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Hello Dalite,
I have meant to answer for weeks now, but only had some pretty limited in-store "experience" with the camera, so didn't see the point. I personally got it because I needed large depth of field for some (hopefully) neat-o near-far juxtapositions, where I wanted everything to be in focus, more or less.
So, after a day with the thing, there are things I like and those I don't. I shoot full frame, so I rather like smooth images and enjoy the "depth" of FF raw files for processing latitude (I hope this makes sense). Coming from this background, I'd hesitate to use FZ200 files at more than 50% size.
I like the handling - it feels very good in hand, and all the controls are easy to access with the eye to the viewfinder (which is, of course, very small, compared to that of a 5D). The IS is pretty competent. I was a bit disappointed at first, but then I realized I was shooting at 1/5 second at 600mm equivalent. Oh, and it doesn't focus too close at 105mm actual/600mm equivalent (about 2 meters/6' 7" or so), so that is not much of an improvement on my 100-400 + 1.4 TC (MFD of 6 ft). As is common with point-and-shoots/bridge cameras, it has a quasi-macro focusing mode at the wide end of the zoom (focusing just about two or three inches from the front).
Oh yes, and the flare is quite unpleasant shooting into a light source. Stopping down doesn't improve things by much (although you do get a starburst).
Some samples follow (at 600mm first, these are only cropped or reduced in Photoshop; the others also have some tweaking):
Full frame at 600mm equivalent
100% crop @600mm, a bit soft due to slow shutter speed
Another 100% crop @600mm equiv
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Shooting Down Yonge Street
Bay St., Reflected Sun in Some Windows
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