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| I decided to begin this series of posts on the FZ80 with some night photos as I happen to have made them recently. This is Sydney CBD from Ridge St North Sydney, a favourite spot for photographs. Tripod of course, ISO 80, focal length 135mm. Original capture as RAW with considerable work in Adobe Camera Raw. |
Panasonic produced its first FZ camera in 2002, named, not surprisingly, the FZ1. This established several themes for the FZ series which we still see today.
The FZ1 had a constant f2.8 zoom, a feature which continues in the FZXX (200, 300) range.
It had a hump top shape with the built in EVF and handle seen on all FZ cameras.
It had a full set of controls to appeal to the expert/enthusiast user as well as the snapshooter.
This style is often referred to as a “bridge” camera as if it were some kind of transitional stage between a compact and an interchangeable lens (ILC) type.
However it seems to me that the FZ series and similar models are better understood as stand alone, do-anything models which to a large extent make ownership of an ILC un-necessary.
In recent times the FZ series has expanded to three lines:
* The FZXX line is represented by the FZ40, 47, 60, 70 and now 80. These have a very long zoom with variable aperture and use a 7.67mm diagonal sensor.
* In the FZXXX line we find the FZ100, 150, 200 and currently the 300. These have a zoom with a shorter range but wider aperture being f2.8 at all focal lengths. This series also uses the 7.67mm diagonal sensor.
* The FZXXX line is the most recent addition to the FZ family in the form of the FZ1000 and FZ2000. These cameras use the larger 15.9mm diagonal sensor for better picture quality especially at high ISO sensitivity settings. The larger sensor restricts zoom range to 25-400mm in the FZ1000 and 14-480mm in the FZ2000. Both have a variable aperture.
Until the FZ70 in 2013 Panasonic produced a FZXX model annually. I imagine the severe downturn in camera sales may have been the reason we had to wait three and a half years for the FZ80.
The wait has been worthwhile however as the FZ80 improves on the FZ70 in almost every way.
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| This shot was made from the same location as the top one. The buildings are about 6 Km from the camera. The sun had just dropped below the horizon. I used the lens at full zoom (equivalent 1200mm). Tripod of course. It was the end of a warm autumn day with some residual atmospheric distortion causing wavy lines on some of the buildings. |
What’s unchanged ?
* The concept. The FZXX line has always been about packing the latest imaging technology into a user friendly package at a very attractive price.
The FZ80 achieves this with conviction making it, in my view, one of the best value for money do-everything-all-in-one cameras ever produced.
* Basic image quality. I have been able to test and compare cameras with the 12, 16, 18 and 20 Mpx versions of the Sony 7.67mm sensor. I find them to be almost identical in imaging performance and will report on this in a subsequent post. When comparing the FZ80 with the FZ70 I find no difference in resolution, digital noise or any other characteristic related to the sensor.
* The 55mm filter on the front of the lens.
* The BMB-9E battery. However the FZ80 has lost the charger which came with the FZ70. So charging the FZ80 is via USB into the camera. Some people find this convenient as it is not necessary to carry a charger unit. Aftermarket chargers are readily available for those who prefer to use one.
* The lens specifications are identical. However while the FZ70 had at best a patchy reputation for lens quality my tests on the two FZ80s in our house show good to very good sharpness across the zoom range although there is some decline at the long end as is typical with cameras of this type. In addition user reviews on forums are indicating a positive response to the FZ80. This suggests Panasonic may have improved its manufacturing and quality control.
* The body looks the same at first glance and has the same dimensions apart from the helmet/cap microphone thingy on top of the FZ70. The push-click rear dial appears unchanged.
However a closer look reveals the moulding to be entirely new with many detail changes and a matte finish. The eyecup is larger and softer, making it more comfortable in use.
* Button positions are also the same but have more user selectable functions making camera operation much more streamlined.
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| Again from the same camera position. This is Fort Denison, Garden Island and Bondi Junction about 6 Km from the camera 30 minutes after sunset. Focal length 400mm, 4 second exposure. |
What’s new ?
Everything else has been upgraded. This includes the EVF which is much improved and the monitor which now supports touch operation.
The sensor has more pixels.
More buttons have user selectable function.
The lens can be set not to retract after the Playback button is pressed. This may sound like a trivial thing but many FZ1000 and FZ300 users including me have been complaining for years about the auto retract lens on these models.
Performance has dramatically improved as measured by shot to shot times, single and continuous AF capability and follow focus capability, enabled by the high speed DFD AF. I will detail the many performance improvements in another post.
The camera has all the latest goodies you might expect to find in a prosumer ILC including Wi-Fi, 4K video, 4K photo, fast operation, back button AF, zebras, peaking, built in flash, hotshoe, wireless off camera multi flash control, and much more.
It also has features such as in camera auto panorama which is very well implemented on the FZ80.
Compared to the FZ70, the FZ80 provides a hugely improved user experience.
The tele photo and close up accessory lenses designed for the FZ70 are also compatible with the FZ80 via the same adapter.
Market position
With the demise of budget compacts the FZ80 finds itself at the lower end of the Panasonic camera product price range along with the TZ80. The only less expensive models listed on the Panasonic Australia website are two waterproof models without an EVF.
This means that in today’s market even the least expensive models have an astounding level of specifications, features, capabilities and performance the like of which has not been seen before in budget models.
The FZ80 is suitable for beginners with all settings at default and the Mode Dial at the [iA] position.
However it is also very suitable and interesting for the expert/enthusiast user who can take control over all aspects of camera operation.
The camera can handle almost any outdoors assignment including landscape, portrait, street, documentary, sport/action, night, close ups, panorama and just about anything else.
Indoor capability is a bit more limited but if the lens is kept towards the wide end of the zoom range and the user is prepared to explore the realm of slow shutter speeds or resort to flash, decent pictures can be made indoors.
Our family now has two FZ80s which have been getting heavy use over the last few weeks.
The complaints department
Every new camera release generates a few complaints from reviewers and users on forums. Some of these I regard as having substance others are of little importance to me.
The real issues which I have identified myself and/or seen reported are:
* A loose diopter correction wheel on the right side of the EVF housing. This is easily fixed with a bit of black electrical tape or a dab of silicone sealer. In either case the wheel can be freed up for re-positioning if required.
* Some JPGs are faulty. I have had 4 of these in 5000 shots. In each case the JPG has a line across the middle with the image below the line being lighter or darker than it should be. The RAW file is unaffected.
* Some reviewers and users have complained about luminance noise (grain) in low ISO JPG files. On my tests this is a characteristic of all current cameras using the 7.67mm sensor with very little detectable difference between any of them
I have been experimenting with the [Photo Style] settings to optimise JPG appearance. This is a work in progress but my current settings are:
Contrast 0, Sharpness +2, NR -2, Saturation +1. As ever there is a trade-off between sharpness and grain.
* Panasonic’s Auto ISO algorithms STILL do not allow for the shutter speed to change with lens focal length. Panasonic needs to implement a Sony style Auto ISO capability ASAP. This is particularly important when the lens has a 60x zoom range. The camera is still perfectly usable of course but the simplistic Auto ISO implementation means the thoughtful user has to switch to Shutter Priority AE quite often to prevent blur due to camera shake (at the long end of the zoom) or obtain a lower ISO setting (indoors).
There are some missing features (presumably to keep the price down) about which I was initially disappointed but after using the camera for several weeks find their absence is at most a minor impediment to my enjoyment of the camera.
* No lens hood is supplied.
a) I find the camera easier to use without a hood than the FZ300 is with the hood. There is no need to fit, remove, reverse and refit the hood all the time.
b) When I see flare while working against the light it is easily suppressed by blocking the sun’s rays with the left hand while I operate the camera with the right. This by the way is one of the advantages of an electronic viewfinder over an optical one. You can see any flare and its effect on the image right there in the viewfinder.
* There is no electronic level gauge. On looking at my photos I realise that I am more reliably keeping the camera level without the gauge on the FZ80 than I do when using the gauge on my FZ300. I think the reason for this is that the gauge is not terribly accurate and I do better when paying more attention to the subject.
* There is no eye sensor. Some reviewers and people posting on user forums get terribly upset by this but in practice I find it is no trouble at all to press the LVF button when I want to switch from monitor to EVF. The advantage is that the switch does not occur inadvertently when something comes close to the viewfinder.
* The monitor is fixed, not articulating. Yes, it would be better to have a fully articulating monitor like that on the FZ300. However the one on the FZ80 can be viewed clearly even from a very large angle so overhead and underhand operation is quite easy. In practice I am finding I miss the fully articulated monitor less than I thought I would.
Summary
After about 6000 exposures I am finding the FZ80 a very pleasant camera to use. It is capable of good results in many situations with thoughtful use.
The 20-1200mm (equivalent) lens, fast AF and fast performance make the camera very versatile with performance and capabilities not seen before in this camera’s price range.
I have decided to use the FZ800 more or less exclusively for the next 6 months or so. It produces pictures which are good enough for my purposes.
I will explore and report on my efforts to extract the best possible results from this camera over the next few months.