Photography

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 offers crazy ultra-wide 60x zoom lens

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 offers crazy ultra-wide 60x zoom lens
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 boasts a 60x zoom lens with a 35-mm format focal length equivalent of around 20-1,200-mm
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 boasts a 60x zoom lens with a 35-mm format focal length equivalent of around 20-1,200-mm
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On the rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 is a 3-inch monitor with 460K dots, and a 0.2-inch electronic viewfinder with a 202K dot equivalent resolution
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On the rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 is a 3-inch monitor with 460K dots, and a 0.2-inch electronic viewfinder with a 202K dot equivalent resolution
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 boasts built-in Power O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) to help reduce hand-shake vibration
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 boasts built-in Power O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) to help reduce hand-shake vibration
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 has a 1/2.3-inch (4.54 x 3.42 mm) 16.1-megapixel MOS sensor
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 has a 1/2.3-inch (4.54 x 3.42 mm) 16.1-megapixel MOS sensor
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 is due to go on sale in September for a price of US$400
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 is due to go on sale in September for a price of US$400
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 features a built-in flash
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 features a built-in flash
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 measures 130.2 x 97.0 x 118.2 mm (5.13 x 3.82 x 4.65 inches) and weighs 606 g (1.34 lb)
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 measures 130.2 x 97.0 x 118.2 mm (5.13 x 3.82 x 4.65 inches) and weighs 606 g (1.34 lb)
To enable the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 to cover such a wide focal range, its extending lens is comprised of 14 elements in 12 groups
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To enable the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 to cover such a wide focal range, its extending lens is comprised of 14 elements in 12 groups
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 boasts a 60x zoom lens with a 35-mm format focal length equivalent of around 20-1,200-mm
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 boasts a 60x zoom lens with a 35-mm format focal length equivalent of around 20-1,200-mm
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View gallery - 9 images

Panasonic's Lumix FZ-series of bridge cameras have offered photographers the versatility of vast focal ranges, without the need to change lenses, for several years now. But its new Lumix DMC-FZ70 (FZ72) takes things even further by packing in a monstrous 60x zoom. This gives it a 35-mm format focal length equivalent of an almost ridiculous 20-1,200-mm.

The headline attraction of the Lumix DMC-FZ70 is undoubtedly the fact that its telephoto end reaches to a 1,200-mm equivalent. But, while that's a whole lot of zoom, it's worth noting its wide angle has also been expanded from previous models, and now goes out to an ultra wide 20 mm. This could be particularly useful for capturing wide landscapes, which is something FZ-series cameras have struggled with in the past.

To enable the camera to cover such a wide focal range, its extending lens is comprised of 14 elements in 12 groups. Panasonic says this includes six aspherical lenses with nine aspherical surfaces and three ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) lenses. A maximum aperture of F2.8 at the wide end of the zoom, and F5.9 at the telephoto, also means the DMC-FZ70 should be capable of performing reasonably in lower light situations.

However, as is typical of bridge cameras, the large optical zoom is only possible because of the sacrifices made in terms of sensor size. The FZ70 has a 1/2.3-inch (4.54 x 3.42 mm) 16.1-megapixel MOS sensor, which is undeniably small. But it's this crop which makes the 3.58-215-mm lens a 20-1,200-mm equivalent. Yes, it would be nice to have a big zoom range like this on an APS-C or even Full Frame camera, but just look at the Nikkor 800-mm lens and imagine how big and heavy it would be.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 is due to go on sale in September for a price of US$400
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 is due to go on sale in September for a price of US$400

Because long telephoto lenses can be hard to control while handholding a camera, it's also good to see there's built-in Power O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) to help reduce hand-shake vibration. The FZ70 uses a Venus Engine image processor to give it a top burst speed of nine frames per second in full resolution, and an ISO range of 100 to 3200 (6400 with boost). It shoots JPEG and RAW stills.

Measuring 130.2 x 97.0 x 118.2 mm (5.13 x 3.82 x 4.65 inches) and weighing 606 g (1.34 lb), the Lumix DMC-FZ70 is styled like a DSLR with a familiar button layout. On the rear there's a 3-inch monitor with 460K dots, and a 0.2-inch electronic viewfinder with a 202K dot equivalent resolution. The viewfinder has an increased frame rate of up to 60 fps for minimized lag.

On the video front, the DMC-FZ70 is capable of shooting Full HD at 30/25 fps, which is increased to 60/50 fps at 720p. A newly developed stereo Windshield Zoom Microphone is said to minimize wind noise by 70 percent compared with the predecessor DMC-FZ60(FZ62).

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 is due to go on sale in September for a price of US$400.

Source: Panasonic

View gallery - 9 images
6 comments
6 comments
Max Kennedy
Since a 50mm lens is considered a 1x lens a 1200mm lens is really only a 24x zoom. 20mm is wide angle and is NOT the base to determine zoom power.
Gadgeteer
Sorry, Max Kennedy, but you don't get to define how zoom multipliers are measured. Of course it's the difference between full wide angle and full telephoto. That's how it's always been done. Otherwise, with your definition of measuring from a fixed focal length, how would you specify the wide angle multiplier below 50mm? As a negative number?
notarichman
how rugged is the camera? i'm in the boonies a lot with dust, rain, and snow. i can protect it a little, but shocks could be it's death.
Ed
A 2.8 at 20mm is fast! But even more amazing is the 5.9 at full zoom! and that's a 60X zoom! My current Lumix is 4.3 at 16X, so you can see at 5.9, that's a fast lens!
Scott B.
Hi Simon,
I take a lot of pictures at American college football stadiums. Rarely are the games played during daylight. Presently I am using a Nikon Coolpix P500 and I am very disappointed with the photos using the zoom under the evening light. Often I use continuous shooting capabilities and the action shots are blurry. Do you think the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 will do the job, or can you aim me at another long lens point and shoot that has a long lens, continuous shooting, and low light capabilities?
Thanks,
Scott B.
NTbushy
Hi notarichman, I'm intending to buy an FZ70 based on 2 1/2 years experience with my FZ35 which has proven to be very robust during the many hours of field work it has endured in hot, dry, dusty and hot, humid and wet conditions on '000's of klms on rough 4X4 bush tracks in northern and central Australia and haven't had a scrap of trouble - I'm not into snow so can't vouch for snowfield performance. I just carry it in a small shoulder camera bag. From the images available my assessment of the FZ70 is that it appears to be better constructed and likely to be at least as robust as it predecessors. Cheers.