Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been looking for a good quality point-and-shoot light-weight camera that fits in my pocket, has a long zoom, has a good viewfinder, one that travels easily, and not too costly. Turns out there aren't many choices that fit all these criteria. I enjoy photography, am a highly experienced photographer although not a pro, and have a really good camera with interchangeable lenses, etc. which I use when I want to get top quality pics and need to have a lot of control over focus, depth of field, mounted flash, etc. However, when traveling by air, hauling all that equipment around, taking up space in carry-on luggage, etc. tends to make me leave the really good camera at home. With pocket cameras I've used, I really miss having a viewfinder. I find them awkward to hold steady, and difficult to see on the backside LCD panel exactly what I'm getting in bright light or when I need to follow and catch fast moving objects (e.g., flying birds), particularly when the zoom is extended. I've been frustrated when I can't get the pics I want with those pocket cameras. So I went out on a limb, spent a little more than I had intended, and got the new Panasonic Lumix ZS50, which I preordered. I seldom buy new models of anything when they first come out, so for me this was a bit of a gamble. However, I have been pleasantly surprised so far with this little camera. It has an amazing feature set for something that really does fit in my pocket, has a good viewfinder and plenty of zoom. I have not given it a true test yet, taking thousands of pics under a wide range of lighting and distance conditions, so I will have to report back later. What I like so far: - camera takes good pictures in the auto mode under most conditions - viewfinder works well in bright light conditions, and switches on automatically when you hold it up to your eye - zoom and focusing are relatively quick and quiet - the steady shot feature works well, especially in shooting video - flexibility and control in non-auto modes (e.g., program mode when I want more control over depth of field, etc.) - several different focusing and exposure methods - ability to save images in RAW format as well as JPEG - the right hand grip feels fairly secure for such a small camera What I don't like so far: - viewfinder is off-center when holding the camera, compared with what I'm used to with larger cameras, so I can't grip it as securely with my left hand (because my nose is in the way) BUT I love having that viewfinder anyway! - lots of MODES in the menu system for settings (I eventually found that I needed to switch to program mode in order to find settings I was looking for, e.g., to save pics in RAW format, change focusing methods). Can be confusing at times, a bit of a learning curve. - the LCD display sometimes suddenly turns off and then back on, which had me baffled initially when playing back pics. Turns out I had moved a finger too close the the viewfinder, which fooled the camera into auto-switching to the viewfinder. - when taking flash pictures, it's too easy to partially block the flash somewhat on the right side, which casts a shadow--just something I'll need to get used to by gripping a little differently on the right side (I've had this problem with other pocket cameras that don't have pop-up flashes). Works fine when I move my fingers down on the right-side grip a little. - when doing the wi-fi setup, I could not enter user names or passwords that had spaces in them--I am stumped on this, and cannot understand why Panasonic would not allow selection of the 'space' character!!! - wi-fi will not transfer pics in RAW format, so have to use cable or take out memory card and plug into my computer--again, why? Granted 15 Mb per pic will take a lot longer to transfer than smaller JPEGs. - cannot charge battery outside of camera and must use Panasonic's cable - not sure yet whether 12 megapixel sensor will be enough resolution for severely cropped pics, printed at 8x10 in. or larger All in all, this is hands-down the best pocket camera I've owned and used. Why not 5 stars? I'll need to really give it the "road" test by taking thousands of pics under a wide range of conditions. Haven't had time to do this yet, and plan to edit this review later when I have. Added Comments: April 26, 2015 I've changed my rating to 5 stars now, after taking several hundred pictures under varying conditions. Here are my further observations: - Indoor pictures with flash turn out fairly well. There are still sharp background shadows from objects illuminated by the flash, but that is to be expected with a direct flash (compared to one with indirect lighting, e.g., by bouncing light off the ceiling). - outdoor pictures are quite good on the whole. The 30x zoom certainly provides some additional flexibility, and I have not had issues with camera shake when the zoom is extended. - the one very challenging condition I was somewhat disappointed with was photographing fast flying pelicans at a distance on a very windy, overcast day. Many of the photos of the birds were taken at distances of several hundred yards up to half a mile, using the zoom extended out to 30x. I WAS able to track the birds relatively easily using the viewfinder. When later viewing the images with significant cropping on a flat screen HDTV, clarity of the images left something to be desired--a bit fuzzy on the edges of the birds against the cloudy sky. This is a very challenging set of circumstances--even with a good DSLR camera with a long telephoto lens, it would be challenging to get high quality pics. All in all, the Panasonic ZS50 did a remarkable job, considering the distance involved, with background of a cloudy sky, the speed of the flying flock of birds, and the fast panning required. The severely cropped images of the high flying birds still allowed my wife to identify them as white pelicans by comparing with pictures in her bird book. - I took some pics of blossoms and flowers with the camera just a few inches away, using the close-up focus setting on a sunny and very windy day. These came out exceptionally well. I was very pleased with the results. The pictures were quite stunning on a flat screen TV. All in all, I am quite impressed with this pocket camera, and enjoy taking pictures with it, since it is so light, has a decent viewfinder, and takes good photos. I use the Program mode mostly, rather than the Auto mode. Of course, I can get great pics with my really good camera, but I've invested roughly 4x as much for the body, lenses and external flash unit. On the other hand, this Panasonic ZS50 fits in my pocket, is easy to use, and costs a lot less.