Panasonic FZ2500 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500 (called Panasonic FZ2000 in some regions) is a fixed lens compact camera that was revealed to the public in September 2016 and is equipped with an one-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 20 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic FZ2500 a good camera? The FZ2500 has a Camera Elo of 2278. This rating puts the FZ2500 among the top 20 percent of all superzoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (one inch cameras), the FZ2500 ranks among the top 40 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Panasonic FZ2500 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic FZ2500 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic FZ2500	138 mm	102 mm	135 mm	915 g	350	n	Sep 2016	EUR 1 249	amazon.com
2.		Canon G5 X	112 mm	76 mm	44 mm	353 g	210	n	Oct 2015	EUR 789	ebay.com
3.		Canon G9 X	98 mm	58 mm	31 mm	209 g	220	n	Oct 2015	EUR 499	ebay.com
4.		Canon G9 X Mark II	98 mm	58 mm	31 mm	206 g	235	n	Jan 2017	EUR 499	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic FZ1000	137 mm	99 mm	131 mm	831 g	360	n	Jun 2014	EUR 899	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic LX10	106 mm	60 mm	42 mm	310 g	260	n	Sep 2016	EUR 699	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic ZS100	111 mm	65 mm	44 mm	312 g	300	n	Jan 2016	EUR 699	ebay.com
8.		Sony RX10 II	129 mm	88 mm	102 mm	813 g	400	Y	Jun 2015	EUR 1 599	ebay.com
9.		Sony RX10 III	133 mm	94 mm	127 mm	1051 g	420	Y	Mar 2016	EUR 1 599	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX100 IV	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	298 g	280	n	Jun 2015	EUR 1 149	ebay.com
11.		Sony RX100 V	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	299 g	220	n	Oct 2016	EUR 1 199	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic FZ2500 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,199. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check FZ2500 price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Panasonic FZ2500 features an one-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.7. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic FZ2500 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic FZ2500	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	23.0	12.6	538	70
2.		Canon G5 X	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.4	12.3	471	62
3.		Canon G9 X	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.5	12.3	495	63
4.		Canon G9 X Mark II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.9	12.5	522	65
5.		Panasonic FZ1000	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.1	11.7	517	64
6.		Panasonic LX10	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.8	12.5	581	70
7.		Panasonic ZS100	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.8	12.5	559	70
8.		Sony RX10 II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	23.0	12.6	531	70
9.		Sony RX10 III	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	23.1	12.6	472	70
10.		Sony RX100 IV	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.8	12.6	591	70
11.		Sony RX100 V	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.8	12.4	586	70

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The FZ2500 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the FZ2500 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the FZ2500 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.74x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Panasonic FZ2500 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic FZ2500	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Canon G5 X	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/2000s	5.9/s	Y	Y
3.		Canon G9 X	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/2000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
4.		Canon G9 X Mark II	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/2000s	8.2/s	Y	Y
5.		Panasonic FZ1000	2359	n	3.0 / 921	swivel	n	1/4000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Panasonic LX10	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
7.		Panasonic ZS100	1166	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Sony RX10 II	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/3200s	14.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Sony RX10 III	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/2000s	14.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Sony RX100 IV	2359	n	3.0 / 1228	tilting	n	1/2000s	16.0/s	Y	Y
11.		Sony RX100 V	2359	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/2000s	24.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One convenient feature of the FZ2500 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic FZ2500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Canon G5 X	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Canon G9 X	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
4.		Canon G9 X Mark II	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
5.		Panasonic FZ1000	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Panasonic LX10	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
7.		Panasonic ZS100	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
8.		Sony RX10 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Sony RX10 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Sony RX100 IV	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
11.		Sony RX100 V	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the FZ2500 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

The FZ2500 has a zoom lens built in (8.8-176mm f/2.8-4.5), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 24 to 480mm. The camera is, hence, ready to shoot, while remaining more compact in size than an interchangeable lens camera with an optic that offers similar focal length and aperture specifications.

Further information on the features and operation of the FZ2500 can be found in the free online Panasonic FZ2500 Manual or on the Panasonic support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the FZ2500. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic FZ2500	..	+	..	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2016	EUR 1 249	amazon.com
2.		Canon G5 X	5/5	+ +	..	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2015	EUR 789	ebay.com
3.		Canon G9 X	3.5/5	+ +	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2015	EUR 499	ebay.com
4.		Canon G9 X Mark II	4/5	..	4/5	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	EUR 499	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic FZ1000	4/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2014	EUR 899	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic LX10	..	+ +	4/5	81/100	4/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	EUR 699	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic ZS100	4.5/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2016	EUR 699	ebay.com
8.		Sony RX10 II	5/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2015	EUR 1 599	ebay.com
9.		Sony RX10 III	5/5	+	..	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2016	EUR 1 599	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX100 IV	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	EUR 1 149	ebay.com
11.		Sony RX100 V	4.5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	EUR 1 199	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check FZ2500 price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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