Have FZ20 - which DLSR to buy instead ?

Hi.

I have FZ20 and FL28. I have thought about change to DSLR. Of course it’s difficult to see which DSLR I should buy. It’s my problem, I know that. But one of the biggest problem when buying something like that, is the lens.

We have a good LEICA-lens, so if I want a lens with the range about 30-200 mm (digital range), which do you think is the best, compared to our LEICA, when we speak about sharpness and brightness/aperture.

Who want a good camera body with a bad lens?

I have thought about Canon 300D or Nikon D70 - but ….?

Any suggestions?

Micra

You're asking questions which will gather responses as to quickly reach the posting limit for a single thread!

Try asking this the Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Fuji forums ;-)

When picking a DSLR you not only have the body to evaluate but lens systems as well ... he-he-he, good luck. That's tough one.

I chose Canon because at the time the 10D had superior price/performance hands-down IMO, and I knew IS capability was a "must have" for types of shooting I normally do, Canon has had IS for a long time right down to their mid-priced affordable lenses, not just their high priced models (i.e. Nikon VR lenses), FINALLY others are coming around to offering IS, either in lenses or the camera body.

micra said:

Hi.

I have FZ20 and FL28. I have thought about change to DSLR. Of
course it’s difficult to see which DSLR I should buy. It’s my
problem, I know that. But one of the biggest problem when buying
something like that, is the lens.

We have a good LEICA-lens, so if I want a lens with the range about
30-200 mm (digital range), which do you think is the best, compared
to our LEICA, when we speak about sharpness and brightness/aperture.

Who want a good camera body with a bad lens?

I have thought about Canon 300D or Nikon D70 - but ….?

Any suggestions?

Micra

Click to expand...

micra said:

Hi.
I have FZ20 and FL28. I have thought about change to DSLR. Of
course it’s difficult to see which DSLR I should buy. ............
Any suggestions?
Micra

Click to expand...

Hello - I have been looking at the price - quality options of going DSLR, and have decided that when I have the $s, I will get the new Olympus E300/Evolt. The standard lenses made for it are highly rated, and other costlier specialty lenses are available, as is a adapter which permits the use of standard 35mm OM1, etc. lenses. Image Stabilization is the only thing lacking in my opinion. I guess that's what tripods are made for. Have a read on te Olympus forum for opinions.
--
Tom

Nikon D70 with 18-70 nikon kit lens, and you will need 3 good lenses to cover 18-300 properly. a 28-300 zoom on a DSLRwill dissapoint.

micra said:

Hi.

I have FZ20 and FL28. I have thought about change to DSLR. Of
course it’s difficult to see which DSLR I should buy. It’s my
problem, I know that. But one of the biggest problem when buying
something like that, is the lens.

We have a good LEICA-lens, so if I want a lens with the range about
30-200 mm (digital range), which do you think is the best, compared
to our LEICA, when we speak about sharpness and brightness/aperture.

Who want a good camera body with a bad lens?

I have thought about Canon 300D or Nikon D70 - but ….?

Any suggestions?

Micra

Click to expand...

Wally OZ said:

Nikon D70 with 18-70 nikon kit lens, and you will need 3 good
lenses to cover 18-300 properly. a 28-300 zoom on a DSLRwill
dissapoint.

Click to expand...

Two would suffice: 18-70 and a good 70-300.

CK

and move to the DSLR field with all it's cost and problems and explain your NEED for such a beastie anybody making suggestions is largely guessing.

Do you plan to do press work, extreme macro,long lens wildlife etc etc
on a commercial basis ... or non-commercial.

Just duplicating the FZ20 is expensive, unsatisfactory, and pointless. But of course some people think owning a DSLR is the cats whiskers, some others know better.

micra said:

Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

Nope. Post the question in the "Open Talk Forum".
Regards
Karl
Karl H. Timmerman M.A.J.D.
http://www.karltimmerman.com
http://www.karltimmerman.com/ramblings.html
'The best part of taking the moral highground ...... is the view'.

I made the move from FZ2 to FZ15 to Oly E-1. Though the FZ2 was a fabulous camera for me, the FZ15 was only a measure to prolong the DSLR purchase. That only lasted 2 months and I found a killer deal on the E-1 with 14-54 kit. Recently purchased an FZ3 for my sister, and though a heck of a good value, I'll never go back to digicam. I'm 100% satisfied with the performance and ability to get the shot I want every time. Go for it!

My take is that the E-1 and E-300 beat out the D70 and kill the rebel. The E-1 was definatly the right decision for me, it's perfect in almost every way for my style of shooting and it nails the results I always knew were achieveable. No more delay guesswork, accurate fast AF, optical viewfinder and I really like the Oly lens lineup (though pricy).

Lack of IS hasn't been an issue for me. Two lenses, the Zuiko 14-54mm and Sigma 55-200mm cover 28-400mm in 35mm terms. I will upgrade the Sigma to a Zuiko 50-200mm, extension tube, and 1.4x converter eventually. That's 28-560mm in 35mm terms. The 50-200mm + extension tube is a teriffic macro combo or the Zuiko 50mm f2 Macro is also superb. All these options (Zuiko lenses) are weather sealed and built to last for pro use. The represent a terrific value compared with a Canon 20D + L glass. I researched and shopped for over a year for a DSLR, and I know it was the right move for me.

You can get a D70 + Nikkors, but even an E1 with the lenses I have would be less expensive (not to mention no worries about dust on the sensor, water or dust on the camera + lens, WB inaccuracy, longevity...).

If I were in your shoes, with a limited budget, I'd wait until PMA in February, then if nothing convincing shows up, go E-300 body + Sigma 18-125mm DC lens. Great value. Or an E-1 with 14-54mm. Also a great value at same price point as the D70. You'll be pleased. The digital Zuikos are pro lenses and their eqivilents in Canon or Nikon are larger and much more expensive. Now that I've purchased into the E-system, I realize the limited number of lenses are a moot point when the ones available are all that I need. Sure, it would be nice to have a Leica 28-460mm f2.8 for my E-1, but the cost would 10 grand + and the size prohibitive.

Good luck,
Seth

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

DSLR is much better for me than prosumer because of AF performance, no shutter lag of any kind, large sensor resolution, higher ISO without noise, accurate optical viewfinder rather than inferior EVF, precise WB control, weather proof build... if these areas are priorities for you then it dosn't matter what type of work you are doing. This was a major upgrade, and I will never go back. I don't miss live preview or OIS either. I get better results every time when I use the equipment that fits me.

Glad the prosumer fits you jcuknz, but I couldn't agree less that my DSLR is duplicating the FZ-15. It's light years ahead for my work. The E-1 plus 28-400mm lenses (14-54 and 55-200) fit in the same hip pack that I used for my FZ-15. Lowepro Sideline Shooter, not the largest bag see. Have you owned a DSLR? Mine is the cat's wiskers.

jcuknz said:

and move to the DSLR field with all it's cost and problems and
explain your NEED for such a beastie anybody making suggestions is
largely guessing.

Do you plan to do press work, extreme macro,long lens wildlife etc etc
on a commercial basis ... or non-commercial.

Just duplicating the FZ20 is expensive, unsatisfactory, and
pointless. But of course some people think owning a DSLR is the
cats whiskers, some others know better.

Click to expand...

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

That would be a good place to post the question also... unless you were specifically looking for the perspective of those that have upgraded from the FZ line to a DSLR.

Cheers, Seth

Karl H. Timmerman M.A.J.D. said:

micra said:

Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

Nope. Post the question in the "Open Talk Forum".
Regards
Karl
Karl H. Timmerman M.A.J.D.
http://www.karltimmerman.com
http://www.karltimmerman.com/ramblings.html
'The best part of taking the moral highground ...... is the view'.

Click to expand...

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

It is not my idea of fun to lug around pounds of gear. If I made my living doing it, it would be another matter.

The oly E300 does catch my eye in regards to the sensible size and weight. I'm not "there" yet and I think we will be astounded in the next couple of years with the cameras that will come out.

I'm very happy with what I have right now.

--
Olympus C8080WZ, Panasonic FZ1K, FZ10K,FZ15K, Qimage, PSP 8.1 and four cats
http://www.pbase.com/ramblin_mo/galleries

Depends on what you intend to shoot. Generally:

Nikon advantages:

• better for wide angle
• D70 body is a bargain, good features
• Nikons tend to have higher flash sync speed
• Stabilised lenses available (VR)
• can upload custom curves to tweak contrast on the camera

Canon advantages:

• better for telephoto
• better ISO performance
• 300D is quite a bit cheaper than D70 (but a bit crippled)
• Stabilised lenses available (IS)
• full frame sensor (1Ds, 1Ds2) bodies available

Olympus:

• smaller, lighter body and lenses
• better thought out lens zoom ranges
• there's a function to auto clean the sensor

For the lenses, I'm not sure about Nikon and Oly, as I don't own one. For Canon, you can either get:

1. Tokina 24-200 (38-320 equiv) - very good for a hyper zoom

2. a set of primes if you need speed - Sigma 20mm f1.8, Canon 35mm f2 etc.. of course, there are better lenses available, these are the sensible ones. It all depends on how much you want to pay

3. Canon 17-40 F4L (28-62 equiv) + 50mm f1.8 + 70-200 F4L - really a killer combination when it comes to image quality

As you can change the lenses and mix and match, the combinations are endless.

micra said:

Hi.

I have FZ20 and FL28. I have thought about change to DSLR. Of
course it’s difficult to see which DSLR I should buy. It’s my
problem, I know that. But one of the biggest problem when buying
something like that, is the lens.

We have a good LEICA-lens, so if I want a lens with the range about
30-200 mm (digital range), which do you think is the best, compared
to our LEICA, when we speak about sharpness and brightness/aperture.

Who want a good camera body with a bad lens?

I have thought about Canon 300D or Nikon D70 - but ….?

Any suggestions?

Micra

Click to expand...

--
View my photo library at:
http://www.vizero.com/php/photographer.php?id=1

I sold my FZ20 nd purchased a Pentax *ist DS very recently and so far I couldn't be happier, ATM I am just using the Sigma 18-125 (28-187) as my general walk around lens and I am happy with it, I also purchased a rather more expensive Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG Macro lens and am loving that also.

I bought Pentax over the others (Nikon, 300d) as it is much smaller than the Nikon, I have a Pentax Film SLR also, I hate the plastic feel of the Canon, Its priced abouot the same as the Canon 300d and is a better featured camera IMHO, the Nikon in Australia costs much more!

My Sigma 18-125 (28-187) kit lens that I got with my *ist DS is pretty good from my limited tests so far, haven't decided what lens I will get to cover 200-300mm, I am not in any rush, the 28-190 range covered 99% of the shots I was happy with from when I had my FZ20 anyway, and I have my long lost wide angle

Wally OZ said:

micra said:

Hi.

I have FZ20 and FL28. I have thought about change to DSLR. Of
course it’s difficult to see which DSLR I should buy. It’s my
problem, I know that. But one of the biggest problem when buying
something like that, is the lens.

We have a good LEICA-lens, so if I want a lens with the range about
30-200 mm (digital range), which do you think is the best, compared
to our LEICA, when we speak about sharpness and brightness/aperture.

Who want a good camera body with a bad lens?

I have thought about Canon 300D or Nikon D70 - but ….?

Any suggestions?

Micra

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Agreed, I am using the same bag as I did for my FZ20 as for my *ist DS (Lowero Nova 2) and the camera isn't a whole lot bigger than the FZ20 at all...

I also agree that I am not trying to duplicate the FZ20, if I wanted to do that I wold still have the FZ20... LOL

SirSeth said:

Glad the prosumer fits you jcuknz, but I couldn't agree less that
my DSLR is duplicating the FZ-15. It's light years ahead for my
work. The E-1 plus 28-400mm lenses (14-54 and 55-200) fit in the
same hip pack that I used for my FZ-15. Lowepro Sideline Shooter,
not the largest bag see. Have you owned a DSLR? Mine is the cat's
wiskers.

jcuknz said:

and move to the DSLR field with all it's cost and problems and
explain your NEED for such a beastie anybody making suggestions is
largely guessing.

Do you plan to do press work, extreme macro,long lens wildlife etc etc
on a commercial basis ... or non-commercial.

Just duplicating the FZ20 is expensive, unsatisfactory, and
pointless. But of course some people think owning a DSLR is the
cats whiskers, some others know better.

Click to expand...

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

Click to expand...

Hi everybody.

Thanks for your replies, but I think you misunderstand me a little bit.

I just want some opinions about the LEICA-lens on FZ20 and a same quality lens on a DSLR camera, when talking about sharpness, brightness, lens distortion and the range about 30-200 mm (in digital range).

Maybe without any IS at all I think, I really don’t know.

I’m not trying to compare FZ20 with a DSLR. But I will not buy a good camera body, and a low quality lens. If I do so, I get better result with FZ20. Therefore the people to ask, are you, which have or have had FZ10/15/20 and changes to DSLR.

Micra

Joele said:

I also agree that I am not trying to duplicate the FZ20, if I
wanted to do that I wold still have the FZ20... LOL

SirSeth said:

Glad the prosumer fits you jcuknz, but I couldn't agree less that
my DSLR is duplicating the FZ-15. It's light years ahead for my
work. The E-1 plus 28-400mm lenses (14-54 and 55-200) fit in the
same hip pack that I used for my FZ-15. Lowepro Sideline Shooter,
not the largest bag see. Have you owned a DSLR? Mine is the cat's
wiskers.

jcuknz said:

and move to the DSLR field with all it's cost and problems and
explain your NEED for such a beastie anybody making suggestions is
largely guessing.

Do you plan to do press work, extreme macro,long lens wildlife etc etc
on a commercial basis ... or non-commercial.

Just duplicating the FZ20 is expensive, unsatisfactory, and
pointless. But of course some people think owning a DSLR is the
cats whiskers, some others know better.

Click to expand...

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

hi, I have the ds as well and some of the older lenses can be picked up very cheap on ebay with excellent results. Gotta love pentax compatabillity. steve

Joele said:

I sold my FZ20 nd purchased a Pentax *ist DS very recently and so
far I couldn't be happier, ATM I am just using the Sigma 18-125
(28-187) as my general walk around lens and I am happy with it, I
also purchased a rather more expensive Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG Macro
lens and am loving that also.

I bought Pentax over the others (Nikon, 300d) as it is much smaller
than the Nikon, I have a Pentax Film SLR also, I hate the plastic
feel of the Canon, Its priced abouot the same as the Canon 300d and
is a better featured camera IMHO, the Nikon in Australia costs much
more!

Click to expand...

micra said:

I just want some opinions about the LEICA-lens on FZ20 and a same
quality lens on a DSLR camera, when talking about sharpness,
brightness, lens distortion and the range about 30-200 mm (in
digital range).

Click to expand...

If you want the Leica moniker on the lenses of a digital SLR you could buy a Canon body with, say, a kit lens, then get an adapter for Leica R lenses. No AF, of course, and only stopped-down metering, I think, but you'd have the Leica quality.

As far as the quality of the FZ20 lens is concerned, well, it's rather good, but for an SLR you can always get better lenses - at a cost. For example, a Sigma f2.8 70 - 200 EX will just plain trounce the FZ lens, even if it does not have the same reach. Price new: more than an FZ20.

I don't know about the shorter end zooms, but for soime reason I'm a bit wary about the quality of these 28 - 200 mm range super zoom lenses. I'm also not sure whether they are available at f 2.8, which would be of importance to me, given the relative lack of light here for much of the year.

Cheers,

-Topi Kuusinen, Finland

Camera of the Year.
Nikon D70
Custom Curves and White Balance control.
Excellent flash in the SB800. Very hard to beat. Even kills the D100
Check out some shots here.

http://www.members.kconline.com/bsalyer/baseballgallery1/baseballgallery.html

http://www.members.kconline.com/bsalyer/weddinggallery/weddinggallery.html

http://www.members.kconline.com/bsalyer/civilwargallery/index.html

Enjoy.

Canon is good but I do not care for the tannish skin tones and lack luster white balance. (Just my opionion and nothing more).
Not sure about Olympus, but would love to shoot with one.
Regards
Brian

micra said:

Hi.

I have FZ20 and FL28. I have thought about change to DSLR. Of
course it’s difficult to see which DSLR I should buy. It’s my
problem, I know that. But one of the biggest problem when buying
something like that, is the lens.

We have a good LEICA-lens, so if I want a lens with the range about
30-200 mm (digital range), which do you think is the best, compared
to our LEICA, when we speak about sharpness and brightness/aperture.

Who want a good camera body with a bad lens?

I have thought about Canon 300D or Nikon D70 - but ….?

Any suggestions?

Micra

Click to expand...

Definately not as big a player as Nikon and Canon. I've shot with Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta, and Oly. Love my E-1 and think there are some advantages, as there are with every system. Finding the right one for you will really come down to trying them out.

Is there a store near by?

Seth

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?