in the market for a camera for the wife.. and would like a good zoom and a decent picture taker.. anyone have one of these that can give first hand knowledge? or there another one similar in price that would be better?
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anyone have a panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20?
- Thread starter lepper boy
- Start date
kranky
Elite Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 21,019
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I've had mine for about a six weeks. First "quality" digicam I've owned.
It's really an awesome camera, but you have to put a little effort into it. This isn't the camera for you if you only ever want to point and shoot, because it's too expensive if you aren't ever going to use the features. But if you want great photos and don't mind putting in some time to learn how to get the most out of it (and a good zoom is important to you), it can't be beat.
The image stabilization works great, the autofocus is fast, you can use manual focus if you want, and you can control every possible aspect of the pictures. The only thing I don't like about it is that if you are using flash indoors when it's quite dark, the LCD isn't really bright enough to see what the photo is going to be like. But there is a quirky workaround that solves that.
There are hundreds of messages on the Panasonic forum at dpreview.com that discuss the FZ20 and you could spend a week reading people's comments on the camera.
It's really an awesome camera, but you have to put a little effort into it. This isn't the camera for you if you only ever want to point and shoot, because it's too expensive if you aren't ever going to use the features. But if you want great photos and don't mind putting in some time to learn how to get the most out of it (and a good zoom is important to you), it can't be beat.
The image stabilization works great, the autofocus is fast, you can use manual focus if you want, and you can control every possible aspect of the pictures. The only thing I don't like about it is that if you are using flash indoors when it's quite dark, the LCD isn't really bright enough to see what the photo is going to be like. But there is a quirky workaround that solves that.
There are hundreds of messages on the Panasonic forum at dpreview.com that discuss the FZ20 and you could spend a week reading people's comments on the camera.
Same lens as the FZ1 right? Read the reviews on the FZ1 to get an idea if you dont find much on the FZ2. The zoom lens by itself makes it a great camera.
thanks for the info.. and i've been reading reviews and opinions until my head is spinning.. just trying to get a little more info about it....
And the zoom is a must have! as for the little bit it takes to get really good picutres that is pretty much true with any camera..
how does it do with noise with the flash? anything noticalbe? and what about low light pictures, what ISO do you use the most.. 80? 100? 200? 400??
thanks.
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And the zoom is a must have! as for the little bit it takes to get really good picutres that is pretty much true with any camera..
how does it do with noise with the flash? anything noticalbe? and what about low light pictures, what ISO do you use the most.. 80? 100? 200? 400??
thanks.
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I have an FZ1v2... but I've researched the FZ10. I understand the FZ20 is an upgrade from that.
From what I've gathered (mostly from dpreview.com-->forums-->panasonic talk) the FZ10 (and 20) are very VERY nice. The "downside" is that they are geared toward real photographers, have lots of manual controls, and takes some practice and commitment to get the most out of it.
From what I read, it is a top-notch camera with quality lens, quality and more quality.
I am extremely pleased with my FZ1 and wouldn't hesitate for a second on the FZ20. I opted for the FZ1 over the FZ10 solely because of price. (There was a posting a week or two ago in HotDeals for the FZ1 at around $180) The FZ1 has a few less manual controls than the FZ10 or FZ20, but still has enough to keep me busy for a long time. I love this camera!
The image stabilization is an absolute must. Low-light is not very good on the FZ1 -- so if that's important to you, try finding real reviews concerning low-light pics on the FZ20.
Bottom line: Panasonic/lumix has an excellent product line. For a serious camera, the FZ20 would be way up on the list of cams to consider. For a quick snap-shot here and there, the FZ20 is probably way overkill.
edit: jeez... I just read that it comes with a 16MB card... you'll be lucky to get 8 pics to fit on that.
Factor in a new 256mb or greater SD card. Luckily prices on these are dropping like a rock.
From what I've gathered (mostly from dpreview.com-->forums-->panasonic talk) the FZ10 (and 20) are very VERY nice. The "downside" is that they are geared toward real photographers, have lots of manual controls, and takes some practice and commitment to get the most out of it.
From what I read, it is a top-notch camera with quality lens, quality and more quality.
I am extremely pleased with my FZ1 and wouldn't hesitate for a second on the FZ20. I opted for the FZ1 over the FZ10 solely because of price. (There was a posting a week or two ago in HotDeals for the FZ1 at around $180) The FZ1 has a few less manual controls than the FZ10 or FZ20, but still has enough to keep me busy for a long time. I love this camera!
The image stabilization is an absolute must. Low-light is not very good on the FZ1 -- so if that's important to you, try finding real reviews concerning low-light pics on the FZ20.
Bottom line: Panasonic/lumix has an excellent product line. For a serious camera, the FZ20 would be way up on the list of cams to consider. For a quick snap-shot here and there, the FZ20 is probably way overkill.
edit: jeez... I just read that it comes with a 16MB card... you'll be lucky to get 8 pics to fit on that.
Factor in a new 256mb or greater SD card. Luckily prices on these are dropping like a rock.
thanks again for everyone replying.. I am not familiar with the digital camera that panasonic makes but it is sounding like it is a good thing.. and for under 500. I think it's a fairly decent price out there.. but of course factor in extra battery.. atLEAST 256 mem.. more like 512.. and the price will be up a little higher..
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kranky
Elite Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 21,019
- 156
- 106
The built-in flash works fine but isn't powerful enough for serious flash work. I got an external flash with bounce/zoom and use that on a cheap flash bracket (putting it on the hot shoe makes the camera too top-heavy).
I have never messed with the ISO settings. IIRC, using a flash automatically sets the ISO to 100 for some reason. I'm still learning the finer points of using it.
Aquaman like both the FZ3 & FZ20......... Aquaman is leaning towords the 3 because Aquaman will use it as a travel camera.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Cheers,
Aquaman
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