Panasonic FZ82D
Amateur Photographer|September 10, 2024
If you want the flexibility of a superzoom bridge camera, then the FZ82D is a new model to tempt you. But is it any good? Amy Davies finds out
Amy Davies
Panasonic FZ82D

Showing that there's life in the bridge camera market yet, the FZ82D was announced in July 2024, and is a direct replacement for the existing FZ82. As you might expect from the simple addition of just a letter to the title, there's not a huge amount of difference between the two, despite seven years having elapsed since the FZ82's initial release in 2017.

We've got the same sensor and lens setup as before, but the screen and viewfinder have been upgraded. Meanwhile USB-C functionality is now included for the first time.

Features

The FZ82D has really quite old-fashioned sensor tech by modern standards. You get an 18MP 1/2.3in sensor, which is pretty tiny - in fact many smartphones even have bigger sensors these days. It's also the same sensor as found in the FZ82, which is a bit of a shame.

Of course, high image quality isn't necessarily the point of a bridge camera like this, and one thing we can guarantee your smartphone doesn't have is 60x optical zoom.

The lens again is the same as in the FZ82, with an equivalent focal length of 20-1200mm and a maximum aperture range from f/2.8 at the wideangle end up to f/5.9 at the tele end. It's worth noting that 20mm is quite wide compared to the usual start point of 24mm for zoom lenses, which makes it potentially appealing for landscape and architecture work.

There's also 'Intelligent Zoom', which gives you up to 120x reach, and a further 4x beyond that with Digital Zoom. Optical image stabilisation is included for keeping shots stable when shooting at the telephoto end of the lens. Macro focusing gets you as close as 1cm to a subject.

Video up to 4K is available, which is also what's used for the 4K Photo functionality which is found across most Panasonic cameras. This essentially works by recording video clips and giving you the option to extract stills from the video. It can work well for moving or unpredictable subjects such as pets or children.

This story is from the September 10, 2024 edition of Amateur Photographer.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 10, 2024 edition of Amateur Photographer.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERView All
Reader Portfolio
Amateur Photographer

Reader Portfolio

Spotlight on readers' excellent images and how they captured them

time-read
2 mins  |
January 28, 2025
Bolsey-Flex
Amateur Photographer

Bolsey-Flex

John Wade discovers a snapshot camera with an illustrious ancestry

time-read
1 min  |
January 28, 2025
Oppo Find X8 Pro
Amateur Photographer

Oppo Find X8 Pro

With four high-resolution sensors and a Hasselblad partnership, Amy Davies asks is this Oppo worth its flagship asking price?

time-read
9 mins  |
January 28, 2025
Close encounters
Amateur Photographer

Close encounters

Entrants to Close-up Photographer of the Year 6, supported by Affinity Photo, share their stories and techniques with competition co-founder Tracy Calder

time-read
9 mins  |
January 28, 2025
Deuter Jaypack 34+
Amateur Photographer

Deuter Jaypack 34+

Angela Nicholson reviews a rugged and versatile camera backpack

time-read
2 mins  |
January 28, 2025
Small is beautiful
Amateur Photographer

Small is beautiful

In the late 1970s, Olympus launched the XA range of 35mm ultra-compacts, followed later by the mju family. John Gilbey looks at what they still have to offer

time-read
8 mins  |
January 28, 2025
Blur
Amateur Photographer

Blur

Harry Borden looks back on two shoots in the early 1990s with the then-upcoming Britpop band

time-read
4 mins  |
January 28, 2025
Winning ways
Amateur Photographer

Winning ways

In its eighth year, Portrait of Britain offers a rare moment to reflect on the diverse heritage of modern Britain. Peter Dench talks to some of the winners of Volume 7

time-read
6 mins  |
January 28, 2025
Calling The Shots: A Queer History of Photography
Amateur Photographer

Calling The Shots: A Queer History of Photography

Offering an unprecedented view of photographic history through a queer lens, this is a wonderful and powerful book, says

time-read
1 min  |
November 26, 2024
Large-aperture standard zoom, too
Amateur Photographer

Large-aperture standard zoom, too

SONY has also revealed a new premium standard zoom, the FE 28-70mm F2 GM.

time-read
1 min  |
November 26, 2024