FZ2500 Impressions
I should preface this piece of writing with a disclaimer - I have only owned this camera for a few weeks, and have barely scratched the surface of what it is capable of. In fact, I have barely shot video with it, which is the reason I chose it in the first place. Still, I have put it through a few challenging conditions, and will share my findings below.
As I said above, I chose the FZ2500 by Lumix primarily for its stunning video capabilities. A quick google search will reveal this to be a camera punching far above its weight for the videographer. In fact, it’s incredible what Panasonic threw into this body. While some may sneer at the small sensor size, there are a few things to remember. First, a 1 inch sensor is essentially the same size as Super 16mm film, and secondly, it is also larger than the sensors found in many video cameras. In fact, if you consider the three stage ND filter, the slow and steady zoom that mimics parfocal behavior, smooth iris and clean HDMI out, the FZ2500 is a lot like a budget, compact ENG cam.
As I mentioned above, many will sneer at a 1 inch sensor for serious work - to be fair, it is tiny when compared to Full Frame, in fact it does not even measure 1 inch. However, technological developments have pushed forward the low light capabilities of smaller sensors. I first noticed this with my G5X - a fun little camera to walk around with. It’s slightly more evident in the more serious body of the FZ2500.
I had my first chance to test the FZ2500 in the absolutely stunning Quebec City. If you live in America or Canada, don’t hesitate to book a trip to this one of a kind destination. Quebec City is the perfect fusion of nature, culture and history, replete with outstanding restaurants, fascinating historical sites and cozy pubs.
I took the shot above near the Citadel. In the distance you can see the autumn orange of the nearby hills illuminated by a fading aspen-glow. The long zoom of the camera allowed me to compress the gorgeous old skyscraper into the background. Taken at ISO 800, the image looks quite clean to me.
I didn’t stop at ISO 800. The shot above was taken at ISO 3200 - a torture test almost for a tiny 1 inch sensor. The colors still appear faithful, and the grain is well controlled, with little smearing of detail when processed from raw.
I took the picture above because the sign caught my eye, but I waited around for pedestrians to move into the frame. At ISO 3200 I was still able to freeze their motion, and again - the noise is very well controlled. Interestingly, I still see Panasonic’s tendency to bias towards yellow in the raw, although you can easily fix it.
That said, shooting in a city at night, handheld, isn’t something I would normally do. It’s an impractical use of a great camera. I wanted to take the FZ2500 out to shoot landscapes, and shortly after arriving in Halifax I got the chance to do just that.
Macey and I took a drive down the coast, circling south towards Peggy’s Cove. The photo above was taken at roughly half way through the zoom range. It’s a reminder that a long zoom is more than just a lazy mans tool. The telephoto end of a zoom gives you useful compression, which can dramatically alter the feeling of an image.
The zoom also allowed me to create this fun composite image. The main image was taken at a wide angle, with beautiful shadows cast by the late autumn sun. In that image, the moon was nothing more than a speck. However, I shot a second shot at full zoom centered on the moon, which I then pasted in (poorly to be honest) with photoshop. It’s a bit silly, but it’s fun and nice to look at.
Another truly standout feature of the FZ2500 is the incredible 3 stage ND filters built in. You can choose from a 2, 4 and 6 stop filter, which allowed me to take the image above at Peggy’s Cove. In broad daylight at F11 I was able to capture a 2 second exposure without messing around with screw on filters. This feature is also critical for video.
The next day I ventured out on my own, for a purely photographic outing. In the image above you can see that at base ISO, the FZ2500 possesses more than adequate dynamic range. Simply expose as close to the right as you can without blowing your highlights, and you’ll be able to recover shadows without any issue. I love the stark contrast of the black and white tree, and I imagine this one might get a print!
After weathering a freak snow storm by hiding between two oceanside rocks (east coast weather is fickle) I was greeted by a few flashes of sunlight. I quickly set up my tripod and once again, the 6 stop filter in the FZ2500 was PERFECT for the situation. I could have gone for a longer shutter speed, but I opened my aperture a bit to reach a bit less than a second of exposure, to ensure there was still some detail in the water.
Finally, although I haven’t tested the FZ2500 for portraits, I believe it could do a decent job in a pinch. If you have the space, the bokeh is quite pleasing at maximum zoom lengths. Furthermore, if you choose to use flash, the camera can sync up to 1/2000th of a second with any flash thanks to its leaf shutter!
In closing, I must say that so far, I’m very impressed with the FZ2500. There are a few concerns - the on/off switch is so plastic and flimsy I’m concerned for its longevity, but overall the build quality is fantastic, as is the image quality, feature set and usability. Panasonic definitely knows how to produce a wonderful piece of kit.
Dave