Panasonic FZ2500 Field Test: 4K-capable enthusiast zoom camera takes on wildlife, landscapes
posted Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 6:40 PM EDT
Introducing many improvements over the FZ1000, including a longer lens, the Panasonic FZ2500 is a very interesting all-in-one zoom camera for enthusiasts. In addition to its very good imaging performance, the FZ2500 includes a lot of 4K video features that are also found in Panasonic’s flagship mirrorless camera, the GH4. I recently had the opportunity to take the well-equipped FZ2500 into the field to see how it performed in real-world shooting situations.
The FZ2500 has a DSLR-style body with an excellent tilt-swivel touchscreen (the touchscreen functionality is new) that proved to handle very well in the field. There are many physical controls, which will surely please enthusiast photographers. The built-in lens is the most prominent aspect of the camera body, and its revised inner-zoom design means that it is always the same physical length when in use and is also very stable. Importantly, optical performance is quite good across the entire focal length range, as is the autofocus performance for stills.
A strength of the Panasonic FZ2500 is its 4K video and photo features. The camera can record 4K UHD video, DCI 4K video and 4K photos (8-megapixel JPEGs) at up to 30 frames per second. The great multimedia features don’t stop there, however, as the camera includes 4K Live Crop video and 4K Post Focus photos too.
Naturally, no camera is perfect, and the FZ2500 does have some shortcomings, including its occasionally sluggish continuous autofocus performance. To read much more about the camera’s strengths and weaknesses, read our Panasonic FZ2500 Field Test.