Fz20 or FZ30?

[policemf]

Hi, just my few cents worth. Think I'm like u, starting to go more into photography. I'm using a FZ30. Just got it in dec, and like u, I migrated from a PNS (ixus 400) to my FZ30.
Few things that attracted me above another prosumer cam I was considering...

1. The manual zoom. It's really great. Allows you to frame your shots quickly and accurately. Can zoom in while taking videos too cos it's manual. Not sure of the other models allow that.
2. Fast startup. The lens doesn't move, so startup takes less than a second.
3. Hotshoe. Now learning to use external flash. Can be used for simple event photography. The built-in flash is quite weak, and casts harsh shadows.
4. Nice feel. Important that you like the feel of your camera IMO...

Good luck deciding man! Any questions feel free to ask.

oh u also upgraded from a PNS cam? hmmm..so how was the migration to fz30 like? easy to use? plus, the FZ30 does allow me to have future add-ons rite? external flash i know its possible, but how about lenses? does the fz30 allow to change lenses if the need/want arises?

 

[Hexlord]

Haha, you can't add lenses, but you can add in a tele or wide angle converter

There are also quite a bit of 3rd parties stuff that can be fitted on the lens itself!

Yes, the FZ30 is pretty easy to use, although for me, it took a while cos I only used a PnS in the past

 

[policemf]

Haha, you can't add lenses, but you can add in a tele or wide angle converter

There are also quite a bit of 3rd parties stuff that can be fitted on the lens itself!

Yes, the FZ30 is pretty easy to use, although for me, it took a while cos I only used a PnS in the past

oh haha! i didnt know that man.. like u previously, i onli used PnS before this.. ahaha...

so hmm...can add tele or wide angle converter means wat ah?? :dunno:

 

[ExplorerZ]

basically you can only add filters, and tele/wide converter. but make sure you check if it will cause vignetting anot. if it does, u might have to crop away and end up having a smaller pic but only wider or longer slightly

 

[roadrunner_552]

basically you can only add filters, and tele/wide converter. but make sure you check if it will cause vignetting anot. if it does, u might have to crop away and end up having a smaller pic but only wider or longer slightly

ya prosumer cam can only add these items. keke

 

[policemf]

ouh.. i see..so basically, for amateur enthusiasts like me, i dun think i wanna go so far (yet) into buying additional lenses like those pros out there... but prosumer cams can still have like added flash and stuff rite? as in, lets say, i wanna take photos of frens and family weddings etc, a cam like fz30 will still be good enough rite?

im gonna use the cam mostly to explore the hobby...take pics like landscape, subjects, potraits etc...more or less the cam is suitable for such things rite?

 

[ExplorerZ]

ouh.. i see..so basically, for amateur enthusiasts like me, i dun think i wanna go so far (yet) into buying additional lenses like those pros out there... but prosumer cams can still have like added flash and stuff rite? as in, lets say, i wanna take photos of frens and family weddings etc, a cam like fz30 will still be good enough rite?

im gonna use the cam mostly to explore the hobby...take pics like landscape, subjects, potraits etc...more or less the cam is suitable for such things rite?

for low light with flash. fz30 should be able to take it. but without flash, you might need to bump up iso which will increase noise level. basically most cam are able to use external flash (without hotshoe = slave flash, with hotshoe = mount flash directly). its can take landscape, subjets and potraits, but i recommand adding a wide coverter if you are into landscape, as 35/36mm ain't really wide enough for landscape. but most people live with it :thumbsup:

 

[Ihsan Chua]

How bad is the price difference between Sony R1 and the two cameras that u are intending to get? I heard a lot of pp that Sony R1 power

 

[ExplorerZ]

How bad is the price difference between Sony R1 and the two cameras that u are intending to get? I heard a lot of pp that Sony R1 power

r1 is powerful, but lumix ain't bad as well. especially if you compare size/weight against performance. lumix fz series is one of the top :thumbsup:
think one of the biggest drawback for lumix might be the noise

here are some of the spec placed amoung the few http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=panasonic_dmcfz7%2Cpanasonic_dmcfz20%2Cpanasonic_dmcfz30%2Csony_dscr1&show=all

comparing the 4, the only few thing i find in favour for sony r1 is the 24mm wide, but at the expense of lesser zoom and the bigger sensor (making less noise). other than that all of them are near the same, or the same (except for size, weight and price)

 

[Ihsan Chua]

r1 is powerful, but lumix ain't bad as well. especially if you compare size/weight against performance. lumix fz series is one of the top :thumbsup:
think one of the biggest drawback for lumix might be the noise

here are some of the spec placed amoung the few http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=panasonic_dmcfz7%2Cpanasonic_dmcfz20%2Cpanasonic_dmcfz30%2Csony_dscr1&show=all

My friend as a Lumix. Outdoor sharp and clear sia. Indoor really sux. Noise is really an issue with lumix. If you can get your hands on Olympus 5050 or 8080 which are both obsolete, that is also gd.

See this image taken using 5050

 

[ExplorerZ]

My friend as a Lumix. Outdoor sharp and clear sia. Indoor really sux. Noise is really an issue with lumix. If you can get your hands on Olympus 5050 or 8080 which are both obsolete, that is also gd.

See this image taken using 5050

muz agree. lumix is bad in noise control. but other than that, fz function outshine a lot of cameras out there. it depends on what the camera will be used on mostly. if low lighting, lumix might not be the best, but outdoor it 101% the top few (for that price range) :thumbsup:

here one of the pic i took wif my fz5 few mths back

 

[Ihsan Chua]

This is taken using Olympus 4040. 5050 much better than this. 8080 no shutter lag. But I think noise control is important. U never know when u need it. 5050 wb happens to be accurate. A lot of photographers looking for that cam. 1.8 bright lens

 

[unseen]

My friend as a Lumix. Outdoor sharp and clear sia. Indoor really sux. Noise is really an issue with lumix. If you can get your hands on Olympus 5050 or 8080 which are both obsolete, that is also gd.

See this image taken using 5050

I don't think the image posted up can compare with anything taken by the lumix cameras outdoor at all.. It's very soft, the colours are not vibrant, there's not less details than I would expect (ok so it's very soft already so i suppose this point is covered). The image doesn't pop out at all.
Hate to say it, but if that's considered a good shot from the 5050/8080, then it's pretty much a camera that's condemned in my books.

Compare it to this, with weekh's LX1:

 

[Ihsan Chua]

Do u sent your photos for print or just put your photos in your computer. There is a difference.

 

[unseen]

I think this also conclusively shows that Lumix is ALOT sharper than most other digi cams out there. Look at the petals and you can see liaoz..

 

[ExplorerZ]

This is taken using Olympus 4040. 5050 much better than this. 8080 no shutter lag. But I think noise control is important. U never know when u need it. 5050 wb happens to be accurate. A lot of photographers looking for that cam. 1.8 bright lens

noise control is of cos impt, but seems like all the cam you mention are rather expensive... not sure the price now, but in dpreview most of them cost more than a d50 kit :sweat:
sure, f1.8 lens outshine all lumix, but lumix does have 12x zoom which is quite impt too since you can't change lens on prosumer cam :sweatsm:
btw fz20 does have pretty fast lens as well, f2.8 thru out 12x of zoom :thumbsup:

 

[Ihsan Chua]

If u are referring to the softness behind the main subject, it is called the depth of field caused by the 1.8 lens. Usual compact cameras cannot get this effect.

 

[Ihsan Chua]

noise control is of cos impt, but seems like all the cam you mention are rather expensive... not sure the price now, but in dpreview most of them cost more than a d50 kit :sweat:
sure, f1.8 lens outshine all lumix, but lumix does have 12x zoom which is quite impt too since you can't change lens on prosumer cam :sweatsm:
btw fz20 does have pretty fast lens as well, f2.8 thru out 12x of zoom :thumbsup:

I am not sure of the price? 7070 seems to be quite weak compared to 5050 and 8080. I really can't commend much about Lumix. Really have no knowledge. But judging from the photo put up, it is bright and clear but seem to lack depth of field making the image very digital or flat looking. I may be wrong.

 

[unseen]

This image is from tchuanye

As you can see, in similar comparison, the lumix camera is STILL sharper...

 

[unseen]

seriously.. it's not about the DOF.. I'm talking about the main subject.. The two examples of the photos shown are very soft.. I'm not blindly defending Lumix here.. For many people it's sharp enough, but once you've seen enough Lumix photos, or used enough very sharp dSLR lenses, you will be very sensitive to even a lil bit of softness..