I own a Nikon D200 but find I use the Lumx FZ50 almost exclusively. It's light weight and has a wonderful zoom, precise auto focusing but, also, a simple manual focus with a neat magnifying tool that pops on the screen as an aid. I have cropped my pictures extensively and find the Leica lens and 10 megapixels keep clarity superb. For the money this camera is a wonderful value—it has everything an ordinary photographer could want. I highly recommend it.

This camera is a good intermediate one between being an experienced amateur and being an expert photographer. It lets you try out a

lot of stuff but helps you if you're not sure what to do.

1. Deciding on the camera
I read a lot of reviews before deciding on this camera. Considered Olympus and Canon cameras before zeroing in on this one.

2. Features I liked:
A. Design:
I really loved the look of this camera. The fact that the zoom is controlled by a ring (like a regular SLR) and not by a electornic

switch makes it a lot more controllable and feels good in the hand.

B. LCD screen:
The LCD screen is one that rotates and flips. That way, when it is stowed away, the LCD screen is protected. The other benefit is

that it's position can be adjusted for tricky angle shots.

C. Picture taking modes:
The auto mode does everything for you. If you want to start experimenting just a little then the Program mode ('P') is great. Read

the manual a few times to understand what all can be adjusted and what it does. It's a continuous learning process. A convenient

'Function' button allows you to adjust 6 primary attributes (white balance, ISO, picture MP, picture quality etc.) while taking a

picture.

D. Scene modes ('SCN')
This camera has 16 pre-programmed scene modes (night scenery, night portrait, snow, sports, food etc.) that helps take some of the

tricky shots well.

E. Zoom:
At a 10MP resolution you get a 12X zoom. You can reduce the MP to 8 / 5 / 3 / 2 to extend your zoom to more than 30X.

F. Optical Stabilization:
Really helps to get the zoom shots stable. At very high zooms the stabiulization becomes a lot more difficult.

I'm still just exploring this camera hence this is it for now.

First of all i am not a professional photographer, it is my hobby. Therefore you can understand that i can not buy quality lenses for a DSLR, and pay thousands of dollars for its equipment. That was the first factor that made my decision. I had a research for a week, and i saw that a slr-like camera was suitable for me. And found the FZ50. To be honest, the second factor was the focus ring and zoom ring in the camera. You feel like a professional when using hem. The camera is also recording the videos and 12x optic zoom is great. (nothing to tell about Leica lens). Looked at the samples from the net and that was enough for me. As i said i am using it for two months, and it seems i will use it for years. They all talk about the noise, however it is a professional thing It is a perfect camera to me with its functions... here you can see some samples; http://www.esnips.com/web/hasimcanan-photographs

Take care

the lense element is a bit long and really needs a tripod but it is enclosed so the sand at the beach doesnt go in....
with OIS and V3 the results can be a bit smeared.
The settings panasonic give as standard really cover common photographer errors. If you use the camera as manually as possible with a tripod and on the less intensive 8mp setting the results are really quite stunning.(contrast to high saturation to high, 8mp, manual control of aperture and shutter speed) My nikon and canon buddies are impressed with pix quality and get a vague look of displeasure when they find out the price of the camera having forked out twice as much for a marque camera.

I've taken 400+ pictures in various conditions and am still working through the many features of this fine piece of machinery. The Leica lens (which is the best), user friendliness, great feel, and crisp (no high ISO yet)pics make this a FUN camera for me. After shopping the competition carefully for two months, I'd say the FZ50 gives the best $ value. You won't be disappointed unless your comparing it to a much more expensive DSLR.

I have the FZ 50 for about 5 months now and have taken about 1200+ shots with it. Initially, I have chosen this camera based on the "looks" as well as all the manual controls and of course the O.I.S. system(anti shake) which in my opinion works the best on Panasonic digital. cameras.In the case of FZ50 "mode 2" works probably better than "mode 1" of the O.I.S.
Overall I am very satisfied with the camera.My only "bad experience" with it was the picture quality. In my opinion again: it might be due to panasonic sensors as well as new Venus III chip. Not so much of a noise as "smear" which makes the final picture in ISO 200 and up look like impressionistic painting.Although you are able to turn down the in-camera noise reduction which helps a little, "but" for someone who is viewing their "pics" 100% on their computer monitor ,these "artifacts" will be always visible.
And that is why I gave it a four star instead of five.

Pro:
*Huge 38-420mm LEICA lens
*O.I.S. (anti shake) works perfect
*Vivid colors !!
*decent manual focus
*SLR like styling
*user-friendly interface, easy access buttons ISO,WB,metering....

Cons:
*Picture (ISO)quality (chroma noise and artefacts visible in low ISO's) some even on ISO100!!
*Limited burst mode - fairly slow
*VENUS engine III is a mess(sorry Panasonic)