Panasonic LUMIX DC-FZ82EB-K Digital Bridge Camera with Ultra Wide 20-1200 mm Lens - Black

I bought a Sony point and shoot off eBay with X 20 zoom and I was happy with this compared to a smart phone. I enjoyed the camera and managed to get some great pictures that wouldn't be possible on a smart phone. I then reached a point where I needed manual controls as getting certain shots was impossible.I wanted a better camera, better zoom and manual controls. I looked at mirrorless and DSLR but quickly found out a decent telephoto lens would cost a small fortune. I then looked into bridge cameras and at 1 inch sensors but the cost was an issue again. The FZ82 had all the bells and whistles with the 4k options and when compared to some slightly older DSLR's it didn't come out too badly on comparison sites. I have fortunately found that the image quality is a step up from my Sony even though the sensors have the same 18MP, better Auto focus options, loads more features and better results.The manual controls allow more artistic control and also correction if auto doesn't quite look right. There is a big step up from a more basic camera and to take good photos you do need to spend a lot of time knowing how to use all the settings. To start with I wasn't very impressed with the camera and thought of sending it back but that was just me feeling not very confident with it. As I have practiced and played around I have been able to get good photos and the 4k options are what boost the camera and enable it to beat a lot of DSLR entry level cameras with the video. You won't be getting award winning pictures with this and low light performance is bad but overall it ticks a lot of boxes for an amateur.For the price it is a very good deal, acceptable pictures that beat smartphones but not something that will replace DSR / mirrorless.

Had this for a few months now. Cameras like this are always a trade-off. Yes, the sensor is small in size, but they haven't pushed the megapixels too far, which will help with noise at higher ISO values, and the advantage of a small sensor is that you can have a huge zoom range. The EVF is much better resolution than the previous FZ72, albeit it could have been a larger image in the viewfinder. Of course many compacts and even some bridge cameras have no viewfinder at all. The rear screen is also a touchpad, so you will need to use it to access some functions.In many respects, the FZ82 is like the FZ72. Some differences are relatively small tweaks. The creative retouch has been dropped, but such effects can easily be applied to downloaded images. In its place, there is a new healing-style retouch, but its usefulness is similarly reproducible elsewhere. On the other hand, the focusing and operation of the FZ82 is noticeably faster (although it still takes a second or so to turn on) The new wifi capabilities are useful, but could have been better, with an easier transfer direct from camera to laptop.Where the FZ82 excels is in relation to its extended video capabilities, the benefits of which are not limited to video. It will shoot 4K video at 30fps. It can also shoot HD at 100fps, or FHD at 60fps, which can then be replayed at 25fps or 30fps for a high-quality slow motion movie. It will also shoot VGA resolution at 200fps. In the 4K mode it is shooting frames that are 8Mp, and this can be used in a burst mode to capture split-second action. Note that 8Mp will produce a reasonable quality A4 print. There is even a feature that allows you to shoot a 4K video sequence with each frame capturing a different focal depth. You can then choose a single 8Mp frame or combine a range/all frames to get the depth of field you want. And last but not least, you can now take stop-motion animation and time-lapse movies!

The media could not be loaded. A nice size capable camera, not great in low light conditions, if you want to do Astro photography then you need an SLR camera. The zoom is amazing as you can see with the moon in this video, tons of options, sometimes too many to remember, it takes good quality photos in daylight, the flash is good, autofocus works well in light, not so good in the dark. It’s a good camera, if you want a point and shoot with great zoom qualities, this is for you.