Overall, images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50K were impressive, especially for a Panasonic, whose cameras tend to be noisier than this one. We still saw some noise, even at its lowest ISO, but some of this may have been worsened by compression artifacts, which showed up to turn some diagonal and curved lines jaggy.

Exposures were generally accurate, and colors were well saturated. Also, we saw very little distortion from the lens at its midpoint and also at its furthest telephoto settings. At its widest, the lens showed some noticeable barrel distortion, though you’ll likely notice it only if you’re shooting something with straight lines, such as a skyscraper or a telephone pole. For a non-SLR lens, it’s very sharp. We saw lots of crisp, fine detail in our shots at lower ISOs.

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We’re still awarding the Panasonic Lumic DMC- FZ50K our Recommended rating simply because despite its problems, it remains one of the best super-zooms around and is available at a compelling price.

The zoom range is massive, the optical quality of a very high standard, and thanks to effective stabilisation, it’s quite possible to shoot static subjects under low light at 100 ISO and enjoy excellent results. And remember it’s smaller, lighter and cheaper than most DSLRs while thrashing kit lenses in terms of range, quality and stabilisation, not to mention having no worries over dust. In these respects it’s a great camera, but don’t kid yourself you’ve got 10 Megapixel quality at anything other than the lowest sensitivities.

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