anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I got myself a gh3 and a g6 to shoot weddings but I saw that Panasonic offers a quite cheap fz200 that has a fixed f2.8 lens on it with a 25 - 600mm focal length which sounds quite amazing, question is if it's any good? Is there anyone shooting weddings with this one who can share their experience? I wonder how it would match with my other 2 panasonics, it's very long focal length and fixed f2.8 lens, a optical stabiliser and auto focussing aids with the ability to shoot at 1080p 50p at a price of a cheap lens sounds too good to be true.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I read in a few threads some where on this forum that it's a fantastic B or C cam ... it certainly is very good for the price.

What have you replaced with all these panasonics ??? You won't be needing your EA50 or CX730's at the rate your going!

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

This is very interesting indeed! And only £360 on DigitalRev

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Yeah, I have too much camera's :) But they are all, except for one, cheap, Counted together I could have gotten one canon c100 but instead I have 2 high end handicams, 2 dslr's and one shouldermount camera. I prefer to have several small camera's with me at a wedding for mobility, back up and multicam registrations. I can fit 2 handicams and 3 dslr bodies incl lenses in one backpack so that's a big plus.

The ea50 will be used for more "serious" work, like 2 business events I have to cover the following 2 months, I don't do many corporate stuff but then my ea50 has advantages, I also occasionally get asked as freelancer for other wedding videographers and they want me to do handheld docu style shooting and then my ea50 is my weapon of choice as well. And if that is not enough, my dad - god rest his soul - died a few months ago and left me with 2 sony xr500 camera's and a sony fx1000 so I soon can set up a store.

That fz200 I was refering to is very cheap and a nice extra tool in the bag with it's constant f2.8 all through it's long zoom reach, strange you don't hear more people talking about it when it comes to weddings where constant f-stop and stabilized zoom lenses are practically a must. For me it would be a great little camera to use during a photoshoot.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Jeff Harper of this parish has one & has posted some sample footage http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasoni...e-footage.html

I think that Roger Gunkel has one too but I think that he is using it mostly for stills.

At the price for the specifications it sounds too good to be true I would be really interested to try one out. I would be concerned that with its tiny sensor that low light performance might not be great and that it would difficult to match up with my other cameras.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

mm, not so good high iso performer, from what I understand iso 800 is as high as you should go.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Hi Noa, yes Nigel is correct I have a FZ200 and have been playing with it for a few weeks getting used to it. I have used it alongside my small Panasonics that I always use for wedding filming and I am getting more confident with it.

The lens is superb and coupled with exceptionally good stabilisation, is useable for long shots of big closeups that would be impossible with my other cams. General low light at receptions is also good, on a par with the Panny handicams, although for really low light such as the first dance! it drops off pretty quickly. The really low light is unlikely to be as good as your sony handicams for video. You can capture in extremely low light by increasing the ISO, but at the expense of a slow shutter speed and graininess. It does far better for stills in low light though as the lower shutter speed is less of a problem.

I've also found the full wide angle setting to be better than my handicams, so I have been using it to video a couple of ceremonies where the wider field of view is an advantage. The speed of taking excellent stills has made me use it more than the DSLR and no lens change for long shots :-) I have probably used it 50/50 for stills and video, and shot one civil ceremony with it as the main video camera for the ceremony.

Downsides over the video cams are few, apart from the 29minute clip limit as per DSLRs. The biggest disappointment for me is that the zoom is either slow or fast, with no really slow creep or progressive setting. The slow setting starts off slow, but after about 2.5 seconds starts to speed up rapidly, so you need to limit visible zooms. Not a problem of course if you cut to another camera at the editing stage, but it is really a reframing zoom rather than a greative one.

One other thing that I have found is a tendency to burn out on very high contrast scenes, although more experimentation will hopefully get me round that, or maybe an additional filter.

I am delighted with the video and photo quality, both of which I think massively outperform my expectations at the price range. As I purchased it to help with my joint video/photo packages, it was a great choice, even allowing me to take reasonable quality stills while the camera is taking video.

A few further observations are that the battery life is excellent, and the cheap eBay spare batteries that I bought perform almost as well as the original. The quality and range of the lens plus the 2.8 aperture throughout the range, are worth the cost of the camera alone in my opinion. With the camera in the video only mode, the large shutter button is easier to access than the smaller optional video button. Also in video only mode, aperture, shutter speed etc can be adjusted without stopping the camera.

At the price, every solo wedding shooter should have one in their kit :-)

Roger

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Hi folks, is there a clip limit on it? That would limit it as an unmanned camera option.

Or the zoom might make it useful for me during ceremony and speeches, as I shoot prime on my 6D. I could have it on monopod, and move around and and zoom in tighter on people.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

There is a report on DP Review where they state "The FZ200's photos are slightly noisy, even at ISO 100, though that's better than previous models which smudged away fine detail. Things don't get really noisy until ISO 800 in low light and ISO 3200 in good light." which is totally nonsensical. It's either noisy at 800 or 3200 or it's not. It won't depend on the ambient light.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Review: Digital Photography Review

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Ha! impressive list ...

Love the fact all of those cams is the price of ONE Canon C100 ... ridiculous isn't it!

Don't you find it stressful handling all these cameras? I know you probably set them up on Auto, but surely during a wedding due to pressure it gets a bit confusing?

I still hesitate handling two cameras and reluctantly throw it into Auto just incase I miss the shot sometimes. I'm embarassed to say it, but I rectify a lot of things in post production rather than in-camera ... but the client is never able to tell luckily! ;)

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I don't use all camera's at the same time :) The handicams only get used during the ceremony and the dslr's during the rest of the day where from reception one dslr stays permanently on the steadicam.

I was not planning to get another camera, rather buy a lens, but that fz200 looked like a cool and versatile lens with a camera attached to it :)

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Thx Roger for the info, much appreciated, it's not that I need that camera but it grabbed my attention when I saw what lens was attached and what the salesprice was. Is it right that at the wide end it starts at 25mm? Is that comparable with a 25mm lens on the gh3?

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Sorry Noa missed your post, yes the lens on the FZ200 is 25-600mm. I'm not familiar with the gh3, but would assume that the 25mm wide end would be the same.

Roger

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I believe the 25mm on the FZ200 is "FF equivalent" - the product page calls it "35mm equivalent" Panasonic DMC-FZ200K - LUMIX FZ200 12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera - Overview

The GH3 sensor size results in a crop factor compared to 35mm, so a 25mm on the GH3 gives the field of view of a 50mm on a FF camera, twice as long as on the FZ200 (all math approximate).

Fran

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Thanks Fran, I'm afraid I'm really not into the maths of lenses, if they do what I want I'm happy;-)

Roger

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Hi Roger

The FZ200 only uses a tiny sensor 1/2.3" as opposed to DSLR's which have APSC sensors so the crop factor compared to full frame is a huge 5.555!!

The lens is actually a 4.5mm at full wide and 108mm at full zoom but when you apply the crop factor it gives you a FF (called 35mm after 35mm film cameras) equivalent of 25mm to 600mm

I guess the 25mm - 600mm sounds a lot more impressive than 4.5mm - 108mm???

Wow! that's quite a healthy zoom! I would suspect that the audio would not be as good as XLR but a lot better than a GoPro audio track? I had a GH1 and even the built-in mic was quite impressive!!

Chris

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Hi Chris,

The figures are fascinating, but I wanted a camera that enables me to take high quality stills and video quickly and easily under the sort of conditions that I usually encounter at weddings. It needs to be able to take long range close ups under normal conditions and without changing lenses, while being able to take shots from short range with a wide enough field of view. It also needs full manual control, RAW shooting and a good battery life. I also like the high speed HD recording for slomo although at 100fps pal the image size is reduced to 1280. The FZ200 fulfills all of these things better than any other camera in the price range that I have tried, but it won't compete on a photographic level with DSLR cameras costing many times more. It will give them a good run for the money though :-)

The audio is 16bit stereo at 48k and XLR is a connection type not an audio quality. XLR sockets on pro gear allows for the much more solid connectors, and will takes heavier duty cable which is less susceptible to transmission and handling noise pickup than the light cables used on most consumer video mics. They are also normally lockable so are far less likely to get accidentally pulled out. It's easy enough though to solder up an XLR lead to connect to the Lumix 3.5mm connector.

For a serious lightweight and quick to use camera at a price less than most decent lenses, it is a great little camera. For someone like me taking both video and stills solo, it is a perfect addition to the kit.

Roger

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Hi Roger

Sounds like a bargain... an equivalent of 25mm for me is quite often not wide enough as I often work close with an 11m (on APSC ) which is about 15mm. However 25mm is perfectly OK for normal video use. My HMC cameras had an equivalent of only 40mm in the older days so 25mm is brilliant!! On my Sony's a 17mm zoom would be pretty close to 25mm (actually 25.5) and I use the stock lens a LOT at full wide.

I know XLR is a connector type only but more often than not they do into a decent audio board on big cameras rather than the direct minijack on the Panny's which tend to have noisy preamps.

Shucks even here the price is good for what you get!! About double the price of a GoPro and a lot more camera indeed. That should be a valuable asset to your gear ..I must look into it!!

Chris

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

It's still not clear to me how the wide angle at 25mm on the fz200 compares with a 25mm lens with the 2x cropfactor on the gh3, Fran says it's twice as long as on the FZ200 so if I understand him right it should compare with a 12mm lens on the gh3 which is pretty wide.

The samples I have now seen on youtube do show it seems to be limited in dynamic range especially in high contrast scenes, which could be because of the small sensor, but I think for indoor ceremony like shoots it should be a great camera to have, does it also have the 30 minute limitation in recording time? And how about shallow dof, with that small sensor I take it that doesn't compare with a M4/3th or larger sensor?

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Hi Noa

The GH series have a crop factor of 2 and a sensor like the APSC .. The FZ's have a crop factor of 5.5 (due to the small sensor) hence the very short focal length of 4.5mm on the FZ200 whereas the GH1,2 and 3 would achieve a 25mm equivalent FOV with only a 12.5mm lens.

Interesting that Panny make also an FZ60 or 62 which is almost the same as the FZ200 but shoots only at 50i and 17mbps not 28mbps BUT is only half the price. I can get an FZ62 here for $300 whereas the FZ200 is a lot more at $799.

Gosh an FZ62 is actually cheaper than a GoPro!! I wonder how the footage compares ...it can also shoot 25p like the GoPro !

Chris

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I bought one some time ago and was bloody impressed. I did have some problems combining my GH2 footage @ 25p to the FZ200 @50p but I've sorted that out (I convert it all now) and I'm now looking for my 2nd.

there's no real manual focus and it seems a but fiddly at times but it's invaluable as a spare. I have it with me all the time and can quickly grab a shot of whatever is happening at the time. I've now shot 2 complete groom preps with it and I usually pick up some bride outside the church, mum, crying, processional etc.

the stabilization is brilliant, low light is pretty average but all in all it's a invaluable camera to have. I always work with a 2nd shooter and I'm getting one for him. He had it with him last wedding and caught the groom & sons ringing the bell while the other camera was still running on the tripod.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

The 200 has a constant 2.8 - the 60 does not, you do get what you pay for, or more accurately don't get what you're not paying for.

I picked a FZ200 up to test, and it's got a lot of good and unique features - the f2.8 from end to end on the lens is refreshing (meaning pretty decent In low light, albeit noisy as the ISO goes up). The slo-mo is pretty slick from what I can see, and there are a fair amount of image filters that CAN be used in movie mode (on Sony cams you can't use things like miniature, toy cam, etc., the Panny you can). With the flip out and rotate screen it feels a LOT like a video camera.

That said, I'm mixed on the stills so far, they aren't "bad", but I am used to shooting higher megapixel sensors, and I do see what "isn't there" upon close examination. And for some reason to my eye the skin tones look "off" (stills and video) - maybe because I've got everything calibrated for Sony cams... I dunno... again, not "bad", but once I noticed it, I can't "un-notice" it. Since skin tones are sort of important, it's left me on the fence on the camera - so much about it says "love it", especially for the price, but the image quality isn't popping for me.

I could easily see it replacing a video camera (on the US model, it doesn't appear to have a clip length limit, there's a limit on EU models if I read the manual correctly). I may have to spend some time trying to tweak the image - it seems "flat" to me, along with a sort of pale look to skin, probably a picky observation, but worth noting.

I'd love to see Sony "borrow" many of the features on the FZ in the high end HX (I'm preferring the results image quality wise from the HX300, which is a similar camera but with little manual control and of course lens ramping as you zoom). I've always liked the way the top end HX cams feel in the hand, and they feel quite natural shooting stills and video, plus the bang to buck ratio is good! The FZ200 very much fits in that same "niche". I'd definitely consider it as an "extra" camera, particularly if you're already shooting Panasonic cameras, where the "look" is more likely to be similar.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

The camera is superior to the Canon XA20 at full zoom. More detail. For under $500 it's a can't miss.

The biggest shortcoming, IMO is the horrible LCD screen. I do not use viewfinders, my eyes are too bad, and it's not easy to set exposure using the LCD screen. It is a brilliant camera. Still photos are not anything special, F/2.8 is too slow for great photos in many cases.

Overall it shoots better video than my XA20, but is not ergonomic and is relatively awkward to zoom with. As long as you do not need a smooth zoom, it's fine.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Did anyone on here just buy the Panny FZ200 on ebay? Been watching a bidding war all day. It finally went at £322 and £10 p&p. A brand new one can be bought for £370 on DigitalRev. So I decided not to snipe it at that price.

Does anyone want to buy one, so they can show us some footage?? lol

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I bought my FZ200 from Wex Photography in Norwich who are a well respected shop and web based photographic company. Cost me £395 and it is good to have the backup if I have any problems.

I've used it at a couple of weddings so far, but still experimenting with the best settings. To upload the highest quality is a bit much for my internet connection, but might try in a few weeks.

You could of course visit a stockist, take your own SD card and do some test shots in the shop to get a real idea of what the camera can do. The alternative is to buy it, try it for a few shoots and eBay it if you don't like it. If it makes as much as the one you saw, you won't lose very much, although I doubt that you will want to get rid of it.

Roger

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Buy it from Wex or Amazon. Do some test shots & if you don't like then return within 7 days for a full refund under the Distance Selling Regulations.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Testing a FZ200 a bit myself, and that's a pretty good assessment - the thing does have a wicked slo mo capability, FWIW. I've had a couple instances where what I set on the LCD changed when I hit record, which makes me a little nervous, but I was trying to push the camera in horrible light just to see what it might be able to do... to me the ergonomics are similar to the Sony HX300, I actually like the overall handling for handheld.

Bang for buck ratio is pretty high, I feel the same way about the HX300 (which takes better stills). These are small sensor cameras, but the video is getting to where it rivals a video camera - used to be the video was a "bonus" that worked "OK", but you wouldn't want to rely on it, now I feel like some of the P&S cameras are almost better because they are low cost and so you can have a couple of 'em for "extra angle" or whatever!


I don't walk out the door with a video cam (or an SLR) anymore for "casual" use, it'll be a still camera at my side, and I don't feel like I've missed anything if I shoot stills or video with a small "consumer" camera - an HX300 or FZ200 paired with an RX100 makes a potent "pocket imaging solution". Really can't think of much that pair won't do if you know how to use 'em...

It'd be a bit much to do a paid "pro" shoot with cameras this small and "cheap", but I would probably not think twice if it were a low budget affair - I could deliver quality that most people would think was great, without feeling terribly limited technically - plus it's a small light "package" that would never fatigue you! The cameras aren't the limiting factor, it's knowing how to shoot them to the best results.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Cheers for the advice and info folks.

Out of interest, is there any f2.8 zoom lenses available under £400?

I'm in the position of using prime only. I'd love on occasions like ceremony and speeches to be able to crop in close on guests candidly.

But if theres no lens option for this price, I may as well buy a lens at under £400 that happens to have a camera attached to it!

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Physics of a large sensor prohibits it (APS-C or FF 2.8 lens @ a low price point), I believe... The Panasonic gets away with it because it's a small sensor!

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

You know Dave, video images are indeed flat and dull looking. The good news is there are occasions where this will not be as noticeable as others. I recall that reception footage I shot with it awhile back looked awesome. Great lighting will help overcome the camera's weaknesses, but sadly, as an event shooter I do not have as much control over lighting as I would like, so I use the camera cautiously. I find the camera very useful for wedding work, particularly when used for it's zoom capabilities from the back of a church.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I wonder if anyone could help me - With the Fz200's sensor size, can I expect much DOF at 2.8? Or very little?

At the moment I've got my 550D with a crappy 18-35mm f3.5 lens on it, mostly on a steadycam.

I'd love to have a fair bit of reach so I could crop in on faces during service and speeches.

I'm thinking that the FZ200 at its widest (25mm) could be handy on my steadycam because of the autofocus. But will it look 'too video'? I could just buy it and sell it again but just thought I'd see what people thought.

I've found them online for £335. Good luck finding anything like that zoom range to go on my 550D for that price.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I've used the FZ200 at a couple of weddings now and am still learning about it, but it has been brilliant for long distance discrete filming. I am not a great lover of shallow DOF, but have been able to get some useful closeups with blurred out background with careful use of the telephoto and aperture settings.

More care needs to be taken with focus than with my Panasonic video cams, but it is less critical on focus than my Canon DSLR. It also works well on my lightweight steadycam, being heavier than the video cams which are a bit too light for it.

I'd be interested in where you found the camera at £335 as I am thinking of getting another.

Roger

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Ha! Roger, the source I found only has four left and I'm still debating it. In the meantime, I don't want him to sell out. They are 'Manufacturer Refurbs' though.
You don't have any example of the footage online? Especially steady cam shots? No worries if not!

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Overall, you can expect video-like footage from the FZ200. I love mine as Roger does, for it's zoom. It is a fabulous camera for what it does.

The bokeh that you get from the camera, when you can get it, is not particularly soft or pleasing to the eye. For me the primary use of the camera is as a video camera. As Roger says, using zoom and aperture controls you can squeeze some more blur in your background, but the opportunities when filming under the gun are relatively few for me, so I go with it as-is most time.

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Here is a manufacturer refurbished Panasonic FZ200 for £335 from Vennal Cameras LTD via eBay with 12 month Panasonic warranty (5 available as of this post).

But why buy a refurb when you can get a new one with a manufacturer's warranty shipped from London for 10 quid more? (10 available as of this post) :)

Cheers,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

Those are the sources I've been eyeing up.
Is the warranty on a refurb not the same as brand new?

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I'd say if you can get close to the subject and with some distance to the background (as already stated, playing with the zoom and keeping it wide open). you'll get a usable "effect".

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I don't post online usually, because if it is a wedding I give them the copyright and at the moment, other footage with the Lumix is still experimenting with different settings and not really worth uploading. My steadycam footage is still in it's early days so I wouldn't want to embarass myself, but the camera sits on it comfortably and is easy to balance.

I'd agree with Bill about the price though, for a few pounds more get a new one.

Roger

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

here's a groom prep I shot with the FZ200

Re: anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?
 

I just got one the other day and it doesn't float my boat. I've used it for half an hour taking test clips, so basically brand new. I'm selling it for £320 (I bought it for £345).

Any takers? Preferable within UK.