Lumix FZ82D

Panasonic shows that bridge cameras aren't dead yet

- Matthew Richards

£429/$477

Panasonic needs no introduction as a photographic manufacturer, or indeed as a maker of anything and everything from hairdryers to microwave ovens, televisions, computers and more. But in the digital camera solar system of Panasonic’s wider electronics galaxy, it is probably best known for its high-performance Micro Four Thirds Lumix cameras and lenses, along with the newer Lumix S system full-frame fancies.

Bridge cameras are a bit more out on the fringe, a kind of fully-grown, chunky body but with the compact camera ethos of having a built-in rather than interchangeable lens. Typically, the Lumix FZ82D (also known as the FZ80D in the USA) has the kind of integral mega-zoom lens that defines the breed, in this case with a huge 60x optical zoom range. As such, it vies for a place as one of the best bridge cameras in today’s marketplace.

Build and handling

The lens fixed to the front of this camera has a whopping 60x zoom range, which is equivalent to using a 20-1200mm lens on a full-frame camera. Picture that, if you can – a 20-1200mm full-frame zoom would be so big and heavy, you’d probably need a wheelbarrow to carry it around.

By contrast, the lens on the FZ82D, complete with camera, weighs just 640g, and that’s including the battery and a memory card. Sure, the lens physically extends at longer zoom settings (and a little bit at the most wide-angle setting) but the camera and lens measure just 13 x 9.4 x 12.5cm.