Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ20

nilagin · 29-12-2005, 23:25

Hi I'm new to the forum and a novice as far as photography goes. I have a passion for motorsport and used to use a couple of compact 35mm cameras with zooms up to 120mm to capture some fairly reasonable shots. In recent years I have progressed onto digital cameras, but in the early days struggled in the time lag before the picture would be taken resulting in an empty track. My latest camera is a Nikon Coolpix 5200 and with it's continuous shooting mode my results have improved. But the 3x zoom lens is not enough for some tracks so I was thinking about getting a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ5 with a 12 x zoom which in 35mm camera terms is equivalent to 432mm. Jessops currently have the DMC FZ20 in their sale at £200. Is this camera user friendly and easy to use and will it give me the results I require. My avatoir was taken with the Nikon and has been cropped slightly to bring the cars in a little closer, with the Panasonic I'd get the closeness I require. But I've read a few reviews on google that were in favour of the camera but others were not. But a magazine I bought earlier in the year when looking at the FZ5 gave the FZ20 a 91% rating. But there were concerns about noise. What is this "noise".
Sorry for the lengthy post but any advice would be very much appreciated.
Thanks, nilagin.

MyPix · 29-12-2005, 23:33

Hi and welcome,

first of all , noise is like grain on film, the sensor gets a bit bitty with the detail , this is the simplest way i know how to explain it,but to be honest , for a starter camera it wont bother you too much,

if you want it exclusivly for motorsport i would go for a camera with minimal shutter lag, however i am not upto date with such models,

i do know the Lumix uses Leica optics, that speaks for its self with regard to quality, and for the money you wont beat it at the moment,
however i would imaging the camera will be discontinued very soon, and its new model time in about 8 weeks ,

someone else might have better info on the Lumix

MyPix

ps, always buy the best you can with your money at any one time, it WILL reward you with quality and features

digitalfailure · 29-12-2005, 23:48

Hi

I found a review of it here for you

they also had a full indepth review of the FZ30, which adds a few extras, RAW on it's own is worth the step up i think, you'll save a great deal more shots with it.

From what I read about it, the noise was only an issue in low(ish) light, probably not much of a problem on the side of a track. There are software packages which will help with image noise too, but you need to ask yourself how much time you want to spend post processing the images.

CT · 29-12-2005, 23:59

This is noise...

Showing the result after using noise reduction software.

mfwild13 · 30-12-2005, 00:22

Got to be great value at that price but I believe they have sold them all now - my dad tried to buy one yesterday. Maybe you can get lucky and find one in a store.

More reviews
DCRESOURCE
STEVES DIGICAMS
PCPHOTOREVIEW
IMAGING RESOURCE
DPREVIEW

Joe T · 30-12-2005, 00:45

FZ20 is a great camera, but they are hard to get at the £200 price now.

As I said in my reply to your thread in the welcome section, I had an FZ20 and used it a lot for motorsport. If you want samples, please ask.

And noise is the digital equivalent to film grain. And yes, the FZ20 like a lot of bridge cameras does suffer from it.

nilagin · 30-12-2005, 08:58

Hi Joe,
thanks for your reply to my posts. I'd be interested to see samples of your motorsport photos from this camera. How easy is this camera to use for this. Is there a lot of set up needed to use the camera for this or is it just a case of selecting sport mode and continuous shoot like I do with my Nikon. Having had automatic focus cameras in the past be it 35mm film or digital shutter speed etc. is all a bit much for me at the moment. I have a couple of Jessops stores near me and both have the camera on display but I'm unsure how long the sale will last so if the camera will suit my needs (cost ease of use and performance) I may need to act fast so as not to miss out.
Neil

***Dave*** · 30-12-2005, 09:09

Firstly Hi.

Although compacts have come a long way & in a majority of cases take shots as good as DSLR's for most (not I said most not all

), when you get down to dedicated use such as sport then Digital SLR's have the advantage. Have you considered a S/H Canon 300D or similar. Would others say a Sigma 70-300mm APO is comaparable to the top end compact lenses ? These are under £119 new from here

nilagin · 30-12-2005, 09:38

Hi Dave,
I realise that an SLR with a suitable lens would be better for me but to be honest I don't really have the cash spare to consider one of these. My photography of motorsport is purely a hobby, although I have managed to sell a few of my old 90's BTCC photo's on ebay. It is more a case of photo's for memories. My two sons (8 & 14) use my other cameras too, so it would not really be a case of part exchange any of my other cameras. I like the idea of the large zoom lengths available on the Panasonics DMC 5 or 20. I was seriously considering the FZ5 but waiting for the price to come down a bit more but if I can get a FZ20 for £200, I need to know is this camera just as good and give me good photos' without too much messing around. I have a Fuji Finepix with 3MP resolution and 6 x zoom but no continuous shooting so it is difficult ( for me anyway) to get a good shot of a car without it having disappeared from view due to lag. Also the 6x zoom is still not enough for some tracks where a good clear vantage point is too far from the cars.

***Dave*** · 30-12-2005, 09:55

You could always sell your soul

Fair point re budget. Did some of the Minolta Z3/5's have 10x optical ?

Sparky · 30-12-2005, 10:01

FZ30 seems to have been the FZ20's replacement according to this review.

HERE

Joe T · 30-12-2005, 10:56

Hi mate,

The following galleries were all taken with the FZ20:
http://www.diesel-power.org.uk/album...Nationals2005/
http://www.diesel-power.org.uk/album/silverstone050805/
http://www.diesel-power.org.uk/album/RotorstockII/

Hope this helps. Any questions, please ask.

nilagin · 30-12-2005, 11:17

Great action shots Joe, that is the sort of thing I'm after. How easy is it to take photos like that with the camera is there much set up needed or just select the continuous/sport mode and click away.

Joe T · 30-12-2005, 11:24

The camera does not have continuous AF. Instead you have to prefocus the camera on the spot where the car is due to pass. This is easier said than done, as the point where it will pass will be tarmac, which the AF doesnt pick up well due to a lack of any detail in the surface.

Does that make sense?

nilagin · 30-12-2005, 11:32

Would I not be able to take a series of photos as a car comes towards me and pan round as it goes past and away from me. I took a series of photos at Goodwood Festival of speed this year of a Focus WRC heading up the hill and then performing a handbrake turn onto the grass and then back onto the hill again with my Nikon. The photo's came out well but I would have preferred them to have been closer. I know panning is a case of practice makes perfect but if I can take a series of photos it also gives you a chance of catching the unexpected especially in motorsport.

Joe T · 30-12-2005, 11:54

I found the FZ20 is not particularly good for a series of shots. IIRC you can only take one at a time, and you have to wait for it to write the image to the card before you can take another.