Fuji F70exr vs. F80exr vs. Panasonic ZS3.

[nuraman00]

Hi,

I am looking at 3 cameras:

*

Fuji F70: I like what I've read, from many different sites.

*

Fuji F80: Also seems good, but reviews were stronger overall for the F70.

Plus there doesn't seem to be any solid reason to pick the F80 except for the 720p HD video.

I'm most concerned with extreme and low-light conditions though.

*

Panasonic ZS3: This is one other one that seemed to pop up.

Reviews for this also seemed strong, and a few places directly compared this with the F70, saying both were good.

What would you recommend between the three?

One more question: I would like to go to a brick-and-mortar store to try out the F70 and Panasonic ZS3. But I'm having a hard time finding any that carry them.

I can find the Fuji F80.

And in Panasonic's case, I can find other models like the ZS5 and ZS6. Should I compare with these?

Do you know what stores might carry the Fuji F70 or Panasonic ZS3? Do you have any solutions?

When I called Fuji, they mentioned Best Buy, Walmart, Kmart, Ritz, Target.

When I called Panasonic, they mentioned Best Buy, Sears, Target, Radio Shack, Costco, but I couldn't find the ZS3 model on those stores' websites.

I tried calling a few local stores such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target, Walmart, Costco, and Ritz, and they didn't carry them either.

 

[Kim Letkeman]

I am looking at 3 cameras:
Fuji F70: I like what I've read, from many different sites.

As you should. The class of the field for high ISO stills.

Fuji F80: Also seems good, but reviews were stronger overall for the F70.

And they were right. F80 drops high ISO image quality more than it should have ... but that is Fuji's self-destructive tendencies at play ... kill the good cam to get 2 more useless megapixels.

Plus there doesn't seem to be any solid reason to pick the F80 except for the 720p HD video.

And the audio is poor on that cam, so the video is nothing to write home about.

I'm most concerned with extreme and low-light conditions though.

For stills or video?

Stills: F70, no contest. F80 next best.

Video: ZS3, no contest. F70 is next, despite having standard definition video. Audio is better and zoom response is slower, which looks better on video. Fuji screwed more than one thing up on the F80 where video is concerned.

Panasonic ZS3: This is one other one that seemed to pop up.

For video, it is unparalleled.

Reviews for this also seemed strong, and a few places directly compared this with the F70, saying both were good.

They are, but the F70 wipes the floor with it in low light. The ZS3 wipes the floor with it for video.

What would you recommend between the three?

If high ISO stills are your priority, no contest. Gotta get the F70. If video is your priority, also no contest. Gotta get the ZS3.

I value both to a great extent and therefore own both.

I bought the F80 because I was hoping it was the replacement for both. And found out that the stills are worse (and MUCH worse in some light) and that the video is worse than both. Go figure

One more question: I would like to go to a brick-and-mortar store to try out the F70 and Panasonic ZS3. But I'm having a hard time finding any that carry them.

F70 is no longer made. There are a few places still selling them online and they are going pretty cheap. Another great reason to get one now.

ZS3 has also been replaced, and like Fuji they went for more megapixels and ruined a classic.

The F70 and ZS3 are absolutely best of breed ... and are destined to be classics in my opinion.

I can find the Fuji F80.

Yes ... still made.

And in Panasonic's case, I can find other models like the ZS5 and ZS6. Should I compare with these?

No. Newer models have been ruined.

Do you know what stores might carry the Fuji F70 or Panasonic ZS3? Do you have any solutions?

Used market perhaps. Scan the web for close outs.

When I called Fuji, they mentioned Best Buy, Walmart, Kmart, Ritz, Target.

When I called Panasonic, they mentioned Best Buy, Sears, Target, Radio Shack, Costco, but I couldn't find the ZS3 model on those stores' websites.

Big box stores often have old stock. You should call around, you may get very lucky. The web will only show current models.

I tried calling a few local stores such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target, Walmart, Costco, and Ritz, and they didn't carry them either.

You may need to visit ... and that's an awful chore. But it's getting late in the game ... the F70 is really hard to find. The ZS3 should be a bit easier, but even that is no doubt scarce as hen's teeth.

Now ... if you want some back up, you are welcome to read the article I've published on the cams ... close to 100 overall in the last year.

My ZS3 versus F80EXR video review

http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com/2010/04/f80exr-versus-zs3-video-tests-part-1.html

My favorite ZS3 video on YouTube, I shot this at a Christmas concert from the front row (this should blow your mind)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgl_uLTzTBQ

80-odd videos shot by me on YouTube ...
http://www.youtube.com/kletkeman

F80 versus F70
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com/search?q=f80exr+vs

ZS3 versus the F70
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com/search?q=panasonic+ZS3+versus

There are lots of articles that won't come up in those searches ... use the article index on the right side to explore starting last August.

Hope this helps.

--
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com
http://letkeman.net/Photos

 

[nuraman00]

I'm most concerned with extreme and low-light conditions though.

For stills or video?

Stills: F70, no contest. F80 next best.

Video: ZS3, no contest. F70 is next, despite having standard definition video. Audio is better and zoom response is slower, which looks better on video. Fuji screwed more than one thing up on the F80 where video is concerned.

Thanks for the detailed responses.

I'm looking primarily for still stills in low-light and extreme light conditions, especially those at concerts.

I suppose I might take a few short videos, but most of the time they will be stills.

So in that case, you would still go with the F70 over the ZS3, right?

What would you recommend between the three?

If high ISO stills are your priority, no contest. Gotta get the F70. If video is your priority, also no contest. Gotta get the ZS3.

I value both to a great extent and therefore own both.

I bought the F80 because I was hoping it was the replacement for both. And found out that the stills are worse (and MUCH worse in some light) and that the video is worse than both. Go figure

One more question: I would like to go to a brick-and-mortar store to try out the F70 and Panasonic ZS3. But I'm having a hard time finding any that carry them.

F70 is no longer made. There are a few places still selling them online and they are going pretty cheap. Another great reason to get one now.

ZS3 has also been replaced, and like Fuji they went for more megapixels and ruined a classic.

The F70 and ZS3 are absolutely best of breed ... and are destined to be classics in my opinion.

Looks like I should stick with these, and not waste time with newer models.

Do you know what stores might carry the Fuji F70 or Panasonic ZS3? Do you have any solutions?

Used market perhaps. Scan the web for close outs.

When I called Fuji, they mentioned Best Buy, Walmart, Kmart, Ritz, Target.

When I called Panasonic, they mentioned Best Buy, Sears, Target, Radio Shack, Costco, but I couldn't find the ZS3 model on those stores' websites.

Big box stores often have old stock. You should call around, you may get very lucky. The web will only show current models.

I tried calling a few local stores such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target, Walmart, Costco, and Ritz, and they didn't carry them either.

You may need to visit ... and that's an awful chore. But it's getting late in the game ... the F70 is really hard to find. The ZS3 should be a bit easier, but even that is no doubt scarce as hen's teeth.

Now ... if you want some back up, you are welcome to read the article I've published on the cams ... close to 100 overall in the last year.

My ZS3 versus F80EXR video review

http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com/2010/04/f80exr-versus-zs3-video-tests-part-1.html

My favorite ZS3 video on YouTube, I shot this at a Christmas concert from the front row (this should blow your mind)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgl_uLTzTBQ

80-odd videos shot by me on YouTube ...
http://www.youtube.com/kletkeman

F80 versus F70
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com/search?q=f80exr+vs

ZS3 versus the F70
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com/search?q=panasonic+ZS3+versus

There are lots of articles that won't come up in those searches ... use the article index on the right side to explore starting last August.

Hope this helps.

--
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com
http://letkeman.net/Photos

They helped a lot, I just read your blog entries, and some of your YouTube Clips.

I looked at the video from the Tragically Hip show from Sept. 28 2008, the video from those bright lights looked good. With the old equipment I have, I would never be able to consider taking a still under those bright lights. I would still try though, and hope I get lucky (maybe 1/12th of the time it would be decent).

Your Oasis videos also gave good examples of bright lights and low-lights.

 

[Kim Letkeman]

I looked at the video from the Tragically Hip show from Sept. 28 2008,

Canon G10 ... superb audio, decent video.

Your Oasis videos also gave good examples of bright lights and low-lights.

Fuji F11 ... adequate video, horrible audio ... completely overwhelmed by bass.

The latter problem has been partially fixed in the F70, however you'll need something like the ZS3 to get really good audio.

So ... check out rita mcneil and postdata videos for ZS3.

Check out the last postdata video (part 7) where I was forced to change to the f70.

Also check out billy bragg, jill zmud, rascal flatts (especially the talk box) for excellent examples of what the F70 is capable of recording.

--
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com
http://letkeman.net/Photos

 

[nuraman00]

I looked at the video from the Tragically Hip show from Sept. 28 2008,

Canon G10 ... superb audio, decent video.

Your Oasis videos also gave good examples of bright lights and low-lights.

Fuji F11 ... adequate video, horrible audio ... completely overwhelmed by bass.

The latter problem has been partially fixed in the F70, however you'll need something like the ZS3 to get really good audio.

So ... check out rita mcneil and postdata videos for ZS3.

Check out the last postdata video (part 7) where I was forced to change to the f70.

Also check out billy bragg, jill zmud, rascal flatts (especially the talk box) for excellent examples of what the F70 is capable of recording.

--
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com
http://letkeman.net/Photos

Postdata: The ZS3 was a lot better than the F70, it's not even a fair comparison.

Billy Bragg, Jill Zmud, Rascal Flatts: I thought the video looked ok, I would be happy. Nice job with the Rascal Flatts Talk Box clip.

As I mentioned, most of the time I'll be taking stills, and as the last 3 clips have shown, video can be ok too.

I think I'll go with the F70.

Do you think a 8GB microSD card is a good size?

Are there any settings that you think I should use for the F70?

 

[Kim Letkeman]

Do you think a 8GB microSD card is a good size?

I bought a 32GB one recently, the one before that was 16GB ... but 8 is a nice size too

Basically, I like recording entire concerts sometimes ... that requires a big card and an extra battery. For either cam ...

Are there any settings that you think I should use for the F70?

Absolutely.

http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com/2009/10/fuji-f70exr-how-to-shoot-it-mkii.html

--
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com
http://letkeman.net/Photos

 

[nuraman00]

Do you think a 8GB microSD card is a good size?

I bought a 32GB one recently, the one before that was 16GB ... but 8 is a nice size too

Basically, I like recording entire concerts sometimes ... that requires a big card and an extra battery. For either cam ...

Are there any settings that you think I should use for the F70?

Absolutely.

http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com/2009/10/fuji-f70exr-how-to-shoot-it-mkii.html

--
http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com
http://letkeman.net/Photos

Thanks, I'll be using it.