Panasonic DMC-FZ72 Camera Black 16.1MP 60xZoom 3.0LCD FHD 20mm Lumix DC Vario

Looking for a high zoom bridge camera for around £200? Then you can't go wrong with this camera. It does everything it says and the image quality is great. The zoom is fantastic, I took some pictures of the moon at full zoom without a tripod and they are truly amazing - I can see where the Clangers live! The image stabiliser really does work hard to produce clear images and you can flip the camera into manual mode and easily adjust the aperture and speed on the fly to get some really great images and effects. The menu is in the usual easy to use Lumix style and there are enough settings and features to enable some really individual and impressive looking images to be produced. I own a range of other cameras from DSLR's to simple point and shoots, this camera, given it's wide range of features and the ability to zoom from 20mm wide angle to 60x, means that it's now my most used camera. I love photography but I don't get hung up by looking too technically into the specifications, if it takes stunning and exciting images then that's enough for me. This camera delivers on all fronts - great value for money.

I just loved my FZ45- it was a great bridge camera. I started off using it as a "point and shoot" on auto, and quickly moved onto fully manual operation as the camera design made it so easy. It took some amazing images. I sold it on as I was looking for a bridge camera with a further telephoto reach ie.. The FZ72. The FZ72 is a newer version of the FZ45 but with better optics and more functions. I thought the FZ45 was great, but this is just amazing. The quality of the camera and the images it takes are as good as my Nikon D7100 and you don't need to change lenses ! I use this camera in support of my D7100, for when I am out doing landscapes with a wide angle lens, I have the FZ72 in case there is a immediate opportunity arises that needs a variable reach lens and I don't have time to change lenses. On both cameras I am shooting in RAW and the quality is the same for both. The FZ45 is also handy for MACRO shots and has a nice big 55MM lens that opens wide. At the wide end the camera has a 20mm focal length and 1200mm at the other end - WOW ! I also use a conversion lens with this camera ( LT55) and this takes the zoom out to X120 ie. doubles the distance. There is a setting on the camera for this - its called "conversion" and works for macro and telephoto. Think what a DSLR would have to do to achieve distance, and also the costs involved for expensive tele zoom lenses. The only thing wrong with the camera is its limited aperture range, it only goes up to F8. but for some reason this doesn't affect the operation of and the final result coming from the camera. This camera as far as I am concerned is a winner, that's why its my second one. I would recommend this camera for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Excellent for getting shots of birds at 60-120 zoom. Bit pixilation on some shots in low light on full zoom which is noticeable when the image is full size. Doesn't do close up shots very well I.e. Insect on a flower as the auto focus has trouble with it and my mobile camera does a better job of those shots. However good for wide angle scenery shots. The software makes it easy to get photos off the memory card which you have to buy separately. The software allows you to extract stills from the video you take on it as well. However for any fancy editing your going to want a separate photo package beyond that it's a good camera for your money as your buying it for the zoom. I just used the iA setting and let the camera do the work. However I have found the macro zoom off one of the other dial settings but It's just a x3 zoom. This is supposed to be for extreme close ups but I still think my Nokia Lumia 620 is better for them.

I have had my Panasonic FZ72 Bridge Camera for almost a week now and I am still overawed with it's capabilities. I am a keen amateur photographer and have used compact, DSLR and Bridge Cameras over the years and to date this camera is by far the most versatile. Takes great photos with a wealth of in camera options. My favourite to date is in the Creative Control menu and the one point colour option. You can select any colour and the camera will de-saturate all other colours within your frame and leave only the colour selected showing. This saves so much messing around in Photoshop and is a real time saver. As for the camera itself, it is nicely weighted with all controls within easy reach. Scene mode, Intelligent Auto, Creative Control (previously mentioned) Panorama and all the usual manual controls are available along with video control. To switch from the rear screen to the eye viewfinder requires the push of a button but so far I have mainly used the rear screen. One downside of the camera is that the rear screen is not articulated and you will have to get down low for ground shots or find somewhere to give you added height for shots that require the camera to be elevated. I note the FZ200 has an articulated rear screen (but it doesn't have the 60X zoom that the FZ72 has). Onto the lens, the range is fantastic. Wide angle gives you just that. Superb wide shots clearly focused. The other end of the zoom range is even more impressive. Keeping within the optical zoom range of 60X (1200mm) the camera again manages to function very well with anti-shake performing well in keeping subjects in focus. Going beyond this into electronic zoom is astounding however although the anti-shake makes a valiant attempt at retaining focus, a monopod or tripod would be advised (although I have managed a few attempts in focus and I am not the steadiest when it comes to handling cameras). Manual focus is an option although this has to be achieved using the control thumbwheel on the reverse of the camera and the control pad for fine tuning. Again these controls come easily to hand and once you have tried this a few times it becomes second nature. Manual focus is easily selected from the button used for Auto Focus/Auto Focus Macro/Manual Focus which is again conveniently placed. You have the option of two function buttons (one is the AF/AE Lock button and the other is the rocker button (left side)). The remainder of the functions can be viewed in the multitude of reviews that professionals have written about this camera however my humble observations above are intended to highlight my views on some of the things that have impressed me about this camera. Providing it continues to function without any faults in its build quality then I am extremely pleased with my purchase of this camera and I would highly recommend it to anyone who like me enjoys taking photographs of varying subjects but doesn't want to carry around a heap of lenses. You have camera here that can, with certain limitations, take great photos (and video) within the 20mm to 1200mm range and all this for the fraction of the cost of a single telephoto lens.

Described as used but in good condition, and being checked, and fully sanitised. What a joke. The camera arrived promptly well done for that 1 star. The camera box smelled musty, the camera and accessories in the box were just thrown in, with the original coverings cable packaging plastic bags etc laying at the bottom. No matter the camera was in no way sanitary with finger marks on the lens and best described as dust in the nooks and crannies. The camera still had photographs saved in the memory from the previous owner so much for being checked. The x2 supplied PC connection cables are not for this camera. I fully charged the battery and got 10 - 15 minutes use. Had to order additional batteries, the overall camera condition I would grade as poor - fair in no way could it be described as good.

This camera is a mixture of good and not quite so good ! The results at full optical zoom are pretty good, and at least as good as I expected. Pretty amazing to be able to get good results at that distance while handheld. i zoom will then take it up to 120x . Quality falls away of course but was still better then I would have expected. The wide 20mm angle is great for scenic pics and although the camera always produced good quality results, they are not up to the standard of a good DSLR, but I guess you get what you pay for, and this camera is a heck of a lot cheaper. The plastic casing looks and feels a bit cheap and flimsy. It may be stronger than it looks, but I wouldn't want to drop it more than a few inches just in case. So far I have only used it on auto, but the menu is very extensive and provides multiple options; some of them I really haven't a clue what they are, even though I have been into photography for over 40 years . Some serious reading of the manual would help probably, annoyingly this can only be done on the computer ! The auto focus can be slow to work in certain circumstances, especially when zooming out too quickly. If you use an Apple computer as I do, you need to be aware that the photo software included on the disc only works on a PC which makes me feel a little short changed. Come on 'Panasonic' this not acceptable, Apple Macs are hardly rare these days ! Fortunately the camera downloads perfectly into i photo, so all is well. One of the reasons I chose this camera, (apart from the zoom of course), is because of the inclusion of a 'hotshoe' for my more powerful flash unit that I have not been able to use on my previous 'Fuji'. Hear's hoping it works ok. All in all a decent camera that produces decent photos that most people will be very happy with; and it sure is nice to have that huge zoom lens. But I would willingly have paid a bit more money for a little higher quality appearance.

Brilliant camera - superb pictures, loads of features, LOVE it!! Update to my original (somewhat short!) review; having used this great camera for around 18 months now, I have to say that it really is one of the best buys I have ever made! Comfortable in the hand, well balanced, amazing zoom capability, crisp, clear pictures, great features - all round a brilliant "starter" bridge which WAY outperforms it's meager price! I've since purchased the 1.7x telephoto conversion lens which takes the already brilliant 60x optical zoom up to over 100x with no loss of image quality. The only minor negatives I would have about this camera are the lack of connectivity (no wi-fi or bluetooth and no possible connection for a remote shutter release) and the fact that there's no "video pin" hole on the underside of the camera, which makes the quick release plate for my tripod slightly unstable even when screwed on tight (although I might have a solution to that issue, yet!). All in all, this really is a brilliant camera and (as & when finances allow) I will upgrade to the FZ-82, purely for its more advanced features, before I step up to a full DSLR.

I bought this after reading all the positive reviews here and elsewhere, but I was disappointed with many aspects of it, so I returned it for a refund. It also had one significant problem which I am unsure whether was a fault or a design flaw. I have owned and used multiple other bridge cameras by other makes: Panasonic, Canon, Fuji and Pentax so I know what to expect and what not to expect from a bridge camera. Therefore my expectations and demands are not unrealistic or unreasonable. Compared to the other cameras I have used, my immediate first impression of the FZ72 upon holding it for the first time was how cheap it felt. The way a camera physically feels in your hands is important in my opinion because you are going to be spending a lot of time holding it, so you want it to feel good. This feels cheap and plasticky. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is poor, probably the poorest I have seen on a bridge camera - very small, sluggish, jerky and smeary. The default is 30fps and I turned it up to 60fps but it seemed to make no discernible difference. I know very well what a 60fps viewfinder should look like because I've used bridge cameras with such viewfinders, and they are far superior. Having a good viewfinder is very important and is one of the reasons people buy bridge cameras these days, given that compact cameras usually lack them now. If you want to have any hope of tracking moving objects such as birds then you need a clear, fluid and responsive viewfinder. This camera doesn't have that. The shutter button has no discernible travel between halfway and fully pressed, so it is hard to feel the difference between focusing and taking a shot. This is a serious flaw in my opinion and no other camera of any kind I've used has felt like this, even cameras costing a lot less. This is a basic design flaw in my view. Also the shutter button is very small and the zoom lever protrudes upwards right next to the outer edge of the button (not even a millimetre separates them) - on other cameras with a motorised zoom lever, it will typically have a tiny gap and/or the lever will protrude dowards slightly. Not here. It means you cannot press the shutter button without also feeling the zoom lever each time, which is unpleasant and uncomfortable. Bad design. The camera makes a constant scratchy/buzzy type noise. As if the autofocus or image stabiliser is constantly on. It doesn't only do this when you have the shutter pressed halfway which would be understandable, it does it all the time the camera is on - except when you have it in image review mode. I disabled image stablisation and autofocus and the noise did not go away. But in any case, even if it had, it would be no proper solution because I want those things. Apart from being a drain on the battery, the sound is unpleasant and very noticeable in quiet surroundings. After noticing this, which is something no other camera I've ever used has exhibited, I googled it and found others complaining of the same issue with this camera. Some simply said they were disappointed with it and the noise was recorded on videos you shoot with this camera, which it is. Others returned it for a refund, which I did. Bear in mind I also own a Panasonic camcorder which has the same type of Power OIS image stabilisation that this camera does, and it is silent! Video recording specs do not tally with reality. I knew when I bought it that it only records at 25p at 1080p (25 frames per second) but it did say that it will do 720p50, ie. 50fps at 720p. Because I sometimes like to shoot moving objects like birds or planes, having a fluid framerate is very important. So I shot some 720p50 video and played it back. And I could see straight away that even though it purports to be 50fps, it is in fact only 25. I looked again at the specs and it says '720p50. Sensor output is 25p' Ah. So if the sensor can only resolve 25fps, then it is never going to be able to record a true 50fps, is it? Misleading from Panasonic. Recording at 25fps and then doubling the framerate doesn't make it proper 50fps and means this camera is poor for shooting moving objects - there are better options. The menu button is also used as the 'OK' button to select options. Except sometimes it isn't. You too can have fun guessing whether you are selecting things or dismissing the menu. Most cameras have a separate menu and OK button. For obvious reasons. Panasonic decided to make it harder for you. Also the menus are badly designed and unintuitive. Including compared to their own camcorder I mentioned earlier, which has completely different and much easier to navigate and understand menus - as well as having separate buttons for them. I guess the camcorder design department is better than their bridge camera department. With so many better alternatives to choose from, I do not recommend this camera.