- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Nikon D5100
- Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
- Canon Powershot SX40
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V
- Fujifilm X-S1
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Oct, 2012)In practice having an aperture of F/2.8 at 600mm results in far fewer blurred pictures, with the added benefit of producing more out-of-focus backgrounds, making the Lumix DMC-FZ200 even more appealing to sports and nature photographers.
Rated 80% by by Photography Blog (Oct, 2012)By today's standards, the Canon PowerShot SX500 IS's 16 megapixel resolution is relatively modest.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 compared to the Canon PowerShot SX500 IS
MP12
1/2.5"
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)Even without the constant f/2.8 aperture the FZ200’s 24x optical zoom is still pretty impressive, offering the 35mm focal range equivalent of 25-600mm.
15.9 MP
1/2"
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)The SX500’s 30x optical zoom offers the 35mm focal range equivalent of between 24-720mm, which is plenty wide enough to take large group shots at the wideangle end or to fill the frame with faraway objects at the telephoto end.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 15.9 MP   | 20 MP |
Lumix DMC-FZ200 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2012)Stand-out features of the FZ200 include a 24x zoom lens with a constant aperture of f/2.8 throughout the 25-600mm range, 1080p HD movies, a high-resolution LCD and EVF, fast auto-focusing, 12fps burst shooting and a 12 megapixel MOS image sensor.
PowerShot SX500 IS by c|net (Aug, 2012)For $100 less, you get a 30x f3.4-5.8 24-720mm lens, a fixed 3-inch 460K-dot resolution, a 16-megapixel CCD sensor, and an older Digic 4 image processor.
sensor size
Lumix DMC-FZ200 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2012)You can only view the results on a 3D TV (the FZ200 records standard MPO files), and although it isn't as effective as images taken with Panasonic's 3D Micro Four Thirds lens or the Fujifilm 3D W3, for example, it does create quite a convincing effect which particularly suits subjects that are close-up to the camera.
PowerShot SX500 IS by D.-Black (Jan, 2013)I'm sure the ISO noise issues in low light was due to the fact that this camera used a CCD sensor and not a CMOS sensor.
wide angle lens
Lumix DMC-FZ200 by Doug-in-Montana (Nov, 2012)I'm very happy with the pictures I'm getting all the way from wide angle to full zoom.
PowerShot SX500 IS by David-C.-Collins (Feb, 2013)Wow - the wide angle and extreme zoom are great, and I've had a hard time taking bad pictures.
aperture size
Lumix DMC-FZ200 by E.-Andrews--infiniteline (Feb, 2013)It is a really versatile camera with a great zoom range, a fast lens, a good feel, and lots of nice features.
PowerShot SX500 IS by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)Maximum aperture at 24mm is f/3.4 rising incrementally to f/5.8 at 720mm.
zoom range
| 0x | 30x | 30x |
Lumix DMC-FZ200 by Greggy (Oct, 2012)Zoom is smooth, quiet and the stabilization makes hand held scenes very steady.
body size
125 x 87 x 110 mm
104 x 70 x 80 mm
Lumix DMC-FZ200 by Br-David-Chris-Klecker (Mar, 2013)For any budding enthusiast or just someone who wants a lightweight camera for travelling this camera is highly recommended.
PowerShot SX500 IS by Claudia-Rathbun (Mar, 2013)The pictures I have taken have come out good and the camera is small and nice and light weight, so is easy to carry.
Performance Real world tests of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 vs Canon PowerShot SX500 IS
battery life
540 photos
195 photos
Lumix DMC-FZ200 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2012)*1Recording conditions by CIPA standard / - CIPA is an abbreviation of [Camera & Imaging Products Association].
PowerShot SX500 IS by Kenneth-J.-Naszradi--Homals (Jan, 2013)Although this camera uses a rechargeable batter pack, battery life seems good.
max continuous shooting
Lumix DMC-FZ200 by Rocco (Dec, 2012)I have taken good pictures of my son playing football, a quick-burst of my kid doing a handspring, and some beautiful pictures at a pumpkin patch.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Canon PowerShot SX500 IS
| Much faster lens | f/2.8 | vs | f/3.4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 20% faster aperture; Better in low light | |||
| Much faster rapid fire | 12 fps | vs | 0.8 fps |
| Around 15x faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| Has a flash hot shoe | Generic | vs | Fewer choices in how to light your subject |
| Very few cameras have a flash hot shoe; Connect a variety of external flashes for maximum lighting flexibility | |||
| Much higher definition video | HD video | vs | HD video |
| Great video; great for displaying on a large flat panel TV | |||
| Many more photos per charge | 540 | vs | 195 |
| 345 more shots; Longer battery life | |||
| Has a viewfinder | Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot | vs | Allows for less stability when taking a photo |
| About half of cameras have a viewfinder; Avoids glare in bright sunlight | |||
| Has a flip out screen | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Great for recording movies | |||
| Has an external mic jack | Proprietary | vs | None |
| Very few cameras have an external mic jack | |||
| Many more contrast-detection focus points | 23 | vs | 1 |
| 22 more contrast detection focus points; Better autofocus in low light settings | |||
| Significantly higher light sensitivity | 6,400 ISO | vs | 1,600 ISO |
| 4x higher light sensitivity; Avoid blur in low light situations | |||
| Shoots high speed video | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Create slow motion video | |||
| Much longer long exposure | 60 s | vs | 15 s |
| 4x longer long exposure; Capture creative photos such as night sky movement | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 84.68% | vs | 82.21% |
| Almost the same | |||
| Much faster max shutter speed | 1/4000 s | vs | 1/1600 s |
| 2.5x faster max shutter speed; capture fast action | |||
Advantages compared to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200
| Larger zoom range | 30x | vs | 24x |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 30% larger zoom; Great for sports or nature when your subject is further away | |||
| Wider lens | 24 mm | vs | 25 mm |
| Almost the same | |||
| Much higher resolution | 15.9 MP | vs | 12 MP |
| More than 30% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Significantly lighter | 341 g | vs | 588 g |
| More than 40% lighter | |||
| Significantly smaller | 104 x 70 x 80 mm | vs | 125 x 87 x 110 mm |
| 2.1x smaller | |||
| Thinner | 80 mm | vs | 110 mm |
| Around 30% thinner | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 | Canon PowerShot SX500 IS | ||
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 | Rated by 109 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Greggy (Oct, 2012) Rated 100% by by Roger-James--Doc Rated 100% by by Greggy (Oct, 2012) | Rated by 158 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Lisha-Marie--Tzarina (Jan, 2013) Rated 100% by by Karl-H.-Schneider Rated 80% by by WAYGEE-HO (Dec, 2012) | |
Competition What else you should consider
 | 5 | Fujifilm X-S1 Many more contrast-detection focus points |
 | 7 | Leica V-Lux 4 2-way tie: Long long exposure |
