I'm thisclose to buying an FZ7. What are the 'must have'
accessories I'll need to get?
1) Memory. I'm leaning towards getting two 133x 1GB cards.
Thoughts? Brand? Best site for a good deal?
While I have the Patriot Extreme, since it was the cheapest 60x+ card I could find over a year ago when $100 was the norm... I'd be comfortable in the cheap seats with any of these 60x+ choices & from this seller:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductCompare.asp?SrchInDesc=60x&Category=7&N=2010070068+1053107930+1053307940&Submit=ENE&Nty=1&SubCategory=68&CompareItemList=N82E16820233029%2CN82E16820161151%2CN82E16820163158%2CN82E16820141036%2CN82E16820211314%2CN82E16820233021%2CN82E16820227133%2CN82E16820241008%2CN82E16820183184%2CN82E16820227155
I would generally look for a lifetime warranty too... I didn't for this particular post so you'll have to check each of them out for that...
NewEgg is usually within a buck or two of the cheapest prices barring the odd special offers elsewhere with or without Rebates...
I've had no issues with my card over the past 1+year in my Fz30 but I don't use the card in anything else niether so it's not been subjected to differing file systems & formatting of other devices... Which I ignorantly attribute to card issues in my cameras more than anything associated with the brand name of cards themselves.. But I'm no puter whiz with previous paranoia's due to memory issues in the past but I do format every offload due to SM card issues i've had in the past with one of my old Olys... But generally I've read just as many problems here about the supposedly more compatable 'Big Name' brands as these cheaper lesser knowns so I don't see any reason to pay twice as much for those 'Big Names'.... I don't even have a spare other than the feeble 32mb original equipment card that came with the cam but I do plan on getting another soon & I'll probably go for the cheapest 60x+ card with a lifetime warranty NewEgg has at that time... You can have those $60 SanDisk Ultras or Extremes & those $90 panasonics that probably only come with 2yr warranty's... Most of these lesser knowns aren't as old as 'The Big Names' but they've been around a while & long enough for me to have enough faith they'll back up thier lifetime warranty... I know Patriiot has with no questions asked, even on cards that have been sent back working fine after one or two hicups that were fixed through formatting, or something like that...
2) Extra Battery. Are the 'cheap' ones just as good? Best place
to buy?
No but the slight differences aint worth the savings the cheap generics come for...
Many here have had good luck with the $20 BatteryBarn generics & that's a lot of savings too..For mine, last year, within a week of the fz30 hitting the streets here in the USA, I paid roughly the same $20 for a generic from hong kong via Ebay prior to any others being available stateside... It's still working fine & charging fine in the official pani charger inspite of being just a hair smaller & not snapping in as tightly as the pani battery... A few months ago I went with another Ebay seller, only this time on the West Coast & @ much less $$:
http://www.power101.com/item.htm?id=60191PLUMDMCFZ7
& the charger with car-cord you'll find there to go with it is similarly priced & works too... Both, completely delivered for less than just the battery alone from batterybarn... Haven't used it enough to realize any great difference in performance but who cares for less than $10 compared to $50 for a real Pani....
3) U/V Filter. Recommendations?
I flirt with danger & go nekid with just the lens-shade but I have a good multi-coated UV should the wind kick up.... Although I'd probably opt for the newer "for digital" clear glass multi-coated protectors if I were shoppin now....
Nope. At least not yet since you could end up buying things you won't use much or at all...
I thought I'd be using a polorizer as much as I did with my old cams but just haven't yet at all...
After a large card & extra power, I'd suggest a wait & see approach & get only what you might eventually want to use & are sure you'll use.... Get to know the cam 1st, shoot it a lot & wait till you find things you don't have & fill the need accordingly as thier absence arrises for whatever direction your shooting style could evolve to... EZ modes may supplant the need for a tele adapter or ya may evolve into a Macro shooter & decide on a good achromat.. Or maybe you'll end up wanting a wider view & opt for a W/A adapter or it may suit your needs as-is right out of the box for a long time...
I bought a star filter early on, with my old cam but then figured out how to do it without one & haven't used it since that very 1st time.. then there are a few things I rarely use but am glad to have even if it may be years between thier use...
YMMV...
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