FZ200: Any Regrets?

I downsized from Nikon SLRs to Micro 4/3 cameras, of which I still have two, and several lenses for them. However, I've belatedly come to realize that I really dislike changing lenses, and so I find the FZ200 a real comfort. I keep talking to myself about selling off my m43 gear, but I'm finding it hard to do that, even though it stays at home 95% of the time.

Yes, images from the FZ200 are, compared to current SLRs, even mid-range ones, noisy. But whether that's a problem depends a whole lot on what you want to do. It's not for wedding photography. It's not for top-line landscapes for printing large for sale. Like most contrast detect AF cameras, it's not well-suited to sports photography. But it's still well-suited for a lot of other things, things that pretty well cover most of what I want to do.

Will it satisfy your wishes and needs,? Only you can tell. Like you, I dislike returning non-defective items, but I've done it twice, I believe, over the years, and I've survived the self-generated embarrassment. But be aware that some sellers have a limit on how many shutter clicks they'll tolerate under their return policy. If you are going to try before you finally buy, you'd do well to look into that aspect of policy. For example, B&H (my favorite seller in the whole known world), requires:

• Items with shutter counters must show less than 200 exposures.

I'm sure you know that an SLR with 24-600mm @ f:2.8, single lens or not, is going to set one back a goodly sum of money. I hope you find the FZ200 to your liking. It's a truly versatile tool.

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