Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30

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By Damian Koh
Nov 21, 2005

When you want to look like a professional photographer but not pay the price that comes with it, Panasonic's Lumix FZ30 may do the trick for you. This prosumer is built to look like a digital SLR, but without the option of interchangeable lenses. The FZ30 went through a mini design overhaul with its new button layout, control wheels (which are traditionally sported on dSLRs) and manual zoom and focus rings on its non-extendable lens.

Not considering the bulk and cost, the Lumix FZ30 marks an improvement in the overall design, feature set and performance, but its image quality wasn't something to rave about compared with its predecessor.

Design
Measuring 141 x 86 x 138mm and weighing 740g, the FZ30 is a lot heavier and slightly larger than its predecessor, the FZ20. Though we expect the build of the FZ30 to be an improvement over the earlier model, the camera is vertically challenged and our pinky had difficulty finding a place on the handgrip of the FZ30. Otherwise, this model feels and looks good in our hands. The lens is positioned more to the right (from the front) than in the center, giving our digits more room to wrap around the rubberized handgrip on the right.

The main control dial on top of the shooter is clearly marked with the standard shooting functions--including two options for the built-in scene modes. We like the two control wheels--one on the front of the handgrip, just below the shutter release; and the other on the back of the camera, top right hand corner--which for instance allows us to change aperture settings when we are in the aperture-priority mode. But we find it slightly uncomfortable using our first finger to rotate the front control wheel. The rear control wheel is even harder to reach with our thumb.

There aren't as many buttons on the FZ30 as there are on Fujifilm's FinePix S9500. So for some of the commonly used settings like the white balance, sensitivity and picture quality, you will still need to make a trip to the camera's menu. Otherwise, most of the major controls (a switch to toggle between using the electronic viewfinder or LCD; display; menu; delete; exposure compensation; timer; flash; review) which are well-spaced out, form part of the rear estate on the FZ30

Unlike the FZ20 where its electronic viewfinder is located all the way to the left (from the back) of the camera, the EVF on the FZ30 is more logically placed nearer to the center, aligned with the hotshoe to the top and the LCD screen on the bottom. The tilt-and-swivel 2.5-inch display panel allows you to protect the screen by facing it inwards on the camera body when not in use and outwards when previewing images.

A vertical three-way selector lets you toggle between auto/manual focus on the camera and macro option. Generally, the control layout on the FZ30 is well thought-out and clearly an improvement over its earlier model. Of course, we will have to see more dedicated buttons for commonly used settings if this camera is to pose some serious competition to its competitors.

Features
Besides looking better than its predecessor, the Lumix FZ30 incorporates a 12x optically stabilized zoom lens that cover from 35mm to 420mm (35mm equivalent). Though telephoto junkies will appreciate the long-reaching arms of the Lumix, landscape shooters may give this prosumer a miss without a wide-angle lens. Optical stabilization helps at extreme telephoto focal lengths, but at that distance, it's still better to use a tripod for clearer images.

A major advantage of the FZ30 is its capability to shoot in RAW format. Enthusiasts should love this feature as RAW images retain more details than a JPEG image. It also allows users to manipulate and post-process their photos without losing quality.

A 235k-pixel free-angle LCD means more flexibility in framing your shots. For example, you can shoot overhead at a concert, and with a 12x zoom lens, you'd have a better chance than those standing beside you capturing a picture of your idol. The camera works fine the other way as well, allowing you to shoot from a dog's eye perspective. However, our advice is to shoot with caution if you don't want to be mistaken as a lecher prowling on the streets.

Another major improvement from the FZ20 are the high-speed autofocus metering modes available on the FZ30: One-point high-speed and three-points high-speed. In addition, the user can manually select to focus on one-point, with or without high-speed.

The Lumix FZ30 supports full manual operation and in movie mode, the camera can record VGA-quality motion JPEG at 30fps limited by the capacity of your memory card.