daniel_murphy1 Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 I went to buy an FZ30 a couple of weeks ago, and nothin' was there. Discontinued. Then they said the FZ50 was coming in "a couple of weeks". A few days later it was announced. I'm going to New Zealand the first three weeks of October, I'm hoping to see one in person before then. I think its the combination of super long zoom, IS, RAW files, and 16:9 movie mode that ties it up for me. Apart from the Canon superzooms, is there anything else comparible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_e Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 "is there anything else comparible?" New? No. Otherwise Konica-Minolta A2 and A200 or Nikon Coolpix 8800 -- if you are looking for raw combined with good manual control and big zoom. -- Don E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgreene Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 In a word: ``No.`` <br>No in that others will make (are already making) invidious comparisions with other rigs, touting this or that feature of this or that camera being ``<i>as good as</i>`` the FZ50.<br>But none-not one other camera combines the total punch of the FZ50. <p>Of course those who`ve never even <i>seen a FZ50</i> are bellyakin` about how much ``<i>noise</i>`` it generates.<p>But hell, they said the same thing about my FZ20 & FZ30, all the while envy showing on their faces like a big fat Zit.<p>The best thing about the FZ50? Sales of the FZ30 spiked on the news. Black bodied FZ30s are in very short supply.<p>Nah, get your FZ50 when you can and enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjacksonphoto Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 Have to agree here. The inclusion of not one, but two, "baby" scene modes clearly labels the new Panasonic offering as professional quality. Hell, my crappy F5 and D200 don't have a single "baby" mode between 'em! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phule Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 <<But none-not one other camera combines the total punch of the FZ50.>> Baseless claims. The FZ50 has not been reviewed by any site. Panasonic has not published any sample images. Ed has no knowledge of how the FZ50 may or may not perform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel_murphy1 Posted July 29, 2006 Author Share Posted July 29, 2006 Yes I know about the "baby" modes. Yes it's stupid, but no one is obligated to use them. I see the camera for what is is. It won't be as good as many kits that cost far more. The point is it might make a great all around carry camera for me. If I want huge res, I have a Mamiya 7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjacksonphoto Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 I know, David. I'm just yanking Ed's chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcuknz Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 If what you mention is all that the FZ50 has to offer then I'll be happy to stick with my FZ30. The FZ30 was/is a vaste step forward from the FZ20 but I cannot see how they can improve on the 30 in any great way. More pixels in the EVF to make MF a possibility. Larger sensor/better circuitry to reduce noise at higher ISOs Never used 'modes' and have a D8 video for that purpose ... obviously I'm completely out of date :-) I'm sure there are still FZ30s for sale in NZ. I think the S3 IS is a serious contender to the FZ30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitmstr Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 >>I'm just yanking Ed's chain.<< I thought Ed was yanking his own chain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_e Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 "If what you mention is all that the FZ50 has to offer then I'll be happy to stick with my FZ30. The FZ30 was/is a vaste step forward from the FZ20 but I cannot see how they can improve on the 30 in any great way. More pixels in the EVF to make MF a possibility. Larger sensor/better circuitry to reduce noise at higher ISOs" JC Looking at dpreview, it seems that the viewfinders on both are 230k pixels. Odd is that the FZ50 has reduced number of pixels in the LCD. In-camera NR would matter to the jpeg shooter, but I would wait for test results to see whether it is well done or just smushes up the noise into blobs. Adding 2MP to the same sensor is not enough for me to regret buying the FZ30 at 450$ You early-adopters can buy the FZ50 for 200$ more in September. -- Don E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel_murphy1 Posted July 30, 2006 Author Share Posted July 30, 2006 The 16:9 video mode matters to me. I doubt it will have stereo sound, but it would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcuknz Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 16:9 video is just a fad like having a separate video camera that I have:-) I hope you have time in NZ to visit the Mainland where the best scenary is and you know how to stitch photographs becuase that will give you a better result than panning around. I have seen digital slide show where movement suddenly occured and it was quite effective. I guess I will have to come up to speed with these modern techniques :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman_margolus Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Amazon.com started selling the FZ50 last week. Several people have gotten them and there's been a lot of discussion about them on dpreview's Panasonic Forum. The people who have them seem pretty happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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