The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 10 Years On

[@remoterivermanaustralia]

I've been using the FZ200 on my Remote River Man KZbin channel (exploring the most pristine river systems on earth) for more than 15 years, and it's going to be the main camera for my new Remote River Man Australia channel, launching soon. Your exceptional tutorials were a big help back then to me, and a great refresher today! Clear, concise and relevant. Thanks Graham!

[@Takeichi]

I watched your in depth guide for fz200 years ago and learned about all the technical things about this camera from your channel! The fz200 was well used over these past ten years! Thanks for uploading!

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Glad to help! Thanks for the great feedback.

[@cjh0751]

I bought mine as faulty from eBay for £8 about a year ago. The camera was showing a zoom fault error when turning on. I managed to fix it by laying the lens down on a flat surface and clicking the gearing for the zoom back into place. Works beautifully. I couldn't believe this simple fix worked. Cool camera

[@GrahamHoughton12]

What a great bargain - well done with that fix!

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

After many years of trouble-free FZ200 ownership I started getting "lens error" beyond 6-7X, along with an obvious and unpleasant mechanical noise. It probably deployed in the camera bag or something. So I went looking through these comments specifically for any solutions. If your fix doesn't work, I might purchase a Lumix ZS80 for when I need more zoom than what my FZ200 has left in it (plus getting upgrades like 30 fps/8 MP burst shooting). Being a more compact camera (half the FZ200 weight) is also a ZS80 plus, at least when I don't need f/2.8.

[@billbromer]

Thanks. When I first got this camera I was ready to sell it because I had such problems, but your videos taught me how to use it and I love it. I still carry my FZ-200 almost anytime I go out because it is so light and small. I also use it when scouting sites before pulling out my Canon 5DSr.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Glad I could help! It's surprising the image quality it can return given good light and especially if you are prepared to shoot RAW and do your own fine tweeks.

[@Luckyrider1958]

@@GrahamHoughton12 I have all his Tips/recommended settings etc from his web page, as well as many of the videos loade on a Tablet I take with me when out, just in case I need to refer to something I don't do a lot... Like having an instant Graham in your pocket!

[@Lizerator]

I've watched this before but am taking notes this time. Lots of information in each of your videos. Took my fz200 out to sell it but started taking pictures with it and now I am keeping it.

[@MrGStevie]

Hi, Graham, I bought my FZ-200 about the same time and I still have your book. I am now retired and I intend to start using it again. The tutorials are great and I am wading my way through them again. Sometimes a visual tutorial can be more beneficial - a good complement to your book! Keep up the great work! My rubber eyepiece is still on also, invaluable when I remove my glasses. Sadly, no manual focusing now as my eyes are too poor! Steve G.

[@naturedo2]

Still using mine for a bit of nature photography and have managed to resist spending ££££ for a new camera set up so far - although it's difficult! I did purchase some denoise software though and that's made a big difference to the end quality of the pics - I was really impressed by the results. I use the camera in manual and stick to 200 iso max and as long as the light is good, I can get some decent images of birds and some nice macro shots too.

[@adrianomaganini]

I got your FZ200 user guide back in the day. It helped me a lot ! Thank you very much !

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Great to hear! Thanks for your comment

[@nmecredy]

On your advice I bought the FZ200 and took many thousands of photos with it. I eventually upgraded to the FZ300 to get the much improved EVF and am now on my 2nd FZ300 and still very happy with it. It performed especially well on the recent visit to Alaska, allowing me to zoom in to 1200mm EFL to catch the bears and whales.

[@NihilNovi]

Just brought my FZ200 to some well needed service. Cleaning and general maintenance. Love this camera so much.

[@dunnymonster]

Still got my FZ200, wonderful camera. I agree that it's constant f2.8 aperture was a game changer given the excellent focal range.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Totally agree, thanks for taking the time to view and comment.

[@DutchTugMaster]

I am also still using my FZ200 as my favorite travel camera after 9 years of use (>7000 shutters). Also bought a TZ90 second hand for €70, as a pocketfit street camera but it has a bit weaker lens. The FZ200 has not let me down yet so it keep on gathering clicks!

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Should be good for a great more images with only that number of exposures!

[@TheTony111111]

Still using my FZ200. its a brilliant little camera. I've had it 10 years after watching your original review video.👍👍👌👌

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Thanks for sharing with your comment

[@cebedojames]

This is my video camera. 1080p and the ability to zoom and stay at f2.8 is incredible! And it is small and lightweight. I have had for about 4-5 years

[@billgolden1]

As usual Graham your knowledge is amazing. I first saw the FZ200 on a video showing its fantastic zoom range and after finding your excellent review it reinforced my decision to buy. Your book on the FZ200 has been a valuable resource in my education. Thankyou for sharing your encyclopaedic knowledge over the years and I hope you are well.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Glad to help! Thanks for this great comment.

[@garypoole716]

Excellent Graham, It was your review at the time why i bought this camera and never looked back and then upgraded to the 330, love the camera and that lens is really sharp at any aperture!!. Can't believe the FZ200 is 10 years old where has the time gone!!

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Good choice! the 330 made a massive difference to handling and offers 4k for wildlife video.

[@Rabbitunderground]

Thanks for sharing your expertise and specialist knowledge with us all these years 🏆

[@GrahamHoughton12]

More to come! Thank you for the comment.

[@davidmccarthy6061]

Still using ours 10 yrs later and now that it's old I take it in rougher conditions. I want a Ricoh GR IIIx for easy carry for walking around shots but haven't been able to rationalize the price yet.

[@colininglis8918]

If it hadn't been my good luck at finding an fz200 for sale in mint unused condition, plus your wonderful tutorials about this camera then I would have missed an awful lot out on the photography learning curve, hats off to Graham, thankyou.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Glad to help you on your way to this exciting hobby.

[@aldogentile245]

Thanks a lot for this video. I'm surprised by the noise figures. Even though we use the smallest ISO in Fz200 or FZ330 the resulting images won't be as clear as full frame sensor camera. However there isn't any full frame bridge camera.

[@judgesteve6798]

It was so funny I watched this once today but my tablet is not as handy for leaving comments, so cam back looking for it and youtube brought me to the 5 yr version of this. LOL Glad I found today's Graham - its nice to have the retrospective. I came onto the scene and found the FZ300 and bought based on your videos! The one carryover from the 200 to the 300 is the darn 2-second delay reset!!!! To get around that I've tried using the app, but find it sporadic. As long as I remember to reset the 2-second all is well. Thanks for this and ALL your instructive videos. as my skills improve, I find myself re-watching, each time able to peel back another layer of the onion. Steve

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The 2 second timer should remain engaged between each shot on the Fz300 until you set it off in the drive menu or with the timer auto cancel set to ON it will reset when the camera is turned off.

[@themountainwanderer]

The FZ200 replaced the Canon S/SX series several years ago in my case. Was totally in love with it. Your videos greatly helped with understanding it. I do mostly wildlife and landscape photography and shoot some short videos. Amazing results especially when you do some post-processing and noise reduction. Well, the electronics seemed to go a bit haywire recently, camera suddenly locking up or the zoom lens moving by itself, making me miss quite a few shots of birds. I also really wanted the features that the FZ300 has, so I finally found a reasonably priced used model and am now starting out with it. Once again, with the help of your videos. Thank you!

[@ContentCreator]

Yes indeed it was a prototype for launching a masterpiece i.e. FZ300... I chose FZ300 over FZ1000 and even FZ2500 for 3 main reasons..! Longer focal length, constant 2.8 aperture and compact weather sealed body...

[@GrahamHoughton12]

A good choice - but it is not truly weather sealed - just dust proof lens. Thanks for your comment

[@unbroken1010]

Just used my fz1000 this weekend. Your videos helped a lot .. Never messed with the fz200

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Great to hear you enjoy the FZ1000 - another good choice.

[@unbroken1010]

@@GrahamHoughton12 yeah. A bit noisy at 6400 but nice in good light. Great in camera processing like the Ricoh gr and Pentax

[@kingzozo19]

This was my first camera (except phone cameras), and I learned basics of photography with it and with your guides :)

[@MrEdxwx]

What's the best version of this camera ( made in china or made in japan ) ?

[@armandfelix1987]

J'ai ressorti hier mon vieux FZ200 du placard et j'ai fais quelques photos sympathique ce matin au lever du soleil. Le zoom m'a refait envie de l'utiliser. Malheureusement le capteur a une petite tâche. Je n'ai pas encore trouvé de solution... (j'ai démonté et nettoyé la lentille extérieure en vain ). Au moins ça m'a fait découvrir votre site, et que 10 ans le FZ200 fait encore parler de lui !!

[@joeprete7424]

1:56 Graham, is it not a “one half point three” (1/2.3”) or just over one half inch sensor size?

[@Lepewhi]

I was going to get a 100-300 zoom for my M4/3 cameras. But, the size and cost just seemed too much. Now, I'm leaning toward an FZ300/330 as not only would I get longer zoom, weather sealing and an all in one travel camera for birding.....Plus, the constant F2.8 is a draw. Yes, I know that it has a tiny sensor, but I don't print, so it'll do for me. What do you think?

[@deejohn1659]

I've been happy using this camera these last 10 yrs, but just this week the little plastic switch ON lever on the main camera control broke off like a rotten tooth, ending it's life. But with a screwdriver I was able to switch it back on. But until I get a new camera I just have to remove the battery when not using. And like a comfy pair of slippers I'd be quite happy to buy the same camera...or even the FZ300. It's been good to me. Have enjoyed using the Manual apature settings for close up Moon shots. And the video camera option is great.

[@paultasker7788]

Enjoyed my fz200 but a few years ago upgraded to Fz1000 which allows good photos in low light. I still find at full zoom the Fz200 took sharper photos. But I find at wide angle to about 200mm fz1000 is best with ability to be able to crop in further too. Larger EVF on fz1000 makes finding subjects much easier. Fz200 is lighter. My tz70 is better for noise with same sized sensor but that lens is a bit slow compared to fz200

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Totally agree the 200mm is a sweet spot in the FZ1000 zoom range but it does go slightly soft after this.

[@paultasker7788]

@@GrahamHoughton12 interesting. Is that also the case with Fz1000 mark 2 and Fz 2000? Which of the FZ range would you say is best for taking handheld photos of distant wading birds?

[@Nafiganado]

Hi Graham. I just bought this camera for a casual photography. I own a mirror camera and prosumer Minolta A2 which is older than Lumix FZ200, but has a larger sensor (8 x 6mm). Unfortunately, I do not have access to these cameras anymore. Could you please tell me your opinion about a full-size image detail level in prosumer cameras and specifically - in FZ200? Almost always I find this level quite disappointing at full-size, it is a far cry from the crispy of course, but in fact, it looks like a gouache or even a la an old smartphone camera, I suspect it's because of the sensor size and there's nothing to be done about it other than buying a camera with a larger sensor. Am I right? Though surprisingly, sometimes I see this "messy" details even in modern mirrorless cameras with a big sensor... I wonder if some old prosumer cameras with a crispy level of details ever exist to satisfy my - possibly - perfectionism.

[@websitesthatneedanem]

Great retrospective Graham, thanks.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the comment.

[@pwc7475]

You where right, i just got a used one in 22. Focus is fast and accurate. The 2.8 and 12 mp is unreal at late evening, your not crazy just smart

[@angheloiumarius]

A review for Fz 1000 vers. 1.0? Many thx for all the info

[@woodedape]

How do you think this camera would do for landscape and even wildlife photography?

[@wayneread1534]

I BOUGHT MINE WHEN YOU FIST PUT YOURS ON YTUBE AND STILL HAVE IT NOW ALONE WITH THE FZ 300 TO GREAT CAMERAS, BUT NOW USE IPHONE 12 PRO MAX TO AS EVERY DAY PHONE AND CAMERA GLADE TO SEE YOU STILL LOOKING WELL MY FRIEND CHEERS FOR VIDEIO

[@benec5816]

Great report stay safe

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Many thanks.

[@algaelena]

Hello. Soy Elena. Podrías poner la opcion de subtítulos automáticos en todos los idiomas, y no solo en ingles?. Mi inglés es muy básico. Gracias!

[@rebecafarinelli]

Hello, how can you help me? I can't find it on the camera. My flash stopped working, even with it open it says on the screen that it's not working

[@MrFlyinhorse]

Any ideas why I can't take video anymore, owned this camera for 8 years or so and don't use the video function often but lately it isn't recording video. There is a flashing red icon on the left part of the viewfinder, a small red box with a red dot inside and an arrow pointing to the right. Not sure if that is an error message or what.

[@pierrehajj2889]

Do a favor we want a video of the zs200

[@Emphy0Iceage]

Hello, Enjoying your channel a lot! I own a FZ300 new bought 12 may 2020. It didnt catch light anymore and was sent to panasonic (The Netherlands) Yesterday i got an email that the 3RDlens frame unit must be replaced cost are 169,82 euro. On the replacement is 3 months warranty (i find that short) I did not use the camera a lot and i am very carefull with it. Do you have any idea what the cause of this defect is I cant find much on google. Take care and stay healthy.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

That seems a strange repair compared to your diagnosis. The lens frames normally just give zoom errors not loss of light.

[@Emphy0Iceage]

@@GrahamHoughton12 Hi there, thanks for answering me. The diafragma is closed and stuck. Everything else works just fine.Its sauer because its just 3 months after the warranty this occured. I find the repair pretty expensive and also the 3 months warranty on the repair pretty short. I dont yet know what to do. A new one is 500 euro.I cant find much on google about this defect.I was hoping panasonic would give me some coulance on the repair. I have no idea what caused it because i am really carefull and the fz300 is hold in a good camerabag and i dont use it a lot and it stays inside the house mostly. They gave me 3 options !: repair 169,82 eu 2 :not repair and sent it back to me 75 eu and 3 :destroy the camera no costs. Take care and stay healty!!

[@primcepandey4332]

Hello sir I'm in problem 😥 my flash is not working 😢😢 and i can't change my Japanese language to English plz help

[@bobmarshall4143]

Help! Anyone! I bought mine new I think 2013. The push in dial feature quit working a couple of years ago so I seldom use it now. It was the best feature on the camera. So to be clear, dial feature works. The push in dial select does not. Any suggestions? ☹️

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Hi Bob, it's a common problem with the camera unfortunately. With some patience it can be a DIY repair as the part is available on Ebay for £24 . I do have a video that shoes how to DIY it.

[@unbroken1010]

The crop factor is how much? For example mtf would 100 × 1.5 = 450 squared is 210 iso in comparison to ff

[@GrahamHoughton12]

on the FZ200 with the 1-2/3 inch sensor with the 5.4 crop factor then ISO 100 x (5.4 squared (= 29.6) gives the equivalent FF ISO of 29600

[@unbroken1010]

@@GrahamHoughton12 that a hard starting point for noise. Is it not?

[@nmecredy]

It's worth mentioning the zoom lever problem that afflicts the FZ200 (and the FZ300, FZ10002, and maybe other FZ cameras) ... and the simple fix for it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/inumh4SujL-AeLc

[@news603redux]

I swear I'm going back to my FZ200 from my 300 if it's the last thing I do, lol. The 300 is clearly superior for video, which is huge for me. Both the stabilization and the focusing {for video} were improved greatly from the 200 to the 300, I'll say that. However, the 200 has virtually EVERYTHING else going for it. It's a joy to handle and shoot with, the 300 is a tank, a pain to lug around. And while this may be just me, my 200 takes MUCH better photos - much sharper and markedly better nighttime shots too. My 200 was made in Japan, my 300 in China, I don't doubt for a minute that this has something to do with it. The weatherproofing on the 300 is nice, the top zoom lever glitch that they all have is NOT, a royal pain! The sound on videos is also much better on the 200 as the mics are better. If you can find an FZ200 made in Japan, scoff it up, you won't be disappointed. And as for that lens, Graham, no UV filter? Tsk, tsk, tsk ;) Love your reviews - thank you!

[@GrahamHoughton12]

yes the FZ200 is a good all round camera despite several weaknesses. 4K video is much better. FZ200 has no control over agc on mics and that's why I built my own agc control unit. I think the Japan cameras were superior.

[@nchristensen3309]

I was not aware that some FZ200 are from Japan - mine is from China

[@news603redux]

@@nchristensen3309 Yes, the Japanese models are clearly better, at least mine is.

[@GoA7250]

Compare it to a full frame, why? May as well compare it to a medium format or large format... It's not a FFC so why make the comparisons, just tell us what it can do and how to get the best from it. What next, car manufacturers comparing engine size or lengths of things?

[@bigshooter461]

Ahhhhh nope