Top view FZ30 & FZ20 comparison

BingV · Jul 9, 2005

Don't mean to hijack the original thread (first pic of FZ30! by ltcdata), but it grows to 150 posts just in 2 days !!

Did some quick&dirty PS work on news paper picture scanned by ltcdata. Credit goes to him and thank you !

Ok, have to admit that is not a precision work, only used the flash hot shoe as the base for scaling the FZ20 pic. (FZ20 pic courtesy of dpreview.com)

One thing for sure, it is longer !

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/6808/comparisonfz30fz208ta.jpg

ltcdata · Jul 9, 2005

yeah.

it seems that because of the manual zoom, maybe all the zooming mechanism is internal, with no need to extend the lens on startup.
Imagine, turning it on and the lens zoom position is right where you left it.
(maybe a FASTER startup time?).
That would be good.

Ching-Kuang Shene · Jul 9, 2005

Thanks for this work. The FZ20 appears to have a small wheel, the third stuffs below two "buttons", for aperture/shutter speed (or something else) selection. If I am right (I hope I am right), the FZ-30 is a 2-wheel camera, which means many operations could be carried out in one key press. The second button seems to be a continue shooting mode selector. I hope the top one is a + - exposure compensation button. In this way, the FZ-30 is closer to a tried and approved (by users) SLR operating style.

The opening of the lens barrel appears to have a protective ring. Remove it to mount lens hood or lens converters. This was not very clear in the previously posted smaller image. I was hoping it is threaded; however, now I have a reasonable doubt because petal lens hoods usually do not use screw mount. Most camera makers use bayonet mount. This also means the lens may extend as shown by the photo of DMW-LW55, which has long barrel.

CK

ejmartin · Jul 9, 2005

ltcdata, in your recent post of the newspaper ad, you didn't post
a closeup of the back of the camera; would you be so kind as to
put one up of that also?
--
emil
-- It's all about the photons.

http://theory.uchicago.edu/~ejm/pix/fz20/bird_galleries_2005/

rob62 · Jul 9, 2005

hi

i also would like to see a close up of the back

cheers

rob - syd - australia

new fz20 owner

ejmartin · Jul 10, 2005

Ching-Kuang Shene said:
Thanks for this work. The FZ20 appears to have a small wheel, the
third stuffs below two "buttons", for aperture/shutter speed (or
something else) selection. If I am right (I hope I am right), the
FZ-30 is a 2-wheel camera, which means many operations could be
carried out in one key press. The second button seems to be a
continue shooting mode selector. I hope the top one is a + -
exposure compensation button. In this way, the FZ-30 is closer to
a tried and approved (by users) SLR operating style.

Cleaning up the scan image a little, it looks to me as though the first
small button below the shutter release is for OIS, the second one
is for burst mode. This is how they are arranged on the FZ5.
Have no idea what the little feature is below that...

Member said:
This also means the lens may extend as shown by the
photo of DMW-LW55, which has long barrel.

CK

That would be unfortunate.

--
emil
-- It's all about the photons.

http://theory.uchicago.edu/~ejm/pix/fz20/bird_galleries_2005/

Gary DeMulder · Jul 10, 2005

Looks promosing but one thing looks for certain : still no TTL-flash. This feature would make the camera almost perfect.

Ching-Kuang Shene · Jul 10, 2005

ejmartin said:
Cleaning up the scan image a little, it looks to me as though the
first small button below the shutter release is for OIS,

I really don't like the OIS switch being there. Turning on/off OIS is not very often. Placing that secondary switch there seems to be wasting a important space for a not so frequently used feature. It would be perfect if this switch goes to the lens side of the lens barrel like those SLR IS/VR lenses do.

ejmartin said:
Have no idea what the little feature is below that...

It looks ridged (from reflection), and more and more like a small wheel, maybe for exposure compensation or other analog (not on/off) functions.

CK

EtherialOne · Jul 10, 2005

Perhaps it is for EV or accomplishes what the exposure button on the back of the FZ20 does? Milan.

demarren123456 · Jul 10, 2005

Indeed its not on the FZ5
thad will be somtinge new I think.

Cleaning up the scan image a little, it looks to me as though the first
small button below the shutter release is for OIS, the second one
is for burst mode. This is how they are arranged on the FZ5.
Have no idea what the little feature is below that...
--
If you need an camera,Just go out and buy one.
Demarren
FZ5 User

w3 · Jul 10, 2005

.... for a bigger sensor and probably for more Mega Pixels ....

Now how about Panasonic working in the other direction - shrinking the FZ5 into the body like the new LZ2 or even smaller? Obviously Panasonic has to reduce the Zoom somewhat (from 12X to 6X just like the LZ2) to achieve the size reduction. But it should maintain the other FZ5 features - a new LZ2 with Leica lens, Li-ion battery and charger, cleaner sensor (lower noise), Shutter and Aperture priority .... that would be great!

If the only digicam is a bulky one, and I don't feel like carrying a bulky digicam as I don't most of the time, then I end up with no picture, which is much worse than at least taking some pictures with a lousy little digicam. But of course, I want more than just some mediocre pictures from a lousy little digicam.

My FZ5, which is the "biggest" digicam that I can tolerate, that I reluctantly carry sometimes. Wish the FZ5 could be smaller with less Zoom as trade-off.

Marco_Spada · Jul 10, 2005

BingV said:
Don't mean to hijack the original thread (first pic of FZ30! by
ltcdata), but it grows to 150 posts just in 2 days !!

Did some quick&dirty PS work on news paper picture scanned by
ltcdata. Credit goes to him and thank you !

Ok, have to admit that is not a precision work, only used the flash
hot shoe as the base for scaling the FZ20 pic. (FZ20 pic courtesy
of dpreview.com)

It seems to be really the incoming Reflex 4/3 Panasonic-Olympus !?!?!

The central position of viewfinder ( pentamirror?) and the bigger dimension of the lens with manual rings are specific caratheristics of digital reflex.

Erasmus41 · Jul 10, 2005

How did you scale the images? If you use the mode wheel as a guide, then the FZ30 is actually a little smaller than shown, at least to my eyes. The mode wheel has the same settings, so it's a reasonable assumption that it is the same wheel.

fransamsterdam · Jul 10, 2005

Flash hot shoe was based for scaling.

rustedborg · Jul 10, 2005

ejmartin said:
Cleaning up the scan image a little, it looks to me as though the
first
small button below the shutter release is for OIS, the second one
is for burst mode. This is how they are arranged on the FZ5.
Have no idea what the little feature is below that...

Looks like the On/Off switch for camera power. It's hard to be sure but it looks like Panasonic just moved the On/Off switch from the back of the camera to the top.

ejmartin said:

straylightrun · Jul 10, 2005

To me it looks very much like a thumb wheel. But it is still very hard to make out just by judging on the seemingly only available pictures of the fz30 in the entire world

ejmartin · Jul 10, 2005

rustedborg said:
ejmartin said:

Cleaning up the scan image a little, it looks to me as though the
first
small button below the shutter release is for OIS, the second one
is for burst mode. This is how they are arranged on the FZ5.
Have no idea what the little feature is below that...

Click to expand...

Looks like the On/Off switch for camera power. It's hard to be sure
but it looks like Panasonic just moved the On/Off switch from the
back of the camera to the top.

Ack! I can just see myself trying to change the burst mode
and switching the camera off by mistake...

--
emil
-- It's all about the photons.

http://theory.uchicago.edu/~ejm/pix/fz20/bird_galleries_2005/

rustedborg · Jul 10, 2005

ejmartin said:
Ack! I can just see myself trying to change the burst mode
and switching the camera off by mistake...

If (and that's a big "IF" since this photo is hard to make out) that is the ON/OFF switch moved to the top plate of the camera, it is a switch that moves from left to right and the OIS and burst mode buttons are push buttons ... so you shouldn't turn the camera off by mistake too easily.

It would still be better than the cameras I have with the on/off switch wrapped around the shutter button. I'm finally used to it, but from time to time I still accidentally turn off some of my digital cameras when I'm pressing the shutter button to take a picture! I want to stab the idiot who came up with the idea to wrap on/off switches around shutter buttons!!!

BingV · Jul 10, 2005

Marco_Spada said:
Marco_Spada wrote:

It seems to be really the incoming Reflex 4/3 Panasonic-Olympus !?!?!
The central position of viewfinder ( pentamirror?) and the bigger
dimension of the lens with manual rings are specific caratheristics
of digital reflex.

What or where I can find the definition of the digital reflex characteristic ?

Looking the comparison pic, make me draw few conclusions or should I say "safe" speculations for the FZ30 :

Longer body, but not that significant though.
Buiilt in flash location is now in better position and possibly higher power, look at the volume it occupied compared to FZ20
Still no TTL at flash hot shoe

Two manual rings for focus (inner) and zoom(outer ring)
Current FZ20 adapter tubes / lens converter is now obsolete, look so obvious from the different protective ring size. Step-up or step-down rings shopping frenzy ?
Hardest part is for the expensive LTZ10 zoom lens owner, will need some 3rd adapter (vignet problem ?) or Panasonic will release another new zoom lens and adapter for it. Pheww....... thanks ltcdata ! I was almost purchase it 3 weeks ago, dunno why I got feeling to delay it.
Price range, I believe Panasonic don't want to stand in the position directly to compete (or suicide?) with low end DLSR such as Nikon D50 or Canon Rebel XT at $899 range, must below that ! At $699 or $649 ? or $799 ? dunno.. but still sound reasonable from marketing point of view. (still not cheap for me though !)
Smaller lens barrel compared to FZ20, new generation or faster zoom motor ? or.. slower ? (which is unlikely looking at the FZ familiy history)

Now come to the most important part (for me) which is noise at higher ISO, if it is reasonable or useable at level 200, it is enough....again "only for me" to justify for an upgrade to FZ30.

Seems like no noise at ISO 400 or above is sound a bit too much or too demanding for the consu.......hmm...errr...... pro-"sumer" grade digicam. ;-)

Comments are wellcome.

ejmartin · Jul 10, 2005

rustedborg said:
If (and that's a big "IF" since this photo is hard to make out)
that is the ON/OFF switch moved to the top plate of the camera,

You can see its profile peeking over the shoulder of the large front view,
it does look like the usual slider on/off switch on the FZ's
rather than a knurled wheel:

--
emil
-- It's all about the photons.

http://theory.uchicago.edu/~ejm/pix/fz20/bird_galleries_2005/

Top view FZ30 & FZ20 comparison

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