Try before you buy! XS-1 over FZ200

Hi

For what it's worth, I went to the Ottawa camera show and finally got to see/touch/try the Fuji XS1 and others. The XS1 really does make the FZ200 feel like a Mattel version of a superzoom. I was really surprised. Had I handled an XS1 prior to the fz200 there would have been no question....and the xs1 was on sale for 519.00. I am aware of all the features and benefits of the Panasonic but I really wish I had tried the xs1 first....hmm Panasonic fz200 may see Kijiji soon.

My observation, only

Thanks

Tim

I'm not so sure I could make such a statement just by handling it in the store - it's almost like picking a Jeep because it's rugged when you really wanted a sports car. I think actual use and results carry more weight and it's a bit of a troll to recommend the XS-1 based on "feel".  Perhaps if the FZ200 build had let you down in some way you'd have a point, but I suspect it's still working fine, right?

Hi

Ya, fz200 works great and good results...not disappointed there, at all. But - and I AM NOT trolling here, the xs1 feels (I am a tactile type) like a camera and the fz200 feels "toy-like" to me. I can live with that I just wished I did "try before you buy".

Thanks. Tim

The lowest price I could find for the XS-1(in India) was 60% more than what I was getting for the FZ200 so I am glad that I never had the option to make this agonizing choice

Also, having used the d90 and 550d, apart from the lack of manual zoom/focus controls, the fz200 does fee very muchl like a dslr in my hands.

I think the fz200 is a great camera...that's why I bought one. I also think that it's lack of "heft" makes it feel cheapish (to me) but it is also a benefit too, eh?! Can't have it all....

Thanks

Tim

The light weight which makes you think it's "Feel" is bad, also accounts for the low mass that keeps it from getting hurt in minor falls & bashes.

When I got my first Panasonic camera - an FZ4, it got inadvertantly left on a wooden shelf in my van, with several Coleman fuel tanks, where they crashed and banged together for over 20 miles of boulder-strewn road to "The Racetrack" in Death Valley.

When I stopped at the "Racetrack" I saw where the camera had been and thought: "Well, that one is toast"

But it worked fine and continues to do so, although now it's also been to Europe & Antarctica.

From the FZ4, 6 months after touring the Antarctic Peninsula.

Still feels nice and light.

A camera is for photography, not some mysterious "feel", sheesh.

-Erik

--
'He who hesitates is not only lost - he's miles from the next Exit.'
www.flickr.com/ohlsonmh/ ohlsonmh@yahoo.com

OK - I guess the X-S1 may feel more substantial, but I think you will find that the FZ200 is not made of toy plastic but rather a carefully chosen material that will not only do well to protect your investment but is also designed to be a bit forgiving as well.  Part of that benefit is we have a camera with incredible capabilities in a small and light-weight package that costs less than bigger competitors.

If you had gone the other way, you might be posting about how your X-S1 has difficulty focusing at full zoom or has low-light difficulties or one of its other well-known deficiencies.

I remember seeing an FZ150 thread here that lauded it's durability and I suspect that the FZ200 is of a similar build and should perform well for you for years to come.  I'm hoping that some day you might be tempted to post about how well the FZ200 has served you - we'll still be here to comment on your very wise choice.

--
You learn something new every time you press the shutter

Hi

All very true points and I hope it will hold up well 'cause I am not the most careful type (and kinda klutzy, to boot!) so it will be tested. Although I feel the light weight of the camera detracts from the overall , yup, "feel" of the camera I do like the fact that I can lug it around all day and I can jam it into a pretty small case. That couldn't be done with the XS1 at all.

Thanks

Tim

I have come to appreciate the light weight of the FZ200 after lugging it around for almost a month during my vacation.

It does not "shake" inspite of its light weight.

Here is a snap shot of a tropical flower taken from a distance.

The camera had a "Wideband cirular PL(W)" filter on it at the time.

Kuta, Bali

Very nice!The light weight of the camera is my "like/dislike" feature of this camera.

Tim

The xs-1 is classic fuji rubbish, dog slow, too heavy, riddled with faults.

--
Kevin Coppalotti http://maxhr.zenfolio.com/

--
--Really there is a God...and He loves you..
FlickR Photostream:
www.flickr.com/photos/46756347@N08/
Mr Ichiro Kitao, I support the call to upgrade the FZ50.
I will not only buy one but two no questions asked...

I have an X10 which is anything but a lemon. Did you have a bad experience with the XS-1?

Thanks

Tim

How something 'feels in hand' is completely subjective and is purely a matter of training yourself what to expect.  The only criterion by which it is fair to judge a camera is the quality of the pictures it gives you.  If another camera yields you better results after you've invested a similar amount of time with it, then that's the better camera for you.  By all accounts, that is unlikely.

The FZ200's light weight means it comes with me on more outings and gets shots that would not have been possible with my dslr because it would have been sitting home, and no matter where it was sitting it would never have had a 600mm f2.8 lens stuck to it.  I couldn't sell it fast enough, frankly.

I agree. I don't have the xs1 but my initial impression was favorable and, owning the x10, I am sure the image quality would be great. My fz200 allowed me to dump a d90 and 2 or 3 lenses and i also don't miss it at all.
Tim

and you've only handled it at the show. If you're buying it at Henry's, you've got two weeks to get a true comparison based on many output factors, some of which may not matter for some as much.

..ya, I did. But I got impatient and got the fz200 and I am not sorry at all. Great results and a camera that gets a lot more use than my old dslr and lenses. No regrets at all.....a simple observation re. xs1 first impression is all.

Thanks

Tim

Switch-on speed, focus speed, lens f-stops/quality, low light performance, burst mode, EVF, ergonomics . . . .? and on and on . . . ?

What do you want, just a heavier camera?

I wish the FZ200 was lighter, I have no problem whatsoever taking steady shots with my FZ8, which weighs 360 grammes.

Mike

...said it felt better. Didn't say it was better. I am happy with the fz200 and I am sure I would be happy with the xs1, also. Both pretty impressive cameras I think.

Tim