Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150: Conclusions

CONCLUSIONS
As you can tell from the preceding review, I think very highly of the Panasonic DMC-FZ150. It has good build quality and ergonomics (with the minor exception of its dedicated video button). It's a feature-rich ultrazoom with excellent performance, especially its shot-to-shot time and continuous shooting ability. Image quality is consistently good, with very little distortion of any kind, though it is occasionally affected by overexposure, as is typical of cameras with small sensors. Finally the camera has a very good movie mode with many options.

The camera's only real drawback is its relatively high price. For less money one could buy an ultrazoom with much more optical zoom, although without the many advantages of the FZ150. For slightly more money one could buy a compact interchangeable lens camera or an introductory DSLR, which have larger sensors.

I said in my First Look that I thought the FZ150 could be one of the best ultrazooms. After spending more time with the camera I believe my first impressions were correct and that the FZ150 is one of the top ultrazooms available. It should receive serious consideration by anyone who wants an excellent ultrazoom and does not mind paying a premium price.

Pros:

• Quick shot-to-shot time
• Good image and movie quality
• Good in low light
• Fast continuous shooting

Cons:

• Expensive for an ultrazoom
• "Only" 24x optical zoom

Individual Ratings: *

Image/Video Quality 
Features 
Design/Ease of Use 
Performance 
* Ratings averaged to produce final score