Name: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 Digital Camera, 12.1MP, Leica 30x Optical Zoom, 3.0" LCD Display, Manual Focus Peaking, Full HD 1080p Video, Wi-Fi, Black
Brand: Panasonic
SKU: IPCDMCZS50BC
Price: 399.00 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 4.36 (31 reviews)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 Digital Camera, 12.1MP, Leica 30x Optical Zoom, 3.0" LCD Display, Manual Focus Peaking, Full HD 1080p Video, Wi-Fi, Black

Panasonic DMC-ZS50

Panasonic

Adorama

Photography

Cameras

Digital Point & Shoot Cameras

Panasonic Digital Point & Shoot Cameras

Panasonic DMC-ZS50 

Top Rated Gear: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 Digital Camera, 12.1MP, Leica 30x Optical Zoom, 3.0" LCD Display, Manual Focus Peaking, Full HD 1080p Video, Wi-Fi, Black Configuration: Camera Bundle, Digital Zoom: 4x, Model: Panasonic ZS50, Resolution: 12 MP

Camera works fine, but the built-in USB battery charger circuit stopped working; after six months, the charge light does not go on and battery does not charge.

DMC-ZS50 Charger Failure

I have waited a while to buy this camera. The View finder makes this the best of the best for a travel camera!! My first outing with it was great no issues fantastic pictures!

Go to Costco and buy this camera best price around.

Move up from DMC-ZS25

Great lens with easy to handle buttons on top. Would like separate charger not part of body. Low light photos and video very good.

Easy to start useing with professional features!

I love this camera. I bought this camera for its ability to be a point and shoot camera as well as have some manual settings. It takes excellent pictures. I especially like the ability to take night sky pictures. I was able to take some firework pictures and can't wait to try capturing the Aurora Borealis in two weeks. I did not like that the battery needed to be in the camera to charge so I purchase a Panasonic spare battery with its own charger which was the same price as just a spare battery.

Love it!

This is a great travel camera. It's compact with a nice zoom. The only con I have is the quality of low light shots.

Great travel camera

I purchased this camera for my husband after it was recommended by our daughter.  He is particularly impressed with the ability to take panorama pictures.

REVIEW OF LYMIX DMC-ZS50 DIGITAL CAMERA

I bought this camera for my wife when her old Lumix started having mechanical problems. With the old camera there was always 1 battery in the charger and 1 in the camera (we bought a spare). The ZS50 does not come with an external charger; you have to charge the battery in the camera so you can't be charging a spare battery while using the camera. In addition, they went on the cheap with the charging transformer and cord. The cord is only 2' long and the tines on the transformer don't fold. The camera itself is excellent but convenience has been lost. My wife says she liked her old camera better.

Cheap on Charging

I was very excited when I got this camera until I noticed a major drawback: the location of the flash is not right. The flash gets covered by my fingers holding the camera, and I do not have big hands...

nice little camera but..

Camera takes good pictures and excellent video. The electronic view finder is great on sunny days. A couple of minor faults keep it from being a great camera. I have had the camera for 8 months and the mode dial lettering is wearing off. In 16:9 format the camera records 4000x2248 pixels instead of 4000x2250. Some of the other recording resolutions are also off.

Could be better

I suppose all camera manufacturers making cameras under  $ 1000 these days primarily rely on factories that use cheap plastics (Sony being the exception) but this Camera seems to have more of a "Toy Camera" feel to it than most in the same price range.  I've owned a few Lumix Cameras in the past- the most recent one a couple of years ago, and it's easy to notice that they've definitely gone down hill with construction materials.  Yes, it's a lightweight camera and yes it will fit in your pocket, but the photos you get from this mega zoom baby are less than spectacular.  If you are looking for an easy to carry camera with a great zoom,  this is the one you want. If your concern is quality build and good quality photos,  you need to move up to a higher priced and better built camera.

Okay camera - consists of cheap plastic

The DMC-ZS50c is feature-rich travel camera. Like any other digital camera that I have owned, it has more features than I will ever use. So I will concentrate on a few ... an active viewfinder is so important in many settings; the Control Ring gives one information to work with; and the image stabilization feature works when taking shots without a tripod.

A great compact camera!

It takes decent pictures out of the box with the auto setting, but if you spend a little time with the manual settings, you can take some really nice shots in most all conditions. In this price range, it is a good buy. I honestly have only played a little with the video function, so I can't comment much on it, but I think it looks pretty good (in daylight videos anyway). I won't get into all the picture settings I use, but if you search online, you'll find the common ones that work best depending on what you're shooting. My only real complaint is the zoom seems to take a while to focus once you hit about 20x. It's minor, but noticeable.

Lots of features. Easy to use

I traveled with two friends. they lugged around big heavy cameras and while they were fiddling with their equipment to get their shots ready I would pull my camera out of the pocket and get a great shot. The features were great, the sunsets I captured were unbelievable.

great camera

I'm really liking the ZS50. A myriad of features, smooth execution, brilliant viewfinder and top notch pics. My only gripe is the "program" selector graphics have worn off in a few months. How weird is that? Panasonic makes great cameras and all have graphics to select different functions, how can you screw that up? Panasonic told me to send the camera to their service center to resolve the issue and I would get the camera back in several weeks.

Great Camera, minor gripe

While I now work as an engineer, I was trained as a photographer when I was in the Army and worked as a professional photographer after my discharge. Accustomed to lugging a camera bag full of lenses and accessories with me, I looked askance at the compact cameras all my friends had. But when I bought one, I came to appreciate its portability. I quickly acquired the habit of taking it with me everywhere I went. You know what they say, "The best camera is the camera you have with you when you get the shot." But after a while, I knew I had to upgrade to a camera that, while retaining the porblity of a compact camera, offered more control over exposures, had a better lens, output RAW format and - most importantly - had a viewfinder! After poring over specifications, the Lumix DMC-ZS50 emerged as by far the optimal combination of price, performance, and portability. The camera has proved to be a wonder. The controls are easy to operate. The optical quality of its superb Lieca lens is faultless. And the wealth of information presented in the viewfinder has helped me capture even better images. The shortcoming of this camera? None!

Optimal Combination of Performance and Portability

I was at a store recently and weighed very heavily on a camera for a friend...we looked at several systems and having purchased and still owning a Panasonic GF-1 and a previous DMC unit... I have been completely satisfied with all of the Panasonic products. This camera adds to quality by having the Leica lens and feels quite comfortable in small hands...very portable and with some added new features that I was made aware of. It's a keeper if you're looking for a new camera to take on the go with great quality images! I highly recommend.

Just checking it out...

I recently did a side-by-side comparison against the Sony HX90 and the Panasonic met my needs better. I wanted real pocket camera with an EVF (good for bright light and my glasses), easy to grip, powered up quickly and performed well in low light (or flash-free zones).

The Panasonic's EVF is always there, no pop-up. It's raised grip makes it very easy to pull out of a pocket and take a quick shot. It powered up faster than the Sony and in terms of low-light performance, there is no comparison, the HX90 is an enthusiastic under-performer. Also, for my fat fingers, the Panasonic was just easier to manipulate the controls on.

The only downside is the control ring, both a blessing and a curse. It's a bit too sensitive for my liking.

The Panasonic's EVF is always there, no pop-up

Great camera for traveling. Compact with lots of zoom and great features.

Great Travel Camera

I carry the ZS50 on my belt whenever I travel for landscape photos and car shows. I shoot with a full SLR, but back up my shots with this camera. Often, the ones from the Lumix are the ones I end up going with. The main reason I replaced my older Lumix ZS10 camera with the ZS50 is the viewfinder. Getting shots in bright sunlight or following a moving target is much easier looking through a viewfinder compared to trying to view a screen on the back of the camera. Also, to get a telephoto this powerful would be impractical to deal with on a full size camera, but the 30x zoom range really brings in the distant stuff at the longer telephoto setting. the wide angle end is great for scenic and interior shots too. The Leica lens remains very sharp at all zoom settings too. I keep my older model Lumix (SZ10) in the glove compartment of my car for when I see a shot and don't have my newer gear with me. It still gets great shots too.

The perfect trip camera or SLR backup

I first connected with Lumix purchasing the DMC LF1. For a reasonable price point of around 200.00 USD, I got a camera that right away turned me away from the Nikon CoolPix I was using and I like that camera a lot too. To start- form factor- I picked up nearly all the capabilities I used the most with the Coolpix with a muh smaller chassis with hte buttons and controls laid out so that you can easily get at each function while not invoking the wrong action cause buttons re too close or the adjacencies of the differnent oore functions are too close.

The manual and quick start quide are easy to follow and righ away you pick up fast skills to connect your phone via wifi and use Image App. I like the compactness because in age where phones have nice cameras, it seems odd to whip out some huge single reflex camera because you want some feature that is generally not in a camera phone or you wqnt lens options.

This is where the Lumix is so cool- you can partner with your phone for easy photo management and social network access and yet you don't have to become physically obtrusive with insisting upom some added photographic rigor.

I use my Lumix to shoot a lot of video where I use the video captures I do (mts files) in post production software to make short demo videos for work. I can easily and quickly mount to a variety of tripods and dolllies and can adjust for whatever lighting scenario I want to use. The micro SD card makes it easy to shuttlle off the files to my PC but I also make smaller clips that easily transfer via wifi to phone so I can share right away.

I'm not one to geek out over the 10 main picture taking modes- I know what they are desinged to do and if my shot calls for them and I use them I get the desired effect or result. You can record mot of your life pointing to P or A.

I hope Lumix keeps going with the right balance of price and quality. I'm ready for a holographic interface, voice control and maybe some sensors on the camera to have options for capturing local meta data and making it a part of my image stream to the net.

Nice job Panasonic for making a dependable product that is easy to use and making somehing with good design and function,

David

Lumix is a platform of digital excellence

This is the camera to keep close. It takes great shots, has amazing features and is so intuitive that you can document your life with really detailed photos...has many of the features you find on the higher end cameras..but this one is versatile in size and range

Like an extension of yourself

To give you an idea as to how sold I am on Panasonic's ZS line of travel zooms let me start by saying that the ZS 50 is my fourth ZS camera. A year earlier than I purchased my ZS 50, I had purchased a ZS 40. What I could do with the ZS 40 was astounding. Loved it. No other camera that I had ever owned had packed as much zoom into a body that small. There were so many manual features and a real eye level viewfinder which made the camera so much better for a semi serious photographer such as myself. (Thank you Panasonic for returning to building cameras with EVFs!) Then I read that the new ZS 50 would have an auto switching EVF/screen. That was the one thing I really missed going back and forth from my Lumix GX7 system camera and the ZS 40. I had to have it. I also liked the trade off features wise. The ZS 40 had GPS that I rarely used and the ZS 50 has time lapse which I will use in the winter to take pictures of birds on my feeders outdoors. So the ZS 40 went to my wife and became the second best point and shoot that I had ever owned and the ZS 50 the best.

Best Point and Shoot Ever

I purchased this camera for a scenic vacation in Europe. I found the picture quality to be very good for camera in this price range. My issue is after 3 weeks of use is the stencilling on the top of the mode dial has just about rubbed all off. Stencil seems different on the dial, than rest of the camera.

Can't access US parts site, even with US shipping address. Won't take Cdn Credit card.

Exterior Finish

Wow i was blown away with image quality ,it does take a good quality of pic,i took some of the prints ,it came pretty much good,before buying this camera i first tried sony hx 90 v,nikon p9900,WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THESE CAMERA .then i searched and read many reviews about this camera ,so thought of taking a shot.now i am happy with this.THANK YOU ADORAMA ,shipping is fast ,service is good.

Affordable,good image quality.

I've had this camera for approximately two weeks and it is definitely a "Keeper". You must have been designing to the same feature checklist I used to purchase this camera. Fits in shirt pocket: Check Screen AND eyepiece: Check 15X (or better) zoom: Check Shutter delay: Check Records video: Check In addition, I find the camera to be well built and easy to use.

Features List

Very please with picture quality until it failed. Camera has black area on top and right side of screen and picture. Called service and they suggested resetting the camera which did not correct problem. Mailed camera off to Panasonic Service Center today. I will see what happens.

DMC-ZX 40 Failure less than 6 months old

I've had this camera for a few months now and if I don't soon comment on my impressions they will be obsolete and irrelevant. So, here are my pluses and minuses:

+ If the mode dial is not in a detent, the camera warns you.

+ The wrist strap can be attached to either side of the camera. Lefties, take note.

+ Helpful detail in menus.

+ The rigid interface connector cover stays open or closed--much nicer than the rubberlike cover on other cameras.

+ histogram

+ viewfinder

+ amazing zoom range

- It's much too easy to press the Menu/Set button accidentally, either when trying to press the surrounding ring or when simpling handling the camera.

- Short USB cable. In a motel, you may have to set the camera on the floor to charge it. Any old cable with the same connectors won't work.

- It's hard to keep fingers away from the flash.

- The movie button is close to the on/off and still shoot buttons and similarly recessed, so it's difficult to operate while looking through the viewfinder. I've put a drop of silicone rubber on it so I can find it without looking.

- in daylight, the digital viewfinder is not as bright as an optical one would be.

o The charge/USB connector is too similar to the HDMI connector. Panasonic warns you to pay attention. I'd rate this a -, but I think the same connectors are used on most P&S cameras today.

o 300-page pdf manual.

Amazing feature set

The camera serves as my backup for travel. Due to it's extensive programming, it's much more than a mere point and shoot.. I had one problem that I was able to handle myself, a jammed shutter barrier. The fix is simplle and harmless and is findable on Google.

Easy to use and great phots

Let me start by saying I am not a professional, but well seasoned (30+ years) amateur. I bought this camera when it first came out in early April and practiced often to learn all the features. You can use it as a point and shoot or get creative with the numerous features. I returned last week (6/10/15) from a 10 day trip to Italy. We toured numerous Cathedrals and museums where you cannot use flash and where the lighting inside even during mid-day was extremely dark. The camera took amazing shots. My GF, tried to use her iPhone 5 to no avail. Some of the stained glass photos were simply stunning. I also took some great telephoto shots of the Leaning Tower in Pisa. Let me just say that I could not take a bad picture. With a little forethought and planning you

Best Camera I ever owned

I researched a "bridge" camera wanting to go to the next level with my photos. I shoot wildflowers and especially wanted bokeh. Then I found that the bridge camera are mostly "grown up (bigger)" versions of point and shoots with more megapixels and longer lenses.

Then I found a description for the Lumix zs50. I liked that this didn't go with the more pixels is better crowd. I liked the long lens coupled with the small body. I almost always have this one with me.

One of my first shots was of blue herons nesting in the top of a tree at least 200 yards away. Hand held. While my friend attached a tele lens. I can count the feathers on the wings. Color is spot on and it's handy - around my neck with a custom designed wrap-around cover. And with care, I've gotten some great shallow depth-of-field photos.

Everyone including two pro photographers were totally impressed. (Jealous even). I gave this an excellent rating both for 1. Value (NOTHING at this price will get you in tops of trees at a huge distance in a pocket size format). 2. Ease of use. It takes study to understand all the features, but you can take a photo right out of the box.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 Digital Camera, 12.1MP, Leica 30x Optical Zoom, 3.0" LCD Display, Manual Focus Peaking, Full HD 1080p Video, Wi-Fi, Black

Recommended Alternatives

Panasonic LUMIX FZ80D 18.1MP Point & Shoot Digital Camera