1 month with the FZ-200
OK, I've now had two of these cameras (lost one to a pickpocket or my own absentmindedness 2 days into my trip to Singapore), and here are my thoughts.
1. The autofocus is quite good and quite fast. The only negative is that it plays up from time to time and simply won't function properly, and this problem doesn't seem to be confined to very low-light shots. Luckily though, it does this pretty rarely.
2. Once you learn the controls (much like any other camera), it's quite easy to use and it's quite easy to get good shots in difficult circumstances.
3. The electronic viewfinder is quite useable, but obviously not in the same league as a dslr.
4. Exposure by spot-metering seems to do a fine job in most circumstances. Bracketing is easy to set and use.
5. The 12 frame/sec burst works and works well! I have not made extensive use of the 5.5 frames/sec burst with autofocus, but will assess that in future.
6. Image quality. A mixed bag; really good in bright light, sometimes not so good in low light situations. Much of the time the problem lies with trying to handhold the camera at slow shutter speeds in low light, but it's possible that the image comes out somewhat soft in low light even if the camera is steady. I'll follow up on this later. But if you have good light, you can achieve really nice quality images. At 12MP, you can't crop as far as some might like (a problem which may be exacerbated by the small sensor), but if you can use field craft to construct the image as you'd like it without the need to do much cropping, you can get very good results. Examples attached.
7. Unlike some folks here, I find the manual focus is actually usable, though again, not like a dslr. You just have to master the controls, and your subject can't be too flighty.
8. Given that acceptable images can be had, the convenience factor can't be overstated. I can add this thing to my field kit without adding any recognizable weight or inconvenience; I recommend the case that came with my second version. Once you get the hang of the controls, it'll be hard to beat as a record shot camera.
That's all I can think of at the moment; if you want some specific info, let me know.
cheers,
randy