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Tell Me How the Canon Forum Convinced Me To Buy FZ200

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Monicakm

Monicakm

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but the Panasonic forum (in 30 mins) convinced me NOT to buy it!

What a struggle it's been to decide what to replace my still perfectly good Canon S3 with. It's only 6MP and I need to be able to print larger formatted photos. G1 X? No. The big sensor I've been waiting on but no EVF and only a 5X zoom. G15? No. Fast lens I've been waiting on but fixed LCD and no EVF. SX50? No...sloooow (and a couple other reasons I've forgotten). FZ200 seems like like it has it all. Bright, fast, excellent EVF, plenty zoom, awesome video, good in low light...heck, good in any light and setting.

So I stroll over to the Panasonic forum and it's complaint after complaint. High amt of noise at all ISO speeds unless shooting in RAW (I had already read about that, but hoping the reports were exaggerated). Not familiar with RAW but it sounds like even more time spent post processing. Confusing and numerous menus with complicated settings that might be too much for this 53 year old brain! Indoor IQ not as good as FZ150. Indoor shots are major priority of mine. Build quality is questionable. My S3, bless it's heart, has plummeted to the ground (concrete, tile) at least a dozen times in 6 years. Each time I'm SURE it's toast. It's got battle scars and missing the rubber part around the viewfinder but everything still works as good as the day I bought it.

I don't photograph wildlife a football field away. I don't visit exotic locales (anymore). Not into extreme sports. I photograph grandchildren and family events, school events (stage and soon some sporting events). Kids are 4 and 6. I take pictures of life around me and of things I like/love.

IQ is naturally the bottom line but how I get there is also very important, otherwise I'd go with the Canon G1 X. I'm hesitant to say this because the person behind the camera is as big a contributor to IQ as the camera it's self, but I think I'm seeing better quality pictures from the SX50 than the FZ200 :o but, on paper, the FZ200 seems like the camera for me, short of a dSLR that I'm not willing to lug around and change out lenses. I'm officially at a standstill. I think part of my fear is a completely different user interface. I'm comfortable with Canon's menu and features. Frankly the FZ200 scares me with all the various settings. Does it really take 45 steps to format the SD card???

Monica
 
Welcome to my world.

You want a bit of handling, a generally good photograph and an EVF that belongs.

Good luck with that. There's nothing around yet a while.

Buy a Panasonic G series with the 14-150 (28-300 in 35mm) Lens on it. Nearest you'll get.

--


The FZ50: DSLR handling of a bright Leica 35-420mm lens that's this good: http://www.flickr.com/groups/panasonicfz50/pool/show (some real gems in there). With the FZ200 performance so good, I live in hope that Mr Ichiro Kitao has triggered the update to the FZ50. Our desire for IQ was taking us in the wrong direction. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=42366095
 
for what your taking the fz200 should be perfect .ive had the fz150 for 2 months now and loving it. have a 9 yo daughter and its perfect just didnt want to take my slr every where any more the fz150 can easly match my slr for image quality in any light to
a1 print. and it hangs around my neck.

cheers don
 
No I would not go with any FZ camera for indoors to be honest, for grandkids, indoors, family gatherings and dinners...Panny LX7 or Olympus XZ-2 or Sony RX100 to compliment your Canon S3

Superzooms are at their best in bright sunshine otherwise I would leave mine at home...
--
FlickR Photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46756347@N08/
 
If your Canon S3 still runs, then keep it, no matter what else you buy. You won't find any superzoom models today that shoot photos as good. It doesn't do HD video and isn't the best in low-light, but you'll get better large prints from it than from any small-sensored camera made today, that has two to three times as many pixels crowded into it. I'm surprised how quickly people have forgotten about this S-Series, including Canon, itself.
--
Steve McDonald
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22121562@N00/
http://www.vimeo.com/user458315/videos

Click below for My Places on Google Earth
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=229807ce52dd4fe0#cid=229807CE52DD4FE0

 
Seems like you have some trade-offs to make. From your description of the photos you are mainly interested in, low light performance is more important than a super-zoom. I would look at micro 4/3 cameras like the G1X. A larger sensor will give better image quality especially at higher ISO. A G1X also has a hot shoe so you can put a decent flash on it, which I expect will be important to you. It also allows an accessory EVF.

I considered the FZ150 and a micro 4/3 but decided on the FZ150 because I like to take wildlife photos, especially birds. So the zoom was more important than a large sensor. My impression of the FZ150, and probably true of any bridge camera, is that it does a lot of things well but nothing really great. A micro 4/3 would be less compromising for the kind of photos you talk about.
 
True, I don't use my current 12X zoom near as much as I do a lesser amt (of zoom) and a larger sensor is what I've been holding out for. The lack of EVF and a tad slow on AF are problems with the G1 X too. Yes, a trade-off is unavoidable I'm afraid. Sure as I settle for a 5x zoom, the grandbabies will be on stage performing in school plays or on a sports field. Can you give me some examples of 4/3 cameras? I've seen number but don't know what it is.
Thanks
RevsCam said:
Seems like you have some trade-offs to make. From your description of the photos you are mainly interested in, low light performance is more important than a super-zoom. I would look at micro 4/3 cameras like the G1X. A larger sensor will give better image quality especially at higher ISO. A G1X also has a hot shoe so you can put a decent flash on it, which I expect will be important to you. It also allows an accessory EVF.

I considered the FZ150 and a micro 4/3 but decided on the FZ150 because I like to take wildlife photos, especially birds. So the zoom was more important than a large sensor. My impression of the FZ150, and probably true of any bridge camera, is that it does a lot of things well but nothing really great. A micro 4/3 would be less compromising for the kind of photos you talk about.
Click to expand...
--



Monica (UZi x2) (Canon S3)
http://www.pbase.com/monicakm
 
Not again! Stephen, you don't know how many times I've been told that in the last 3 years over on the Canon forum. Never expected to hear it on this forum tho LOL I can't manage/juggle two cameras. Just won't happen. I'd be happy if the FZ200 gave me the same quality photos that my S3 does, just larger.

Do you agree with the statement that the FZ200 produces unacceptable noise at any ISO speed unless you're shooting in RAW?
Stephen McDonald said:
If your Canon S3 still runs, then keep it, no matter what else you buy. You won't find any superzoom models today that shoot photos as good. It doesn't do HD video and isn't the best in low-light, but you'll get better large prints from it than from any small-sensored camera made today, that has two to three times as many pixels crowded into it. I'm surprised how quickly people have forgotten about this S-Series, including Canon, itself.
--
Steve McDonald
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22121562@N00/
http://www.vimeo.com/user458315/videos

Click below for My Places on Google Earth
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=229807ce52dd4fe0#cid=229807CE52DD4FE0

Click to expand...
--



Monica (UZi x2) (Canon S3)
http://www.pbase.com/monicakm
 
LTZ, I don't use superzoom at home. I would like to be able to take good long zoom shots if I was watching a school play. With a 2.8 aperature at the tele end of this camera, won't I be able to stop movement fairly well and have a well lit photo? Is it the noise factor that drives you to recommend not going with the FZ200 for indoor shots?
LTZ470 said:
No I would not go with any FZ camera for indoors to be honest, for grandkids, indoors, family gatherings and dinners...Panny LX7 or Olympus XZ-2 or Sony RX100 to compliment your Canon S3

Superzooms are at their best in bright sunshine otherwise I would leave mine at home...
--
FlickR Photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46756347@N08/
Click to expand...
--



Monica (UZi x2) (Canon S3)
http://www.pbase.com/monicakm
 
Monicakm said:
Monica wrote:
Does it really take 45 steps to format the SD card???
Click to expand...
It doesn't need to take 45 steps to format the SD card.

Use the zoom lever (around the shutter) to skip to the page where format is.
Maybe 5 to 7 steps.

ANAYV
 
Less than that if you zoom "backwards" one step to the last page of the setup menu.
--
"Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it." - Winston Churchill
 
I was a Canon user for years before moving to Panasonic. The S3IS was a great camera; but I won't tell you it is better than the FZ200.

The S3IS (6 MP) and the S5IS (8 MP) had a fast lens. f/2.7-3.5 is very nearly as fast as the constant f/2.8 on the FZ200. Somehow, with the SX10IS, Canon lenses got slow. Moreover, they got slow rather quickly as you zoomed. The S3IS got slower rather gradually, so the lens was still pretty fast at middle focal lengths. Panasonic lenses are much more like the S3IS with regard to the change of aperture with focal length. (As in the FZ28, 35, and FZ150 that I owned)

As far as noise goes, I'll match the FZ200 against the S3IS any day at ISO 400 and at 800 it'll knock the socks off the S3IS in JPEGs.

I don't know if it has been an issue for you; but the S3IS, and S5IS drove me crazy with colored fringing (Chromatic Aberration, or CA). Panasonic has been correcting for CA in-camera since the FZ28. Canon only got around to that with the SX40HS.

Four years ago, we went to the Galapagos Islands and most shots were with my S5IS. Generally good; but a few were spoiled by excessive CA. Friday we are going back, and this time, I'm taking the FZ200.

Last weekend we went to see our granddaughterplay in her first college ice hockey game. I took the FZ200 as an experiment and shot under the lights at f/4 and ISO 800 in JPEG. I got several very nice shots that were as good as I could get with my Canon 60D DSLR with its slower zoom. I found the S5IS useless for hockey. Indoors, the FZ200 will be noticeably better than the S3IS. AF is much faster on the FZ200, and there is less shutter lag.

Compared to the S3IS, the FZ200 is bigger, and about 5 oz heavier. The lens is only 2/3 stop faster at the leng end. (f/2.8 Vs f/3.5) It goes both longer and wider. CA is automatically removed in JPEGs. 52 mm filters screw directly onto the lens. The FZ200 has a dedicated hot shoe. The LCD is articulated like the one of the S3IS; but 3", VS 2" and much higher resolution (4X). The electronic viewfinder on the FZ200 is 1.313 million dots witrh good color; the S3IS is 115 thousand dots (11.4x)

I won't kid you, the learning curve is longer with the FZ200; but there's lots of willing helpers here. However, I would keep the S3IS as a backup and more pocketable alternative.
--
Jerry
 
I was there a year ago, at the end of October. I used both my Nikon D7000 and (more oft!en because of the weight) my FZ150. I got terrific shots with both, and I'd be hard pressed to say which were better or worse. I used a 18-200mm with my Nikon, so I had good zoom there, too. You should be in the Galapagos while animals are giving birth, so it should be wonderful: enjoy it with your FZ200
 
Thanks so much for your reply. Can't keep the S3 tho. Need to sell it to help pay for the new camera. What about the FZ150. Are you one that thinks it's better than the 200?
Monica
GeraldW said:
I was a Canon user for years before moving to Panasonic. The S3IS was a great camera; but I won't tell you it is better than the FZ200.
Click to expand...
 
ANAYV said:
ANAYV said:
Monica wrote:
Does it really take 45 steps to format the SD card???
Click to expand...
It doesn't need to take 45 steps to format the SD card.

Use the zoom lever (around the shutter) to skip to the page where format is.
Maybe 5 to 7 steps.

ANAYV
Click to expand...
Assuming you're already in a manual shooting mode, it takes exactly 11 steps to get the the - Format? "Yes" link using the Menu Set button and the scroll buttons. It actually takes 2 more steps if you use the zoom lever.
 
I count 9 steps
Menu Button
Left
Up
Right
Zoomleft
Up
Right (to Format)
Up (to yes)
Menu (confirm)

but there's a certain silliness to the step count. All you really need to know is that it's on the far end of the tools menu.

To address (IMO) several of your other questions...

No - you don't need to shoot Raw. Most people don't shoot Raw and are very happy with it. Shooting JPG means the camera will automatically correct for distortion (JPG on left, Raw on right)





Lots of good JPGs here in difficult lighting
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1033&thread=42549611

These are ISO 800 (albeit with some talented postprocessing)
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1033&thread=42497197

You'll be delighted with the camera for theater. You can stand in the back and shoot at f/2.8 with the tele lens. (Bring a tripod- It's useful for so much more than just decreasing shake.).

You can even use "high sensitivity" mode to shoot in extremely dark venues as shown here (at the cost of some decrease in resolution)

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1033&message=42589073
These are FZ35 (expect FZ200 to be at least as good - probably better)
F3, 1/30 sec. ISO 2000
F3.7, 1/20 sec. ISO 1250
F3.4, 1/40 sec. ISO 2500
F3.6, 1/40 sec. ISO 3200
F3.4, 1/40 sec. ISO 2000
F3.7, 1/50 sec. ISO 3200

Review the FZ200 (and even the FZ150) videos here
http://www.youtube.com/user/ghough12?feature=watch

Look at the best posted images, not the worst. The worst won't tell you anything. Ask "Are the images I see good enough for me ", not whether it meets somebody else's criteria of acceptability.

What you see on the forum depends a lot on when you look. When the camera was first available, there was a huge amount of activity, overwhelming (but certainly not totally) positive. That's passed now, and what's currently being posted seems a bit more weighted towards people new to the camera and people who are looking/commenting about particular aspects (such as Raw vs JPG ). That doesn't make them in any sense less valuable, but means that you can't take today's posting snapshot as reflective of the general response to the camera

Sherm
Buzz Lightyear said:
ANAYV said:
Buzz Lightyear said:
Monica wrote:
Does it really take 45 steps to format the SD card???
Click to expand...
It doesn't need to take 45 steps to format the SD card.

Use the zoom lever (around the shutter) to skip to the page where format is.
Maybe 5 to 7 steps.

ANAYV
Click to expand...
Assuming you're already in a manual shooting mode, it takes exactly 11 steps to get the the - Format? "Yes" link using the Menu Set button and the scroll buttons. It actually takes 2 more steps if you use the zoom lever.
Click to expand...
 
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