zs3/tz7 maximum aperture at different focal lengths

Hi,

This has probably been answered a million times, but I can't seem to find the answer in the forum...

Any ZS3/TZ7 user would be so kind as to check the maximum apertures available at different focal lengths?
50mm, 100mm, 150mm, 200mm, 250mm would be great.
I was wondering how much faster it is at 100mm than the Canon S90 (f4.9).

Thanks!

quicu said:

Any ZS3/TZ7 user would be so kind as to check the maximum apertures available at different focal lengths?
50mm, 100mm, 150mm, 200mm, 250mm would be great.
I was wondering how much faster it is at 100mm than the Canon S90 (f4.9).

Click to expand...

First up no ZS3/TZ7 here, but comparing apples to bananas is the wrong way to go. The Canon S90 has a larger sensor and will perform better with a smaller aperture anyway. They are quite different cameras.

Regards............. Guy

quicu said:

Any ZS3/TZ7 user would be so kind as to check the maximum apertures available at different focal lengths?
50mm, 100mm, 150mm, 200mm, 250mm would be great.
I was wondering how much faster it is at 100mm than the Canon S90 (f4.9).

Click to expand...

.

As compiled from the EXIF data of my ZS3/TZ7 pictures:

......................................................................
Focal length ....... Maximum aperture
......................................................................
.
. 25 mm ............ 3.2
. 50 mm ............ 3.9 (25 mm is 49% more luminous)
100 mm ............ 4.3 (25 mm is 81% more luminous)
150 mm ............ 4.4 (100 mm is 5% more luminous)
200 mm ............ 4.4 (100 mm is 5% more luminous)
250 mm ............ 4.8 (200 mm is 19% more luminous)
300 mm ............ 4.9 (250 mm is 4% more luminous)
.
......................................................................

Notice how the maximum aperture remains nearly constant from 100 mm to 200 mm and then again from 250 mm to 300 mm .

Re the S90, its maximum aperture at 100 mm is F4.9 while the ZS3 is F4.3 , i.e., the ZS3 Leica lens is 30% more luminous at that focal length than the S90's.

If interested in seeing the kind of pictures and image quality the ZS3 can produce at all focal lengths and varied lighting conditions, you may want to have a look at the 170 sample pictures I've uploaded to my Flickr page at the URL in my signature, just click the link below:

-
See my Lumix ZS3 (TZ7) pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirepapa/

.

I can't say this is the absolute widest, but I was curious with mine. In dim light I touched the zoom toggle until the aperture changed. Here is what I found:

3.2 @ 25mm
3.3 @ 28 mm
3.5 @ 32 mm
3.6 @ 33 mm
3.7 @ 42 mm
3.8 @ 48 mm
3.9 @ 55 mm
4.0 @ 62 mm
4.2 @ 78 mm
4.3 @ 90 mm
4.4 @ 110 mm
4.5 @ 137 mm

So the ZS3 is 1/2 stop faster at 100mm. But the S90 will make that up with a cleaner sensor. If you want a Panasonic with a fast lens, I have some images from a FZ35 with f3.4 @ 100mm and f3.7 @ 300mm. I'm not sure if that's the absolute widest aperture, I'd assume so, but pretty amazing... its also a larger camera too and the main reason I suck with the ZS3.

Guy Parsons said:

quicu said:

Any ZS3/TZ7 user would be so kind as to check the maximum apertures available at different focal lengths?
50mm, 100mm, 150mm, 200mm, 250mm would be great.
I was wondering how much faster it is at 100mm than the Canon S90 (f4.9).

Click to expand...

First up no ZS3/TZ7 here, but comparing apples to bananas is the wrong way to go. The Canon S90 has a larger sensor and will perform better with a smaller aperture anyway. They are quite different cameras.

Click to expand...

--I believe the OP has brought up an important point on how various cameras and sensor sizes should be compared and the responders have provided the data comparing these systems.

Granted it is only fair to compare cameras of equal focal length equivalent as the ZS3 goes much wider at 25mm compared to 28mm and much much longer at 300mm compared to 100mm. After using 10x TZs for a number of years in combination with my DSLRs I would have to say 100mm is now very limiting and one wanting candid photography would want a much longer range. While the DSLRs are much better for fast operation, composing, and action my compacts at times do better because of the faster lens.

As noted by both Trensamiro and Panafan the ZS3 is almost a full stop faster than S90 at 100mm. Comparison of maximum f stops throughout the focal length range is very important in any evaluation. That is why LX3 with 60mm reach but combined with Ezoom can get to 90mm @ f2.8 but 5mp so maybe a better alternative than S90 as goes much wider? Since the compacts are often much faster at the tele angle end ( take FZ35 f3.7 @ 300mm or ZS3 f4.4 @ 200mm why these cameras are able to take pictures at lower ISOs and faster shutter speeds. That is why many like these cameras so much as well as their compact small size and versatility.

Far too many comparisons in this forum seem to be based primarily on comparisons of DOF and noise levels rather than lens speed when comparing these compacts to larger sensored cameras but I believe that lens speed is equally important as it enables us to use lower ISOs and faster speeds in many situations and does give much greater DOF for where that is wanted. Add to that the factor that these small lenses can be of better image quality than their expensive larger format lenses and often very good wide open rather than stopped down.

Just my two bits
safaridon

Thank you all for your answers, that's exactly what I was looking for!

By the way, I played with a Canon SX200 recently, and this is what I found regarding apertures:
28mm f3.4
42mm f4.0
84mm f4.5
189mm f5.0
336mm f5.3

I had very limited time with this camera, so please excuse me if any of the numbers are wrong. According to these, the TZ7 should have a slight advantage over the SX200.

And, of course, I know the S90 and the TZ7 are two different beasts.

.

The ZS3 user manual does give a chart showing minimum depth of focus (max Bokeh) between zoom ratios of 5-9, if that is what you are interested in.

Surprisingly, the depth of focus increases for higher zoom ratios, as well as for lower zoom ratios...
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trevmar said:

.

The ZS3 user manual does give a chart showing minimum depth of focus (max Bokeh) between zoom ratios of 5-9, if that is what you are interested in.

Surprisingly, the depth of focus increases for higher zoom ratios, as well as for lower zoom ratios...

Click to expand...

-- My guess that any increase in depth of fous at a higher zoom ratio is entirely related to a sudden jump in aperature level at that point of zoom.

trevmar said:

.

The ZS3 user manual does give a chart showing minimum depth of focus (max Bokeh) between zoom ratios of 5-9, if that is what you are interested in.

Surprisingly, the depth of focus increases for higher zoom ratios, as well as for lower zoom ratios...

Click to expand...

Check it out for yourself in an online calculator http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

You must find the camera, about 2/3 way down the long list, plug in the real focal lengths (not the 35mm equivalents) and also plug in the aperture and focus distance.

Regards...... Guy