Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 review

Features
For the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30's well rounded feature set, you'll find the expected basics, such as manual exposure controls, preset, custom and adjustable white balance, selectable ISO (from 80 to 400), three exposure metering modes, and individual sharpness, contrast and saturation adjustments. What you might not anticipate are such features as adjustable noise reduction (in the same submenu as sharpness, contrast and saturation) and multiple AF modes, such as nine-point selectable, accessed from the menu or the focus button on the side of the lens barrel, three- and single-area high-speed AF, and single-area (normal speed) and spot AF selections.

Although the FZ30 has only two compression options, it features TIFF and raw uncompressed formats as well as five resolution choices and three aspect ratios (4:3, 3:2 and 16:9), so you can match these parameters to fit your picture's final destination. Keep in mind, however, that the bundled software doesn't handle raw files, so you'll need the appropriate third-party raw support in your image editor.

On the easy-to-use side, the FZ30 offers 14 scene modes, including the new Soft Skin (for smooth skin tones and complexion) and a Baby mode that displays the age of the child once you've set the birthday. Panasonic has also added some thoughtful and convenient options to the scene modes. In addition to providing the now almost-standard text description for each mode, the camera lets you quickly scroll through the five pages of modes using the front command dial rather than the down arrow of the four-way controller. Even more convenient, you can access two of your most frequently used scene modes directly from the mode dial.

Performance
Surprisingly spry, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 outdoes its predecessor when it comes to performance. Since the lens does not have to extend, we were able to start the camera and snap our first shot in less than 2 seconds. Shot-to-shot time was reasonable, at less than 2 seconds, and the flash added mere fractions of a second to that time. Shooting in TIFF and raw format didn't slow the camera down very much, either, producing times of about 6 seconds and 4.5 seconds, respectively.

The autofocus was relatively quick under most conditions, thanks to its multiple AF modes and, in low light, its AF illuminator. Shutter lag was rarely a problem, although we missed a couple of spontaneous shots of ducks and geese waddling across a park because the camera didn't respond very quickly when set on default AF.

The FZ30 has three continuous-shooting modes: High Speed, Low Speed and Unlimited. At low speed, we managed to capture 5 high-resolution images at 2.5 frames per second, which is quite respectable. The camera also has a high-quality movie mode and an animation feature that shoots multiple images and compiles them into a short movie.

The camera's image-stabilisation and manual zoom and focus are its most impressive features. The lens responded quickly and naturally to manual operation. Like most digital cameras, in manual focus mode, the FZ30 enlarges the centre portion of the image on the LCD so that you can fine-tune the focus. Also, as you lower the image resolution, the camera uses the centre portion of the CCD to provide extended telephoto reach.

Of course, you'll need to use the camera's optical image stabilisation, which works quite well. We found that we could shoot a full two stops slower than usual when we set this feature to Mode 2, in which the OIS kicks in when you depress the shutter. Mode 1 keeps the OIS on continuously but further drains the battery and generally isn't as effective.

Panasonic increased the resolution of the camera's LCD and EVF by 235,000 pixels over the previous model's, so visibility is generally good. But when bright sunlight washes out the LCD, which it does on occasion, you can angle the 51mm (2-inch) monitor to help eliminate glare.