The DC FZ82 was introduced by Panasonic in January 2017. It belongs to the Superzooms category.

Panasonic is well-known and shouldn't require further introduction, please see our manufacturer's page for more digital cameras by Panasonic.

The DC FZ82 features a CMOS sensor in Compact size that has an area of approximately 6 x 5 mm² (0.24" x 0.18").

The DC FZ82's image sensor has an effective resolution of around 18 megapixel. That's roughly average and will be sufficient for most purposes. Photos with this resolution can easily be printed to A3 or A2 size.

The Panasonic supports taking images in RAW. RAW images are stored as they come from the sensor, without any in-camera processing or sharpening. Converting to JPEG or other formats takes place on the computer, using software like Adobe Lightroom or Panasonic's RAW converter. This involves one extra processing step but almost always results in superior image quality. Some filters, like converting to monochrome (black and white) will only yield decent results when used with RAW images.

The DC FZ82 has a built-in lens that can not be changed.

The Panasonic's focal length goes from 20mm to 1200mm, a zoom range of 60x. The aperture varies from F2.8 at the short or wide-angle end, to F5.9.

The DC FZ82 uses an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 1.16 megapixel, an above average value for a viewfinder like this.

The infographic illustrates the viewfinder magnification of the DC FZ82. The black area represents a magnification of 1x, corresponding to natural size. The red frame indicates the largest viewfinder magnification in any digital camera on the market today (0.85x).

Tip: If the viewfinder image of the DC FZ82 is fuzzy, us the little wheel next to the viewfinder to adjust the sharpness.

The DC FZ82's shutter speeds range from 1/2000s to 60s.

The highest shutter speed of the Panasonic is just 1/2000s. That's no longer state of the art and may cause problems in challenging light conditions.

The DC FZ82's sensitivity goes from 125 ISO und 12800 ISO, a very useful and practical range.

The DC FZ82 supports all common metering modes.

The Panasonic will also allow spot metering, a must for challenging motives.

The DC FZ82's auto focus processor uses 49 AF points (or sensors). A basic rule of thumb says that the more AF points you have, the better. More AF points mean a better chance to have a point at the location of interest in a scene, a big plus in challenging situations (e.g. in low light).

Manual focus is also possible with the Panasonic, a plus in tricky situations or for some creative freedom.

The DC FZ82 features a built-in flash with a range of up to 14m (47 ft.). That range will work for most situations.

A flash or a trigger for remote flashes can be attached to the Panasonic's hotshoe. Very useful for indirect flashes or for trigggering remote flashes.

The DC FZ82 features a monitor with a diagonal of 75.00mm (3.0 in.) and a resolution of c. 1.04 megapixel. That's about average.

Unfortunately, the DC FZ82's monitor is not articulated. That can make it tricky to frame your subject in some situations, e.g. when taking selfies.

The DC FZ82's monitor can work as a touch screen, just like a smartphone. That can be very useful, for example to pick AF points, but keep in mind that touch screens usually don't work when wearing gloves.

Display characteristics at a glance:

When recording videos with the DC FZ82, the highest supported resolution is 4096 x 2160 pixel, in other words 4K Video.

A connector for an external microphone is missing from the Panasonic. A built-in mike will usually record everything in front and to the sides of the camera which is not always what the film maker wants. Internal microphones also tend to record camera sounds like focus beeps.

Videos with the Panasonic DC FZ82 at a glance:

The DC FZ82 has Wifi connectivity already built-in. Use Wifi to transfer images to a smartphone or computer and to remote control the camera.

The Panasonic connects to your PC over USB 2.0.

The Panasonic's connectivity at a glance:

What memory cards can be used with the Panasonic DC FZ82?

The camera will accept all common SD HC and SD XC cards.

With an average image size of 8 megabytes (JPEG, fine) a 32 GByte memory card would hold up to 4000 images.

Supported memory cards at a glance:

Let's have a look at some other features of the Panasonic DC FZ82:

The DC FZ82 doesn't have a built-in GPS receiver. If you want to add coordinates to your photos, you'll have to do so in 3rd party software like Adobe Lightroom. However, with Wifi built-in, location data can also be added via a connected smartphone.

The DC FZ82 features a built-in stabilizer. With a 60x zoom a must-have.

A nice addition is the Panasonic's electronic level. The camera displays an indicator on the monitor that makes it super-easy to level the camera horizontally, very useful when doing architectural photography.

The camera has a built-in function to facilitate creating panoramas: While panning the Panasonic over the scene, the camera takes a sequence of images which are then automatically assembled to form a panorama.

The camera can create HDRs automatically. That saves you from manually creating sequences of images with variying exposure values.

The DC FZ82 is not environmentally sealed against dust and moisture; keep that in mind in the rain and on the beach.

The Panasonic's features in a handy table:

The Panasonic DC FZ82 works with a BMB9 battery. The battery lifetime is a generous 330 shots. Usually enough for a full day or more.

The battery can be charged over USB while in camera. Very useful, especially on vacation when most people bring a USB charger for their smartphone anyway.

The DC FZ82's battery at a glance:

The Panasonic DC FZ82's dimensions are 130.2 x 94.3 x 119.2mm³. (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7"). This includes the lens. The camera's weight is a reasonable 616 grams (19.9 oz.), lens included.

Front and top view of the DC FZ82 with dimensions:

To put the size of the camera in context, here it is next to a typical ID card (c. 86mm x 55mm, about the size of a credit card).

The DC FZ82 is clearly bigger: