it turned off, particularly if viewing onscreen at 100% magnification, as our test shots on the Image Quality page show. The difference isn't quite so apparent on a print up to A3 in size, but we're still not convinced enough to recommend it except when you really need the extra reach - it undoubtedly improves on the digital zoom, but not so much that we'd regularly use it.

Also worthy of mention are the white-balance options. As well as the usual range of presets and Auto options, you can set the camera using two measured white balance settings, providing useful shortcuts if you commonly shoot in mixed lighting conditions not covered by the presets. In addition, the Colour Temperature option allows you to dial-in an exact Kelvin value - you effectively get a white-balance preview via the LCD screen.

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Pop-up Flash Top

The handy Motion Picture button is found on top of the FZ62, a logical position that can be easily operated with your forefinger while holding the camera at eye-level. As you'd expect, it allows you to start recording a movie with a single push of a button, and then stop recording by pressing the same button, regardless of which shooting mode is currently selected. This is much quicker and more intuitive than having to select the movie mode then press the shutter button, as on most cameras.

The FZ62 can now record full 1080i video at 1920x1080 pixels or 1280x720 at 50/25fps in the AVCHD format, or 1920x1080, 1280x720, or 640x480 at 25fps in the space-saving MP4 format. AVCHD features almost double the recording time in HD quality compared with MP4, but software support is currently a bit thin on the ground. Panasonic describe it as the best mode for playing back on a HD TV direct from the camera, and MP4 best for email and playing on a computer.

The Creative Movie shooting mode allows you to set the shutter speed, aperture or both settings manually during recording (a Program option is also available). Changing the shutter speed is especially suitable for shooting fast-moving subjects, whilst the ability to control the aperture is convenient when there are several subjects at different distances. In practice this system works well, allowing some really creative effects, but there are a couple of major drawbacks. Firstly the operating sound of the control dial is very audible in the movie, so you'll need to edit the soundtrack later to remove it. Secondly, you can't set the shutter speed to below 1/30 seconds, instantly ruling out more creative slow shutter-speed effects.

The Panasonic FZ62's Intelligent Auto mode also works in movies as well as for still photos. Simply select iA on the mode dial and press the Motion Picture button. The Intelligent Scene Selector automatically determines the most suitable Scene mode from Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery, and Low Light, Face Detection automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts the focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion, Intelligent Exposure continually checks the ambient light level and adjusts the exposure setting as conditions change to prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows, and the POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and Motion Deblur mode help prevent blurring from hand-shake when using the zoom lens.

Stereo sound is recorded during video capture via the large internal mic on top of the camera, which is a big improvement on the rather muffled noises recorded by most digital cameras, helped by the automatic wind cut function which blocks out most of the noise from background wind. The HDMI port allows you to connect the FZ62 to a high-def TV set, but only if you purchase the optional HDMI mini-cable. You can simultaneously take still images while recording movies, although only at a reduced resolution, while the Video Divide function divides the video into two sections to shorten or delete them in-camera.

You can use the zoom lens during recording and really make the most of that versatile 25-600mm focal range, although the zoom speed is unfortunately much slower than for still images and you can hear the zoom mechanism during recording. Also on the negative side, you'll find that if you choose continuous auto-focus, areas of the video will be blurred before becoming sharp again as the camera tries to refocus. On a more positive note, the the FZ62 is quite fast at re-focusing, and having this system is much better than not being able to auto-focus at all. Hand-holding the FZ62 during movie recording inevitably leads to obvious shake, despite the optical image stabilizer, so for best results you'll need a dedicated video tripod.

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Front Side

Also adjacent to the shooting mode wheel is an Off/On slider switch. Flick this to On and the camera powers up in just over 1 second, the rear LCD bursting into life and that zoom extending to maximum wide angle setting, slightly proud of its protective barrel. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62's auto-focus system is fast to determine focus and there's no shutter delay to speak of when you take a shot, with full 16 megapixel resolution JPEGs committed to memory in a second. To the right is a dedicated Focus button that lets you set the focus point anywhere in the frame – useful should you be shooting for example in anything other than Intelligent Auto mode. Located on the the slope that forms the top of the camera grip is the main shutter button. Springy to the touch, this is encircled by a lever for operating the zoom, the action of which is impressively smooth and mechanically quiet.

Activated by the new Continuous Shooting button on top of the camera, the FZ62's new hi-speed MOS image sensor means that the headline continuous shooting speeds are excellent for this class of camera. You can take 10 frames per second in the highest quality Fine Mode, or 5fps with auto-focusing enabled, but there is a big caveat - you can only actually shoot up to 3 frames at 10fps, or 2 frames at 5fps, which rather curtails what you can capture. We'd rather see slower shooting rates with longer burst sequences. Disappointingly support for RAW images is still absent from the FZ62, now a feature reserved for the range-topping FZ200.

As with all current Panasonic models, the FZ62 has an anti-shake system, on this model the Power O.I.S. variant. Turn it on via the Stabilizer option in the main menu and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 automatically compensates for camera shake, which is a slight blurring of the image that typically occurs at slow shutter speeds when the camera is hand held. There are three different modes, Mode 1 is on all the time including image composition, Mode 2 is only on when you press the shutter button, and there's also an Auto mode. In practice I found that it does make a noticeable difference, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page. You don't notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when anti-shake is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos. The camera manages 450 shots using the supplied rechargeable Li-ion battery, a 50 shot increase on the FZ48.

The High Sensitivity mode also helps combat the effects of camera shake. When this scene mode is selected, the camera automatically raises the ISO speed from 3200 up to a maximum of 6400 and therefore allows for a faster shutter speed. This mode allows you to handhold the DMC-FZ62 without using the flash and get more natural results, whilst at the same time freezing subject movement more successfully. There are some obvious drawbacks with this special scene mode, principally a significant reduction in resolution to a maximum of 3 megapixels in the 4:3 aspect ratio, and the Quality is also set the the lowest level. The user guide states that "you can take pictures suitable for 4x6 inch printing" using the High Sensitivity mode. You also need to select the right scene mode and therefore have some idea about when it is applicable to your subject.

When the 3D scene menu option is selected, the camera instructs you to pan 10cms from left to right, during which it takes 20 consecutive shots at high-speed, another benefit of the high-speed sensor. It then automatically selects the best 2 shots from the sequence to create a 3D image. You can only view the results on a 3D TV (the FZ62 records standard MPO files), and although it isn't as effective as images taken with Panasonic's 3D Micro Four Thirds lens or the Fujifilm 3D W3, for example, it does create quite a convincing effect which particularly suits subjects that are close-up to the camera.

Moving to the rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62, the left-hand side is dominated by the 3.0-inch, 460,000-dot fixed LCD screen, the same screen as on the FZ48. The screen is bright and clear as a means of composition whether shooting inside or out, and if visibility does suffer in sunlight there's the option to switch to the electronic viewfinder via the dual EVF/LCD button on the camera's rear, though 90% of the time the LCD was our preferred method of composition.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Above the LCD screen and to the right of the viewfinder, just like you'd find on a budget DSLR, is the aforementioned EVF/LCD button and a useful AF/AE Lock button, which also doubles up as the customisable Fn1 button. Alongside and falling naturally under your right thumb is a very welcome rear control dial for easily changing the aperture and shutter speed. Depending on which shooting mode is currently selected, this dial can also be pressed in to switch to setting the exposure compensation.

Beneath the control dial is the AF/AF Macro/MF button. When MF is selected the focus range can be manually set between 1ft and infinity with the central portion of the frame enlarged so sharpness can be more accurately determined. Underneath that are the self-explanatory Playback and Display buttons. A quick press of the latter either activates or deactivates the number of shooting settings displayed on screen, calls up a live histogram alongside them or displays a nine zone compositional grid for those experimenting with the Rule of Thirds.

Underneath is a familiar four-way control pad that you'd expect to find on most digital cameras. At its heart is a Menu/Set button, for calling up the user-friendly if uninspired looking regular menus on the LCD screen. The menus comprise three separate folders; the first for shooting/playback options – dramatically pared down if you're using Intelligent Auto mode – the second for Motion Picture options and the third for the generic Setup menu. A subsequent press when you've located the various options goes on to effect any changes, which are quick and precise. Ranged around the central Menu/Set button are four buttons. Although these are used for tabbing through menu options or captured images, press them when in capture mode (and you haven't summoned up a menu) and, starting from the top, you find an ISO speed button, one for accessing the White Balance options, a third for the Self-timer options, and the fourth for the customisable Function2 option, which can be configured to activate one of seven key settings.

Underneath the four-way control pad is a combined Quick Menu / Delete button. This opens a pull down Quick Menu containing a smattering of useful settings appears on screen to save you having to delve into the main menus for similar. This enables on-the-fly access to an Aladdin's cave of options, including the likes of film mode, flash modes, metering (spot, centre weighted and average), auto focus areas (or opt for face detection mode), white balance, aspect ratio, image resolution and image quality, movie recording quality and LCD mode. Like other Panasonic Lumix compacts you get the choice here to brighten the overall display ('power LCD' mode) or opt for the more useful high-angle setting, which aids screen visibility when you're holding the camera at arm's length for a shot over the heads of a crowd. The same button is also marked with the familiar trashcan icon for deleting unwanted shots quickly.

At the base of the FZ62 we find a metal screw thread for a tripod, alongside which is a sliding compartment that houses both the chunky rechargeable battery – necessarily providing a good long life as there's no optical viewfinder to fall back on as a power saver – and a slot for an optional SD / SDHC / SDXC card. The right hand side of the camera has a slot for threading through a strap, as does the left, which also houses an AV out / Digital port and an HDMI socket for connecting the FZ62 to a HD television or monitor. Unfortunately, Panasonic have decided to cut costs and not include either a component or HDMI cable as standard in the box, which means that you'll have to purchase one separately to take advantage of this camera's HD connectivity.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 produced images of very good quality during the review period. The 16.1 megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor used in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 produces noise-free images at ISO 100-400, with limited noise and colour desaturation starting to appear at ISO 800. ISO 1600 exhibits quite visible noise, smearing of fine detail and colour desaturation, and the new fastest setting of ISO 3200 is even noisier, although still usable for small prints.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 dealt well with chromatic aberrations, with limited purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations. The pop-up flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate exposure. The night photograph was limited by the disappointing maximum shutter speed of 4 seconds. Anti-shake is a feature that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. Macro performance is amazing, allowing you to focus as close as 1 cm away from the subject (although it's difficult to get the lighting correct at such a close distance).

The images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting if you don't like the default results. The Intelligent Resolution feature either makes a standard image look sharper, albeit with some unwanted artefacts appearing, or it digitally increases the 24x optical zoom to 48x, again with a slight loss in quality. Intelligent Dynamic Range feature successfully adjusts the exposure to record more detail in the highlights and shadows. The various Creative Controls and Photo Styles allow you to quickly and easily customise the look of the camera's JPEG images.

Noise

There are 6 ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting:

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

Focal Range

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62's 24x zoom lens provides a focal length of 25-600mm in 35mm terms, as demonstrated below.

25mm

600mm

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting. You can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default look.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

File Quality

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

16M Fine (6.14Mb) (100% Crop) 16M Normal (3.62Mb) (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 handled chromatic aberrations very wellduring the review. There's some slight purple fringing between areas of high contrast, but it's only noticeable on close inspection, as shown in the examples below.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Example 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 1cm away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro Shot

100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, and Flash Synchro. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (25mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (25mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (600mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (600mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are a couple of portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Forced On setting or the Auto/Red-eye Reduction option caused any amount of red-eye.

Forced On

Forced On (100% Crop)
   

Auto/Red-eye Reduction

Auto/Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62's maximum shutter speed is 4 seconds, which isn't great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 4 seconds at ISO 100. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Anti Shake

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, we took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images to show the results. As you can see, with anti shake turned on, the images are much sharper than with anti shake turned off.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)

Anti Shake On (100% Crop)

1/10th / 25mm
     
1/6th / 600mm

Intelligent Resolution

The Intelligent Resolution feature either makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, or it digitally boosts the zoom magnification from 24x to 48x.

Off (100% Crop)

On (100% Crop)

   

i.Zoom Off

i.Zoom On

Intelligent Dynamic Range

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62's Intelligent Dynamic Range feature adjusts the exposure setting to record more detail in the highlights and shadows, with three strengths available - low, standard and high.

Off

Low

   

Standard

High

Photo Styles

Panasonic's Photo Styles, similar to Nikon's Picture Styles, Canon's Picture Controls and Olympus' Picture Modes, are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and noise reduction settings. The six available Photo Styles are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences. There is also a Custom option so that you can create your own look.

Standard

Vivid

   

Natural

Monochrome

   

Scenery

Portrait

Creative Controls

The Panasonic FZ62 has an extensive range of Creative Controls, denoted by an artist's palette on the shooting mode dial, with 14 different options on offer.

Expressive

Retro

   

High Key

Low Key

   

Sepia

Dynamic Monochrome

   

Impressive Art

High Dynamic

   

Cross Process

Toy Effect

   

Miniature Effect

Soft Focus

   

Star Filter

One Point Color

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 22 second movie is 44.6Mb in size.

Product Images

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Front of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Front of the Camera / Turned On

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Front of the Camera / Flash Raised

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Isometric View

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Isometric View

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Isometric View

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Isometric View

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Rear of the Camera

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Rear of the Camera / Main Menu
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Rear of the Camera / Quick Menu
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Rear of the Camera / Creative Control Menu
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Top of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Bottom of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Side of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Side of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Front of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Front of the Camera
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Memory Card Slot
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 is a modest but solid upgrade of last year's FZ48 model, principally adding more megapixels, much faster burst shooting, expanded ISO range and more creative effects. While image quality exceeds its predecessor, despite the resolution increase, it's not all good news - the eye-catching 10fps burst rate can only be sustained for 3 images, while Panasonic's second-tier bridge camera still lacks the RAW support that the more expensive FZ200 model offers.

Despite the increased megapixel count, the FZ62 actually offers slightly better image quality at higher ISO speeds. Noise is first apparent at ISO 400, becoming more obvious at ISO 800, with ISO 1600 exhibiting more artifacts along with smearing of fine details. The new fastest setting of ISO 3200 is only worth using as a last resort.

We miss the range-topping FZ200's free-angle LCD screen, which allows for greater creative composition, the external mic socket, more sensible 12 megapixel sensor, the flash hotshoe and especially the constant F/2.8 aperture. Panasonic have also seen fit to again omit RAW format support from the FZ62, something that will drive buyers either to the more expensive FZ200 or dare we say it a rival model.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 is an appealing super-zoom bridge camera that does most things very well. The £349.99 / $399.95 launch price is high, but the FZ62 offers enough features, image quality and performance to satisfy anyone looking for an all-in-one, do-it-all camera.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4
Value for money 3.5

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 from around the web.

trustedreviews.com »

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 (also marketed as the FZ60 in some territories) joins the FZ100 and LZ20 as the newest additions to Panasonic’s superzoom range, slotting in between the two other models within the Lumix superzoom hierarchy. The new model brings a 24x optical zoom to the table along with several new hardware components but lacks the constant f/2.8 aperture and high-resolution EVF of the more expensive FZ200. For the time being the older FZ45, FZ48, FZ100 and FZ150 superzoom models are all retained within the Lumix line-up, although the arrival of the three new models is likely to see their prices drop.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Metrics

Dimensions (W x H x D) 120.3 x 80.8 x 91.9 mm / (4.74 x 3.18 x 3.62 inch)
Weight Approx. 449g without Battery and SD Memory Card (0.99lb) / Approx. 493g with Battery and SD Memory Card (1.09lb)

Optics

Camera Effective Pixels 16.1 Megapixels
Sensor Size / Total Pixels / Filter 1/2.33-type High Sensitivity MOS Sensor / 17.5 Total Megapixels / Primary Color Filter
Aperture F2.8 - 5.2 / Multistage Iris Diaphragm (F2.8 - 8 (W) / F5.2 - 8 (T))
Optical Zoom 24x
Focal Length f=4.5 - 108mm (25 - 600mm in 35mm equiv.) / (28 - 672mm in 35mm equiv. in video recording)
Extra Optical Zoom (EZ) 30.3x (4:3 / 10M), 43.2x (4:3 / 5M), 54.0x (4:3 / under 3M)?
Intelligent Zoom 48x
Lens LEICA DC VARIO- ELMARIT / 14 elements in 10 groups / (2 Aspherical Lenses / 3 Aspherical Surfaces / 3 ED Lenses / 1 Nano Surface Coating Lens)
2-Speed Zoom Yes
Optical Image Stabilizer Power O.I.S. (On with Active Mode(only for Video) / Off)
Digital Zoom Max. 4x
Focusing Area Normal: Wide 30 cm - infinity / Tele 200 cm - infinity / AF Macro / MF / Intelligent AUTO/ motion picture: Wide 1 cm - infinity / Tele 100cm - infinity
AF Assist Lamp Yes (On/Off )
Focus Normal / AF Macro / Macro Zoom / MF / Quick AF On/Off(On in Intelligent Auto), Continuous AF(only for motion picture), / AF/AE Lock Button, Manual Focus, One Shot AF, AF Area Select, AF Tracking
AF Metering Face / AF Tracking / 23-area / 1-area (flexible/scalable)
Shutter Speed Still Image : approx. 4 - 1/2000 sec / Motion picture : approx. 1/30 - 1/20000 sec / (Creative Video Mode : approx. 1/8 - 1/20,000 sec)
Viewfinder 0.20" Color EVF (202K Pixels equiv.), Field of View : approx. 100%, Lens 19.6x

Recording

File Format Still Image: JPEG(DCF/Exif2.3), MPO / Motion picture: AVCHD, MP4
Mode Dial / Mode Button Intelligent Auto, P, A, S, M, Creative Video, C1, C2, SCN, Creative Control
Creative Control mode Expressive, Retro, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Star Filter, One Point Color
Still Image Scene Mode Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Panorama Shot, Sports, Panning, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, / Handheld Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Glass Through, 3D Photo
Continuous Shooting Mode Full- Resolution Image: 10 frames/sec Max. 3 images / with AF Tracking: 5 frames/sec, 2 frames/sec
Motion Picture Recording (*2) [HD Video] / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 50i (FSH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 25fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 50p (SH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 25fps) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 25 fps (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 25fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 25 fps (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 25fps) / [STD Video] / 640 x 480 pixels, 25 fps (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 25fps)
AVCHD (Continuous recordable time [motion pictures]) approx. 160 min (FSH), 180 min (SH)
MP4 (Continuous recordable time [motion pictures]) approx. 160 min (FHD)
AVCHD (Actual recordable time [motion pictures]) approx. 90 min (FSH), 100 min (SH)
MP4 (Actual recordable time [motion pictures]) approx. 90 min (FHD)
Exposure Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV step, +/-3 EV
Auto (AE) Bracketing 1/3 - 3 EV step, Max.+/-3EV, 3 frames
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
Aspect Bracketing -
ISO Sensitivity Auto / i.ISO / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 (changeable to 1/3 EV step) / High Sensitivity Mode (1600 - 6400)
Still Picture Recording [1:1] / 3456 x 3456 (12M) / 2736 x 2736 (7.5M EZ) / 2304 x 2304 (5.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1920 (3.5M EZ) / 1536 x 1536 (2.5M EZ) / 480 x 480 (0.2M EZ) / [4:3] / 4608 x 3456 (16M) / 3648 x 2736 (10M EZ) / 3072 x 2304 (7M EZ) / 2560 x 1920 (5M EZ) / 2048 x 1536 (3M EZ) / 640 x 480 (0.3M EZ) / [3:2] / 4608 x 3072 (14M) / 3648 x 2432 (9M EZ) / 3072 x 2048 (6M EZ) / 2560 x 1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048 x 1360 (2.5M EZ) / 640 x 424 (0.3M EZ) / [16:9] / 4608 x 2592 (12M) / 3648 x 2056 (7.5M EZ) / 3072 x 1728 (5.5M EZ) / 2560 x 1440 (3.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (2M EZ) / 640 x 360 (0.2M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (3D)
Zoom in Motion Picture Yes
Image Quality Fine / Standard (3D Mode : MPO+Fine / MPO+Standard)
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Flash / Incandescent / White Set1 / White Set2 / Color Temperature (2-axis adjustable)
Photo Style / Film Mode Standard / Vivid / Natural / Monochrome / Scenery / Portrait / Custom
Color Mode / Color Effect / My color Color Mode (only in iA Mode) : Standard, Happy, Black and White, Sepia
Picture Adjustment Contrast / Sharpness / Color Saturation / Noise reduction
Digital Red Eye Correction (Red-Eye Removal) Yes
GPS -
Wi-FI -
Self Timer 2sec / 10sec / 10sec 3pcs

Playback

Retouch Auto Retouch / Creative Retouch
Playback Mode Normal Playback, Slideshow, Filtering Playback?Picture Only, Video Only, 3D, Category, Favorites), Calendar Playback
Thumbnails / Zoomed Playback 12,30-thumbnails / Yes
Calendar Display / Dual-Image Playback Yes / No
Set Favorites / Rotate Image Yes / No
Show Histogram Yes
Show Highlights Yes
DPOF Print Setting / Set Protection Yes / Yes
Resize / Cropping / Aspect Conv. / Leveling Yes / Yes / No / Yes
Copy / Title Edit / Text Stamp Yes / Yes / Yes
Cut Animation Yes
Video Divide Yes
PictBridge Support Single / Multi / All / Favorites / DPOF

Setup

OSD language Japanese, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish

Others

Battery life (approx.) 450 pictures (CIPA Standard)*1
LCD Monitor 7.5cm(3.0") TFT Screen LCD Display (460K dots) / Field of View : approx. 100% Wide Viewing Angle / Power LCD mode, AUTO Power LCD mode
Built-in-Flash Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Flash Synchro;1st/2nd Slow Sync / 0.3 - 13.5m (Wide/ISO Auto), 1.0 - 7.3m (Tele/ISO Auto)
Recording Media Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Built-in-Memory Approx. 70MB
Microphone / Speaker Stereo / Mono
Interface miniHDMI, AV Output (PAL/NTSC), USB Multi
Power Li-ion Battery Pack (7.2V, Minimum: 895mAh) (Included) / AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC)(Optional)
Included Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 8.3 AE, / Adobe Reader
Standard Accessories Battery Charger, Battery Pack, USB Cable, AC Cable, Shoulder Strap, CD-ROM, Lens Cap, Lens Cap String

Further Specifications

NOTE *1 / Recording conditions by CIPA standard / - CIPA is an abbreviation of [Camera & Imaging Products Association]. / - Temperature: 23 oC (73.4 oF)/Humidity: 50%RH when LCD monitor is on. / - Using a Panasonic SD Memory Card (32 MB). / - Using the supplied battery. / - Starting recording 30 seconds after the camera is turned on. (When the optical image stabilizer function is set to [ON].) / - Recording once every 30 seconds with full flash every second recording. / - Rotating the zoom lever from Tele to Wide or vice versa in every recording. / - Turning the camera off every 10 recordings and leaving it until the temperature of the battery decreases. / *2 / - These are standard times taken at a temperature of 23 oC (73.4 oF) and a humidity of 50%RH. / - The time available for recording varies depending on the environment, the interval between recordings, and the manner of use. / - Actual recordable time is the time available for recording when repeating actions such as switching the power supply [ON] / [OFF], starting/stopping recording, zoom operation etc. / - Motion pictures in [MP4] can be recorded continuously for up to 29 minutes 59 seconds. Also, motion picture recorded continuously in [MP4] is up to 4 GB.

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