Panasonic releases the ultra-high-magnification zoom camera “LUMIX DC-FZ85D

The LUMIX DC-FZ85D vs the previous FZ85

Ultra-telephoto zoom

1200mm super telephoto lens with 60x optical zoom

Panasonic’s unique optical technology has been combined to achieve a 60x optical zoom. The LUMIX DC-FZ85Dsupports a wide range of focal lengths from 20mm to 1200mm. From ultra-wide-angle shots that dynamically capture the entire scene to super-telephoto shots with 60x optical zoom that capture even the finest details of your subject, you can capture the moment happening right in front of you with smooth zoom operation.

LUMIX DC-FZ85D Lens construction

The lens configuration is 14 elements in 12 groups, including 6 aspherical lenses with 9 surfaces and 3 ED lenses. Additionally, the “6-group fully movable lens” allows the 6 groups of lenses to move when zooming, This layout shoots both high-magnification zoom from ultra-wide angle 20mm to super telephoto 1200mm and compact size. The lens construction also has high-speed autofocus across the entire zoom range. In addition, the use of high-dispersion, high-transmittance glass lenses allows for high transmittance and imaging power, providing sharper image quality.

Super-resolution iA zoom

The super-resolution iA zoom, made possible by the application of “super-resolution technology,” allows you to zoom in up to 120x with high resolution that makes the most of the approximately 18.1 megapixel sensor.

1cm macro photography

The LUMIX DC-FZ85D supports AF macro, which allows you to focus on the subject even if you get as close as 1cm away at the widest setting. It captures the fine details of the subject in great detail.

Zoom back function

The zoom back function allows you to zoom out with the push of a button to quickly find your subject when you lose sight of it during telephoto shooting. By holding down the zoom back button on the top of the camera body, you can temporarily lower the zoom ratio to easily find your subject, and once you have located the subject within the frame at the center of the screen, release your finger from the button to return to the original zoom ratio.

Focus modes on the LUMIX DC-FZ85D

Spatial Recognition AF

The camera employs spatial recognition technology (DFD* technology) that instantly calculates the distance to all subjects on the screen. The contrast AF, which has always been known for its high accuracy, has now achieved even higher speeds, resulting in faster AF and improved tracking performance. The quick focusing function allows you to capture sudden decisive moments without missing them.

The camera instantly calculates the subject distance in the shadow space, achieving high-speed AF with an AF speed of approximately 0.09 seconds at the wide end and approximately 0.10 seconds at the telephoto end. This high-speed AF adds even more speed to the highly accurate contrast AF, allowing you to instantly focus on the subject in a wide range of shooting scenes, from macro to telephoto, so you won’t miss any shutter opportunities.

240fps operation High speed and high precision contrast AF

Compared to phase-difference AF, contrast AF achieves higher AF accuracy even with a smaller F-number. This enables highly accurate focusing that meets the photographer’s intentions, fully supporting shooting with Lumix’s bright lenses. In addition, the FZ85D supports high-speed, high-precision contrast AF with 240 fps operation, allowing for quick focusing on moving subjects.

Various autofocus modes

• 4 9-point AF: You can let the camera automatically select the focus area from up to 49 AF areas, or you can touch and select the focus area yourself. This is useful when the subject is not in the center or in the corner of the screen.
• Face/Eye Recognition AF: Automatically detects human faces (up to 15 people). No matter where the face is in the frame, the exposure and focus can be adjusted to the face. In addition to face recognition, the LUMIX DC-FZ85D is equipped with more precise eye recognition AF. You can also switch the focus position to the eye in the foreground or the eye in the background by touching it to suit your creative intent.
• Pinpoint AF: Equipped with Pinpoint AF for more precise focus adjustment. Touch once to enlarge the area. Touch the area you want to focus on for more precise settings. Use the dial and pinch to enlarge or reduce the image by approximately 3 to 10 times, or approximately 3 to 6 times when using PinP (Picture in Picture). Pinpoint enlargement time can be adjusted in three steps.

Manual Focus

• MF Assist: The MF Assist function allows you to precisely focus the image when shooting in MF mode.
  • Zoom in and out approximately 3 to 10 times.
  • When using PinP (Picture in Picture), you can zoom in and out by approximately 3 to 6 times by enlarging a part of the screen (the framing screen).
• Peaking: When in MF or AF+MF mode, the camera is equipped with a peaking function that displays the focus peak position in color. This allows you to see at a glance which part of the subject is in focus, which is useful for macro photography, which requires precise focus adjustment. You can choose from five different colors for the peaking display, and by changing the color according to the detection level, an easy-to-understand display is achieved. By assigning it to a function button, you can change the peaking level midway while checking the subject in live view, making it easy to use.

Reduces camera shake even during super telephoto shooting

Lens-shift (optical) image stabilization

Equipped with lens-shift (optical) image stabilization that suppresses blur and takes beautiful pictures. Lumix’s lens-shift (optical) image stabilization suppresses camera shake by detecting the camera shake itself with high accuracy using a sensor that detects camera shake, and by continuously moving the lens to cancel out the shake. It is useful when zooming, shooting at dusk or indoors where camera shake is likely to occur, and when deciding on the composition as it suppresses camera shake when framing. It also suppresses camera shake when shooting video.

Capture the decisive moment in a photo

Full pixel mechanical shutter, high speed continuous shooting at approximately 10 frames per second

Approximately 18.1M The high sensitivity MOS sensor and improved processing power of the Venus Engine have increased the continuous shooting speed. Continuous shooting with a mechanical shutter has achieved a speed of approximately 10 frames per second at full pixel resolution. When shooting a fast-moving subject with a general electronic shutter method, the moving parts may appear distorted, but with the mechanical shutter method, continuous shooting is possible even for moving subjects.

Approximately 6 frames per second, high-speed AF tracking sequential shooting

Approximately 18.1M Thanks to the high sensitivity MOS sensor and improved performance of the Venus Engine, AF tracking continuous shooting*1 at approximately 6 frames per second is achieved with the maximum recording pixel count (approximately 18.1M). The camera automatically tracks the movement of the subject and adjusts the focus every time you take a picture, so you can clearly depict every moment of a fast-moving subject.

LUMIX DC-FZ85D Modes

4K Photo Mode (30 frames per second)

“4K PHOTO” is a shooting style that applies Panasonic’s unique 4K technology to photography. You can now capture the perfect shutter opportunity that was previously difficult to capture without missing it. With a high resolution that can be enlarged to the equivalent of A3 size, you can create a work of art that captures decisive moments that could not be captured with previous photography.

Three ways to shoot in 4K Photo Mode

“4K Photo Mode” allows you to capture moments that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Especially a moment in the continuous movement or change of a subject is a decisive moment that everyone wants to capture. By using the mode that suits the shooting scene and the creation of the work, you can capture decisive moments that you have missed until now and leave them as a work of art.

• 4K Burst Shooting: When you want to capture the best moment of a fast-moving subject (sports, airplanes, trains, etc.) Continuous shooting is performed only while the shutter button is pressed, and the shutter sound is heard continuously during shooting, just like normal continuous shooting, so you can shoot with the same feeling as normal continuous shooting. This is the optimal setting for subjects that have been shot with continuous shooting until now.
• 4K Burst Shooting (S/S): When you want to capture the decisive moment that suddenly appears (plants, animals, children, etc.) Press the shutter button to start continuous shooting, and press it again to stop. This setting is suitable for long-term continuous shooting. Capture the shutter opportunity of unpredictable subjects such as natural phenomena with long-term continuous shooting.
• 4K Pre-Burst: When you want to take a picture at the exact moment of the shutter opportunity (such as the moment of throwing a ball), with 4K Pre-Burst, you press the shutter as if you were taking a single photo, and it takes a series of shots for about 1 second before and after the moment you press the shutter, and you can choose the “perfect” moment from those 60 frames over about 2 seconds. This allows you to capture decisive moments that you would miss with normal shooting.

Easy switching with a dedicated button

To shoot the LUMIX DC-FZ85D in 4K PHOTO, just press the dedicated button (4K PHOTO button) to change the drive mode with one touch. You can start shooting immediately when you want to take a picture. You can quickly switch drive modes so you won’t miss the moment you need to capture it.