Panasonic FZ200 or wait for the FFHS50EXR?

[Gordie1888]

As a complete novice who is about to buy a decent bridge camera, I had settled on the Panasonic FZ200 but now wonder if I should wait for the soon-to-be-released Fujifilm HS50EXR?

Whats your advice?

How do they compare and please remember the 'novice' bit?!

Many thanks.

[wanaclick]

Make no mistake ,stick to FZ200,go ahead get it ,you will never regret it.

[SIMON40]

The FZ200 is as good a bridge as you can buy at present- fast lens,fast performance,fast AF,great movie capture,feature packed etc...
That's not to say that the Fuji HS50 doesn't look good on paper- having a clear advantage in zoom reach- and for stills shooting,the far superior manual zoom- though never quite so good for video capture.
Early spec sheets suggest the AF and general shooting performance looks fast also...
Only some decent reviews will tell us how the Fuji measures up to the current crop of bridges....

I've no doubt that for video use the Panasonic will be superior.
The Big zoom of the Fuji might be useful for birders...
The fast f/2.8 lens would be favorable for sports or moving subjects- though the speedy manual zoom of the Fuji also has its advantage here,having superior speed of composition...

I'd suggest that if you're not in a hurry, hang on in there for some reviews of the Fuji- see which model suits the kind of subjects you'll be shooting.
If possible,try and get your hands on both and "try before you buy..."

[Gordie1888]

Originally Posted by wanaclick

Make no mistake ,stick to FZ200,go ahead get it ,you will never regret it.

Thanks Wanaclick -that's what I'm inclined to do, having been researching it since Christmas!

[Gordie1888]

Originally Posted by SIMON40

The FZ200 is as good a bridge as you can buy at present- fast lens,fast performance,fast AF,great movie capture,feature packed etc...
That's not to say that the Fuji HS50 doesn't look good on paper- having a clear advantage in zoom reach- and for stills shooting,the far superior manual zoom- though never quite so good for video capture.
Early spec sheets suggest the AF and general shooting performance looks fast also...
Only some decent reviews will tell us how the Fuji measures up to the current crop of bridges....

I've no doubt that for video use the Panasonic will be superior.
The Big zoom of the Fuji might be useful for birders...
The fast f/2.8 lens would be favorable for sports or moving subjects- though the speedy manual zoom of the Fuji also has its advantage here,having superior speed of composition...

I'd suggest that if you're not in a hurry, hang on in there for some reviews of the Fuji- see which model suits the kind of subjects you'll be shooting.
If possible,try and get your hands on both and "try before you buy..."

Simon, I'm getting impatient, think the constant f2.8 and the positive reviews still sway me towards the Panasonic! Many thanks for the reply, though.