Ergonomics and Workmanship

At first glance, the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 looks like a DSLR from the toy store, but the powerful lens and the far superior grip further enhance this impression.

If you touch the camera, the feeling of holding a toy in your hand remains at first: The plastic housing does not inspire much confidence, it creaks audibly when gripping firmly. But the plastic feeling is quickly forgotten when it comes to the point.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ150 fits perfectly in the hand, all controls are logically arranged and easy to reach. This is also true of the generously dimensioned mode dial, on which Panasonic has accommodated no less than 14 setting positions.

 

In addition, there are another round dozen buttons and switches, so the Lumix FZ150 can be configured quite quickly without going into the menu.

It’s just a pity that Panasonic didn’t give the camera a front dial in addition to the somewhat smooth-running thumbwheel. After all, the thumbwheel changes its function when pressed and then, for example in mode A (aperture priority), no longer adjusts the aperture but serves as exposure compensation.

Clever too: Important settings, for which there was no room for dedicated buttons, can be accessed via a quick menu. Trips to the main menu are a little complicated if they are necessary.

Although the long lists are clearly arranged on several tabs, it is not possible to jump directly to a tab. The Panasonic Lumix FZ150 only remembers the last called menu item if it is explicitly activated in the settings menu under the menu item “Continue menu” – well hidden.

 

Thanks to its low weight of about 530 grams, the camera is a constant companion. However, it requires a small photo bag, for the jacket pocket it is a little too voluminous. On the back there is a rather lavish 3 inch display, which Panasonic has hinged with a smart turn and fold hinge.

The monitor’s resolution is less lavish, however, it is just sufficient at 460,000 subpixels. As an alternative to image control via the display, the camera offers a video viewfinder (EVF), but its resolution of 200,000 pixels is outmoded.

In addition, the exit pupil is too close to the eye. Glasses wearers can therefore hardly capture the tiny viewfinder image completely, the view into the video viewfinder is rather like looking into a tube that is too narrow.

 

In contrast, Panasonic has given the FZ150 a second zoom lever on the lens. Especially when shooting video, the focal length can be changed much more conveniently and without blurring than with the classic zoom ring around the shutter release button.

Panasonic has provided the FZ150 with a metal tripod thread, but it sits so close to the combined battery and memory card compartment, far away from the optical axis, that an attached tripod plate blocks it.

Equipment And Features

The Panasonic Lumix FZ150 not only looks like a small SLR camera, but its features are also on par with DSLRs. Both less experienced and comfortable photographers as well as demanding amateur photographers will find a range of functions tailored to their needs.

Well over 20 scene mode programs, for example, are designed to make it easy for beginners to quickly and safely adjust the camera to the current shooting situation – for example, for photos in the snow or pictures of babies.

There are also subprograms for certain subject programs. For example, the “Portrait” program allows you to distinguish between “Portrait inside” and “Portrait outside”. Choosing the right program quickly becomes a torture – but fortunately, there is still the iAuto program. It automatically selects the appropriate scene mode program, but the powerful onboard flash must always be unlocked manually.

At its release, more than ten years ago,  hardly any camera that was worth its weight in gold can do without so-called “creative” programs – and the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 is no exception: its “creative control mode allows you to choose between eight options, such as “retro look”, “sandblast” or “miniature effect”.

 

Ambitious photographers can customize the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 to suit their taste and needs.

The camera can be operated as time, aperture and program automat or completely manually. This also applies to the autofocus, the distance can also be set manually. Unfortunately, a focus ring is missing on the lens, manually, one has to focus a little awkwardly with the thumbwheel.

A practical feature is that the camera automatically enlarges the viewfinder image, and the viewfinder image section can be moved as required. Discerning photographers will also be pleased to know that the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 can record in RAW format if desired.

When taking serial pictures, the camera is extremely fast: with up to 12 fps, it takes photo series in full resolution, but the focus and exposure remain fixed on the first picture of the series. If focus and exposure are to be adjusted, there are still about 5 fps possible.

If you are content with a five megapixel resolution, you can shoot at up to 40 fps in high- speed mode, with 2.5 megapixels the frame rate even increases to 60 fps.

As versatile as the Lumix Panasonic Lumix FZ150 is when it comes to recording, its editing options are equally rich in playback mode. Photos can be cropped or straightened directly in the camera, and output to a PictBridge-enabled printer is also possible. However, there is no function for developing RAW images in the camera.

The variety of functions for video recording is lavish. Aperture and shutter speed can be preset during video recording or set manually. The autofocus during video recording and the zoom also works.

Both zoom levers work very sensitively. If you only press gently, the zoom speed is pleasantly slow. To change the focal length range more quickly, simply press the zoom lever all the way down.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ150’s stereo microphone records zoom and autofocus noises only very discreetly, they hardly disturb even in quiet surroundings. The electronic image stabilizer also works very well during video shooting; even with a good telephoto focal length, it is still possible to shoot reasonably quiet film.

Panasonic uses an optical image stabilizer to compensate for camera shake caused by a sliding lens group in the lens. With a maximum focal length of 600 millimeters (in relation to 35 mm), it is already indispensable for viewfinder image control – and does a good job: the viewfinder image is as if nailed down even at the longest telephoto focal length, so the longest focal length can be used without a tripod.

The super zoom lens of the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 shines with a quite fast initial aperture F2.8 at the shortest focal length, in the long end the speed is still quite passable F5.2. Panasonic has significantly improved the autofocus speed compared to its predecessor, at least in the wide-angle range.

With a focal length of 25 millimeters, the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 focuses very quickly in just 0.2 seconds. However, it takes about three times longer to focus when zoomed in to the maximum.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ150 records movies in Full HD quality with 50 full frames (1,080p), and saves them in the space-saving AVCHD format or alternatively as MP4.

Image Quality Of The Panasonic Lumix FZ150

The equipment, handling, and range of functions of the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 leave hardly anything to be desired. But does this also apply to the image quality?

In this respect, the predecessor FZ100 was less convincing to me in the past.

First of all, it is only to be welcomed that Panasonic has implanted a new image sensor in the FZ150. It has a resolution of around 12 megapixels, slightly less than its predecessor’s 15-megapixel sensor.

More importantly, however, the Panasonic Lumix FZ150’s image converter is designed in new BSI technology. Here, the sensor cells are not wired via the front side facing the light, as is usually the case, but the cables are laid on the back.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ150 had to prove us with the software for camera testing and in practical use during two days, whether all these measures would result in a noticeable improvement in image quality.

In terms of the gigantic 24x zoom range, the lens of the FZ150 cuts an amazingly good figure. The sharpness drops only very slightly towards the edges of the image over the entire focal length range; the drop in sharpness is not noticeable.

The lens performs similarly well with edge dimming, vignetting is not an issue at any focal length. Even the distortion control is very well done by Panasonic, only in a wide-angle position the lens has a minimal barrel shape.

Things are not quite so good when it comes to chromatic aberration: Particularly from the medium telephoto focal length, the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 produces visible color fringes at hard contrast edges, which are still acceptable with a circumference of around one pixel.

It is obvious that the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 with its small sensor cannot perform miracles in terms of absolute resolution. In our test, it nevertheless produced a fairly decent image with an output resolution of 35 line pairs per millimeter on average.

However, the resolution already decreases beyond aperture F4, and the FZ150 shouldn’t be dimmed more than at F5.6. Additionally, the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 buys the quite acceptable output resolution by means of strong resharpening, which results in somewhat too pronounced sharpness artifacts.

In addition, the images appear quite soft and lacking in detail. The newly introduced measurement of texture sharpness shows why: The detail rendition already decreases continuously from ISO 100, already beyond ISO 400 the loss of detail is so high that the images look visibly blurred.

The very small 1/2.3 inch sensor apparently quickly reaches its limits despite BSI technology. Noise suppression has to intervene strongly already from ISO 200. In her honor, however, she does her job well on the whole.

The FZ150 has excellent control of the particularly annoying color noise over the entire sensitivity range, and the luminance noise remains acceptable up to ISO 1,600.

In this respect, the recordings from the practice confirm the laboratory measurements: If one accepts the weak detail drawing, the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 up to ISO 1.600 can be used almost without regret, but the highest ISO level 3.200 is then only a stopgap. A little more detail can be reconstructed from RAW shots with the FZ150, and the standard, somewhat strong noise reduction can be reduced by two levels or even increased.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ150 has few problems in processing high image contrasts, its input dynamic range up to ISO 1,600 is a decent 9.5 to 10 f-stops. The output tone curve is quite softly tuned for a superzoom camera, the FZ150 differentiates dark tones very well, but accepts a somewhat soft image impression.

However, the black value is clearly too high, which additionally strengthens the rather flat picture impression.

In addition, the output tonal value range gives away almost half of the theoretically possible 256 gradations and is too low with a differentiation of about seven bits. The FZ150 also doesn’t quite keep up with the color fidelity, but the deviations are still within acceptable limits.

The camera is able to differentiate individual color tones well, and the white balance also works very accurately. In practice, the Panasonic Lumix FZ150 pleases with a quite natural color reproduction, a visible progress compared to its predecessor.

 

Conclusion: Is The Panasonic Lumix FZ150

Compared to its predecessor (the FZ100), Panasonic has significantly improved the FZ150. In particular, it provides better image quality, noise remains acceptable up to ISO 1,600, and the dynamic range is good.

However, the FZ150 cannot hide the fact that it only has a small 1/2.3-inch sensor at its disposal. Thus, despite the good super zoom lens, the pictures turn out to be shallower and less detailed than one would expect with a nominal twelve-megapixel resolution.

However, the equipment and handling leave hardly any wishes unfulfilled. Panasonic has given the FZ150 all the features that you would expect from a good mid-range DSLR. AF speed also moves at DSLR level, but only at shorter focal lengths.

Despite the extensive equipment, the FZ150 is easy to operate. There are dedicated buttons and switches for the important functions as well as a clearly arranged quick menu. Thanks to a highly effective image stabilizer and Full HD resolution, the camera is also recommended for videographers.

It’s just a pity that the plastic case doesn’t look very professional and both the display and EVF don’t have a very high resolution. The bottom line is that the Lumix Panasonic Lumix FZ150 is a somewhat bulky camera for all occasions that will satisfy even the most demanding photographers thanks to its many functions.