Panasonic Lumix FZ300 A re-appraisal 19 January 2020

Conditions on the day were atrocious for photography with bushfire smoke everywhere and atmospheric distortion evident. The bridge is 730meters from the camera. Despite the poor conditions the bridge walkers are clearly detailed.

Panasonic has a substantial history  with travel zoom and compact consumer superzoom cameras dating back to the FZ1 in 2002.  Even then Lumix designs were quite sophisticated. The FZ1 had a 12x f2.8 zoom,  built in EVF and abundant controls for the enthusiast photographer.

The first FZx00 series model was the FZ100 released in 2010. Many features of the current FZ300 could be seen in the FZ100 such as 25-600mm (equivalent ) zoom, good stills and video capability and a comprehensive set of controls.

Next in line was the FZ200 of 2012. This was the first consumer camera to incorporate a 4.5-108mm (25-600mm FF equivalent) constant f2.8 lens. The FZ200 gained near cult status among some budget minded enthusiast photographers because of that lens, a pleasing user experience and very good results in the right hands.

I had a FZ200 for a while a few years ago but did not keep it because of inconsistent image quality which I attributed to issues with lens construction and/or assembly and possible  issues with the optical image stabiliser.

The FZ300 arrived in 2015 and remains the current model in this series. The FZ300 brings a new body with improved ergonomics and controls, improved specification  and improved performance. The 4.5-108mm lens and 12 Mpx 7.67mm diagonal sensor are carried over from the FZ200.

I use this scene to test a camera's auto pano capability. There is high subject brightness range, fine detail and the ever troublesome architectural structures. But the FZ300 has done a pretty good job straight out of the camera.

Our family has had four of these cameras over the years, generally bought for a holiday and sold on afterwards.

My impression is that our latest sample purchased in December 2019 in a pre Xmas sale for AUD518 is the best of the bunch. The lens is more consistently sharp across the frame at all focal lengths and the image stabiliser seems to work more consistently than I recall from previous samples.

There have in the past been grumblings on user forums about Panasonic quality control with this model but in recent times I see more praise than complaint. I live in hope that Panasonic has improved its quality control across the model range.

A look at the specifications of the FZ300 shows it to be in many respects a photographer’s dream come true. It is compact, well designed with very good ergonomics, controls and user interface. It is a pleasure to use with a very good handle and thumb support, very good monitor screen and EVF and very brisk performance.

It is still the only camera which offers a 25-600mm constant f2.8 lens. That is not an academic issue. The wide aperture makes the camera usable at the long end when other long zooms are struggling due to their smaller lens aperture which requires higher ISO settings.

I have been using cameras since 1953 and in my estimation the FZ300 can make better pictures than my 35mm film cameras did back in the day and they were using prime lenses. I still have plenty of my old negatives and transparencies for comparison purposes.

Bicheno Tasmania

What’s it good for ?

Almost anything outdoors in medium to bright light. It can do landscape, portrait, birds perched or in flight, wildlife, close ups and any subjects moving moderately fast but not super fast.

It does nice in camera auto panoramas, has 4K video and 4K photo capability which can be used for very good in camera focus stacking and pre-burst at 30 fps.

What’s it not good for ?

As with all small sensor cameras, things start to get more difficult as the light level falls. Pre-dawn and after sunset pictures at the long end of the zoom can be a challenge.  There are strategies to manage this but some conditions are simply best avoided.

Well lit indoor conditions are not a problem for the experienced operator and there is always the inbuilt flash which can save the day if required.

People who insist on absolutely noise free images when viewed at 100% on a large high resolution monitor will not like the FZ300 even though those images are unlikely to be output at a size which makes the grain evident.

People whose métier is photographing test charts should also look elsewhere or maybe consider a different activity.

Gull landing.  The strange sepia colour is due to  bushfire smoke 

Do the FZ1000 and FZ1000.2 make better pictures ?

Within their focal length range, yes certainly. They deliver more resolution and less noise. But the FZ1000.2 costs about twice as much and has a shorter zoom range.

Does the Sony RX10.4 make better pictures ?

Yes, for sure it does and with the same zoom range and higher performance as well.

But you can buy four FZ300s for the price of one RX10.4 (depending on discounts and deals on the day).

And the FZ300 (and FZ1000.2) can do things like well stitched auto panos, in camera focus stacking and pre-burst which the Sony can not.

In camera focus stack

I think it is more relevant to ask a different question:

Does the FZ300 make good enough pictures for you ?

If you are a professional photographer the answer will be no, as expected.  

But many amateur and enthusiast photographers buy more and sometimes far more camera capability  than they need or can use effectively.

The corporations which make cameras and the retailers which sell them do not want to sell you a camera like the FZ300 because there is so little profit in doing so. They want to upsell you to a FULL FRAME model because if you agree they will get a lot more of your money in the process.

They will tell you the FULL FRAME model makes better pictures which is true in the technical sense. But most buyers will never need or be able to utilise the full extent of that quality.

And the FZ300 provides remarkable versatility in a single, all-in-one package with no need for extra lenses or any other additional equipment.

Rainbow lorikeet