[Recovered Thread: 100473]

[creationist]

I intend to purchase a Panny FZ50 but will certainly read the review before taking the big plunge. For those who already owned a FZ30, can you advisewill you able to see the amount of depth offield before you click, just like those film SLR with a preview button.

Thanks

[Sintares]

I am confused, I thought only slrs/dslrs have need of a dof button?

Surely the FZ30/50 is not a slr/dslr and will always show dof due to the live display?

[creationist]

Sintares wrote:

I am confused, I thought only slrs/dslrs have need of a dof button?

Surely the FZ30/50 is not a slr/dslr and will always show dof due to the live display?

In prosumer camera, if there is a dof button, battery can be saved without the need of display. Do normally prosumer camera beside the FZ30 has such a function?

[bobbyz]

On smaller sensor camera, you have lots of DOF compared to 35mm. No prosumer has DOF that I know if. There is no point in having one on those cams. Heck even some starter dSLRs don't have DOF preview. My 30D has it but hardly any use of it with cropped sensor cams as your viewfinder in not bright & big likeFF SLR.

If you want to save batteries on FZ30, don't use LCD too much. You can just use the EVF.

[JimC]

bobbyz wrote:

There is no point in having one on those cams. Heck even some starter dSLRs don't have DOF preview.

The Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 has it. It's a bit strange to operate:

Set wheel to custom, and press center button of function wheel after a half press of the shutter button for DOF preview.

The newer DiMAGE A200 has it as an undocumented feature that works with a half press. When you half press the shutter button to focus it also stops down the aperture. When you release it, the aperture opens back up (even though the scene stays at the same focus point).

You've got a lot of DOF on a non-DSLR model since the sensors are so small. But, for macros, I've seen some DiMAGE A2 owners commenting that it can come in handy (since DOF can be pretty shallow for macros, even with a non-DSLR model).

[msantos]

The answer is NO. FZ-30 does not have DOF preview button. You can always see the DOF even on the LCD or on the EVF.

That is: What you see on the viewfinder or LCD is what you get.