Gadgetory

hi I'm Josh Goldman senior editor with CNET and this is a look at the editors choice winning panasonic lumix DMC FC 200 now while other manufacturers have just increased the zoom ranges on their higher-end long lens cameras to stay competitive Panasonic's decided to go another direction and concentrate on actually making the lens better the FC 224 X zoom Leica lens has a large f28 aperture from start to finish which lets you shoot with less light or longer focal lengths with less of a need to use higher ISO s that introduce noise and softness no other competing cameras offer this and it makes a big difference going beyond that you get great direct controls over settings a hot shoe for attaching the external flash and input for an external mic a nice high-res EVF and rotating 3-inch LCD a whole lot of shooting modes including full manual for photos and movies it has a reliable auto mode - making it a nice family camera as well as something someone can grow with photo quality and shooting performance are great for its class it's fast enough for capturing kids and pets which is a rarity and though there are a couple of design things I would change such as the plastic body and the position of the tripod mount next to the battery compartment it is an overall excellent camera I'm Josh Goldman and that's the Panasonic Lumix FC 200