Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 Digital Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 was announced in July 2012, with an impressive 24x optical zoom lens and 16.1 megapixel sensor. It is available in black for £299.00.

NB. The FZ62 is also known as the FZ60.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 Features

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 has a 16.1 megapixel high-sensitivity MOS sensor and 24x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 25-600mm, which can be extended to 48x using Intelligent Zoom. The lens also has Nano Surface Coating technology to help minimise ghosts and flaring. High-speed shooting is available at 10 fps, recording at full 16.1 megapixel resolution.

To make shooting as easy as possible there is iA (Intelligent Auto) mode which changes the appropriate camera settings automatically for the scene. There is also full manual controls as well as a range of scene modes. Creative Control allows you to choose from 14 artistic effects when shooting, as well as HDR. The FZ62 also as an approximate 0.9 sec quick start-up and Light Speed AF.

Videos are recorded at full 1080p HD in AVCHD and MP4 format with stereo sound. The 24x optical zoom, iA (Intelligent Auto) mode and creative control are also available in video recording. There is also a zoom noise reduction system and auto wind cut function.

Key Features

• 16.1 megapixel high sensitivity MOS sensor
• 24x optical zoom f/2.8 - 5.2 Leica lens (35mm equiv: 25-600mm)
• Power O.I.S
• 3 inch TFT LCD screen (460k dots)
• Approx. 0.9 sec quick start-up and light speed AF
• Full 1080p HD video recording with stereo sound
• ISO 100 - 3200 (ISO 6400 high sensitivity mode)
• 1cm minimum focusing distance
• 10 fps high speed burst shooting in 16.1 megapixel resolution
• Creative control and creative retouch with 14 effects, HDR and iA Plus
• Available in black

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 Handling

The FZ62 has the look and feel of a small SLR camera, with a chunky rubber hand grip and electronic viewfinder. To activate the EVF there is a dedicated button, the viewfinder is really bright, useful in lower light conditions, with a dioptre wheel to adjust it if your eye sight isn't perfect. The 3 inch LCD screen is a good size and easy to view in most lighting conditions, it was a little difficult in really bright sunlight.

For extra grip, there is a curved rubberised area for your right thumb. The camera is packed with a variety of buttons, allowing you to quickly adjust certain settings such as ISO, white-balance, focus and continuous shooting as well as a chunky mode dial. Even with a large number of buttons, there are times when you'll have to delve further into the cameras menus. They are well laid out and easy to navigate.

The battery has an impressive CIPA rating of 450 shots, we managed over 1000 and the battery was still going strong. We tested the camera's performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average.

Shutter Response		0.1 seconds
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response		0.2 seconds
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		0.35 seconds
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		1.05 seconds
Shot to Shot (without flash)		1 seconds
Shot to Shot with Flash		1.3 seconds
Burst Shooting 2		2 fps
Burst Shooting 5		5 fps
Burst Shooting 10		10 fps
Flash burst		1.5 fps

The burst modes recorded at full 16.1 megapixel resolution at the stated fps but slowed down significantly after the first three shots.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 Performance

Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Panasonic Lumix FZ62 Sample Photos

Sample Photos - The FZ62 does an excellent job at portraits, with pleasant skin tones and no red-eye. Colour reproduction is good and images are well exposed.

Panasonic Lumix FZ62 Lens test images

Lens Performance - Detail is good when shooting at both ends of the lens, with a good control over purple fringing, although there is some in contrasting areas. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 1cm which allows you to get really close for an impressive macro shot.

Panasonic Lumix FZ62 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - With no noise at ISO 100, there is only a small increase when you start to go through the ISO range, including ISO 200, 400 and 800. Images at ISO 1600 are a little soft in places, with the first signs that image quality has decreased with any significance. ISO 3200 takes an even softer picture, with quite a lot of detail lost. Yes, probably best avoided, but image quality is decent enough if you do need to go to this setting.

Panasonic Lumix FZ62 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Under both our incandescent and fluorescent lights, the AWB preset copes really well. The incandescent preset has a slight orange cast in the image, there is no fluorescent preset available, this isn't a problem given the impressive AWB performance.


Panorama | 1/200 sec | f/8.0 | 4.5 mm | ISO 100

Panorama mode - Panorama images are taken using a sweeping method while holding the shutter release. They have a decent amount of detail and are stitched together really well.

Panasonic Lumix FZ62 Other sample images

The first two examples above have been taken using plenty of optical zoom, using the camera hand-held.

Panasonic Lumix FZ62 Digital filters

Digital Filters - There are a number of picture styles which can be used when shooting in modes such as manual, aperture and shutter priority. The creative control modes can only be used as their own indepent modes, but you can increase or decrease the level of their affect.

Video - Below is a video recorded at full 1080p HD. Quality is good, with excellent stabilisation even in windy conditions. Optical zoom is available during recording, an example of which can be seen on the ePHOTOzine Youtube Page.

Value For Money

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 (24x zoom) at £299.00, it's one of the higher priced super-zoom cameras around, but there options for all budgets.

Pentax X-5	Canon PowerShot SX260 HS	Olympus SZ-31MR	Sony Cybershot DSC-HX20V	Fujifilm X-S1
Not yet scored
£229.00	£229.00	£247.00	£289.00	£479.95

You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 Verdict

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 looks and feels very much like a DSLR - it has a mode dial with full manual controls, plenty of buttons for easy access to many settings and an electronic viewfinder. If you want a camera with similar functionality to a DSLR without the need to carry around lenses, the FZ62 is an ideal camera with its ample zoom range, but there are smaller cameras out there with a similar amount of optical zoom.

Although all of the features make it an ideal travel camera, it doesn't have GPS, which is found on many cameras these days. The battery life is excellent, there is 10 fps continuous shooting and image quality is good. Overall we are happy to highly recommend the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62.

	The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 offers a DSLR style experience without the need to carry around a number of lenses.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 Pros

Feature packed
Decent image quality
Plenty of rubber grip
Full manual controls
Excellent battery life
Decent value for money
10 fps full resolution recording
Electronic viewfinder

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62 Cons

There are smaller cameras with 24x optical zoom
Plastic body
No GPS

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Panasonic Lumix FZ62 Specifications

View Full Product Details